Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 216 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • How They Did It: Exposing Police Violence Against the Yellow Vests

    In what started as a series of posts on Twitter and evolved into a public database published by an investigative media outlet, Mediapart, a lone reporter documented police violence against France's Yellow Vest protesters in an act of accountability that had been neglected by other journalists and the government. David Dufresne's “Allô Place Beauvau” (a "hello" to France's interior ministry) documented 800 cases of police violence or misbehavior. Many of the cases came to Dufresne as tips from the public, which he then verified. His work was cited by French and international authorities.

    Read More

  • During Ramadan, virtual spaces help stave off the loneliness for some Muslims

    Digital platforms can provide a space for those living apart from their religious communities to affirm their identity. From hash tags to online academies, Muslims who otherwise would not have regular access to a mosque or religious network are creating their own communities online. During Ramadan, the communities offer support and allow people to break their fasts with others.

    Read More

  • Finland is winning the war on fake news. Other nations want the blueprint

    Teaching students to fact check encourages resilience and builds resistance to the post-truth phenomenon. In Finland, a school curriculum implemented at the national level equips elementary and high school students with a digital literacy toolkit geared toward recognizing disinformation online. In addition to specific exercises spotting fake news on social media platforms, a critical thinking curriculum is built into all subjects. Finland's success in fostering a social resilience against disinformation also draws on lessons from the country's oftentimes fraught history with its eastern neighbor.

    Read More

  • World Malaria Day: how a remote tribal region is bucking the global trend 

    As malaria rates continue to rise in many countries, Odisha, India stands out against the trend. Thanks largely in part to this state's three-part approach that includes distributing long-lasting insecticidal nets, mass screening programs and a focus on raising awareness in isolated communities, the country as a whole has seen a 24 percent decrease in cases.

    Read More

  • Fighting Bias, Block by Block

    In this excerpt from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, the author details the role surveillance and apps like Nextdoor play in perpetuating and disrupting discriminatory housing policies, racism, and segregation in the United States. Furthermore, it details how online communities can be spaces for meaningful discussions on race and racism in America.

    Read More

  • The woman in search of Indian Country's missing

    Native individuals and members of groups like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women have taken it into their own hands to find members of their communities who have gone missing. Recognizing that decades-old legislation often under-prioritizes tribal lands, indigenous populations have turned to grassroots efforts and social media to form their own search parties – and are seeing results.

    Read More

  • Inside the Crowdfunded Charity Helping Refugees by Topping Up Their Phones

    For many refugees living in camps and on the move, mobile phones can be a life line to families and the outside world. Phones can help organize political activities, arrange medical supplies, and so much more. But although SIM cards are fairly cheap now, data can be expensive. To address this, a Facebook group called Phone Credit for Refugees and Displaced People, or PC4R, raises funds for refugees to top up their mobile phones to support free and dignified communication.

    Read More

  • In the chat room, Boston's black millennials build a community

    In a city that many people of color consider unwelcoming, social media groups offer a path to visibility and community. The group, Young, Black, and Social, connects thousands of millennials in Boston to their peers, as well as social events and services. The group coordinates with other organizations and even event promoters to create a community and make people of color who are moving to Boston feel connected.

    Read More

  • The Viral Hashtag That's Getting People to Clean Up Garbage

    Viral social media trends can be harnessed for social and environmental good. A social media#trashtag challenge that spread from Reddit to Instagram draws upon the satisfying nature of a before-and-after meme. People all over the world who participated in #trashtag challenge went out and beautified green spaces. They then posted photos of themselves surrounded by the trash bags they had collected.

    Read More

  • Anti-vaxx propaganda has gone viral on Facebook. Pinterest has a cure

    Correcting "data voids," which provide the space for conspiracies to flourish online, requires online platforms to take active measures against misinformation. In the face of digital marketing incentive structures and biases in search algorithms, scientific journals can’t produce enough content to dispel assumptions of false equivalency between science and propaganda, creating a data gap. Pinterest is currently one of the few companies trying to correct this imbalance between settled science and misinformation campaigns characteristic of many online social media platforms.

    Read More