Social Media

Reaching millennial women ‘where they’re at’—on Instagram

Researchers in the Women’s Health Clinical Research Center at Penn Medicine began experimenting with using Instagram for clinical birth control trial recruitment in 2017, and have since seen a surge in research participants.

Twitter and Instagram unveil new ways to combat hate—again

Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication said “we need humans” to help parse what is and isn’t offensive language based on context. “The tech just isn’t there yet.”

open door with young person sitting on bottom stair of a staircase in background, looking down at a phone in hand.

Facebook posts better at predicting diabetes, mental health than demographic info

Analyzing language shows that identifying certain groups of words significantly improves upon predicting some medical conditions in patients.

teen holding up a phone inside in the sunglight.

How self-harm images on Instagram affect viewers

A new study at the Annenberg Public Policy Center investigates the relationship between exposure to self-harm on Instagram and subsequent self-harm and suicidal ideations.

Person on a bench in a café looking at smartphone seated next to an open laptop.

User-generated content: The medium impacts the message

Wharton’s Shiri Melumad discusses her research on how user-generated content changes in tone based on the type of device used to create it.

Addressing hate speech and disinformation on a global scale

The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s new transatlantic working group is tackling such big issues while keeping its focus on freedom of expression.

Feminista Jones and Tanji Gilliam seated in front of a small crowd at the Penn Book Center

Black feminism 101

Author and alum Feminista Jones joined Tanji Gilliam of Africana Studies in a discussion of her new book “Reclaiming Our Space,” examining how Twitter and modern liberation movements are all borne from black women’s words, struggle, and history.

Wooden blocks spelling out "fact" and "fake"

The Knight Commission calls to rebuild trust in democracy with transparency, responsibility

Penn President Amy Gutmann joined 26 other national leaders to consider why the age of Facebook and “fake news” has pushed faith in government and the media to historic low, and how to mend the rift.

Benjamin Franklin statue in front of College Hall

Q&A

The science behind Facebook’s viral #10YearChallenge

Jonah Berger, an associate professor of marketing at The Wharton School, and author of ‘Contagious: Why Things Catch On,’ discusses why people are suddenly eager to talk aging on social media.

cartoon of news anchor with medical imagery on screen

Breaking through the medical fake news bubble

In a new perspective piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Raina Merchant and David A. Asch provide some guidance for medical professionals and scientists as they wade into online discussions.

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