Tag: social media | Page 3

Social media and digital online concept, woman using smart phone. The concept of living on vacation and playing social media. Social Distancing ,Working From Home concept.

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post

News
Date
December 19, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
AI, Instagram, Kids, social media, Teens}

The Atlantic Warns of Smartphones in Schools. But Is Anyone Listening?

_{While word is getting out, there's still a long ways to go.} _{News
December 19, 2023

2

Social Media}

This week, we ran a post covering a new public policy brief from the Institute for Family Studies and the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The brief conclusively demonstrated the tangible harms involved in exposing kids to the online world before they’re ready. The researchers concluded, in addition, that parents should not give their children digital devices. The stakes are too high, from increased risk of mental health disorders to learning impairments. Such warnings have been increasing over the past few years, thanks in large part to the in-depth research of people like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge. The Atlantic published an article today on how smartphones are hurting kids’ cognitive and learning capacities. Derek Thompson writes, Researchers such as Read More ›

Teenage boy in a bedroom listening to music through his smartphone

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post

Peter Biles
Date
December 13, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
digital tech, drugs, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, screentime, Smartphones, social media, teenagers}

New Report: Parents, Don’t Give Your Kids Smartphones

_{This has become a national health crisis.} _{Peter Biles
December 13, 2023

3

Technology}

Haidt writes in The Atlantic that smartphones ought to be banned from schools because “they impede learning, stunt relationships, and lessen belonging.”

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post

Peter Biles
Date
November 1, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Distraction, fiction, Focus, internet, Literature, Psychology Today, social media}

Reading in the Digital Age

_{Writer Joseph Epstein argues compellingly on behalf of the novel.} _{Peter Biles
November 1, 2023

5

Arts & Culture}

Reading isn’t instantly gratifying the way these dopamine-inducing technologies are, but the rewards are worth it.

a person takes pictures with her phone, photographs healthy food

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 22, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Instagram, mental health, social media}

Homogeneity via Instagram and the Internet

_{Spending too much time online shapes our personality and outlook perhaps more than we'd like to admit.} _{Peter Biles
October 22, 2023

3

Social Media}

Unplugging from the matrix may bring us back to a sense of individual identity and purpose.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 21, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Cell phone, Instagram, social media, Tech, Technology}

Trying to Solve Social Media’s Problems Through…More Social Media

_{Alternative social media apps still have to figure out ways to keep you scrolling.} _{Peter Biles
October 21, 2023

3

Social Media}

Last month a friend invited me to download a new photography app called “Lapse.” Perhaps you’ve already heard of it and downloaded it yourself. I decided to try it and see what all the fuss was about. The app’s opening screen was dramatic, with captions about the failures of previous social media apps to truly “capture” the present moment. The business model of social media apps, the Lapsers rightly contend, revolves around “likes” and gaining “friends.” What happened to taking pictures of real, human moments without minding the social reward they might reap? Photo-taking was about holding on to moments that mattered. It wasn’t about filters, validation, or identity. Lapse promises to be different. It’s a disposable camera on your Read More ›

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post

Russ White
Date
October 18, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
media, social media, Tech}

The Great Trust Heist

_{When social media companies are mining data, trust is naturally undermined.} _{Russ White
October 18, 2023

5

Social Media}

Machines that process the private information you share with people you trust find ways to nudge you towards beliefs and actions the owners of the social media network want.

Hands of a male photographer holding a digital camera taking pictures of a idyllic landscape with a lake and mountains while the picture shows at the display

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 16, 2023

Tagged
Arts and Culture, Family, First Things, Gen Z, Jonathan Haidt, mental health, social media, Technology, Toddlers}

Two Notable Reads: Children and Tech and the Illusions of Photography

_{How much should kids be online? And is taking pictures taking us out of real life?} _{Peter Biles
October 16, 2023

4}

Teenagers’ mental health has been on the decline over the last decade, particularly among teen girls. Idealized images can be fodder for the social comparison game.

Amateur observatories, Interior views, vintage engraving.

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post

News
Date
September 22, 2023

Categorized
Science

Tagged
censorship, COVID 19 censorship, Facebook, mind matters, Newsmax, Robert J. Marks, social media, Twitter, YouTube}

“Consensus” Doesn’t Always Mean Science

_{Real scientific discovery happens within a culture of free speech and open dialogue} _{News
September 22, 2023

1

Science}

Robert J. Marks, host of the Mind Matters podcast, recently put out an article at Newsmax discussing “scientific consensus,” and how that term has been used to bully dissenting scientific viewpoints and even establish political and social policy. Marks writes, Consensus was used as a reason to stifle debate during the COVID crisis. Facebook and YouTube saw opposition to the government narrative as disinformation. Posts against consensus were censored and users were banned. Pre-Musk Twitter had a policy concerning tweets about climate change: “Misleading advertisements on #Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on #climatechange are prohibited, in line with its inappropriate content policy.” The word pairing “scientific consensus” is a destructive science-stifling oxymoron. -Robert J. Marks, Consensus Doesn’t Equal Science | Newsmax.com Read More ›

Young anxious woman lying in bed staring at smartphone screen at night, reading about depression symptoms in internet, phone addicted female can not stop scrolling news media before bedtime. Anxiety.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
September 4, 2023

Categorized
Addiction

Tagged
addiction, Cal Newport, dopamine, Focus, social media, Work, YouTube}

Cal Newport: Overstimulation Is Ruining Your Life

_{Turns out the solution is simple: don't use things that overstimulate you.} _{Peter Biles
September 4, 2023

2

Addiction}

“Don’t use things that cause overstimulation,” Newport says. “The dopamine system is powerful, so don’t give it the targets it’s going to fire up for.”

Portrait close up of one young beautiful attractive blonde young girl holding camera and taking selfie picture at the beach enjoying outdoors free time with sunset in the background.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
August 26, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, ChatGPT, Influencers, Instagram, National Review, social media}

National Review: Let AI Take Over Social Media Influencing

_{AI influencers are revealing how vapid social media really is} _{Peter Biles
August 26, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

We’ve recently commented on the AI influencer phenomenon, which seems to be taking social media by storm. With advanced AI imaging, more AI influencers are popping up, and they already look comparable to the likes of Kim Kardashian. The social media influencing world depends on primarily women selling their bodies for revenue. Instagram has tended heavily in this direction, and with the advent of OnlyFans, the temptation to flaunt oneself so provocatively is tangible for many. National Review writer Haley Strack thinks that the AI influencer horde will out-compete real-life influencers and eventually rule out the need for humans at all. She writes, Some criticize AI for giving young men another possibly perverse, sexual outlet online — but men who Read More ›

Video player app on phone's screen and wireless earphones on dark background

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post

News
Date
August 24, 2023

Categorized
Censorship

Tagged
Elon Musk, Free speech, Manhattan Institute, social media, X, YouTube}

“Deeply Unsettling:” Popular YouTube Host Concerned Over Online Censorship

_{After one of his videos was removed from YouTube, economist and talk show host Glenn Loury had questions.} _{News
August 24, 2023

2

Censorship}

Loury noted that he doesn’t share Goldblatt’s opinions, but that it’s important to be able to debate different views freely.

Hispanic man staring sadly at his smartphone

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post

News
Date
August 15, 2023

Categorized
Addiction

Tagged
addiction, sex trafficking, social media}

The Real Issue With the “New Drug”

_{Pornography is a drug, through and through, and is used mainly to alleviate negative emotions and meaninglessness} _{News
August 15, 2023

3

Addiction}

One of the biggest harms of the Internet is online pornography. While prostitution (which has the root word porneia) has been around since the dawn of human history, never before has access to explicit content been so easy and varied. Today the porn industry rakes in around $100 million globally, with the U.S. making up $12-14 million of that revenue. According to this report, 40 million Americans regularly view pornography, and 25 percent of all Internet searches are porn-related. These stats are shocking, to say the least, but it begs the question of how we best understand and treat porn addiction in today’s context. While most of us would naturally assume such addiction is related to sexual impulses, “Dr. K,” Read More ›

Sad man getting dislikes and being rejected by audience for social addiction ad

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post

News
Date
August 13, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Andrew McDiarmid, Cal Newport, emotions, mental health, New York Post, Reality, social media, Twitter}

The Benefits of Ditching Social Media

_{Tech writer Cal Newport explains why boredom is actually a good thing} _{News
August 13, 2023

2

Social Media}

Cal Newport ascended into the limelight upon his viral Ted Talk in which he called people to ditch social media. In this video from last year, Newport rehashes some of the main benefits of not having social media. Boredom is on the list, interestingly; Newport notes that most people no longer have moments of boredom, and as a consequence, don’t have any space in their lives to reflect, think, and work through their emotions. Andrew McDiarmid, a contributor at Mind Matters, has written on this in the past. He notes, Mind wandering, or stream of consciousness thought, gives us several mental gains, including the ability to consider obstacles to future goals, generate novel, creative thoughts, and place our experiences in meaningful Read More ›

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post

Peter Biles
Date
August 4, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, ChatGPT, Futurism, Influencers, Instagram, internet, social media, Victor Tangermann}

AI Influencers Are Starting to Explode

_{Seeing how artificial and impersonal the influencer lifestyle already is, maybe it was inevitable.} _{Peter Biles
August 4, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

AI avatars are starting to flood the social media “influencing” sphere. Seeing how artificial and impersonal the influencer lifestyle already is, maybe it was inevitable. The “Instagram influencer” is a relatively new phenom: an attractive, usually young, person flaunts certain brands on social media for revenue. The phrase “digital creator” is a common tag on bios, and countless young women have made a living off of selling their looks on Instagram. So how might AI play into all this? Well, there are now hundreds of AI internet personalities flooding social media. And they look pretty convincing. Victor Tangermann reports, Thanks to the advent of AI-powered image generators like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, some are now fabricating entire feeds of internet Read More ›

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post

News
Date
August 2, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, god, Revival, Robert J. Marks, social media, TikTok}

Running from TikTok to Baptism and Truth

_{AI-powered social media is hurting kids, but look at the simultaneous revival happening, writes Robert J. Marks} _{News
August 2, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

Even while AI-powered apps addict and enslave so many, Marks thinks God is reaching this generation is a fresh and powerful way.

bright iridescent thread floss for embroidery and needlework

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post

News
Date
July 27, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Big Tech, censorship, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, social media, Twitter}

Is the “Threads” App a Bust?

_{The app originally attracted around 100 million users but has tapered off dramatically.} _{News
July 27, 2023

2

Social Media}

Within the first week of its existence, “Threads,” the new Twitter-like app from the tech company Meta, saw a colossal decline in usage. The app originally attracted around 100 million users but has tapered off dramatically. Jody Cerrano reports, Zuckerberg’s statements about returning users coincide with estimates from third-party traffic analysts that reported the big dip in Threads users last week. At that time, Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm, said that Threads’ daily active users on iOS and Android were down by 20%. The company added that traffic was not the only thing affected. Time spent on the app per user also fell, according to Sensor Tower, by 50% — from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. On Monday, the analyst Similarweb reported an Read More ›

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podcast

Charlie Crockett and Robert J. Marks
Date
July 20, 2023

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Charlie Crockett, children, Human Trafficking, Mobile phone, Online, Robert J. Marks, social media, Unbound Now}

The Sound of Freedom: Social Media and Human Trafficking

_{Charlie Crockett and Robert J. Marks
July 20, 2023

1}

Robert J. Marks and Charlie Crockett continue their conversation on the sad reality of human trafficking. In this episode, they focus particularly on how social media has become a place where predators will search and highlight children’s vulnerabilities — which so many young people share online. Marks and Crockett encourage parents to develop relationships of trust with their children and Read More ›

Abstract creative illustration from 3D rendering of female bust figure with flat anonymous face isolated on gradient background in vaporwave style colors.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
July 2, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Facial Recognition, Instagram, metaverse, Nautilus, social media, TikTok, Virtual Reality}

Blurring the Lines Between Fantasy and Reality

_{A "Black Mirror" episode illustrates the danger of seeing the world through an AI filter} _{Peter Biles
July 2, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

The dystopian Netflix show Black Mirror featured an episode a few years ago about soldiers tasked with wiping out an apparently mutant adversary. In reality, the soldiers are seeing the world through an AI filter that is casting ordinary human beings as despicable monsters. The AI lessens their hesitations to kill the enemy. An article at Nautilus cited a research group that’s asking how much of that horrifying story could potentially unfold in real time, or is already happening to a certain extent in today’s culture. Social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram already use face altering techniques in their apps, allowing users to curate idealized images of themselves. But what happens when, as in the Black Mirror episode, Read More ›

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post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
June 23, 2023

Categorized
Environment

Tagged
AI, Andrew McDiarmid, ChatGPT, Inventions, Nature, social media, Technology}

John Muir and the Pleasures of Nature

_{The inventor-turned-naturalist can teach us the benefits of loving the natural world} _{Andrew McDiarmid
June 23, 2023

8

Environment}

April 21 is John Muir’s birthday. Muir is typically remembered as one of America’s foremost naturalists, father of our national parks and a tireless defender of the wilderness. But he might very well have been none of those things. As a young man, Muir was gifted at building machines, and he was set to pursue a career in technology until everything went dark. Literally. Revisiting this little-known chapter of Muir’s life can inspire us to better navigate our own relationship to technology and give us a fresh reason to celebrate his work. In 1849, Muir left his homeland of Scotland and moved with his family to the backwoods of Wisconsin. Farm work, chores, and family Bible studies kept him busy Read More ›

Social Network Online Sharing Connection Concept.

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post

News
Date
June 15, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Facebook, Instagram, Jacques Ellul, social media, Twitter}

Social Media’s Mimetic Desire Complex

_{The reason it makes us so miserable} _{News
June 15, 2023

2

Social Media}

Frank is friends with Bob. Both Frank and Bob know Sue. Frank likes Sue. Therefore, Bob likes Sue. Conflict ensues. Frank and Bob are no longer friends. Take this situation and amplify it by a million (whatever that metric looks like) and you’ve got something like the social media world we inhabit today. This quick video, posted below, discusses “mimetic desire,” or what happens when certain ideals or images are pursued, not because they’re intrinsically good, but because it’s the current zeitgeist to want them. The problem with mimetic desire is that it eclipses legitimate desires and wants, or confuses us about what we really need in order to be happy. Watch the video for a better summary of this Read More ›