A number of legal cases were brought forward by regulators this year, in a bid to hold major tech companies accountable.
A cutout display at a protest highlighted the connection between social media and the real-world effects of misinformation.
Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
Misinformation will continue to strain society in 2022 as the lines between misinformation and political speech blur, cynicism grows and the lack of regulation allows misinformation to flourish.
Facebook renamed itself Meta in 2021, but the year was more notable for revelations about the company’s bad behavior.
AP Photo/Tony Avelar
Meta felt the heat in 2021 as whistleblower revelations, congressional ire and demands for data knocked the company back on its heels. Here’s a look at research into the problems Meta poses for society.
Face scanning technologies are more everyday than we might think.
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Facial recognition technologies have become more popular through increasingly sophisticated devices and popular fads. Casual use of face scanning and analysis features has long-term social impacts.
Black women have been harassed and censored on social media. What will they face in the metaverse?
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The Morrison government is setting up a parliamentary inquiry to put big tech companies “under the microscope” over dangers posed to people’s wellbeing by toxic material on their sites.
Several measures need to be put in place to track the code’s effectiveness in protecting news outlets and the public interest.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address talking up his latest passion – creating a virtual reality “metaverse” for business, entertainment and meaningful social interactions.
(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
To be meta about Meta would involve reflecting upon the fact that Facebook is a company that designs technology around people.
Mark Zuckerberg’s company says the kids are all right, but the data it presents is only about how the average social media user is doing.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Research from Meta and some scientists shows no harm from social media, but other research and whistleblower testimony show otherwise. Seemingly contradictory, both can be right.
The internet’s extension into virtual reality spaces presents opportunities for data collection and surveillance.
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Pressure is mounting on Congress to take action on Facebook. Our panel of experts offers their top priorities: user control of data, banking-like oversight and resources to close the digital divide.
The metaverse may change how profit is made in higher education.
Seen on the screen of a device in Sausalito, Calif., Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces the company’s new corporate name, Meta, during a virtual event.
(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Corporate rebranding is fundamental to the spread of metacapitalism which uses increasingly sophisticated technology to shape, exploit and profit from human interaction.