social media

The challenges of regulating online speech

By Mihaela Popa-Wyatt Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Digital Futures Posted: July 27, 2023

Hate speech or harmful speech is any expression (speech, text, images) that demeans, threatens, or harms members of groups with protected characteristics. It includes slurs, name-calling, discriminatory and exclusionary speech, incitement to hatred and violence, harassment. Online communities are a particularly fast way to spread hate. In this article, Dr Mihaela Popa-Wyatt explores the main questions […]

Infodemic: tackling conspiracy theories on social media

By Peter Knight Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Digital Futures, Growth and Inclusion Posted: March 29, 2021

In February 2020 the Director-General of the World Health Organisation warned that “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” because “fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous.” There has been large debate around ways to control the spread of misinformation and disinformation, especially on […]

Social media and mental health: Can we trust what we’re being told?

By Margarita Panayiotou Filed Under: Digital Futures, Health and Care Posted: May 19, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown initiated in much of the world, has highlighted the crucial role of social media in social connectivity and news dissemination. In this blog, from our publication On Digital Trust, Dr Margarita Panayiotou explores whether social media is as bad for our mental health as we are led to […]

Don’t panic! Keep calm and help young people to benefit from social media

By Neil Humphrey and Margarita Panayiotou Filed Under: Digital Futures, Health and Social Care Posted: February 7, 2019

In our final blog for Children’s Mental Health Week, Professor Neil Humphrey and Dr Margarita Panayiotou discuss mental health and social media. A causal link between young people’s use of digital technologies and their subsequent experience of mental health difficulties has not been proven. Social media can have both positive and negative effects on mental […]

Young people, social media and the Internet: part of the problem and the solution?

By Terry Hanley Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Health and Social Care Posted: February 22, 2017

In the coming weeks, the House of Commons Education and Health Select Committees will be hearing oral evidence on their inquiry into children and young people’s mental health and the role of education. Members of the Manchester Institute of Education have written three blogs expanding on some of the key issues in their submission and […]

How effective is social media in getting people to the polls?

By Rachel Gibson Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: October 28, 2013

The question of whether Web 2.0 technologies work in ‘getting out the vote’ is one that remains the subject of some debate. Professor Rachel Gibson, who is leading research into the impact on the electorate, suggests that while online has its place, traditional methods still remain powerfully persuasive. This post is an adapted version of […]

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