Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 20
Posts 1 - 10

The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak, the Anonymous Messaging App

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 27.5.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, cyberbullying, law, privacy, social media, threat, youth
Summary | The anonymous messaging app Yik Yak became very popular in colleges and schools because it lets people broadcast anonymously to other users near them. The activity on the app has however started to become thretening with college students and children bullying each other and people making bomb threats that have led to multiple evacuations. A feminist group from University of Mary Washington have filed complaint to the University to block Yik Yak on campus because it has been used to harrass and threaten members.
Image Description | An illustration with a face and a smartphone and an image of the creators of Yik Yak.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

In Discover, Snap Sees a Bright Spot as It Tries to Fend Off Facebook

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 7.5.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | censorship, fake news, Snapchat, youth
Summary | Snapchat Discover is a realm in the messaging app that offers advertisers a platform to present their content (which also self-destructs in 24 hours). It is very expensive for advertisers to produce new content each day but some say that they have been able to recruit followers in the hard-to-reach demographic of youths. Snapchat has also made a move to curate the content on their Dsicover platform in order to censor nudity as well as unreliable news sources in order to combat fake news.
Image Description | An image of a video shoot for Snapchat and a Tweet of a Snapchat video.
Image Tags | female(s), Snapchat, Twitter

Teaching Bronx Students the Language of Computers

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 22.2.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | computer programming, digitized education, diversity, game, school, youth
Summary | The Bronx is offering their local students computer programming classes - many more than average schools. The students in the Bronx are learning to code so that they can create the technology of the future rather than just consume it. A group of students presented an app they created to investors in Manhattan: it lets users post videos showing police brutality and makes an interactive map of where the incidents happened. Users can also play a game on the app in which they have to avoid ficticious police gun shots.
Image Description | Three male students of color holding a presentation.
Image Tags | male(s)

Social Insecurity? internet Turns Boomers Into Twits

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 5.5.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, misunderstanding, research/study, youth
Summary | Elders are coming to Facebook and it's not pretty. Most young people find their older relatives' activities on Facebook cringey because they appear to regress back into their younger selves which is somehow undignified for the elderly. They also sometimes use wrong emojis because they tend to be too small for them to properly see. Young people are moving on to other platforms.
Image Description | Images of Cher, Donald Trump, and Larry King as well as some of their Tweets.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), Twitter

Benefits of Study Abroad: ‘My Students Return Transformed’

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 12.4.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | diversity, selfie, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | In response to the article “Study Abroad’s Seven Deadly Sins”, this university educator agrees that inappropriate selfies and ever-present smartphones are an issue among study abroad students. She however emphasized that such articles are not helpful at this time of heightened anxiety about rising nationalism and that students must instead be encouraged more strongly to go study abroad.
Image Description | N/A

Study Abroad's Seven Deadly Sins

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 8.4.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | politeness, selfie, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | The seven deadly sins of studying abroad incude two sins related to the digital realm. First, study abroad students should at best not take a smartphone with them. It will keep them way to connected with their peers at home and the fear of missing out on activities at home will make them text with friends from home rather than meet new people in the foreign country they are supposed to be experiencing. Second, stay abroad students should be conscious of how they take their selfies - they can easily be disrespectful depending on the place and the pose one strikes.
Image Description | Colorful number 1 through 7.

No, Grandma, You Are Not LOL

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 7.5.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | (mental) health, social media, youth
Summary | Older people used to stay away from technology and used to express themselves using elevated language. With the advent of social media, things have changed. Now, 62% of seniors (65+) use Facebook and seem to be acting like their grandchildren; they are the fastest-growing demographic since 2000. You can easily notice when an old person is using social media; if you see the post 'Check this out LOL', it's probably been shared by a senior. Seniors are late adopters when it comes to new media. The feeling of competitivity, jealousy, or of being left out does not only concern young people. Older people can also feel the same way when using social media.
Image Description | N/A

Teenage Days, Streamed For Coins

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 7.6.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | smartphone, social media, video communication, virtual reality, youth
Summary | 15-year-old Bryce Xavier is a star on Live.ly (a live streaming app). Bryce spends every day among a virtual crowd of fans (mostly teenage girls). For instance, he can broadcast his lunch at Olive Garden with his mom. Bryce became very popular on the platform; as a consequence, he dropped out of school and started homeschooling so that he would have enough time for Live.ly. Live streaming has become popular because it is seen as more authentic than other social media platforms. Despite many advantages, the platform can also render human interaction shallow.
Image Description | N/A

Chasing Squeals of Stardom, Not in the Clubs but Via Apps

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 5.7.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | social media, video communication, youth
Summary | VidCon is a conference for young stars who made their debut online. Hailey Knox is a 17-year old singer who is a star of YouNow (live streaming app). Most of YouNow, Facebook Live, or Periscope users are young (between 13 and 24). The article claims that nowadays, thanks to social media, the relationship between social media stars and fans is much more personal. Finally, the article talks about Hailey Knox's career.
Image Description | N/A

Using Emojis to Reach Young People About Birds and Bees

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 18.7.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | emojis, youth
Summary | Emojis (e.g. peach, eggplant) will pop up in young people's Facebook feeds on Monday to talk about birds and bees. The NYC Health & Hospitals launched campaign on social media to reach young people and talk to them about sexuality.
Image Description | N/A

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