insert_link Africa TikTok in Kenya: the government wants to restrict it, but my study shows it can be useful and empowering By Stephen Mutie, Kenyatta University Every day, 750 million people around the world engage with Tiktok – the short-video sharing app. Kenyans are among its top users. According to a Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, 54% of Kenyans sampled used TikTok for general purposes, the highest proportion among the countries in the survey. They also use TikTok to express themselves and connect with others. The app, […] todayMay 17, 2024 10
insert_link World TikTok sues over potential U.S ban TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have sued the US government over a new law that could potentially see the platform banned nationwide within a year…unless it's sold to a non-Chinese company. When passing the law last month, US lawmakers expressed fear that the Chinese government could force TikTok to turn over user data … or to manipulate algorithms to influence public opinion. todayMay 8, 2024 14
insert_link Science & Technology TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age Tiktok is not the only social media app to pose the threats it’s been accused of. picture alliance via Getty Images By Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr. 17, 2024. The House voted on each of the four components of the bill, […] todayApril 22, 2024 11
insert_link Entertainment Quiet on Set highlights how we don’t keep child stars safe – in Hollywood or online Adonis Page/Shutterstock By Edith Jennifer Hill, Flinders University The new documentary Quiet on Set investigates children’s television station Nickelodeon from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The five-part series highlights the abuse many child actors faced while working for the station. The child stars on these shows – now adults in their 30s – share their experiences working on the Nickelodeon sets. The series raises questions about […] todayApril 15, 2024 22
insert_link Lifestyle In a future with more ‘mind reading,’ thanks to neurotech, we may need to rethink freedom of thought Our minds are buffeted by all kinds of influences, though some seem more menacing than others. wenjin chen/DigitalVision Vectoria via Getty Images Parker Crutchfield, Western Michigan University Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, never wrote things down. He warned that writing undermines memory – that it is nothing but a reminder of some previous thought. Compared to people who discuss and debate, readers “will be hearers of many things and will […] todayApril 10, 2024 10
insert_link Science & Technology Is TikTok’s parent company an agent of the Chinese state? In China Inc., it’s a little more complicated Some U.S. lawmakers have grown concerned about TikTok. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images. By Shaomin Li, Old Dominion University Does the Chinese government have officials inside TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, pulling the strings? And does the storing of data from the popular social media app outside of China protect Americans? These questions appear to dominate the current thinking in the U.S. over whether to ban TikTok if its […] todayMarch 18, 2024 7
insert_link 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 […] todayMarch 14, 2024 21
insert_link Science & Technology Should governments ban TikTok? Can they? A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the app poses and the challenges to blocking it Is a wildly popular social media app a threat to U.S. citizens? AP Photo/Michael Dwyer By Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University The U.S. House of Representatives voted 352-65 on March 13, 2024, to require TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, to sell the app or face a nationwide ban on TikTok. President Joe Biden said on March 8 that he would sign the legislation if it reached his […] todayMarch 14, 2024 15
insert_link Science & Technology China says will take ‘all necessary measures’ to protect interests after US TikTok vote China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, vowing that Beijing would "take all necessary measures" to protect the interests of its companies overseas. The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance -- and alleged subservience to Beijing's ruling Communist Party -- has fuelled concern […] todayMarch 14, 2024 9
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
