Media Bits and Bytes – October 15, 2024
- Addicted to TikTok
- Assigning Free Speech Rights
- The New Age of Viral Political Videos
- CBS vs Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The SNL Movie
- AI News
- Musk’s Gift to Trolls and Stalkers
- What ‘Tintin’ Tells Us About Imperialism
- A Woke Video Game
- Social Service Snake Oil From Big Tech
By Edith Olmsted
The New Republic
TikTok is well aware of just how harmful it is to young users. Internal research at TikTok found that “compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.”
By Ari Paul
FAIR
What are the limits of free speech on a college campus? The New York Times has deployed one of its highest-ranking soldiers in the culture war against liberalism to remind us that the speech of white supremacists must be defended, but criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian human rights are going too far.
The New Age of Viral Political Videos
By Kyndall Cunningham
Vox
Videos claiming that someone “silenced” another party in a discussion about politics abound on social media. There are now nearly unavoidable clips of conservative personalities arguing with college students at liberal universities or leftist commentators on their social platforms. Meanwhile, videos of random folks with polar-opposite political views arguing over hot-button issues are on the rise.
Blowback on the ambushing of author Coates in a CBS Morning News interview is shaking up the network. Interviewer Tony Dokoupil baited Coates as an “extremist” for opposing Israel’s war. It’s a new line being drawn in accepted discourse.
By Caryn James
BBC
Saturday Night Live has achieved legendary status – not a good thing for what is still meant to be a living, breathing comedy show. Jason Reitman's film, Saturday Night, a loving but flimsy fictional account of the 90 minutes leading up to the first episode in 1975, was released last week.
AI News
• Global Elections By Rayna Breuer, Deutsche Welle
• AI, Neoliberalism and Universities By Katy Hayward, Red Pepper
• AI Chatbots By James Vincent, London Review of Books
Musk’s Gift to Trolls and Stalkers
Removing the ability to block other users is shortsighted at best. Make no mistake: removing the function will make harassment easier, allowing trolls to see what their targets have posted, screenshot it and share it with their own followers.
What ‘Tintin’ Tells Us About Imperialism
By Andrew Ancheta
Current Affairs
Hergé’s comics are infamous for their portrayals of colonized peoples, but they are useful for understanding the imperialist worldview. Each new Tintin adventure came with a new excuse to insert himself into a world where he felt increasingly unwelcome. By the last page, the mask is off, as Tintin pulls off one last putsch before returning to his European home.
By Ash Parrish
The Verge
I no longer expect video games that tackle the subjects of racism and discrimination through fantasy to surprise me. But Metaphor: ReFantazio has done the work, and its willingness to go beyond surface-level treatments of tired fantasy tropes to dig at the heart of the real issues with racism and discrimination is exactly what makes it a phenomenal game.
Social Service Snake Oil From Big Tech
By David Moscrop
Jacobin
Tech bros promising “community engagement” are trying to cash in on health equity. Silicon Valley’s answer to social welfare involves slapping a progressive label on subscription social services while monetizing the safety net.