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It's connecting people around the world, sharing stories, news and events, informing, enlightening and enriching our relationships. Good social media is the kind that makes you smile, makes you think, breaks down a wall, it can make you happy and sad or inspire you to make a change, it can bring you closer to a loved one or introduce you to a new friend across the globe.

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It's connecting people around the world, sharing stories, news and events, informing, enlightening and enriching our relationships. Good social media is the kind that makes you smile, makes you think, breaks down a wall, it can make you happy and sad or inspire you to make a change, it can bring you closer to a loved one or introduce you to a new friend across the globe.

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Time spent on social media

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WCF Cyber Security Awareness Program - #ThinkTalkTeach - Internet Safety for Youth (English)

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Social media brings a youth into limelight

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Raymond Wang: How germs travel on planes -- and how we can stop them

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Raymond Wang is only 17 years old, but he's already helping to build a healthier future. Using fluid dynamics, he created computational simulations of how air moves on airplanes, and what he found is disturbing -- when a person sneezes on a plane, the airflow actually helps to spread pathogens to other passengers.

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Social Media in a Nutshell

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Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences

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It's official: Facebook isn't cool. Though some teens still use it, they prefer to use a variety of apps to connect, curate, and capture their lives in different ways. And though household names such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have proven their staying power, teens love to try out new apps they hear about from friends, ads, or even what's trending in the app store.

This can be challenging for parents to keep up with. But you don't need to know all the ins and outs of all the apps, sites, and terms that are "hot" right now (and frankly, if you did, they wouldn't be trendy anymore). But knowing the basics -- what they are, why they're popular, and what problems can crop up when they're not used responsibly -- can make the difference between a positive and a negative experience for your kid.

Below, we've laid out some of the most popular types of apps and websites for teens: texting, microblogging, livestreaming, self-destructing/secret, and chatting/meeting/dating. The more you know about each, the better you'll be able to communicate with your teen about safe choices.

The bottom line for most of these tools? If teens are using them respectfully, appropriately, and with a little parental guidance, they're mostly fine. So take inventory of your kids' apps and review the best practices.
TEXTING APPS
GroupMe is an app that doesn't charge fees or have limits for direct and group messages. Users also can send photos, videos, and calendar links.
What parents need to know

It's for older teens. The embedded GIFs and emojis have some adult themes, such as drinking and sex.

Teens are always connected. Without fees or limits, teens can share and text to their heart's content, which may mean they rarely put the phone down.

Kik Messenger is an app that lets kids text for free. It's fast and has no message limits, character limits, or fees if you only use the basic features. Because it's an app, the texts won't show up on your kid's phone's messaging service, and you're not charged for them (beyond standard data rates).
What parents need to know

Stranger danger is an issue. Kik allows communication with strangers who share their Kik usernames to find people to chat with. The app allegedly has been used in high-profile crimes, including the murder of a 13-year-old girl and a child-pornography case.

It's loaded with covert marketing. Kik specializes in "promoted chats" -- basically, conversations between brands and users. It also offers specially designed apps (accessible only through the main app), many of which offer products for sale.

WhatsApp lets users send text messages, audio messages, videos, and photos to one or many people with no message limits or fees.
What parents need to know

It's for users 16 and over. Lots of younger teens seem to be using the app, but this age minimum has been set by WhatsApp.

It can be pushy. After you sign up, it automatically connects you to all the people in your address book who also are using WhatsApp. It also encourages you to add friends who haven't signed up yet.

Discord started as a place for gamers to chat while playing video games but has become a bigger platform where users can use text, voice-chat, and video-chat to discuss a wide variety of topics.
What parents need to know

There are public and private "servers" or discussion groups. Teens can join public groups, ask to join private ones, or start their own. The safest option is for them to join a private group with people they know in real life.

Some groups are more moderated than others, some are NSFW, and some are hate-filled. There are plenty of groups that are meant for adults only, and some are totally tame and well moderated. If your kid is in one of the latter, the risk is much lower.

PHOTO AND VIDEO-SHARING APPS AND SITES
Instagram lets users snap, edit, and share photos and 15-second videos, either publicly or within a private network of followers. It unites the most popular features of social media sites: sharing, seeing, and commenting on photos. It also lets you apply fun filters and effects to your photos, making them look high-quality and artistic.
What parents need to know

Teens are on the lookout for "likes." Similar to the way they use Facebook, teens may measure the "success" of their photos -- even their self-worth -- by the number of likes or comments they receive. Posting a photo or video can be problematic if teens are posting to validate their popularity.

Public photos are the default. Photos and videos shared on Instagram are public unless privacy settings are adjusted. Hashtags and location information can make photos even more visible to communities beyond a teen's followers if his or her account is public.

Kids can send private messages. Instagram Direct is like texting with photos or videos and you can do it with up to 15 mutual friends. These pictures don't show up on their public feeds. Although there's nothing wrong with group chats, kids may be more likely to share inappropriate stuff with their inner circles.

Tik Tok - Real Short Videos is a performance- and video-sharing social network that mostly features teens lip-synching to famous songs but also includes some original songwriting and singing. Users can build up a following among friends or share posts publicly.
What parents need to know MICROBLOGGING APPS AND SITES
Tumblr is like a cross between a blog and Twitter: It's a streaming scrapbook of text, photos, and/or video and audio clips. Users create and follow short blogs, or "tumblogs," that can be seen by anyone online (if they're made public). Many teens have tumblogs for personal use: sharing photos, videos, musings, and things they find funny with their friends.
What parents need to know

Porn is easy to find. This online hangout is hip and creative but sometimes raunchy. Pornographic images and videos and depictions of violence, self-harm, drug use, and offensive language are easily searchable.

Privacy can be guarded but only through an awkward workaround. The first profile a member creates is public and viewable by anyone on the internet. Members who desire full privacy have to create a second profile, which they're able to password-protect.

Posts are often copied and shared. Reblogging on Tumblr is similar to re-tweeting: A post is reblogged from one tumblog to another. Many teens like -- and, in fact, want -- their posts to be reblogged.

Twitter is a microblogging tool that allows users to post brief, 140-character messages -- called "tweets" -- and follow other users' activities. It's not only for adults; teens like using it to share tidbits and keep up with news and celebrities.
What parents need to know LIVE-STREAMING VIDEO APPS
Houseparty - Group Video Chat is a way for groups of teens to connect via live video. Two to eight people can be in a chat together at the same time. If someone who's not a direct friend joins a chat, teens get an alert in case they want to leave the chat. You can also "lock" a chat so no one else can join.
What parents need to know

Users can take screenshots during a chat. Teens like to think that what happens in a chat stays in a chat, but that's not necessarily the case. It's easy for someone to take a screenshot while in a chat and share it with whomever they want.

There's no moderator. Part of the fun of live video is that anything can happen, but that can also be a problem. Unlike static posts that developers may review, live video chats are spontaneous, so it's impossible to predict what kids will see, especially if they're in chats with people they don't know well.

Live.me - Live Video Streaming allows kids to watch others and broadcast themselves live, earn currency from fans, and interact live with users without any control over who views their streams.
What parents need to know
YouNow: Broadcast, Chat, and Watch Live Video is an app that lets kids stream and watch live broadcasts. As they watch, they can comment or buy gold bars to give to other users. Ultimately, the goal is to get lots of viewers, start trending, and grow your fan base.
What parents need to know SELF-DESTRUCTING/SECRET APPS
Snapchat is a messaging app that lets users put a time limit on the pictures and videos they send before they disappear. Most teens use the app to share goofy or embarrassing photos without the risk of them going public. However, there are lots of opportunities to use it in other ways.
What parents need to know
Whisper is a social "confessional" app that allows users to post whatever's on their minds, paired with an image. With all the emotions running through teens, anonymous outlets give them the freedom to share their feelings without fear of judgment.
What parents need to know CHATTING, MEETING, AND DATING APPS AND SITES
Monkey -- Have Fun Chats. If you remember Chatroulette, where users could be randomly matched with strangers for a video chat, this is the modern version. Using Snapchat to connect, users have 10 seconds to live video-chat with strangers.
What parents need to know

Lots of teens are using it. Because of the connection with Snapchat, plenty of teens are always available for a quick chat -- which often leads to connecting via Snapchat and continuing the conversation through that platform.

Teens can accept or reject a chat. Before beginning a chat, users receive the stranger's age, gender, and location and can choose whether to be matched or not.

MeetMe: Chat and Meet New People. The name says it all. Although not marketed as a dating app, MeetMe does have a "Match" feature whereby users can "secretly admire" others, and its large user base means fast-paced communication and guaranteed attention.
What parents need to know

It's an open network. Users can chat with whomever's online, as well as search locally, opening the door to potential trouble.

Lots of details are required. First and last name, age, and ZIP code are requested at registration, or you can log in using a Facebook account. The app also asks permission to use location services on your teens' mobile devices, meaning they can find the closest matches wherever they go.

Omegle is a chat site that puts two strangers together in their choice of a text chat or a video chat. Being anonymous can be very attractive to teens, and Omegle provides a no-fuss way to make connections. Its "interest boxes" also let users filter potential chat partners by shared interests.
What parents need to know

Users get paired up with strangers. That's the whole premise of the app. And there's no registration required.

This is not a site for kids and teens. Omegle is filled with people searching for sexual chat. Some prefer to do so live. Others offer links to porn sites.

Language is a big issue. Since the chats are anonymous, they're often much more explicit than those with identifiable users might be.

Yubo (formerly Yellow - Make new friends) is an app that is often called the "Tinder for teens" because users swipe right or left to accept or reject the profiles of other users. If two people swipe right on each other, they can chat and hook up via Snapchat or Instagram.
What parents need to know

It's easy to lie about your age. Even if you try to enter a birth date that indicates you're under 13, the app defaults to an acceptable age so you can create an account anyway.

You have to share your location and other personal information. For the app to work, you need to let it "geotag" you. Also, there are no private profiles, so the only option is to allow anyone to find you.

It encourages contact with strangers. As with Tinder, the whole point is to meet people. The difference with Yellow is that the endgame is sometimes just exchanging social media handles to connect there. Even if there's no offline contact, however, without age verification, teens are connecting with people they don't know who may be much older.

Amino - Communities, Chat, Forums, and Groups is an interest-based app that lets users find people who are into the same things. Teens can join groups -- or create them -- and then post within the group, follow other users, and chat with them via text, voice, or video.
What parents need to know
The bottom line for most of these tools? If teens are using them respectfully, appropriately, and with a little parental guidance, they should be fine. Take inventory of your kids' apps and review the best practices.
TV senior editor Polly Conway and former Common Sense Education writer Kelly Schryver contributed to this article.

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18 Social Media Apps and Sites Kids Are Using Right Now

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It's official: Facebook isn't cool. Though some teens still use it, they prefer to use a variety of apps to connect, curate, and capture their lives in different ways. And though household names such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have proven their staying power, teens love to try out new apps they hear about from friends, ads, or even what's trending in the app store.

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Social networking is constantly evolving. Gone are the days when MySpace ruled the web. Now, practically everyone's gone mobile, with more than 95 percent of teenagers having a cell phone. Real-time photos and video sharing is the trend that young people are most excited about.

Facebook has confessed it struggles to keep its younger users engaged and excited, despite once being the ultimate go-to social network of choice for young people.

So, where's the younger generation to go? They're already on their phones and tablets, of course, so they make the best of it by using the most popular social networking and messenger apps on the market. In early 2018, the top three social apps in use by teenagers were YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Kids are flocking to these by the thousands every month.

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Social networking is constantly evolving. Gone are the days when MySpace ruled the web. Now, practically everyone's gone mobile, with more than 95 percent of teenagers having a cell phone. Real-time photos and video sharing is the trend that young people are most excited about.

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It should come as no surprise that teens (and kids) today are spending a lot of time online.

New data from YouGov finds that almost a fifth (17%) of teenagers, defined as 13-17 years old, report spending 4 hours or more online every day. YouGov conducted the study among 8-to-17-year-olds and gained the children's parental permission before asking the questions on a range of topics, including online habits.

In terms of time spans online, slightly fewer (14%) children, defined as 8-12, report spending four hours or more online every day.

Overall, teens report spending more time online than do children: 45 percent of teens say they spend 2 hours or more browsing the internet, watching videos, playing games, chatting with friends, and other online activities. Fewer children (39%) report spending the same amount of time online.

Most teens are spending at least some of their time online using social media. A majority (85%) of Americans between 13 and 17 say they have at least one social media account. (Children under 13 were not asked about social media accounts in this survey).

When asked about which social media platform they use most, Instagram topped the list, with 25 percent saying this is the one they use most often. A similar number (24%) say Facebook is their most-used platform, followed by Snapchat (22%) and YouTube (16%).

Teenage girls and boys tend to differ in which social media platforms they spend the most time on.

Among young women, Snapchat (29%) is the most-used platform. For young men, it's Facebook (27%).

The survey also found that YouTube is more likely to be the most-used platform for teen boys (20%), rather than teen girls (12%).

See full results from this survey.
Methodology: Total sample size was 1,002 children aged 8 to 17 who took this survey under parental supervision. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US children (ages 13 - 17). Interviews were conducted online between September 6 - 12, 2019. Image: Getty
Related: Fewer than half of Americans are comfortable dating someone from the opposite political party

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Teens use these social media platforms the most | YouGov

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It should come as no surprise that teens (and kids) today are spending a lot of time online. New data from YouGov finds that almost a fifth (17%) of teenagers, defined as 13-17 years old, report spending 4 hours or more online every day.

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Media headlines and marketing campaigns have given the Millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) attention for years, but more recently, there's also been increased focus on the next youngest generation, Generation Z, which is made up of anyone born in 1997 and onwards.

And while both of these demographic subsets are considered the "younger generations", there are many key differences between Gen Z and Millennials, which is particularly evident in the content that they consume. For example, Millennials are known for cutting the cord - in other words, ditching cable for online streaming services - but Gen Z was never connected to the cord to begin with. Instead, Gen Z users are attracted to social platforms, including YouTube, and newcomer TikTok, which has lead to completely different viewing behaviors and content interests, evolving media consumption trends which are important to note.

So what is Gen Z watching - and what does that mean for your marketing efforts?

Here's a look at some of the big video content trends taking hold among younger audiences.

YouTube

Since YouTube has been a thing for basically all of their life (YouTube was founded in 2005), Gen Z has widely adopted the platform into their media consumption process, and it's their top preferred platform for consuming video content.

In fact, 85% of teens now consume content on YouTube, while the average time kids spend watching online videos has doubled in the last four years.

That shift away from traditional TV - and towards the shorter clip-style presentation of YouTube - has lead to a whole new approach to video content, while it's also seen the rise of 'vloggers', an entirely new category of celebrity.

Indeed, according to a study published last year, children are now 3x as likely to want to be a YouTube star, as opposed to an astronaut, the past standard for aspiration. Here's a basic overview of what Gen Z is watching on the video platform.

Vlogging

Video blogging - or 'vlogging' - has risen to prominence on YouTube, and continues to show signs of growth and popularity. Online personalities typically upload low-budget and highly personal videos of themselves, through which they connect with their audience. Many vloggers have now built massiv careers out of their vlogging hobby - the highest-paid vlogger in 2019, Ryan Kaji, earned a whopping $26 million.

From a brand perspective, it's important to note the role that vloggers are increasingly playing. Given their popularity, in future, traditional TV advertising may not be your best bet for outreach and brand awareness, while endorsements by influencers are now also considered to be more trustworthy and authentic than those from celebrities and sports stars. This is a key trend to note.

Informative videos

But it's not just entertainment that makes YouTube a hit with younger users - according to research, 80% of Gen Z teens say that the platform has helped them become more knowledgeable about something, while 68% say that YouTube has helped them improve or gain skills that will better prepare them for the future.

YouTube has become a valuable, and trusted, learning resource. In fact, most students now prefer YouTube videos over textbooks, and many search for videos for DIY projects and how-tos.

The trend underlines the expanding use of the platform, which has various implications for how you can utilize videos to better connect with younger audiences.

Snapchat

Another key video trend of note among younger audiences is Snapchat, and particularly, the rise of its 'Snap Originals' programming.

Late last year, Snap reported that total daily time spent watching its Discover content had increased by 40% year-over-year, while more than 100 of its Discover channels now reach, on average, audiences "in the double-digit millions per month".

Snap's Discover shows underline a significant shift in video consumption habits. Snap Original shows are shot vertically, and episodes average only five minutes in length. The rise of this content format signals a major shift in video expectation among younger audiences, with content that's aligned to how they watch, as opposed to re-purposing traditional video formats.

That's a key trend of note - if you're looking to connect with younger audiences, shorter, purpose-created content may perform better.

Which leads to the next platform of note:

TikTok

TikTok saw a significant rise in 2019, and the majority of its growing audience is within the Gen Z age range. The popularity of its short-form video format has brands taking notice, which is now leading to new approaches designed to cater to this market - but what works on TikTok is largely the same as similar short-form predecessor Vine: quick, fun, DIY-style content that aligns with trends and memes.

TikTok's content is much shorter than content on YouTube, with a limit of 15-second per clip. The most popular content on TikTok right now is lip syncs, viral dance crazes, and humorous skits.

Creativity within the medium is highly encouraged by the TikTok community, who engage and follow little-known video creators and turn them into TikTok stars. As the platform evolves, we're seeing the rise of these TikTok influencers who post original content. The company now also has a catalog of its own vetted influencers that brands can partner with.

Really, there are two types of creators on TikTok at present - those with large followings on other platforms who are trying out the latest new thing, and unknown, new creators who are finding an audience within TikTok first. Over time, these approaches are leading to a new, dedicated style that's unique to the platform, which, given its current popularity, could lead to another significant shift in Gen Z video content consumption, again aligned around shorter, vertically shot and presented clips.

The Changing Face of Video

No matter how you look at it, video content is changing, and brands need to keep up with these relevant shifts in order to maintain connection with younger audiences.

As Forbes puts it, the key to Gen Z is video content which is "relevant, meaningful, and authentic". Gen Zers are keenly aware when they are being sold to, so content bombarded with cold marketing and logos is going to fail with this generation. Additionally, Gen Z is turning to video content to decompress and to find a release from the increased social pressures and competition they're facing.

So long as you recognize such trends, and take the time to consider what Gen Z viewers are growing to expect in such, you'll be able see success with these digital natives.

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What Gen Z is Watching Online - and What That Means for Marketers in 2020

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Media headlines and marketing campaigns have given the Millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) attention for years, but more recently, there's also been increased focus on the next youngest generation, Generation Z, which is made up of anyone born in 1997 and onwards.

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PeopleBrowsr's Cartoon History Of Social Networking

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Adding /4 to the end of Facebook’s URL will automatically direct you to Mark Zuckerberg’s wall.

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Adding /4 to the end of Facebook’s URL will automatically direct you to Mark Zuckerberg’s wall.

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With Google Podcasts, you can find and listen to the world's podcasts for free.

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Snapchat’s icon was inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah.

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Snapchat’s icon was inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah.

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With Bots and AI becoming more prevalent are we close to losing our humanity?

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With Bots and AI becoming more prevalent are we close to losing our humanity?

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With Google Podcasts, you can find and listen to the world's podcasts for free.

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YouTube was initially started as a video dating site named “Tune In Hook Up” — inspired by the then-popular Hot or Not

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YouTube was initially started as a video dating site named “Tune In Hook Up” — inspired by the then-popular Hot or Not

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Titles with the words “You,” “Who,” “What,” “When,” Where,” “Why” or “How” work the best on LinkedIn

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Titles with the words “You,” “Who,” “What,” “When,” Where,” “Why” or “How” work the best on LinkedIn

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The downside of social media during these tough times!

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The downside of social media during these tough times!

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This story is part of a group of stories called

Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing - and changing us.

For years, Timothy Mackey has been researching the sale of opioids and illicit drugs online, tracking how dealers have used social media to push controlled substances. But over the past few weeks, the UC San Diego public health researcher has found himself in the bowels of the internet, trying to track the black market for fake Covid-19 tests and treatments. It turns out the two realms of drug-dealing share some similar scams.

The coronavirus pandemic has fueled demand for a wide variety of products, including some that aren't readily available to the general American public, like at-home testing kits. Other things, like government-approved, proven Covid-19 treatments or cures, don't yet exist. But online opportunists are working hard to take advantage of the public's desperation, selling counterfeits on social media platforms, e-commerce marketplaces, and the dark web.

Mackey told Recode that, even as a public health expert, he's had trouble quickly differentiating between legitimate and illegitimate products online. That's partially because news about the Covid-19 pandemic moves so quickly that information about a legitimate product or trial in one country can quickly inspire fake and unapproved products in another.

"Every week there's a new product or a new scam going on," Mackey says. The problem is so pervasive that someone even reached out to him (on LinkedIn, of all places) offering to sell him seemingly fake, rapid test kits in bulk.

A fake Covid-19 testing kit is more dangerous than a fake Chanel bag. A counterfeit test could lead someone to believe they're negative when they've been infected. A fake cure could leave someone worse off than before, and possibly dead. Even a phony N95 mask might mislead a doctor into believing they're protected in a hospital full of Covid-19 patients, where faulty equipment can lead to more spreading of the virus.

Don't buy drugs or treatments on Instagram

There's no proven treatment for Covid-19, but plenty of social media accounts are nevertheless illegally pushing so-called cures or treatments. Online, you can find people advertising drugs that are undergoing clinical trials but are not yet approved to treat Covid-19, like chloroquine, as well as more far-out fake treatments involving cow urine, colloidal silver, and even oregano.

Platforms like Instagram and Twitter have banned advertisements for these products, but enforcing those bans seems to be an ongoing challenge. After a few minutes of browsing, we were able to find several posts advertising Covid-19 medications and treatment, an outcome that suggests social platforms are stuck in a game of whack-a-mole with these products, despite the efforts of both human moderators and automation. That's not unlike the same challenges these platforms have had with stopping the spread of Covid-19 conspiracy theories and fake news.

When Recode sent an example of a suspect chloroquine post to Twitter, the company removed it, citing its policy against the sale of regulated goods.

The trend in fake Covid-19 products is especially troublesome because many of these products can look convincing to the average person. Jay Kennedy, a professor at Michigan State University's criminal justice school and Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection, emphasizes that it's relatively easy for counterfeiters to make the package of a fake product look believable: They can buy the vials and boxes from legitimate medical supply companies and then replicate any logos and certification stamps.

The accounts used to advertise these products might look less legitimate. They do not typically have a large number of followers, for instance, and they generally aren't meant to exist long-term. Sellers have an incentive to keep them online just long enough to attract a buyer.

Mackey and his team are already analyzing a data set of 80 million tweets in addition to Instagram posts. Many of these posts prompt people to call them directly - perhaps using an encrypted app - using Covid-19 terms to advertise. They might ask potential buyers to use Bitcoin or other unusual payment schemes. Angelo Mazza, an intellectual property attorney who recently wrote a brief on Covid-19 counterfeits, adds that weird spellings and formatting of words are a strong hint that a seller isn't authorized. The apparent typos might actually be attempts to evade screening algorithms set up by the social media platform.

Kennedy notes that another potential source of fake treatments is illegal online pharmacies, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly tried to crack down on. "Unlike pharmacies, the vast majority of online pharmacies sell counterfeit medications, and people can 'get' drugs, prescription medications without needing a prescription," he explains.

Regardless, if you see a drug available on the internet that normally requires a prescription you don't have, don't buy it. Even if you do manage to get ahold of the real pharmaceutical, it's dangerous to take a medication unsupervised. One person has already died from taking chloroquine phosphate, for instance, and a recent study shows that coronavirus patients may face the risk of fatal heart complications when taking the drug. Participating in the black market for hydroxychloroquine also contributes to a troubling shortage for people with lupus and arthritis, who can need it to stay healthy.

At-home, FDA-approved Covid-19 tests do not exist, but fake tests are still available online

Beyond fake treatments, social media sites are also filled with accounts pushing rapid, at-home Covid-19 tests. Mackey told Recode that these posts seemed to pop up online suddenly after March 22, likely driven by the news, and that forced his research focus to expand from bogus cures and treatment to various coronavirus testing products. Now, Mackey thinks he'll spend more time scanning the web for antibody tests, since they're increasingly being discussed by public health and government officials.

No tests for Covid-19 infection have been approved by the FDA for use at home. There are also no FDA-approved at-home serological tests, which measure the amount of Covid-19 antibodies in a patient's body and, thus, detect their immunity to the disease. Currently, the best way to be tested for Covid-19 - if you're considered eligible - is through a medical provider, such as an urgent care facility, a drive-through testing center, or a hospital.

"Most people probably don't know how a normal test kit works," explains Kennedy. "That's one of the major disadvantages that we consumers have. We don't know how things like that are supposed to operate."

Black market Covid-19 test sellers seem eager to take advantage of this knowledge gap. On eBay, we found a listing for a "rapid test device" for the Covid-19 antibody from a seven-year-old seller with generally positive feedback. Claiming to be based in Lithuania, the account previously sold mostly clothing.

The product listed certainly seems to resemble a legitimate Covid-19 test. The packaging bears the logo of a company called Realy Tech. The FDA lists "Hangzhou Realy Tech" as a company that's notified the agency as having validated a serological test on offer, but the agency has not approved or reviewed its validation. Of course, there's no way to know if this product on eBay was even produced by Realy Tech.

An eBay spokesperson told Recode that the platform is taking steps to block and remove products that make "false health claims," and by the time of publication, eBay had taken down the above post for promoting false health information. Facebook, meanwhile, had taken down a page that appeared to be from the company Realy Tech.

The fake Covid-19 test problem is more widespread than this single example. Mackey says that many posts like this, using phrases like "Doctor Coronavirus" and "Covid-19" in their usernames, could easily be caught by an algorithm.

When Recode identified examples to Twitter, they were removed for violating the platform's manipulation and spam rules. Similarly, after Recode identified accounts pushing similar test kit products on Instagram, which were also removed, a Facebook spokesperson explained that the company will take down posts and accounts pushing such products when it is made aware of them.

You can still find people promoting fake test kits, along with other phony coronavirus products, on the dark web.

Suspicious Covid-19 products are already under investigation

Coronavirus-related scams aren't limited to tests or treatments. As broken supply chains lead to shortages, instances of price-gouging and outright fraud regarding medical supplies are becoming increasingly worrisome. In late March, a health care workers union claimed to secure a stash of 39 million N95 masks to sell to hospitals, a huge claim at the time that many found dubious. The masks never ended up being delivered to some health care centers, and an attempted seizure by federal authorities revealed that they were part of an elaborate, international grift.

Mazza, the intellectual property attorney, points to this example as a warning of what's to come. "If it sounds too good to be true, there's likely a problem," he says. "Let's look out for the guys selling the magic beans - all the different cliches that come to mind, they're going to apply tenfold here."

The number of bad actors seems to be growing. On March 22, the Justice Department announced its "first enforcement action against Covid-19 fraud," which involved shuttering and launching an investigation into a website that allegedly sold vaccines to unsuspecting Americans in an attempt to capitalize on the fear surrounding the pandemic. The FBI has since arrested one man, after he sold coronavirus "prevention pills" to an undercover agent. And in early April, Customs and Border Protection caught fake Covid-19 test kits being shipped in from the United Kingdom through the Los Angeles International Airport.

In some cases, government investigators are working with tech companies to catch scammers. For instance, Facebook, eBay, Amazon, and others have partnered with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to go after price gougers and others hoping to profit from the Covid-19 crisis. Twitter, meanwhile, says it's working with governments and public health authorities to crack down on content that promotes fake treatments.

Fakes will be pervasive as long as Covid-19 is

Ultimately, Mackey explains that trends in fakes and counterfeits will continue to coincide with topics in the news cycle. When there's a legitimate, Covid-19-related product, scammers and counterfeit sellers will likely emerge to take advantage of the people desperate to get ahold of it.

If and when real versions of at-home tests become available, the problem of fake and scammy tests will likely worsen. Mackey warns that once a vaccine is available, we should expect to see more bogus vaccines pop up as well. And more than 50 health experts warned in a letter earlier this month that any shortages in legitimate Covid-19-related products will make the phony treatment and vaccine problems worse.

Eventually, the onslaught of fake Covid-19 products showing up online could just become part of our new reality.
Open Sourced Support Vox's explanatory journalism is made possible by Omidyar Network. All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists.
"I've never seen anything like this," Mackey said. "I mean, it's a full-blown infodemic."

Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that has the power to save lives. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. Vox's work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources - particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today.

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Coronavirus scammers are flooding social media with fake cures and tests

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Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing - and changing us. For years, Timothy Mackey has been researching the sale of opioids and illicit drugs online, tracking how dealers have used social media to push controlled substances.

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 Use of the hashtag (#) dates back to 1988 where users communicating on Internet Relay Chat clients (IRC) used them to categorize content or discussions

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 Use of the hashtag (#) dates back to 1988 where users communicating on Internet Relay Chat clients (IRC) used them to categorize content or discussions

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'Selfitis' - A side effect of social media?

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'Selfitis' - A side effect of social media?

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We can all relate to one person on our news feeds that loves taking selfies just a little too much. Now, thanks to a recent paper published in November, this habit may be considered a real disorder under the name "Selfitis." In a bizarre turn of events, this research was actually inspired by fake news stories.

The paper states in the abstract that "In 2014, stories appeared in national and international media claiming that the condition of selfitis (the obsessive taking of selfies) was to be classed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association and that the condition could be borderline, acute, or chronic. However, the stories were a hoax but this did not stop empirical research being carried out into the concept. The present study empirically explored the concept and collected data on the existence of selfitis."

In the study 400 Indian university students took part in focus group interviews to produce a "Selfitis Behavior Scale," which consisted of three different levels: borderline, acute, and chronic. A borderline case, they stated, is someone who takes selfies at least three times a day, but doesn't display them on social media. A person with an acute case would actually post those selfies on social media. And a chronic case, they claimed, is someone with "uncontrollable urge to take photos of one's self round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day."

While this research does not necessarily imply a genuine disorder, we should, momentarily, explore the idea that selfie addiction could indeed have the foundation of a legitimate disorder. According to research, an average millennial is expected to take 25,700 selfies during his or her lifetime, with 1,000 selfies being posted on Instagram every second.

We know that social media can be highly addictive, thanks to its drug-like characteristic of flooding our brains with dopamine. The sensation induced by receiving likes and positive comments on a picture can be incredibly rewarding, and as we know from conditioning, behavior which is rewarded is more likely to be repeated.

This processes is encapsulated in the words of a teenage girl who described her thought processes when posting on Instagram, reports The Huffington Post. The girl states "One of my biggest insecurities is selfies. Usually, if I feel confident about how I look, I might post a selfie. Of course, your friends comment that you look so pretty or something like that and it makes you feel good about yourself."

Clearly, there are strong neurological processes at play here, influenced by our psychology and the role modern technology has now taken on in our lives. To some extent, this also reflects the comments of Sean Parker, a man who helped shape Facebook into the social media giant that it is today. He stated that Facebook "literally changes your relationship with society, with each other," Parker told Axios during an interview, adding "God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains."

However, let us take a step back and remember the gravity and severity of labeling selfie addiction a genuine disorder. In doing so, this could have huge implications, devaluing those who suffer from legitimate disorders, while amplifying the status 'Selfitis' well beyond a joke or a bad habit. We must recognize that a small section of society might have or be developing a problem here, although we must also recognize the severity of the situation in the bigger picture. Moreover, it should also be considered that even the authors of this paper wrote that more " studies are needed to validate the concept more rigorously."

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'Selfitis': Obsessive selfie taking as a real disorder and the fake news stories that inspired its research

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We can all relate to one person on our news feeds that loves taking selfies just a little too much. Now, thanks to a recent paper published in November, this habit may be considered a real disorder under the name "Selfitis." In a bizarre turn of events, this research was actually inspired by fake news ...

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90% of Instagram users are younger than 35

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90% of Instagram users are younger than 35

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A recent Twitter poll carried out by Mashable revealed that 75 percent of users noticed that their screen time had (unsurprisingly) increased since governments across the world introduced stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19.

And with increased screen time, comes increased social media usage: whether it be simply for absent-minded scrolling, accessing information, or keeping in touch with friends and family.

To ease anxiety, some may find it beneficial to undergo a social media detox, or at least a scaling-back on the social media accounts they follow.

This period of lockdown has also given rise to other, less-used social media apps for making video calls, so that people can virtually recreate the social encounters they are missing.

Downloads of the group chatting app Houseparty, which launched in 2016, have spiked this month, according to reports from data insights company Sensor Tower.

And shares of the video conferencing service Zoom have risen approximately 50% since last month according to Deutsche Welle.

Our team has been doing this too! ❤️💪 https://t.co/tQow1Fp2LG

- Houseparty (@houseparty) March 19, 2020

On Sunday, March 15, approximately 600,000 people downloaded the video service, the New York Times reported.

Psychologists recommend social media detox for mental health

However, this spike in social media usage can have a negative impact on our mental health.

According to a 2017 study conducted by the UK Royal Society for Public Health (RSPR), social media can be linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression among young people. The study goes on to show that in some cases, social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.

As a result, some psychologists have recommended a social media detox during this period of social isolation as a way to lower levels of anxiety and improve our mental health amid already-heightened levels of unease.

This strategy has advantages.

Limit information overload

As the media tries to understand the scope of this unprecedented, global health crisis, its coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has been noisy, to say the least.

And once shared among friends, the quantity of constantly-changing news updates can be unsettling.

In order to limit what has the potential to be an overwhelming amount of information - some of which could also be inaccurate - choose one, or just a few trusted news outlets to follow on social media, whose content and coverage you find clear and easy to understand.

Seek alternative news sources

Instead of going straight to Twitter or Facebook for your daily updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, try browsing official websites instead - where data should be up-to-date and accurate.

Know any doctors or medical professionals? Go straight to the source. They will be able to share more accurate information than the content that tends to circulate around Whatsapp groups, for example.

Establish a routine

Although remote working has been overwhelmingly criticised in studies for generating feelings of loneliness, different studies have also proven that it can also damage our productivity.

In a less-structured environment, ordinary distractions - such as social media - may seem more interesting, the study shows.

To combat the temptation of being distracted, schedule organised breaks that will give you a time window to scroll social media and seek information or contact friends.

Fill the gap

If deleting or deactivating social media accounts seems like a daunting option at such an isolated time, replace the time you would spend scrolling with other activities, such as exercise.

In an article in the New York Times, physical therapists recommended physical movement as much as possible while we are locked down in our homes during quarantine, as a means of maintaining both our physical and mental health.

Every time you reach for your phone to scroll, do 10 push ups instead. Try it.

How social media affects our collective unconscious

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The Benefits of a Social Media Detox During Lockdown

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A recent Twitter poll carried out by Mashable revealed that 75 percent of users noticed that their screen time had (unsurprisingly) increased since governments across the world introduced stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19. And with increased screen time, comes increased social media usage: whether it be simply for absent-minded scrolling, accessing information, or keeping in touch with friends and family.

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1. statistical information on global usage of social media

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1. statistical information on global usage of social media

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It's only been three months since we published our first round of Digital 2019 reports, but our new Q2 Global Digital Statshot shows that the connected world has already changed considerably during that time.
Essential headlines

Global internet users grew by 8.6 per cent over the past twelve months, with 350 million new users contributing to an overall total of 4.437 billion by the start of April 2019.

Social media user numbers have also registered solid growth, increasing by more than 200 million since this time last year to reach almost 3.5 billion by the time of publication. However, recent changes in Facebook's reporting methodology mean that actual growth was probably even higher.

There are now more than 5.1 billion people around the world using a mobile phone - a year-on-year increase of 2.7 per cent - with smartphones accounting for more than two-thirds of all devices in use today.

Roughly 98 per cent of the world's social media users - more than 3.4 billion people - access social platforms via mobile devices.

Internet use in April 2019
The latest reported figures suggest that an average of almost 1 million people came online for the first time each day over the past year, continuing the strong growth that we saw in our recent Digital 2019 reports .

Perhaps most tellingly, the use of voice is most common in India, China, and Indonesia - countries that already have some of the world's largest internet populations, but that are also experiencing some of the greatest increases in new internet users.

What's more, despite Western media's fixation on smart speakers like Amazon's Echo devices, it's important to stress that the majority of voice users are making use of voice functionality for everyday activities on their mobile phones.

This is particularly true of younger users, many of whom have not yet developed 'fixed' habits when it comes to using digital devices and services. Indeed, the latest data from GlobalWebIndex shows that almost half of all internet users aged 16 to 24 already use voice, compared to less than 30 per cent of users aged 45 and above.

Overall, Facebook Inc.'s portfolio of services continues to dominate the global social landscape, while Tencent has further consolidated its lead position in Mainland China.

Exploring each platform's latest advertising audience numbers offers another valuable perspective on social media use though, so let's take a closer look at the key developments and trends in those numbers over the past three months.

Facebook
Facebook recently made some fundamental changes to the ways in which it reports advertising audience numbers across its various platforms so we can't compare like-for-like growth trends this quarter. But the good news is that these changes let advertisers build a clearer picture of the number of people they're able to reach with ads on each of Facebook's platforms.

The company's Insights tools had previously been showing steady declines in users' median number of ad clicks over the , the latest data show much healthier figures.

However, changes in audience definitions and reporting methodology mean that these figures can't be compared on a like-for-like basis to previous reports, so these healthier figures do not necessarily mean that people have actually been clicking on more ads, nor can we be sure whether people have been sharing or commenting on Facebook posts more frequently.

Indeed, the latest insights from Locowise reveal that engagement with Facebook Page posts continues to decline, with the average post now garnering a response rate of just 3.6 per cent - a relative drop of 3.4 per cent in just the past three months.

Meanwhile, organic reach for Facebook Page posts also continues its relentless downward trajectory, with Locowise reporting that barely of a Page's fans now see posts without paid media support - a relative decline of almost six per cent in just the past three months.

The advertising audience data that we collected prior to the recent change in Facebook's audience definitions show that the number of Instagram users aged 13 to 17 fell by more than 3 per cent between October 2018 to January 2019. All other age groups showed very healthy growth, and overall, the size of Instagram's advertising audience actually increased by more than 4 per cent during the same period (October 2018 to January 2019).

If Instagram losing younger audiences, the big question is: where are they going? As usual, there's plenty of speculation here, so let's look at what the data tells us...

TikTok
In my recent conversations with senior marketers, journalists, and even the world's biggest investors, it's clear that many people believe TikTok is "the next big thing" in the world of social. And with the company already more than 500 million active users - and more than a billion downloads - it's easy to see why.

TikTok doesn't publish audience figures to the same level as peers like Snapchat and Instagram though, so we need to look at some different data sources to get a sense of TikTok's current status and growth.

Google Trends data shows that worldwide interest in TikTok is already on a par with Snapchat (note that the TikTok trendline in the chart below also includes searches for "Tik Tok" - i.e. with a space - which appears to be a common variation in spelling for searches relating to the platform).

SensorTower that TikTok added 188 million new users in the first three months of this year, and the company the app as the number one top performer in Apple's iOS app stores for Q1 2019.

That puts TikTok behind Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp, but ahead of Instagram:

Snapchat
After a worrying start to the year, Snapchat saw some more reassuring trends in its advertising audience numbers this quarter, with the platform's total addressable audience growing by 1.2 per cent since January.

India accounted for almost a quarter of the growth in Snapchat's audience over the past three months, and it also saw disproportionate growth in Russia this quarter, with the platform's audience in the country up by almost eight per cent in the past three months.

However, the latest data suggest that Twitter also saw overall growth in its advertising audience in the first three months of 2019, with the global addressable audience up by 4.5 per cent since January.

Twitter's largest reported gains were in Russia, where the platform's advertising audience grew by almost over the past three months, up from just over two million in January to almost 10 million at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, Twitter's self-serve advertising tools also show an audience increase of almost 2.5 million in the United States, equating to quarter-on-quarter growth of more than five per cent.

Advertisers can now reach almost 615 million people on LinkedIn, although it's worth highlighting that these figures are based on registered users, rather than the monthly active user figures reported by most other platforms.

Interestingly, the quarter-on-quarter trends suggest that LinkedIn is growing fastest amongst the 18 to 24-year-old group, who now account for roughly 25 per cent of the platform's total advertising audience.

Discord is a messaging platform that's hugely popular with the world's billion-plus online gamers, which should be more than enough reason for marketers need to add it to their list of potential opportunities.

However, it's Discord's focus on communities that makes it particularly interesting as a platform, especially in a world where privacy concerns are increasingly important drivers of people's social m edia preferences and behaviour.

Mobile use in April 2019
Our partners at GSMA Intelligence have revised their historical data for unique mobile users since January, but the worldwide total has since returned to the figure of 5.11 billion that we reported in our Digital in 2019 report.

After the revisions, GSMA Intelligence reports that unique mobile users have grown by roughly 2.6 per cent over the past twelve months, equating to an additional 130 million new mobile users since this time last year.

Note that we've changed the way we report mobile subscriptions too, and the 7.787 billion figure we're quoting in this quarter's report no longer includes IoT connections.

Our addiction to mobile data shows no signs of slowing either, with Ericsson that monthly data consumption grew by an average of more than 4 billion gigabytes over the last quarter of 2018, to reach 25 exabytes per month.
That's all for our Q2 Statshot. We'll be back soon with more data analysis. In the meantime, you can read Simon Kemp's extended version of the above post in full over on TheNextWeb.

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The state of digital in April 2019: all the numbers you need to know - We Are Social

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It's only been three months since we published our first round of Digital 2019 reports, but our new Q2 Global Digital Statshot shows that the connected world has already changed considerably during that time.

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2. Statistics on social media users in India for more than 15 months from Nov 2018

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2. Statistics on social media users in India for more than 15 months from Nov 2018

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Professionalize your collaborations with brands

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3. Youth voices on the effects of social media

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3. Youth voices on the effects of social media

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Youth Voices is an open publishing platform for youth.

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What I do know is that kids in the future will be impacted by social media because even young kids today are being affected by it because they believe everything that they see is true. Which in some cases, it's not. One thing I would like to know is if social media will have a positive or negative effect on kids in the future.

There are two sides when it comes to talking about the future effects that social media may have on kids. Social media may have a effect because of the many accomplishments that could be done and a negative effect because there are inappropriate websites, cyber bullying and false information can impact the minds of young kids. Some positive sides when it comes it social media and kids is, kids can be creative and interact with one another and learn. " Social networking provides an alternative way to get students interested in learning with a new and previously unconventional medium (Rosen, 2011)." It also provides a leeway for kids who are shy, to a have a non threatening interaction with other kids online in a positive way. The aspects is young minds are moldable, and social media can mold the way a child thinks or behaves. The vastness of social media ensures that there is no control of the level of information given. Cyber bullying can have dangerous and potentially fatal effects and claims many victims each year. Also it can be a waste of time, spending too much time can also affect a child negatively and often lead to social media addiction.

I think that I would lean on the negative side for the future of kids and social media. When kids get older, they would not be able to interact with each other face to face, which is the first source of communication before technology. Also as young children, they are more likely to believe that everything that they see on social media is true which we all know is not always the case. If we just put them through one way of interacting and communicating, it would really affect them long term because it's not healthy to have one way of communicating and not being able to branch out in different ways. Although technology is a big part of living in today's world, so it would be good if kids could learn at a young age how to use technology and social media in a healthy and good way.

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Effects of Social media on Kids in the Future. - Youth Voices

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Q: What might be the effect of social media on younger kids in the future? What I do know is that kids in the future will be impacted by social media because even young kids today are being affected by it because they believe everything that they see is true.

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4. Effects Of Social Media On Young Minds

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4. Effects Of Social Media On Young Minds

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Listen to this audio to know about the social media impacts on human brains, especially the youth.

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subscribe to Hidden Brain podcast

Teens showed an image that was deemed to have lots of "likes" tended to also like the image. Seeing popular pictures also produced greater activation in the reward centers of the brain.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So if you're freaking out because you think social media is running your life, I recommend that you do not listen to the next four minutes or so of radio. My colleague, social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam, is here to talk about the effects that social media has on our brains. Hi, Shankar.

SHANKAR VEDANTAM, BYLINE: Hi, David.

GREENE: Is this bad news you're about to give me?

VEDANTAM: You know, it depends on your point of view.

GREENE: All right.

VEDANTAM: Researchers took teenagers, stuck them in the brain scanner and observed them as they engaged with social media. Lauren Sherman - she's a researcher at UCLA - she told me that she and her colleagues wanted to analyze the effects that social media has on young minds. They had the intuition that, besides all the conversations that happen on social media, there was something about mediums like Twitter and Instagram that was qualitatively different than interactions in the physical world.

LAUREN SHERMAN: Suddenly, there are these interactions that have a little number on them, whether it's a like or a retweet or a favorite. And I was really curious how that quantifiable interaction was affecting the way that teens perceived information online.

GREENE: I see. So we're looking specifically at, like, likes and numbers of likes. And, I guess, how much do they matter?

VEDANTAM: Well, they matter a lot. Sherman and her colleagues, Ashley Payton, Leanna Hernandez, Patricia Greenfield and Mirella Dapretto, they scanned the brains of a few dozen adolescents as they watched what looked like an Instagram feed. The feed showed them photos that they had taken and photos supposedly taken by their friends. In reality, the other pictures were pictures the researchers had selected. Sherman and her colleagues found that when a photo had more likes, it generated greater activation in the reward centers of the brain. This was true of all photos, including photos the kids had taken themselves.

SHERMAN: When teens saw their own pictures had received many likes, they showed a greater activation in an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. And this is an area that's part of the brain's reward circuitry.

GREENE: Reward circuitry - that's the part of the brain that's making you feel good about yourself.

VEDANTAM: Precisely.

GREENE: Is this that surprising? I mean, if you see a photo and one of your photos that you took has a lot of likes, you're feeling good about yourself, so that part of the brain would be active.

VEDANTAM: I think that is what you would intuitively expect to see, but the research also produced some really interesting nuances, David. Researchers manipulated the pictures supposedly taken by the friends of the teenagers so adolescents saw different pictures that were supposedly popular. So you might see a picture and see that it had 50 likes, and I might see the very same picture and see that it received only five likes. The brains of the teenagers responded very strongly to the pictures deemed popular, regardless of which pictures they were. In fact, the researchers asked the adolescents to themselves like photos that they admired. And they found that if a teen saw a picture with lots of likes, she tended to like it herself. If another teen saw the same picture with only a few likes, he tended not to like it himself.

GREENE: Oh, interesting. So it really can have a snowballing effect.

VEDANTAM: Exactly. And the remarkable thing is that this was also true of the photos that the teenagers had taken themselves. Rather than make up their own minds about which of their own pictures they liked, teens deferred to the opinions of their peers. So, you know, in some ways, this study is confirming what we've known - peer pressure matters a lot, especially when you're 14.

GREENE: And probably when you're older, too.

(LAUGHTER)

VEDANTAM: That's right.

GREENE: Shankar, thanks.

VEDANTAM: Thank you, David.

GREENE: That is Shankar Vedantam, who regularly comes on the program to talk about social science research. And he explores this topic and other ideas on his podcast, Hidden Brain.

Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.

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Researchers Study Effects Of Social Media On Young Minds

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subscribe to Hidden Brain podcast Teens showed an image that was deemed to have lots of "likes" tended to also like the image. Seeing popular pictures also produced greater activation in the reward centers of the brain.

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1. The highlight reels
2. Social currency
3. F.O.M.O
4. Online harassment
Listen to this TED talk by Bailey Parnell,  award-winning public speaker.

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

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6. Here is the positive impacts on youth

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6. Here is the positive impacts on youth

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Positive Impact of Social Media & Screen Time | SmartSocial.com

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The negative effects of social media on teens and tweens can be obvious for parents and educators, but there are rarely discussions about the positive impact of social media. Here are 22 ways social media can have a positive impact on students.

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Do you know these social networking sites that have million users??????

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Do you know these social networking sites that have million users??????

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Free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video.

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 7. Know about Social media generation  - cartooned by Zen Pencils

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 7. Know about Social media generation  - cartooned by Zen Pencils

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129. MARC MARON: The social media generation

Marc Maron is a comedian and the host of my favourite podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, which is a comedy podcast where Maron interviews not only comedians, but musicians, actors, chefs and artists. His conversations are always engaging, funny, raw and honest. I recommend it especially to those who are pursuing a creative field, as most of his interview subjects have insightful and unique stories about how they became successful. (As you can tell from its title, WTF contains explicit language and is for mature listeners ... you've been warned!)

Maron's own success story is worth mentioning. In his 40s, having lived a life of anger, resentment, addiction, failed relationships and burnt bridges, Maron had just gotten fired from a radio gig when he started the WTF podcast as a last, desperate attempt to stay in the comedy game. The podcast not only became incredibly successful, leading to a resurgence in his stand-up career and a television series, but it's also proven to be his salvation.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to do a Maron quote, as I must have listened to hundreds of hours of his voice while working on Zen Pencils. This quote is taken from his latest memoir, Attempting Normal.

RELATED COMICS: Bill Hicks It's just a ride, Louis C.K. We don't think about how we talk, George Carlin On assassination (explicit), Henry Rollins Who's the crazier man?.

- Since my last comic about social media, I think it's fair to say I'm still totally dependent and addicted to my phone. Who checks their phone as soon as they wake up and while still in bed? I do. Who takes their phone into the toilet with them? Me. It's gross, but I bet you do it too ... don't lie. Who can't be alone in public without looking at their phone every five minutes? Yep, me again. While I love social media (it has obviously helped Zen Pencils enormously and it's incredible how easy I can interact with readers from all over the world), we should also remember some of its negative side effects, as this article points out.
- What are your favourite podcasts? Some of my other recommendations: Hardcore History, The Bugle, The Smartest Man in the World, The Nerdist, Stuff You Should Know, StarTalk Radio and The BS Report.

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Marc Maron is a comedian and the host of my favourite podcast, WTF with Marc Maron , which is a comedy podcast where Maron interviews not only comedians, but musicians, actors, chefs and artists. His conversations are always engaging, funny, raw and honest.

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The First Emoji was created in 1999 by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita

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The First Emoji was created in 1999 by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video.

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This padlet may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is available in an effort to explain issues relevant to Social Media and Youth or to illustrate the use and benefits of an educational tool. The material in this padlet is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this padlet for purposes of your own that go beyond 'Fair use', you must obtain expressed permission from the copyright owner.