Digital Social Media Platforms Research Articles

Transparency Requirements for Digital Social Media Platforms: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Industry

This paper sets out a framework for transparency on the part of the larger digital social media companies in connection with their content moderation activities and the algorithms and data that involve the distribution of problematic content on their systems. It departs from the movement in many countries for content regulation and mandated take-downs, preferring instead to focus on creating a balanced and clear legal structure for disclosure that can help to restore public trust in digital platforms and provide assurances that they are operating in the public interest. It recommends a tiered system of transparency. Disclosures about content moderation programs and enforcement procedures and transparency reports are aimed at the general public. Disclosures about prioritization, personalization and recommendation algorithms are provided to vetted researchers and regulators. Vetted researchers are also given access to anonymized data for conducting audits in connection with content moderation programs, while personal data and commercially sensitive data are available only for regulators. This recommended transparency approach could be started through voluntary measures undertaken by the larger social media companies in conjunction with public interest groups and researchers, but its natural home is within a comprehensive system of regulation for the larger social media companies overseen by a government agency.

East Asian pop music idol production and the emergence of data fandom in China

This article traces the formation of popular music idol industries in China and the emergence of data fandom. It charts the growth of digital platforms and historicizes the commercial and geopolitical itinerations linking cultural production in Japan, South Korea, and China. It locates data fandom as an integral part of the popular music industries reconfigured by digital social media platforms; a structural change from the production-to-consumption ‘supply chain’ model of the recording era towards emergent circuits of content that integrate industries and audiences. Data fans understand how their online activities are tracked, and adopt individual and collective strategies to influence metric and semantic information reported on digital platforms and social media. This article analyses how the practices of data fans impact upon charts, media and content traffic, illustrating how this activity benefits the idols they are following, and enhances a fan’s sense of achievement and agency.

Mobile Video Production

Smartphone ownership has become ubiquitous (International Telecommunication Union, 2017), but also fragmented by the variety of manufacturers and models available. In particular there are significant differences between the two major smartphone platforms (iOS and Android). This workshop is designed to provide participants with a cross-platform toolkit for implementing BYOD user-generated mobile video content in higher education contexts (Cochrane & Sinfield, 2019). Grounded on the concepts of learner-generated contexts, heutagogy or self-determined learning (Blaschke & Hase, 2019), and authentic learning (Burden & Kearney, 2016), the workshop facilitators will outline a framework for user-generated mobile video production (Sinfield, 2018). The workshop will illustrate the framework by examples of BYOD student projects, and will introduce participants to a hands-on exploration of an ecology of resources for mobile collaborative video production and sharing via digital social media platforms.
 
 Schedule (100 mins)
 
 Introductions (5 min) 
 Participant survey (5 min)
 
 
 Overview of collaborative mobile video production technologies (10 min)
 
 Hardware
 Student project examples 
 
 Mobile video activities (20 min) 
 
 
 
 Adobe Premier Clip App
 LG360 Cam’s
 
 Support
 Streetview
 YouTube360
 
 
 Collaborative Video project development (45 min) 
 Participants choose a topic to work on as a mobile video production team, for example:
 
 
 
 Autumn (Albert Park)
 Construction
 Transportation
 Time Lapse
 
 Sharing and review of participant projects (Upload to YouTube and share) (10 min)
 Reflections – sharing of project URLs and reflections via Twitter and the #SOTELNZ hashtag (5 min)
 END
 
 References
 
 Blaschke, L. M., & Hase, S. (2019). Heutagogy and digital media networks: Setting students on the path to lifelong learning. Pacific Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 1(1), 1-14. doi:https://doi.org/10.24135/pjtel.v1i1.1
 Burden, K., & Kearney, M. (2016). Conceptualising Authentic Mobile Learning. In D. Churchill, J. Lu, K. F. T. Chiu, & B. Fox (Eds.), Mobile Learning Design: Theories and Application (pp. 27-42). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
 Cochrane, T., & Sinfield, D. (2019, 4 July). Mobile Video Production Workshop: Exploring a BYOD development framework and toolkit. Paper presented at the HERDSA Conference 2019: Next Generation, Higher Education: Challenges, Changes and Opportunities, University of Auckland.
 International Telecommunication Union. (2017). ICT facts and figures 20172017(April). Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2017.pdf
 Sinfield, D. (2018). The Boundaries of Education: Using mobile devices for connecting people to places. Research in Learning Technology, 26(Special collection on Mobile Mixed Reality). doi:https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2121

Psychiatric disorders, suicidal ideation, and sexually transmitted infections among post-deployment veterans who utilize digital social media for sexual partner seeking

IntroductionDigital social media platforms represent outlets through which individuals may find partners for sexual encounters. Using a sample of US post-deployment military veterans, the current study evaluated the prevalence of digital sex seeking as well as clinical correlates of psychopathology, suicidal ideation, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). MethodsUsing data from a baseline telephone interview and follow-up internet-based survey, we examined the prevalence of sexual partnering via digital social media platforms in a national sample of 283 US combat veterans. ResultsAmong veterans, 35.5% of men and 8.5% of women reported having used digital social media to meet someone for sex. Individuals who reported having used digital social media to find sexual partners (DSMSP+) as compared to those who did not (DSMSP-) were more likely to be young, male, and in the Marine Corps. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, DSMSP+ status was associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=2.26, p=0.01), insomnia (OR=1.99, p=0.02), depression (OR=1.95, p=0.03), hypersexuality (OR=6.16, p<0.001), suicidal ideation (OR=3.24, p=0.04), and treatment for an STI (OR=1.98, p=0.04). ConclusionAmong US post-deployment military veterans, DSMSP+ behaviors were prevalent, particularly among men. The association between DSMSP+ behaviors and PTSD, insomnia, depression, hypersexuality, suicidal ideation, and STIs suggest that veterans who engage in DSMSP+ behaviors should be particularly thoroughly screened and evaluated for these psychiatric concerns and counseled on the benefits of safe sexual practices.

Between opportunities and threats – an analysis of Brazilian Landless Workers’ movement experiences with new media technologies

Recent discussions and research about the uses of digital social media platforms by social movements and protest organizations have raised questions about threats and challenges represented by these technologies. There is also a debate on whether digital social media platforms can contribute to establish and strengthen long-standing oppositional groups and structural change. In this context, this article analyses how the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST) experiences and views the use of digital social media platforms in its communicative processes. Based on interviews and observations, the article shows how MST militants present ambivalent views towards platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and towards the dynamics of digital communication. Conclusions point that the main concern is threat to the organic collective character of the movement posed by individualistic digital social media platforms. Different from contemporary protest organisations, MST sees a clear separation between the movement and its media. The goal is to appropriate of and control media technologies, which brings many difficulties when dealing with digital social media platforms.