social media Archives

Blurred boundaries: Art in the age of social media

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What divides ‘serious’ or high art from ‘popular’ art? And has the line between these become more blurred in the digital era? These questions are asked by Professor Hans Abbing, a practising visual artist and professor of art sociology and economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In his book The economies of serious and popular art: […]

#MeToo: A political issue in India’s digital presence

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Dr. Pallavi Guha examines the role of media platforms in anti-rape and sexual harassment activism in India following #MeToo and #MeTooIndia

#MeToo and #MeTooIndia, which exploded on social media in 2017 and 2018 respectively, drove an increase in online activism related to sexual violence, harassment, assault, and rape. Despite this and the significant numbers of women voters and political candidates, violence against women still fails to feature as a political campaign issue in India. Dr. Pallavi Guha, a researcher and author […]

Social media at night and students’ sleep health: What should we worry about?

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A young woman is looking at her phone. She is wearing pyjamas and lying in bed, she doesn't look happy. It appears to be night.

University students and social media Social media is an important part of establishing and maintaining relationships for university students. It is used to interact, connect and socialise. So much so that social media is now becoming a part of the students’ sleep routine. In fact, the use of social media at night while in bed (and even when trying to […]

The importance of nuanced scientific communication in an age of rising distrust

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Dr Karen Cloute speaks to Research Outreach about her interdisciplinary background, and her concerns about scientific communication in the modern era of social media and public distrust

Dr Karen Jacqueline Cloete is an interdisciplinary scientific researcher whose work spans a multitude of areas. She is affiliated to the UNESCO-University of South Africa Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, and the Nanosciences African Network-iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation. As well as currently working at the rich intersection between nanotechnology, chemistry and biology, Dr Cloete asks broader questions about the relationship between […]

Communication technologies for supporting better healthcare

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Clear and effective communication is of paramount importance in healthcare, both for patients and healthcare staff. Dr Anne Moorhead, senior lecturer in health communication at Ulster University, investigates how technologies, including social media, health apps, and telehealth services, play a role in enhancing communication within healthcare. With the recent accelerated shift to remote consulting and use of telehealth following the […]

How can we understand photo-sharing decisions on social media, and how can we curb its dangers?

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Professor Bertenthal and colleagues have conducted research into the ethics and behavioural motivation behind sharing photos and photo-memes on social media

Photo sharing is a cornerstone of social media, but for those appearing in the photos spreading across the internet, the attention is not always invited, nor appreciated. Professor Bennett I Bertenthal has joined researchers in the fields of psychology and computer science – Apu Kapadia, Kurt Hugenberg, Mary Jean Amon, Rakib Hasan – to get a better understanding of why […]

Technology-facilitated sexual assault of children and adolescents: A retrospective audit

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Drs Jo Tully and Janine Rowse have undertaken a retroactive audit on technology-assisted sexual assault on children and young people to understand the changing trends towards using technology and social media in sexual assaults on young people

Dr Jo Tully and Dr Janine Rowse of the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service (VFPMS) have undertaken a vital retrospective audit of what they have termed technology-facilitated sexual assault (TFSA) of children, where a sexual assault occurs following initial online contact. They found that TFSA forensic caseload has increased over the last 14 years. Victims were most likely to be […]

Most popular articles published in 2021

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Close up of the Earth at night as viewed from space.

It’s been a busy year here at Research Outreach. We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with researchers working on projects that span some of 2021’s most talked-about topics, including the impact of social media on public discourse, the effectiveness of face masks, and innovations in financial technology. Read on to explore our top ten most popular articles of 2021 – […]

Integrating social media and CSR into strategic planning for a competitive advantage

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The current theory for strategic planning involves assessing the business environment and identifying key assets within an organisation. Social media and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are currently considered unnecessary in strategy formulation. However, research conducted by Dr Gordon Bowen, associate lecturer at Northumbria University amongst other institutions, indicates that incorporating social media and CSR into an organisation’s strategy can allow […]

Twittering away our deliberative capacity: Social media and the threat to democracy

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graphic representing social media connections

Communication technologies lie at the heart of every society, and their structural biases contribute to many of our social biases. The use of social media, and especially Twitter, by former US president Trump offers a case study in how the rise of social media is driving populism, divisive rhetoric, and harm to our socio-political landscape. Dr Brian Ott at Missouri […]