Are just 12 people responsible for spreading more than half of all Covid-19 vaccine disinformation?
The “Disinformation Dozen” are prolific in the online anti-vaxx movement – but Facebook and Twitter don’t appear to be trying to supress them.
BySocial Media
Find here all of the New Statesman’s comment and analysis about social media and the digital age.
The Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp outage exposes the perils of monopoly power
The outage provides a stark reminder of the risks of handing control of so much of our digital infrastructure to…
By
Which of two distractions to concentrate on: a Twitter spat or a hand that has turned blue?
I am beginning to have those puzzling aches which make me feel my time is drawing rather nearer and swifter than I…
By
The suicide rate among girls is higher than ever, as toxic social media becomes all-consuming
Researchers have discovered that heavy use of social media, for adolescent girls, is correlated more strongly with anxiety and depression…
By
Inside the internet’s social media graveyard
Myspace and Bebo defined millennial adolescence. Are they about to make a comeback?
By
After U-turning in Australia, Facebook faces bigger battles elsewhere
The social network has won concessions in its fight with the Australian government. But across the world politicians’ frustrations with…
By
Why Facebook was right to block Australian news content
The Australian government's demands on tech giants are unjustified and anti-competition. Now Facebook has called their bluff.
By
TikTok and self-loathing: why you probably don’t want to be a teenage girl in 2021
A new report highlights the negative impact social media has on adolescent girls. But how worried should we be?
By
It’s OK to complain about how much we’ve lost because of Covid-19
Social media users are being rebuked for yearning for their past lives. But there is unity to be found in…
By
How Princess Diana became a millennial obsession
The late princess has become a canvas on to which a generation of women have painted themselves.
By
David Attenborough’s claim that humans have overrun the planet is his most popular comment
A new study shows that Attenborough's unverified claims regarding overpopulation dominate social media discourse.
By
How OnlyFans became the porn industry’s great lockdown winner – and at what cost
The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the commercialisation of sexual intimacy, providing temporary relief not only from sexual frustration but also loneliness.
By
Why I finally deleted my Facebook account after watching Netflix’s The Social Dilemma
The only industries that refer to their customers as “users”, viewers of the documentary are reminded, are tech and illegal drugs.
By
Could Twitter face legal fallout from the blue-tick hack?
After one of the most high-profile cyber attacks in history, the social media company could suffer steep fines.
By
It will take more than hollow gestures to save social media
The emptiness of this month's concessions, in this political moment, signals a grim future for major platforms.
By Why decades-old internet arguments are today’s viral entertainment
Noughties fan fiction message boards were once full of the internet’s biggest beef. Now, 15 years later, these dramatic tales…
By
Social media is not the place for a proper conversation – too many people have mince for brains
But why do I engage with idiots, or people who are worse than idiots?
By
As JK Rowling makes her stance on trans issues clear, Harry Potter fans are speaking out against her
Many young readers consider Rowling’s statements a complete betrayal of her own books.
By
Why Facebook won’t block Donald Trump’s posts
Though Mark Zuckerberg faces an unprecedented employee revolt, he fears retaliation by the president.
By
Twitter fact-checking Donald Trump’s tweets is performative and nothing more
We should be wary of heaping praise on social media platforms when they take so little action.
By