Social Media

List of Social Media articles

A demonstrator wearing a cap and t-shirt holds up a box that mimics a movie camera with stickers that read "Fake News" and the symbol of the TV Globo during a protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A demonstrator wearing a cap and t-shirt holds up a box that mimics a movie camera with stickers that read "Fake News" and the symbol of the TV Globo during a protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Inside Latin America’s Fake News Problem

Online trolls from both sides of the political spectrum are outfoxing social media platforms.

An illustration shows Elon Musk caught in a tangle of scribbles with Twitter logo and blue checkmarks
An illustration shows Elon Musk caught in a tangle of scribbles with Twitter logo and blue checkmarks

Elon Musk’s Twitter Is Becoming a Sewer of Disinformation

Changes to the platform have systematically amplified authoritarian state propaganda.

Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square.
Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square.

Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth

A new generation of Russians glorifies war, death, and Vladimir Putin.

A photo taken on October 21, 2020 shows the logos of Google, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat,  and Instragram on a computer screen in Lille, France.
A photo taken on October 21, 2020 shows the logos of Google, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instragram on a computer screen in Lille, France.

Social Media Is Now a Financial WMD

The finance sector is adjusting to a world where a single tweet can trigger a catastrophic bank run.

The TikTok logo is displayed in front of a TikTok office in Culver City, California.
The TikTok logo is displayed in front of a TikTok office in Culver City, California.

Is This TikTok’s Huawei Moment?

As bans of the video app pile up around the world, the question is how far the U.S.—and its allies—will go.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holds a press conference at United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept. 24, 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holds a press conference at United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept. 24, 2022.

America Is Still Losing the Information War

Washington urgently needs a 21st-century communication strategy.

Earthquake survivors living in tent cities in Turkey charge their phones.
Earthquake survivors living in tent cities in Turkey charge their phones.

Turkey Tests Elon Musk’s Grasp of Twitter

The deadly earthquake has forced the billionaire to face his biggest test of Twitter's global responsibility thus far—but it won’t be his last.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg attend a town hall meeting.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg attend a town hall meeting.

Modi Is Muzzling Big Tech

Silicon Valley has spent years courting India, but its companies face an increasingly tricky censorship minefield in the world’s largest democracy.

A young man holding a phone casts a shadow as he walks by an ad for social media company TikTok in Berlin.
A young man holding a phone casts a shadow as he walks by an ad for social media company TikTok in Berlin.

What TikTok Has on You

The social media app’s data collection practices are not unlike its competitors’, but its links to China add a sinister layer to the debate.

An illustration shows icons for social media platforms Mastodon, Koo, and Post falling over a descending Twitter bird icon.
An illustration shows icons for social media platforms Mastodon, Koo, and Post falling over a descending Twitter bird icon.

Après Twitter, the Deluge?

The social network is global, but what comes next may not be. 

An illustration shows the Twitter logo displayed on a mobile phone with Elon Musk in the background on Nov. 19.
An illustration shows the Twitter logo displayed on a mobile phone with Elon Musk in the background on Nov. 19.

What We Lose if We Lose Twitter

Twitter’s destruction would be a geopolitical catastrophe not only for the United States but also for the democratic world.

Elon Musk in Berlin
Elon Musk in Berlin

To Save Twitter, Elon Musk Should Fire Himself

Musk’s conflicts of interest make him too dangerous to run the global public sphere.

Twitter headquarters stands on 10th Street in San Francisco, California.
Twitter headquarters stands on 10th Street in San Francisco, California.

Elon Musk’s Twitter Chaos Is Going to Be Even Worse Overseas

Gutting the workforce will make it harder to protect dissidents and police misinformation.

A woman walks past election signs ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Oct. 28.
A woman walks past election signs ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Oct. 28.

Chinese Election Meddling Hits the Midterms

Beijing-linked cyberactors seek to sow divisions, discourage Americans from voting, and discredit the election process.

Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran.
Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran.

Meet Iran’s Gen Z: the Driving Force Behind the Protests

They’re shaking up the aging clerical establishment to a degree not seen since the 1979 revolution.

monkeypox vaccination
monkeypox vaccination

Kremlin Claims Monkeypox Could Be a Secret U.S. Bioweapon

Washington needs to stop being a pushover in the global info war.

Filipino American journalist Maria Ressa gives a statement after posting bail at a regional trial court in Manila on Feb. 14, 2019.
Filipino American journalist Maria Ressa gives a statement after posting bail at a regional trial court in Manila on Feb. 14, 2019.

Maria Ressa Wants to Save Journalism

The Filipino American journalist and Nobel laureate explains what it’s like to be a government target—and how to safeguard a free press.

Then-Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gives a press conference.
Then-Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gives a press conference.

The Fall and Fall of Dmitry Medvedev

How the former Russian president went from geeky technocrat to deranged war hawk.

A Syrian refugee has coffee and cake in Sweden.
A Syrian refugee has coffee and cake in Sweden.

Swedengate Was a Lesson in How Easily Misinformation Spreads

One person’s anecdote became a false lesson in national character.

Young men wearing headphones sit in front of computer screens showing a scene from an online game.
Young men wearing headphones sit in front of computer screens showing a scene from an online game.

Iran’s Leaders Are Scared of the Internet

They should be more scared of shutting it off.

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