While the US House of Representatives recently passed legislation that could pave the way for a ban on TikTok, utilized by over 170 million Americans, it was India that initially took action to block the Chinese short-video platform, which boasts a global user base.
On June 29, 2020, India enforced a ban on TikTok, a platform controlled by the Chinese conglomerate ByteDance, despite the country being one of its largest markets outside of China.
Citing security concerns, the Indian government blocked TikTok along with 59 other Chinese apps, including WeChat, Shareit, Helo, and Likee, among others. Subsequently, over 300 Chinese apps have faced bans in India, including those related to betting and loans, all found in violation of Section 69 of the IT Act, posing threats to India’s sovereignty and integrity.
TikTok ban
Following the ban, TikTok terminated its entire India-based workforce, comprising approximately 40 employees. In 2020, the Indian Army instructed its personnel to remove 89 mobile apps, including several Chinese ones, from their devices to prevent data leakage.
Concerns regarding TikTok’s security implications stem from its ties to the Chinese government, with lawmakers and officials suggesting Beijing’s potential access to user data through the app. In response, TikTok has maintained that data of American users is stored within the United States.
In November of the same year, Nepal joined in banning TikTok, citing its content as “detrimental to social harmony.”
Meanwhile, India has witnessed a surge in short-form video platform users, exceeding 250 million, with around 70% hailing from tier-2 cities and other semi-urban and rural areas, often representing middle and high-income demographics, according to recent reports.
While social media platforms are the primary source of political information for a growing number of people, a majority of Twitter users do not follow either members of Congress, their president or news media, a new study suggests.
They are much more likely to follow Tom Hanks or Katie Perry than an elected official.
“Those users who do follow political accounts on Twitter, however, stick to insular online communities and mostly follow and share information from their political in-group,” said Magdalena Wojcieszak, lead author and professor of communication at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Amsterdam.
In other words, speaking to ongoing debates about so-called “echo chambers” on social media platforms, the small group of users who do follow political elites display clear political biases and engage with these elites in a very one-sided way.
The findings come after researchers from UC Davis and New York University analyzed four years’ worth of data from a sampling of 1.5 million Twitter users.
Twitter
Researchers concluded that even though the group of social media users who display political biases in their online behaviors is small, it is nevertheless consequential. These users are much more vocal, participatory and active online, thus amplifying the general perception of unprecedented polarization.
“In this project, we focus on national political elites due to their visibility and national-level influence on public opinion and the political process,” Wojcieszak said. Yet, despite the prominence and impact of presidents, congressmen, journalists, pundits and the news media, researchers found that only 40% of Twitter users follow one or more political “elites.” The remaining 60% follow no political actors at all.
“Given that we analyzed over 2,500 American political elite accounts including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, prominent pundits including Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity, and the most popular media outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News, the fact that only 23% of the representative sample of over 1.5 million users follow three of more of such elite accounts is revealing,” Wojcieszak said.
The authors found that those users who do follow politicians, pundits and news media follow their political in-group at much higher rates than out-group elites (around 90% vs. 10%) and share tweets from in-group elites overwhelmingly more frequently than out-group tweets (at about a 13:1 ratio). And when users share out-group tweets, they tend to add negative comments to these reshares, further reinforcing ideological biases online.
The research also reveals important ideological asymmetries: conservative users are roughly twice as likely as liberals to share in-group versus out-group content, as well as to add negative commentary to out-group shares.
Social Media/Photo:indiainternationaltimes
Surprising findings
“Overall, the majority of American Twitter users are not sufficiently interested in politics to follow even a single political or media elite from our list,” Wojcieszak said. Researchers wrote that they found this surprising, since it is generally believed that Twitter users are more politically engaged than the general population.
Given a growing radicalization in America, decreasing support for democratic norms, and rising support for political violence, concerns about political biases on social media platforms are valid, no matter how small the groups displaying those biases may be.
“At the same time,” Wojcieszak said, “we have to remember that these political biases are far removed from the everyday online behaviors of most politically disinterested Americans, who simply don’t care and prefer to immerse themselves in entertainment or sports. Our findings should help us all keep in perspective the concerns about the so-called ‘echo chambers’ online.”
Homegrown micro-blogging platform Koo on Tuesday refuted earlier reports that it had laid off 40 employees and clarified that only 15 employees, or 5 per cent of its workforce has been fired.
In a fresh statement to media, the Twitter rival said that 15 positions “have been made redundant or removed due to performance issues. This is completely aligned with the industry standards of hiring and retrenchment. At the same time, Koo continues to hire talent in its monetisation, product and engineering teams.”
The company spokesperson also said Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-founder and CEO, Koo, was recently in London for an industry event for Indian entrepreneurs and not to raise funds. She “did not meet any funders or high net worth individuals (HNIs) in London and did not engage in any fundraising activity,” said the company.
Koo has so far raised $44.1 million to date. Launched in March 2020, Koo is currently available in 10 languages — Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English.
According to the platform, it has over 45 million downloads and is actively leveraged by 7,000 high-profile people from across the spectrum.
Koo is backed by Tiger Global and early stage investors like Accel, Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures and Dream incubator. In February this year, Koo raised $10 million. Its investors include Capsier Venture Partner, Ravi Modi Family Trust, Ashneer Grover, FBC Venture Partners, Adventz Finance among others.
Digital content creators are invited to register to attend the launch of the fifth SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The earliest targeted launch date for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is Oct. 3, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. The launch will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
If your passion is to communicate and engage the world online, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to be on the front line to see and share the #Crew5 mission launch.
A maximum of 35 social media users will be selected to attend this two-day event and will be given access similar to news media.
NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:
View a launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
Tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center
Meet and interact with Crew-5 subject matter experts
Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media
NASA Social registration for the Crew-5 launch opens on August 31 and the deadline to apply is September 6 at 3 p.m. EDT. All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Do I need to have a social media account to register?
Yes. This event is designed for people who:
Actively use multiple social networking platforms and tools to disseminate information to a unique audience.
Regularly produce new content that features multimedia elements.
Have the potential to reach a large number of people using digital platforms.
Reach a unique audience, separate and distinctive from traditional news media and/or NASA audiences.
Must have an established history of posting content on social media platforms.
Have previous postings that are highly visible, respected and widely recognized.
Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #NASASocial, and #Crew5. Updates and information about the event will be shared on Twitter via @NASASocial and @NASAKennedy, and via posts to Facebook and Instagram.
How do I register?
Registration for this event opens August 31 and closes at 3 p.m. EDT on September 6. Registration is for one person only (you) and is non-transferable. Each individual wishing to attend must register separately. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Can I register if I am not a U.S. citizen?
Because of the security deadlines, registration is limited to U.S. citizens. If you have a valid permanent resident card you will be processed as a U.S. citizen.
When will I know if I am selected?
After registrations have been received and processed, an email with confirmation information and additional instructions will be sent to those selected. We expect to send the first notifications on September 13 and waitlist notifications on September 14.
What are NASA Social credentials?
All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those chosen must prove through the registration process they meet specific engagement criteria.
If you do not make the registration list for this NASA Social, you still can attend the launch offsite and participate in the conversation online. Find out about ways to experience a launch here.
What are the registration requirements?
Registration indicates your intent to travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and attend the two-day event in person. You are responsible for your own expenses for travel, accommodation, food, and other amenities.
Some events and participants scheduled to appear at the event are subject to change without notice. NASA is not responsible for loss or damage incurred as a result of attending. NASA, moreover, is not responsible for loss or damage incurred if the event is cancelled with limited or no notice. Please plan accordingly.
Kennedy is a government facility. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas.
IMPORTANT: To be admitted, you will need to provide two forms of unexpired government-issued identification; one must be a photo ID and match the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted. For a complete list of acceptable forms of ID, please visit: NASA Credentialing Identification Requirements.
All registrants must be at least 18 years old.
Photo: Nasa.gov
What if the launch date changes?
Hundreds of different factors can cause a scheduled launch date to change multiple times. The launch date will not be official until after the Flight Readiness Review. If the launch date changes prior to then, NASA may adjust the date of the NASA Social accordingly to coincide with the new target launch date. NASA will notify registrants of any changes by email.
If the launch is postponed, attendees will be invited to attend a later launch date. NASA cannot accommodate attendees for delays beyond 72 hours.
NASA Social attendees are responsible for any additional costs they incur related to any launch delay. We strongly encourage participants to make travel arrangements that are refundable and/or flexible.
What if I cannot come to the Kennedy Space Center?
If you cannot come to the Kennedy Space Center and attend in person, you should not register for the NASA Social. You can follow the conversation using the #NASASocial hashtag on Twitter. You can watch the launch on NASA Television or www.nasa.gov/live. NASA will provide regular launch and mission updates on @NASA, @NASAKennedy, and @Commercial_Crew.
What are the safety protocols for this event? COVID-19 safety protocols for this event will be communicated closer to the date of the event.
If you cannot make this NASA Social, don’t worry; NASA is planning many other Socials in the near future at various locations! Check back here for updates.
The use of social media is pervasive among young adults, but not all posted content is appropriate.
Now a new study by the University of Plymouth investigates why young adults might post content on social media that contains sexual or offensive material.
Led by Dr Claire White from the University’s School of Psychology, the study suggests that such risky social media posts are not just due to impulsivity, but might be a deliberate strategy to fit in with the wider social media culture that makes people believe ‘it’s the right thing to do’.
Existing studies show that impulsiveness is predictive of online risk taking behaviours, but this additional research with British and Italian young adults highlighted that high self-monitoring – or adapting behaviour in line with perceived social norms – was equally predictive of posting risky content, which Dr White says could mean young people think it’s the best way to behave.
To measure risky online self-presentation the research team, which also included PhD student Clara Cutello, Dr Michaela Gummerum and Professor Yaniv Hanoch from the School of Psychology, designed a risk exposure scale relating to potentially inappropriate images or texts, such as drug and alcohol use, sexual content, personal information, and offensive material. They also evaluated people’s level of self-monitoring and impulsivity.
Dr White said: “It’s counterintuitive really because it would be easy to assume that a high self-monitor would question their actions and adapt accordingly.
“But the results show that high self-monitors are just as likely to post risky content as those in the study who are more impulsive, which suggests they think it’s not only OK to be risky – and potentially offensive – but that it’s actually the right thing to do.
“The only notable difference between the nationalities was that British students were more likely to post comments and images related to their alcohol and drug use on social media, whereas their Italian counterparts were more likely to post offensive content and personal information.
“This difference shows that culture as a whole seems to play a part in what type of content is shared.
“But the fact that the behaviours predicting risky online choices are the same for both nationalities suggests there’s a wider social media culture that encourages this type of risk-taking behaviour.”
The announcement of Election Commission of India on State Assembly Elections in five States on 4th January, 2017 has gone viral reaching 21 lakh people on social media within 24 hours, achieving widest possible outreach of information on the election schedules and other ECI guidelines for citizens.
The combined effort made by Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to use Social Media (SM) Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, coupled with the live-streaming of it on YouTube channel, and on the Facebook Pages of PIB, MIB and Facebook India proved successful with tweets going LIVE.
The actual figures of the reach of the information on the ECI Press Conference as on 7:00 PM, on 4th January, 2017, showed a total of 22 tweets, 5 Facebook and 1 YouTube posts on Ministry of Information & Broadcasting platform. On Facebook, the 5 posts reached over 5.24 Lakh people, with 1,219 Likes and 140 Shares. The ECI press conference was also Live-streamed on Ministry’s Facebook page, which received 12,000 views and reached over 4.95 Lakh people.
Also, a total of 55,127 Impressions were achieved for the 22 tweets made from MIB handle and these were re-tweeted 1,448 times and 550 favourites were received. Further, the Live Stream of the ECI Press Conference on YouTube got 1,700 views.
Among PIB’s social media accounts, a total of 68 tweets and 10 Facebook posts were made on Assembly Election Schedule. The Facebook posts achieved a total reach of more than 29,700 people, 167 Likes and 46 Shares, while PIB’s tweets resulted in 6.5 lakh impressions (views), 4,140 retweets and 951 favourites. The live-streaming of the event on PIB’s Facebook page has reached 3.04 lakh people and fetched more than 800 views.
In addition to the above platforms, the ECI press conference was live streamed for the first time on two Facebook pages, namely Facebook India and Government, Politics and Non Profits, which collectively received a massive response with more than 1 Lakh video views and reached over 13 Lakh people on Facebook. The Facebook Live Stream received 6,400 likes and 624 shares. (Figures as on 7:00 PM, 4th January, 2017)
On Twitter, Top Trending Hashtags throughout the day were #ElectionCommission, #AssemblyElection, Manipur & Goa, 5 States, Phase2, Uttarakhand and Model Code of Conduct. The maximum potential reach was achieved on the hashtags #ElectionCommission and #AssemblyElection of about 21.2 crores and 20.1 crores of people respectively.
On 26 August 2015, a distressed child rests over the shoulder of the man carrying him, in the town of Gevgelija, on the border with Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev
As the “heart-breaking” image of a drowned refugee boy who washed up on a beach in Turkey ricocheted around the world on social media, along with equally painful images of children lying suffocated in the backs of trucks crossing borders and being passed over barbed wire fences by desperate parents, Anthony Lake, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today made a powerful plea for action to protect migrant and refugee children.
“It is not enough for the world to be shocked by these images. Shock must be matched by action,” declared the UNICEF chief.
In a statement issued by the agency, Mr. Lake advocated that all decisions regarding the child migrant and refugee crisis in Europe be guided by the best interests of the children involved, and that measures be taken to ensure they receive adequate health care, food, emotional support, education, shelter and protection.
UNICEF estimates that at least a quarter of the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought refuge in Europe are children, many of whom have fled the conflict in Syria.
Some 2,500 people have died or gone missing this year while attempting the crossing to Europe.
“Our hearts go out today to the families who have lost children – off the coasts, on the shores, and along the roadsides of Europe,” said Lake. “As the debates on policies proceed, we must never lose sight of the deeply human nature of this crisis. Nor of its scale,” he added.
“And we should never forget what lies behind so many of the stories of families seeking sanctuary in Europe: terrible conflicts such as that in Syria, which already has forced some 2 million children to flee their country. Only an end to these conflicts can bring an end to the misery of so many.”
