Social media platforms are blocked in Iran. Candidates in this week’s presidential election are embracing them anyway

Social media platforms are blocked in Iran. Candidates in this week’s presidential election are embracing them anyway

By Amin Naeni, Deakin University After Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 20, the Iranian government had to schedule an early election to choose a new president. The regime has approved six presidential candidates to run in the election on June 28. The pool includes four hardliners, one centrist and one reformist. The main competition is expected […]

June 26, 2024 20

Business / Economics

Social media influence audiences worldwide

By Bank Windhoek’s Digital Marketing Specialist, Julian Mentzel Social media is present in almost every part of our everyday lives. It is a universal platform for entertainment, communication, and information sharing. With billions of users globally, social media sites like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn provide various features to appeal to different audiences in the rapidly changing digital communication landscape. The […]

March 14, 2024 43

Business / Economics

Digital Market Strategist explains Meta outage impact on local businesses

Following widespread technical problems lasting more than two hours Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands of users logging errors in accessing the social media services on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, all Meta apps, we spoke to Digital Market Strategist Nrupesh Soni for his take on the outage.

March 6, 2024 39

South Africa

SANEF calls on the Competition Commission’s MDPMI to get Big Techs to compensate media for content

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) on Monday made an impassioned submission at the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), initiated by the Competition Commission of South Africa (Commission), as the three-week inquiry kicked off in Pretoria on Monday 4 March 2024. SANEF, represented by chairperson Sbu Ngalwa, founding member Guy Berger, and legal representative, Michael Power, asked the Commission to strongly consider getting Big Tech to look […]

March 5, 2024 36

Lifestyle

Social media scams are on the rise

There's never been a better time to be a scammer on social media. And it's not just events being falsely advertised, it's clothing, electronics, and more. FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso has the story.

February 29, 2024 23

World

NYC sues social media companies over ‘youth mental health crisis

The city of New York is suing several major social media platforms, accusing them of fueling a 'youth mental health crisis'. Mayor Eric Adams says the lawsuit will hold TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube accountable for 'endangering the mental health of children'. The social media companies involved deny the allegations and say they are working hard to keep young people safe. Sally Patterson reports.

February 16, 2024 12

World

Zuckerberg apologises to families over social media impact on children

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to families who say their children had been harmed by social media, during a fiery hearing in the US Senate. Zuckerberg - who runs Instagram and Facebook - turned to them and said "No one should go through" what they had. Lawmakers wanted to know what they are doing to protect children online. It was a rare opportunity for the US senators to question […]

February 1, 2024 8

Health / Medical

Why a social media detox may not be as good for you as you think – new research

DimaBerlin/Shutterstock Niklas Ihssen, Durham University and Michael Wadsley, Durham University Whether you’re an influencer, an occasional poster, or just a lurker, you likely spend more time than you’d like on social media. Globally, working-age people with internet access now spend more than 2.5 hours per day on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook or X (Twitter). Social media use can become excessive and problematic when it interferes with school or work, […]

November 28, 2023 15

Opinion Pieces

Social media content in times of war: an expert guide on how to keep violence off your feeds

There are some practical ways to filter the amount of violent and graphic content you see on social media. Megan Knight, University of Hertfordshire Social media platforms are a great source of information and entertainment. They also help us to maintain contact with friends and family. But social media can also – and has, often – become a toxic environment for spreading disinformation, hatred and conflict. Most people can’t or […]

November 3, 2023 8