The White House has posted a new AI image of Trump this past weekend for Star Wars Day. It has sparked controversy across the internet, with even Mark Hamill coining the phrase “full of sith.” Do you think these AI posts are good branding, or are they turning the White House SM into a meme? #comm345
White House Confuses Star Wars Fans With Sith Lord Trump Photo for May the 4th
Oh boy.
comicbook.com
After reading Wellness, I found an upcoming social media platform called UNRLTD, which is supposed to launch this summer and prioritizes mental health. It encourages users to engage in daily prompts regarding emotions, experiences, etc. rather than like-seeking and what’s trending online. #comm345
UNRLTD Unveils Emotion-Based Social Media Platform Designed to Prioritize Mental Wellness and Purposeful Engagement
news.marketersmedia.com
Using social media/online communication as a substitute for face-to-face interaction can turn into an avoidance of it, allowing for social anxiety to get worse or continue. Do you ever find yourself choosing to send a text, even when it might be better or more convenient to talk in-person? #comm345
Artists have started an online movement against AI-generated art by taking over an emerging art prompt & instead, drawing their own pieces for the trend by hand or digitally. While AI can be helpful to artists in some cases, in others, it takes away from their hard work. What do you think? #comm345
A.I. Action Figures Flood Social Media (Accessories Included)
Amid the rush to take part in a recent trend, some artists, concerned about the use of ChatGPT, are hand-drawing their own versions.
nytimes.com
Something amazing about artists on social media is how SM can really help them to get a following and their career going. There is a site called Webtoon that allows artists to post their own comics and webseries online! I’ve seen many users get big on this site and publish graphic novels! #comm345
W/ Coachella happening this past weekend, I saw a TikTok trend talking about how influencers have changed the atmosphere of the festival from what it once was. Now, it seems to be a battle of best outfit, branded-content, etc, and less about the music and artists. The “Influencer Olympics.” #comm345
Is Coachella... Boring Now? | Stellar
It's not what it used to be
stellar.ie
Microcelebrities have had a large influence on people’s social media presences. I’ve noticed how Instagram particularly has moved away from users making casual daily posts to more aesthetically curated content. Even if we aren’t marketing a product, it feels like we’re marketing our lives. #comm345
The Minecraft Movie memes have taken over social media, especially TikTok, with theater audiences making messes and interrupting scenes to gain clout. This is an example of how what trends online can influence how people behave in real life, and how sometimes memes can be taken too far. #comm345
Cinemas threaten Minecraft Movie audiences over ‘chicken jockey’ TikTok trend
Incidents reported in UK and US of cheering, shouting and throwing popcorn have prompted cautions to audiences
theguardian.com
I noticed how the layers of electronic intimacy are essentially the online version of the interpersonal relationship stages; the connection is initiated via one platform, and then based on how your conversations and relationship progress, you move to different platforms before meeting IRL. #comm345
Sez Us is a new social media platform whose goal is to promote civil communication via a rating system, in which users can rate posts based on accuracy and politeness. Higher scoring posts get more outreach, while lower are penalized with less visibility. Do you think this system will work? #comm345
A New Social Media App Punishes Users for Rage-Baiting
On Sez Us, users who are intentionally inflammatory may score lower than those who gain influence through respectful dialog.
wired.com
It was interesting to read about how algorithms can tie into the way info is spread online. Belief perseverance is when you want to keep believing what you do believe, so social media algorithms tend to feed into your intake of info, filtering out posts that don’t match your perspective #comm345
H&M plans to use AI to make digital clones of 30 of their models in order to find new, innovative ways to showcase their fashion. However, the models do get to keep the rights to their online counterparts thru watermarks. It’s crazy to see how AI can be incorporated into just about anything #comm345
H&M to use digital clones of models in ads and social media
Some fear the move could mean less work for models, photographers and make-up artists.
bbc.com
Something I realized about this week’s reading is how it can tie back into the chapter on Identity; the memes you share online say something about your personality. Even when memes are trending, you only share or repost them if you personally think they’re funny or if you relate to them! #comm345
Lately, I’ve noted that a lot of platforms have shop features now, like for example, Facebook Marketplace, TikTok Shop, etc. This article discusses how, specifically with FB Marketplace, it feels like a more human aspect of social media, almost reverting back to Web 1.0. What do you think? #comm345
The One Place on Social Media That Still Feels Human
You could call Facebook Marketplace a digital thrift shop. But that underplays how unique and bizarre the platform is.
nytimes.com
Social media can be beneficial in shifting power dynamics in social struggles, especially as the media allows for the whole world to see these issues, like with the EZLN info war. Social media allows for a vaster audience to watch events unfold, which can influence what move is made next. #comm345
At the Oscars Sunday night, several of the films nominated had used AI in their productions, a trend that seemed to sweep this year’s event. There’s much online controversy over the fairness of this, especially when these films are put up against ones w/out AI. Is this a reasonable concern? #comm345
How AI was used in the making of some of this year’s Oscar favorites
At this year’s Oscars, there is a subplot of controversy over the use of artificial intelligence in the production of a number of nominated films, including some in the running for best picture. Katey...
pbs.org
Something I’ve noted is how social media is very important in unifying people and spreading awareness of movements, so that others can join the cause and activists can feel support from across the globe. This is so empowering, esp. for women who may not have access to in-person movements. #comm345
A Polish company has recently revealed Protoclone, a humanoid robot that can move, twitch, etc. This technology is being used to synthesize human movement, a new breakthrough in AI technology. Personally, this was very uncanny valley to me. Do you think 'android' technology can go too far? #comm345
The 'Protoclone' robot has synthetic muscles — and moves like a human
It may look a little scary, but the robot could eventually help with household chores.
computerworld.com
The way that algorithms are made from human coding ensures that the programs are also made up of human errors and biases. This is evident as many modern algorithms tend to favor some types of content shown on social media vs others. Is it possible to achieve the utopia idea of the Internet? #comm345
TikTok has finally made a comeback on app stores after being banned last month! I found this notable because I watched my friends slowly, but surely, start to send me TikToks again, reintegrating the app into our conversations. It was kind of freeing without it. Do you think it will stay? #comm345
TikTok is back in Apple and Google's U.S. app stores
The tech giants had removed the app due to the U.S. ban.
mashable.com
I never realized how complicated the concept of privacy on social media is. Even when you have your profile set to private, you’re still not exactly in control of who your ‘public’ is; you likely just think of your friends, rather than all your mutuals. Would this change the way you post? #comm345
The best meme of this past week has to be Duolingo making a mockery of Drake after Kendrick’s halftime show & killing their owl mascot, creating the newest trend for brands on social media; Scrubdaddy has already made a mourning video, alongside many others. It’s a genius marketing strategy #comm345
Duolingo 'killed' off its mascot — and somehow captivated the internet
A Cybertruck fictitiously killed the internet-famous big green bird in an apparent marketing stunt the language-learning app orchestrated this week.
nbcnews.com
After reading about digital colonialism, I realized that platforms, for example WhatsApp, benefit off of users’ data who don’t even live in the same region as their headquarters. It’s sad but interesting to see how real life situations are unfortunately reflected in today’s digital media. #comm345
In light of the new “Fantastic 4” trailer, Marvel received a lot of online backlash for "using AI" in their design. To me, this speaks a lot about how prominent AI usage has become and how this can negatively affect artists and their works. It was interesting to see people fight against it. #comm345
Marvel Addresses Fantastic Four Movie Poster AI Accusations After Social Media Backlash
Marvel denies using AI in a poster's design.
screenrant.com
I'm fascinated by technological convergence. It's interesting to see how older forms of media are still incorporated into the modern versions today, like how on Kindles when you swipe to the next page, it makes a paper-rustle noise. How do you think the latest technologies will morph next? #comm345
This shows how competitive social media platforms are: the moment one disappears, someone else makes a replacement. Especially IG, as they’ve also recently unveiled Threads, their version of X. Within a week of CapCut being gone, IG has announced their new app for video editing. Who's next? #comm345
Instagram unveils Edits, a video editing app to rival CapCut
CapCut was removed from U.S. app stores this weekend due to a ban.
mashable.com
I've never thought how the internet has cues for how people communicate and represent themselves; for ex., the way you present yourself on an MMO is different from the way you would on a job-search site like Indeed. Different platforms allow you to show off different pieces of your identity #comm345
This shows American TikTok users’ response to the app’s ‘ban’ well while also showcasing the popularization of a lesser known platform:RedNote. I saw how in a rather stressful situation, users of both platforms could come together with humor, instead of hatred of a sudden influx of users! #comm345
What’s happening on RedNote? A media scholar explains the app TikTok users are fleeing to – and the cultural moment unfolding there
A digital media scholar and longtime RedNote user gives a firsthand account of US and Chinese social media users interacting on the app.
theconversation.com
In section 4 about data and information spreading/access, I found how much our knowledge is impacted by the society/culture we’re part of, alongside our own personal understandings. This is why mindfulness of the information we take in is important, as misinformation can easily be spread! #comm345