“Last month, the ATHAR Project published an important report on West Asian antiquities trafficking taking place more or less out in the open — on Facebook. … The report, ‘Facebook’s Black Market in Antiquities: Trafficking, Terrorism, and War Crimes,’ published in June, is the result of nearly two years of research.” – Hyperallergic
Well … it’s a first step. A big first step. “When you scale a sizable part of Mount Everest, are you making progress? Yes, but have you reached the summit? No. So we haven’t reached the summit by any means, but we have really put a few stakes in the ground.” – Vice
Spencer Tunick takes photos of choreographed crowds of naked people at monuments and in natural settings all over the world. He calls them “flesh architecture,” and he’d like it if Instagram would quit censoring his art. – Asbury Park Press (New Jersey)
Facebook currently employs 25 curators and administrators to run its artist-in-residency program and its Analog Research Lab. (The company also has a designer-in-residency program run by the same team.) – Artnet
You know Flow. It’s a psychological idea that basically, psychologists say, describes “a state of engagement that arises when people are completely focused on an activity, such as tennis or rock climbing.” Turns out marketers know we get just as much into the flow of YouTube or Facebook – and that’s why we can’t quit. – … Continue reading “The Problem With Facebook And Twitter, And Politics? Flow”
Yes, Chris Hughes’ argument that Facebook needs to be broken up is strong. But it may simply be too late. “In effect, all media lives downstream of a large attention river where Facebook has dammed the flow, only to sell your water back to you—water that you used to receive naturally.” – Wired
If they’re platforms, they don’t have legal responsibility for the content carried on their sites. If publishers, then they’re legally liable. Fair enough. But the companies are muddying the distinctions, claiming to be both and neither. And that’s creating problems. – Vox
The algorithm discouraged sharing of news. “While every subject group saw major reductions, on a percentage basis arts and entertainment referrals from Facebook to news pieces took the greatest hit. Legal issues may have been down 25%, politics down 34% and education down 35%, but arts and entertainment referrals were driven down by 71% overall.” … Continue reading “How Changes In Facebook’s Algorithm Disadvantaged The Arts”
This is the story of the tumultuous and chaotic past year “based on interviews with 65 current and former employees. It’s ultimately a story about the biggest shifts ever to take place inside the world’s biggest social network. But it’s also about a company trapped by its own pathologies and, perversely, by the inexorable logic … Continue reading “Inside The Culture Of Facebook As It Struggles With The Culture Of Everyone Else”
Though honestly, no one understands the mysterious algorithm of this app, it has created a weird new window into work: “TikTok, which encourages users to contribute short videos to hashtags, or to join in on jokes or challenges or to sing along with clips of songs, has, in its manic and frequent demands for content … Continue reading “Instagram Is For Vacations, Facebook Is For Family Photos, And TikTok Is For … Work?”
