Category: society

When the threat of disinformation can be worse than disinformation itself

This article originally appeared in Dutch for SamPol Magazine According to the World Economic Forum, “AI-generated disinformation” will be the biggest threat for 2024. For its Global Risks report, experts and policymakers are annually asked to look into their crystal ball and predict the state of the world. In the 2023 report, disinformation was still… Read More When the threat of disinformation can be worse than disinformation itself

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“Play my damn song!” Social norm conflict over Spotify’s Jam feature

It had been a while since i’d been to a house party where we played music and danced. Back in the days (mostly pre-pandemic), houseparties with my predominantly Belgian friends would revolve around one laptop where people would add songs, or one phone that would get passed around. When folks would start dancing and hyperfocussing… Read More “Play my damn song!” Social norm conflict over Spotify’s Jam feature

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What we can learn from conspiracists on social media

By relying solely on traditional media, we might not be able to create group immunity with a COVID-19 vaccine. A wave of conspiracies has washed over the information ecosystem and play into people’s deep seated fears. Science communicators can learn from conspiracy influencers how to reach people, especially on platforms like Instagram that have become… Read More What we can learn from conspiracists on social media

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Anti-vaccination and the Tragedy of the Commons

For almost a year now I have been diving in, and have been kicked out of several anti-vaccination Facebook groups. There is an ever growing community of people who refuse to vaccinate against diseases like Measles, Chicken Pox, Tetanus, Polio, HPV,… It’s become so big that the World Health Organization even named vaccine hesitancy one… Read More Anti-vaccination and the Tragedy of the Commons

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Is our “Digibesitas” giving us Technophobia?

(This article previously appeared in Dutch on Knack – Datanews) The tendency to curse smartphones isn’t new. But I am becoming fed up with the articles, cartoons and art that are going for the low hanging fruit of bashing new media technology. From criticizing the display of personal life on social media and fishing for… Read More Is our “Digibesitas” giving us Technophobia?

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