Social Media Archives - The Westside Story

Twitter employs new search tool to direct users to accurate vaccine information

May 19, 2019

Twitter is rolling out a new search tool to direct users toward authoritative information on vaccines instead of misinformation from anti-vaccine campaigns, according to The Verge. The first tweet to appear whe...

In labeling harmful tweets from public figures, Twitter aims to strike a delicate balance

West Side Story

Mar 28, 2019

Innovation, Opinion, Policy, Science

At several points during Trump’s time in office, critics have called on Twitter to intervene in the president’s habit of provoking and insulting his critics and opponents through tweets. Trump’s use of social m...

Social media platforms should actively curb the spread of anti-science misinformation

West Side Story

Feb 21, 2019

Business, Health, Opinion, Science

With a growing body of research showing the role of social media in the promotion of anti-science sentiment and misinformation, pressure has been building on the tech companies themselves to clamp down on the s...

Online platforms have been too cautious when it comes to banning hate speech

West Side Story

Sep 21, 2018

Business, Innovation, Opinion, Science

PayPal announced this week it will stop doing business with Infowars, a notorious right-wing conspiracy website headed by Alex Jones, according to The Verge. Last month, the relationship between Infowars and Pa...

Zuckerberg says Facebook will put stringent EU privacy protections in place globally

West Side Story

Apr 6, 2018

Business, Policy, Science

Following widespread controversy over user privacy, Facebook has announced that it will apply forthcoming, stringent EU privacy regulations to its 2 billion users in all parts of the world, according to Politic...

New study encourages regular, temporary breaks from social media

West Side Story

Apr 5, 2018

Health, Science

New research suggests that temporary breaks from Facebook and social media may be the best approach regulating the mixed effects that such platforms can have on psychological and physiological well-being. The s...

The Cambridge Analytica breach shows the need for new data and privacy regulations

West Side Story

Mar 21, 2018

Business, Opinion, Policy, Science

As Americans continue to grapple with the unprecedented events of the 2016 election, Facebook and social media have, once again, become a focus of attention. On Saturday, both the New York Times and the Observe...

Investigation and legislation are necessary to address Russian social media interference

West Side Story

Oct 22, 2017

Opinion, Policy, Science

On November 1st, representatives from Google, Twitter, and Facebook will testify before congressional intelligence committees on how their services may have been taken advantage of by Russia, in efforts to infl...

Facebook report details government sponsored “information operations” to manipulate elections

West Side Story

Apr 30, 2017

Business, Policy, Science

A new Facebook report says its platform has been taken advantage of by governments, in an effort to manipulate public opinion abroad, during elections in the US and France. The company pledged to intervene to s...

A new era of misinformation: the dangers of fear-mongering fake news

West Side Story

Feb 20, 2017

Opinion, Policy, Science

Reports of fake or nonexistent terror attacks risk unnecessary panic and promote an outsized response to a very real problem. Within the last month alone, a trend has emerged in which officials or news agenc...

Tagged Social Media