social media

Vivek Murthy's Advice Against Social Media Use for Kids Latest in Surgeon General Warnings

While past surgeons general succeeded in warning the public away from cigarettes and drunk driving, other public health issues have been more difficult subjects for persuasion. 

How Social Media and Community Schools Could Fill in Gaps Teaching Black History

As new restrictive legislation in many states threatens the teaching of African American history, the example of southern Freedom Schools is being followed in local and online communities. 

I'm a History Professor with 139 Followers. Why Did Elon Ban Me From Twitter?

by Kenneth Osgood

(It was because I called him a "bologna face".)

Why Washington Can't (or Won't) Quit Twitter

Tech historian Margaret O'Mara says that the social platform keeps work-addicted (and sometimes gossipy) politicos connected all the time, making it both an emotional and instrumental necessity. 

#AcademicTwitter Isn't Collapsing – At Least Not Yet

Twitter heavyweight Kevin Kruse says there is a danger that proposed changes to account verification could erode trust on the site, which could make him bail out. Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Mark Anthony Neal note many scholars like them have invested too much in their networks to make the decision lightly.

Musk Just Latest in Right's Push To Acquire Media Platforms

by A.J. Bauer

The history of conservative media acquisitions reflects the anxiety on the right that their ideas are broadly unpopular. 

Musk: A Vapid Mind Boosted by Wealth and Ego

by Siva Vaidhyanathan

What happens when an unserious person has serious power over public discourse? We must take Musk more seriously than he seems to take anything himself. 

Historians Ask what the Decline of Nude Beaches Tells Us about the Internet's Influence

Historians of naturism Sarah Schrank and Stephen L. Harp believe that the panoptical nature of social media is eroding a longstanding divergence between European and American attitudes about nudity in public spaces, particularly among young women. 

Twitter is Just Fine

by John Warner

Twitter "can be a terrible place, but it is also a place that – at least for me – has been far more welcoming and supportive of my academic pursuits than academia itself ever managed."

Plagiarism Alleged in Kruse's 2000 Dissertation

A researcher argues that passages from other published works are closely reproduced in the thesis. 

Trying to Change Twitter's Content Moderation is Going to Disappoint Elon Musk

by Evelyn Douek

Musk is delusional if he thinks that Twitter can function without moderation. The problem this highlights is the ability of a small number of billionaires to make the decisions that shape the contemporary public sphere. 

New Generation Whitewashes History of Marcos Dictatorship in Philippines

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. is at the brink of winning the presidency in the Philippines, partly because of social media campaigns denying the atrocities committed by his father's regime. 

Confident that Ukraine is Winning the Info War? Think Again

by Carl Miller

Westerners are likely to shun Russian propaganda and mock its falsehoods; social media network research suggests that Russia isn't interested in convincing Westerners, and it may be reaching its intended audience quite effectively. 

A New Kind of Memory for a New Kind of War?

by Shannon Bontrager

"The terrain of combat has changed, digital images are just as important as ammunition and digital platforms are just as important as factories and military hardware."

The Enlightenment Precursor of the Social Media "Wife Guy"

by Meghan Roberts

The "wife guy" who self-servingly projects an image of domestic bliss and romantic devotion is not just a creation of the social media age. 

Art Historians Shake Up Narratives on TikTok

"TikTok’s art historians are using the platform to explore points of view often excluded in more established spaces like galleries and museums."

Extremism Expert: America's Biggest Threat is Within, Needs New Approach

by Cynthia Miller-Idriss

"Because extremist ideas are no longer limited to an isolated, lone-wolf fringe, the United States needs a public health approach to preventing violent extremism."

How Twitter Explains the Civil War (and Vice Versa)

by Ariel Ron

Violence in the Capitol a year ago called to mind events like Preston Brooks's brutal caning of Charles Sumner. But a closer look shows that, like today, antebellum politics were disrupted and made volatile by revolutions in communciation technology. 

Veracity or Virality? How Social Media are Transforming History

by Jason Steinhauer

History is a growing content category on social media, but history content going viral has very little to do with its quality or reliability. The author of a new book on history on social media says historians and readers need to understand how political agendas and content algorithms are shaping history on the web. 

Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman on the Corrosive Effects of Disinformation (Podcast)

The early American press, the telegraph, and broadcast media have all been vectors of the kind of political disinformation we are plagued by today.