Yesterday I was interviewed by Roberto Perrone on BBC Three Counties Radio about Elon Musk’s proposal to charge commercial companies and governments to use the platform. I raised some questions about the desirability and feasibility of Musk’s plan to make algorithms open source, authenticate humans and remove bots, and whether users might leave the site if these charges are introduced.
Thanks to Rob, Usman, and the BBC Three Counties Radio team for the interview.
It can be accessed here
Yesterday I was interviewed by Elise Evans on BBC Radio WM Breakfast about social media and ‘fake news’ during the Ukrainian conflict. This was in response to a report that footage from a disaster movie filmed in Birmingham had been used on social media to suggest the war was a hoax.
We discussed what online platforms are doing to deal with ‘fake news’ and how we can identify false images and videos circulating online.
Thanks to Elise, Louise, Megan and the BBC Radio WM team for the interview.
It can be accessed here
This week I was interviewed by Egan Richardson for the All Points North podcast on YLE News (Finland). In light of the decision by YLE News to stop comments on its Facebook posts, we discussed the role of social media platforms in amplifying polarisation and the efficacy of their responses to problems such as hate speech and misinformation. I argued that online platforms often engage in PR exercises to deal with issues such as hate speech and misinformation. Self-regulation is an insufficient policy response to online harms.
A blogpost summarising the interview can be read here and the audio can be accessed here (the segment begins around 16:30).
Many thanks to Egan for the invitation and the interesting chat- great to see a former #digiadvocate doing so well in their career!
Yesterday I was interviewed by Andy Twigge on Breakfast on BBC Radio Derby about social media and ‘fake news’. This was in response to a photoshopped image of a road sign in Burton which had circulated on Facebook, before being reported in national media outlets like the Daily Mail and the Mirror. We discussed the reasons why people share ‘fake news’, how we should respond to this, and whether we need a ‘cooling off’ period before posting content online.
Thanks to Andy, Jonathan and the BBC Radio Derby team for the interview. It can be accessed here
I was interviewed last week for an article that appeared in Saturday’s edition of the Yorkshire Post. As part of their special news report to mark the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was asked to comment on the impact of misinformation on vaccine hesitancy, and the reasons why people may believe false information about the virus and its treatment.
The article can be read here. Many thanks to Geri Scott for her time and the interview.
Yesterday I was interviewed by Stephen Jones (Press Association) about Donald Trump’s role in amplifying disinformation about the 2020 US Presidential Election. We discussed a variety of issues, including the rise of the right-wing information ecosystem in the US, how social media companies like Facebook have responded to disinformation campaigns, and Trump’s use of online platforms to question the credibility of the 2020 US Election result.
Thanks to Stephen for the interview, which can be read in the following publications:
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites’ riots at Capitol building, Belfast Telegraph, 7 January 2021.
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites’ riots at Capitol building, Express and Star, 7 January 2021.
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites riots at Capitol building, Oxford Mail, 7 January 2021.
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites riots at Capitol building, Salford City News, 7 January 2021.
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites riots at Capitol building, The London Economic, 7 January 2021.
UK politicians warned after Trump ‘incites riots at Capitol building, Winsford Guardian, 7 January 2021.
I was interviewed by Connor Daly from Northern Slant last week. We spoke about my new book Digital Contention in a Divided Society, due out on 19 January 2021. Among the topics discussed were the flag protests as a watershed moment for digital citizenship in Northern Ireland, the prospects of social media improving community relations, and the problems associated with using social media as a barometer of public opinion.
Many thanks to Connor and Jenny for the opportunity and their help in bringing this to fruition. Hopefully there will be a podcast in the New Year during which we will discuss these issues further.
Digital Contention can be preordered online now The Northern Slant interview can be read be read here
Yesterday I was interviewed by David Hunter on BBC Radio Foyle’s The News at One on the US government antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. We discussed the precedent for this effort to break up Facebook’s control of other social media platforms and services, and the implications for citizens’ rights if this action is successful.
Thanks to David, Dean McLaughlin and BBC Radio Foyle for the invitation. The interview can be heard here
This morning I was interviewed by Toby Foster on BBC Radio Sheffield about the misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 circulating on social media. We talked about how we as citizens should respond to false and misleading information online and how governments and social media companies might take stronger action to address it.
Many thanks to Toby, Katie and Robert at BBC Radio Sheffield for their help with this- enjoyed it!
The interview can be listened to here
This morning I did a couple of radio interviews about US celebrities joining the Stop Hate for Profit boycott of Facebook and Instagram in order to force them to take stronger action against hate speech and disinformation. On BBC Good Morning Ulster, Naomh McElhatton and I discussed whether these boycotts were an effective way to raise awareness of this issue. The segment can be listened to here
On The Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Foyle, I spoke to Anna Curran about the issues raised by this campaign and how we can better regulate hate speech and disinformation. This interview can be listed to here
Thanks to Anne Jordan and Dean McLaughlin for the invitation.
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