Recently, while waiting in my doctor’s office, I found myself scrolling through my Facebook feed. I stumbled upon a meme that read, “All this arguing over my invisible man is more important than your invisible man.” It struck me how social media has amplified our access to a wide range of opinions, judgments and conspiracy theories, which entangle us in trends, social causes and mass movements, sometimes at the expense of our spiritual well-being.

More often than not, social media lures us away from what truly matters—our inner peace and spiritual growth. The meme I encountered garnered over 3,000 likes, illustrating the allure of divisive content. When we immerse ourselves in the toxic “us vs. them” environment social media has become, we risk losing sight of our spiritual journeys, which thrive on acceptance, understanding and personal introspection.

Faiths and beliefs flourish best in an environment where they’re unquestioned. Exposure to differing viewpoints can cause us to question what we’ve been taught. When we see individuals projecting on social media that they are living fulfilling lives based on beliefs different from ours, we may wonder about the validity of our convictions. Despite the enlightening benefits of questioning our beliefs and values, it can also lead to confusion, particularly when we’re introduced to secular content packaged as “this is success.”

Engaging with content that contradicts our principles can erode our faith and lead to moral ambiguity. Our social media feeds can be flooded with negativity, including:

• Pornography that distorts intimacy
• Divisive political rhetoric that creates anxiety and fear
• Incessant comparisons with seemingly perfect lives
• Racial discrimination 
• Bullying by trolls 
• Content design to make us want to buy more
• Media outlets intentionally manufacturing fear

As I’m sure you likely have observed, possibly experienced firsthand, we’re experiencing unprecedented dissatisfaction and hopelessness, largely due to the comparison with others online; hence, one of the most profound ways social media interferes with our spirituality is by distancing us from our personal experiences.

Due to its addictive nature, social media frequently leads us to spend too much time scrolling through content that numbs our senses and overwhelms our minds, inhibiting the self-reflection essential for spiritual growth. The more we become consumed by social media and engage with curated content, the more we risk losing our personal narratives as we’re not exploring our respective history, confronting our emotions and trying to understand our story. 

Instead of turning inward, many, notably our youth, seek validation and inspiration from virtual strangers and neglect the quest everyone should be on, finding meaning and purpose in life, which isn’t to be found on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, et al.

Although many social media accounts promote the notion of positivity and self-love, the ideals promoted tend to be prescriptive rather than liberating. The pressure to conform to certain lifestyles or beliefs hinders spiritual exploration. Moreover, the “cancel culture” phenomenon, along with several other self-claiming “progressive movements,” suppresses open discussions about spirituality. Many people avoid spiritual conversations or expressing one’s beliefs due to a fear of backlash. The possibility of facing hostility and our inherent survival instinct to go along and get along prevent many from exploring their spirituality freely, resulting in a superficial understanding of spirituality.

Ask yourself the following pivotal questions:

• Am I prioritizing my spiritual health with my heart, time and energy?
• Does my identity and validation originate from my beliefs and values or online popularity?
• Do I allow social media to distract me from meaningful connections with the people around me?
• Keep in mind that social media is not inherently detrimental to our spiritual journeys. There are countless inspiring voices, without any self-serving motive, on social media platforms that encourage us to add more meaning, creativity and beauty to our lives. The key is to curate your online experiences to align with your spiritual aspirations.

Navigating the intersection of social media and spirituality requires mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness is how you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and behaviors online and offline. This awareness helps you discern when social media is serving you and when it’s detracting you from your spiritual growth.

The benefits of regular self-reflection can’t be overstated. Connecting with our inner selves and clarifying our spiritual beliefs can be achieved through journaling, meditation or simply being present, which, when done with intention, can counterbalance social media’s distractions, fostering a deeper connection with your spirituality.

Ultimately, spirituality is about finding meaning, acceptance and connection in our lives. It’s a journey that can be nurtured online and offline if approached with intention and care. Consciously reducing the influence of social media on your spiritual life requires thoughtfully making ‘yes and no’ decisions, a decision-making exercise that’ll give you a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.

As you journey through the digital world, keep in mind spiritually aware individuals lead happier, more fulfilled lives. Engaging mindfully on social media is how you protect your spiritual journey, allowing it to flourish in a world where many benefit from creating distractions and divides. The path to a happier life is achieved by your choices offline and online—choose wisely.

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on X/Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

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By Nick Kossovan

“The devil is in the details” is an idiom highlighting how small details can significantly affect the outcome of something and that attention to detail is the difference between something good and something great. This phrase captures the essence of job search success.

A misplaced decimal point on a financial spreadsheet will result in inaccurate reporting. It only takes a minor design flaw to cause a costly recall or safety issues. In personal interactions, eye contact and smiling shape perception. Colour scheme drastically influences the mood of a room or whether you make a fashion statement.

Job seekers who meticulously craft their resume, LinkedIn profile, applications, and interview presence will have an edge over those they’re competing against. If your resume and LinkedIn profile are full of typos or your voicemail isn’t set up, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. Misaddressing your interviewer or failing to turn on your camera during a Zoom interview can cost you the job opportunity.

When competing against other job seekers just as qualified as you are, some more so, as you are in the current job market, not paying attention to details or your actions will hurt your job search.

The most common details overlooked by job seekers:

Title your resume file “First Name_Last Name_Resume_Year”

Example: [Nick_Kossovan_Resume_2025]

This format ensures that your resume is easily recognizable by recruiters and easily searchable in the recruiter’s or employer’s database, which, I’d ballpark, contains something like 1,689,355 resumes.

Save your resume as a PDF file.

Saving your resume as a PDF preserves its formatting across all devices, ensuring it appears as you intended, with no changes to margins or layout.

Include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Along with your resume prominently displaying your phone number and email address, include a link to your LinkedIn profile.(https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkossovan/) Make it easy for hiring managers to contact you and to view your LinkedIn profile. The easier you make it for a hiring manager, the more likely they’ll consider your candidacy.

Proofread relentlessly!

Ensure your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile are free of typos and grammatical errors. These documents and your online footprint create your first impression; errors can diminish your credibility and chances of being selected for an interview.

Adjust the privacy settings on your social media.

Employers will Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy. If you’re hired, your new colleagues will also Google you and look you up on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. To avoid having your social media activity being misconstrued, except for LinkedIn, your privacy settings so only your followers can see your activity.

Always dress to impress.

You never know who you might encounter when you’re out and about, and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where we judge a book by its cover—we assess visual cues—we always have and always will.

I’ve missed out on many possible opportunities because I left my house not looking my best. One time, I was waiting in line at a coffee shop dressed “comfortably” when a friend sitting in a booth called out to introduce me to the COO of a national transportation company he was meeting with. Although the COO was friendly, the introduction didn’t lead anywhere; I believe it was due to my lack of credible appearance. Dressing well not only boosts your confidence but also earns you respect.

Always carry a pen, a small notebook, and copies of your resume.

As I mentioned, you never know who you might meet or whether you’ll want to share your contact information or take notes. Having a pen and paper on hand demonstrates that you’re prepared (read: on top of your game) and professional. A further step to “being prepared” is always having a few copies of your resume.

A few years ago, during an intermission at a community theatre production, I struck up a conversation with a man who, it turned out, was looking for a workforce manager position. Although I didn’t have an opening, I knew someone who did. He went to his car, retrieved a copy of his resume, and handed it to me, which I passed along to the person I knew who was searching for a workforce manager. Yes, he got the job.

Carefully consider the questions you ask.

Voltaire said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” Your questions during an interview reveal a great deal about you. Steer clear of asking irrelevant or self-serving questions, such as, “How many sick days do you offer?” or, “When will my benefits start?” Instead, inquire about the specific responsibilities, challenges, and goals of the role. Ask questions that demonstrate genuine interest in how you can contribute to the team’s success.

Lastly, never ask for an expectation! Questions such as “I understand this position requires me to work in the office every day. Is it possible to work from home on Thursdays and Fridays?” will eliminate you from consideration.

Succeeding in today’s highly competitive job market requires paying close attention to details and your actions.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Feature Image: Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

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By Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia and Leah A. Plunkett, Harvard University

Children should be seen and not heard, or so the old saying goes. A new version of this adage is now playing out across the United States, as more states are passing laws about how children and teens should use social media.

In 2024, approximately half of all U.S. states passed at least 50 bills that make it harder for children and teens to spend time online without any supervision.

Some of the new laws in places such as Maryland, Florida, Georgia and Minnesota include provisions that require parental consent before a child or teenager under the age of 18 can use a social media app, for example. Other new laws prevent targeted marketing to teens based on the personal information they share online. Others recognize child influencers who have active social media followings as workers.

In 1998, long before the age of Instagram or TikTok, the federal government set a minimal baseline for internet safety for children under the age of 13 with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. This law, known as COPPA, prevents websites from sharing children’s personal information, among other measures.

As law professors who study children’s online lives and the law, we are tracking state governments that are providing new protections to children when they use social media.

So far, almost all of these new protections are happening at the state level – it remains to be seen how the Trump administration will, if at all, weigh in on how children and teens are spending time on social media.

Risk of social media use for kids and teens

Almost half of teens ages 13 to 17 said in 2024 they are “almost constantly” online and virtually all of them use the internet every day.

And approximately 40% of children ages 8 to 12 use social media on a daily basis.

Research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have an increased risk of anxiety and depression.

Almost half of teens have faced online bullying or harassment, with older teen girls most likely to have experienced this. Social media use has been linked to self-harm in some cases.

In 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, claiming that it was harming children. Although Meta tried to have the case dismissed, it is still moving forward.

States’ attempts to make social media safer for teens

States including New York and California have made a number of legal changes since 2023 that make it safer for adolescents to spend time online.

California, for example, has expanded information protection for young social media users by limiting apps from collecting kids’ and teens’ geolocation data.

Utah and Florida have raised the age for social media use. Children under the age of 14 cannot open their own social media account, and the platforms are supposed to shut down any such accounts used by children in those states.

In 2024, the Utah Legislature determined that social media was similar to regulated “products and activities” like cars and medication that create risks for minors.

Utah’s new law requires social media platforms to verify a user’s age, such as by requiring a photo ID.

A 2024 Tennessee law allows minors to open their own accounts but requires that social media companies ensure that anyone under the age of 18 has parental consent to do so.

Some states, including Texas and Florida, are trying to create a different experience for minors once they have an account on a social media platform. They are blocking apps from sending targeted advertisements to minors or, in states such as New York, curating social media feeds based on an algorithm instead of based on the minors’ own choices.

A growing number of states have also focused on creating more protections for children influencers and vloggers, who regularly post short videos and images on social media and often have other young people following their content. So far, California, Illinois and Minnesota have passed child digital entertainer laws since 2023.

All of these laws set up financial protections for child influencers. Illinois’ law requires child influencers to receive a portion of the profits they make from their content. Minnesota’s law includes privacy protections: forbidding children under the age of 14 from working as influencers and giving them the right to later delete content, even when their parents have created the post or video.

These laws face different legal challenges. For example, some private industry groups claim these laws restrict free speech or the rights of parents. The U.S. Supreme Court is now considering – for the first time since 1997 – the constitutionality of age restrictions for social media usage.

States across the political spectrum, as well as social media companies themselves, are creating more protections for kids whose online activity might suggest that federal law reform will finally happen.

Federal action on social media

Congress has considered new online privacy legislation for children in the past 25 years, including banning targeted ads. But nothing has been enacted.

There is no clear indication that the Trump administration will make any substantial changes in existing law on children and internet privacy. While federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, could take the lead on protecting children online, there has been little public discussion of issues involving children and media access.

Trump’s choice for surgeon general, Janette Nesheiwat, said in 2024, “Social media has had a tremendous negative impact on all aspects of society, especially our younger generations.” It’s unclear how widely this view is shared within the new administration.

On other social media issues, such as the future of TikTok, Trump’s nominees and advisers have been divided. Particularly in an administration in which “the president owns a social media company, and one of his main associates owns another,” the future scope of federal action to protect children online is uncertain. This is likely to prompt states to advance laws that create more protections for children on social media.

Even though social media platforms have national and global reach, we believe that state-by-state leadership might be the best way to make laws in which the needs and rights of children and their families are seen, heard and protected.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia and Leah A. Plunkett, Harvard University

Read more:

• What’s happening on RedNote? A media scholar explains the app TikTok users are fleeing to – and the cultural moment unfolding there
• Mounting research documents the harmful effects of social media use on mental health, including body image and development of eating disorders
• ‘It is hijacking my brain’ – a team of experts found ways to help young people addicted to social media to cut the craving

Leah A. Plunkett is the Reporter for the Uniform Law Commission Study Committee on the Definition and Protection of a Child’s Interest in the Child’s Name, Image, Likeness, or other Intellectual Property. The views expressed in this piece are offered solely in her individual capacity, and not on behalf of the Commission or her employer.

Naomi Cahn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Feature Image: While more states are trying to regulate how teenagers and preteens use social media, the federal government has not acted yet on the issue. Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

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By Sylvia Lu, University of Michigan

Artificial intelligence harms, problematic social media content, data privacy violations – the issues are the same, but the policymakers and regulators who deal with them are about to change.

As the federal government transitions to a new term under the renewed leadership of Donald Trump, the regulatory landscape for technology in the United States faces a significant shift.

The Trump administration’s stated approach to these issues signals changes. It is likely to move away from the civil rights aspect of Biden administration policy toward an emphasis on innovation and economic competitiveness. While some potential policies would pull back on stringent federal regulations, others suggest new approaches to content moderation and ways of supporting AI-related business practices. They also suggest avenues for state legislation.

I study the intersection of law and technology. Here are the key tech law issues likely to shape the incoming administration’s agenda in 2025.

AI regulation: innovation vs. civil rights

The rapid evolution of AI technologies has led to an expansion of AI policies and regulatory activities, presenting both opportunities and challenges. The federal government’s approach to AI regulation is likely to undergo notable changes under the incoming Trump administration.

The Biden administration’s AI Bill of Rights and executive order on AI established basic principles and guardrails to protect safety, privacy and civil rights. These included requirements for developers of powerful AI systems to report safety test results, and a mandate for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create rigorous safety standards. They also required government agencies to use AI in responsible ways.

Unlike the Biden era, the Trump administration’s deregulatory approach suggests a different direction. The president-elect has signaled his intention to repeal Biden’s executive order on AI, citing the need to foster free speech. Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Trade Commission, Andrew Ferguson, has echoed this sentiment. He has stated his opposition to restrictive AI regulations and the adoption of a comprehensive federal AI law.

With limited prospects for federal AI legislation under the Trump administration, states are likely to lead the charge in addressing emerging AI harms. In 2024, at least 45 states introduced AI-related bills. For example, Colorado passed comprehensive legislation to address algorithmic discrimination. In 2025, state lawmakers may either follow Colorado’s example by enacting broad AI regulations or focus on targeted laws for specific applications, such as automated decision-making, deepfakes, facial recognition and AI chatbots.

Data privacy: federal or state leadership?

Data privacy remains a key area of focus for policymakers, and 2025 is a critical year to see whether Congress will enact a federal privacy law. The proposed American Privacy Rights Act, introduced in 2024, represents a bipartisan effort to create a comprehensive federal privacy framework. The bill includes provisions for preempting state laws and allowing private rights of action, meaning allowing individuals to sue over alleged violations. The bill aims to simplify compliance and reduce the patchwork of state regulations.

These issues are likely to spark key debates in the year ahead. Lawmakers are also likely to wrestle with balancing regulatory burdens on smaller businesses with the need for comprehensive privacy protections.

In the absence of federal action, states may continue to dominate privacy regulation. Since California passed the Consumer Privacy Rights Act in 2019, 19 states have passed comprehensive privacy laws. Recent state privacy laws have differing scopes, rights and obligations, which creates a fragmented regulatory environment. In 2024, key issues included defining sensitive data, protecting minors’ privacy, incorporating data minimization principles, and addressing compliance challenges for medium or small businesses.

At the federal level in 2024, the Biden administration issued an executive order authorizing the U.S. attorney general to restrict cross-border data transfers to protect national security. These efforts may continue in the new administration.

Cybersecurity, health privacy and online safety

States have become key players in strengthening cybersecurity protections, with roughly 30 states requiring businesses to adhere to cybersecurity standards. The California Privacy Protection Agency Board, for example, has proposed rulemaking on cybersecurity audits, data protection risk assessments and automated decision-making.

Meanwhile, there is a growing trend toward strengthening health data privacy and protecting children online. Washington state and Nevada, for example, have adopted laws that expand the protection of health data beyond the scope of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Numerous states, such as California, Colorado, Utah and Virginia, have recently expanded protections for young users’ data. In the absence of federal regulation, state governments are likely to continue leading efforts to address pressing privacy and cybersecurity concerns in 2025.

Social media and Section 230

Online platform regulation has been a contentious issue under both the Biden and Trump administrations. There are federal efforts to reform Section 230, which shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content, and federal- and state-level efforts to address misinformation and hate speech.

While Trump’s previous administration criticized Section 230 for allegedly enabling censorship of conservative voices, the Biden administration focused on increasing transparency and accountability for companies that fail to remove concerning content.

With Trump coming back to office, Congress is likely to consider proposals to prohibit certain forms of content moderation in the name of free speech protections.

On the other hand, states like California and Connecticut have recently passed legislation requiring platforms to disclose information about hate speech and misinformation. Some existing state laws regulating online platforms are facing U.S. Supreme Court challenges on First Amendment grounds.

In 2025, debates are likely to continue on how to balance platform neutrality with accountability at both federal and state levels.

Changes in the wind

Overall, while federal efforts on issues like Section 230 reform and children’s online protection may advance, federal-level AI regulation and data privacy laws could potentially slow down due to the administration’s deregulatory stance. Whether long-standing legislative efforts like federal data privacy protection materialize will depend on the balance of power between Congress, the courts and the incoming administration.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sylvia Lu, University of Michigan

Read more:

• AI, cryptocurrencies and data privacy: Comparing the Trump and Harris records on technology regulation
• AI harm is often behind the scenes and builds over time – a legal scholar explains how the law can adapt to respond
• Reining in AI means figuring out which regulation options are feasible, both technically and economically

Sylvia Lu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Feature Image: The incoming Trump administration is poised to shake up tech regulation. Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images

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By Steven Wolterning, Texas A&M University and Paige Williams, Texas A&M University

The “choking game” has potentially deadly consequences, as players are challenged to temporarily strangle themselves by restricting oxygen to the brain. It sounds terrifying, but rough estimates suggest that about 10% of U.S. teenagers may have played this type of game at least once.

There’s more, unfortunately: The Skullbreaker Challenge, the Tide Pod Challenge and Car Surfing are but a few of the deadly games popularized through social media, particularly on Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X – formerly Twitter. Many of these games go back more than a generation, and some are resurging.

The consequences of these so-called games can be deadly. Skullbreaker Challenge, for example, involves two people kicking the legs out from under a third person, causing them to fall and potentially suffer lasting injuries. Swallowing detergent pods can result in choking and serious illness. A fall from car surfing can lead to severe head trauma.

Coming up with an exact number of adolescent deaths from these activities is difficult. Data is lacking, partly because public health databases do not track these activities well – some deaths may be misclassified as suicides – and partly because much of the existing research is dated.

A 2008 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 82 U.S. children over a 12-year period died after playing the Choking Game. About 87% of the participants were male, most were alone, and their average age was just over 13. Obviously, new, updated research is needed to determine the severity of the problem.

Peer pressure and the developing brain

We are a professor of educational neuroscience and a Ph.D. student in educational psychology. Both of us study how children regulate their behaviors and emotions, why teenagers are particularly vulnerable to dangerous games, and how social media amplifies their risks.

Risk-taking is a necessary part of human development, and parents, peers, schools and the broader community play an integral role in guiding and moderating risk-taking. Children are drawn to, and often encouraged to engage in, activities with a degree of social or physical risk, like riding a bike, asking someone for a date or learning how to drive.

Those are healthy risks. They let children explore boundaries and develop risk-management skills. One of those skills is scaffolding. An example of scaffolding is an adult helping a child climb a tree by initially guiding them, then gradually stepping back as the child gains confidence and climbs independently.

Information-gathering is another skill, like asking if swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon is dangerous. A third skill is taking appropriate safety measures – such as surfing with friends rather than going by yourself, or wearing a helmet and having someone nearby when skateboarding.

The perfect storm

During adolescence, the brain is growing and developing in ways that affect maturity, particularly within the circuits responsible for decision-making and emotional regulation. At the same time, hormonal changes increase the drive for reward and social feedback.

All of these biological events are happening as teenagers deal with increasingly complex social relationships while simultaneously trying to gain greater autonomy. The desire for social validation, to impress peers or to attract a potential romantic interest, coupled with less adult supervision, increases the likelihood of participating in risky behaviors. An adolescent might participate in these antics to impress someone they have a crush on, or fit in with others.

That’s why the combination of teenagers and social media can be a perfect storm – and the ideal environment for the proliferation of these dangerous activities.

Social media shapes brain circuits

Social media platforms are driven by algorithms engineered to promote engagement. So they feed you what evokes a strong emotional reaction, and they seem to prioritize sensationalism over safety.

Because teens strongly react to emotional content, they’re more likely to view, like and share videos of these dangerous activities. The problem has become worse as young people spend more time on social media – by some estimates, about five hours a day.

This may be why mood disorders among young people have risen sharply since 2012, about the time when social media became widespread. These mood disorders, like depression and conduct issues, more than double the likelihood of playing dangerous games. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Rather than parents or real-life friends, TikTok, YouTube and other apps and websites are shaping a child’s brain circuits related to risk management. Social media is replacing what was once the community’s role in guiding risk-taking behavior.

Protecting teens while encouraging healthy risk-taking

Monitoring what teens watch on social media is extraordinarily difficult, and adults often are ill-equipped to help. But there are some things parents can do. Unexplained marks on the neck, bloodshot eyes or frequent headaches may indicate involvement in the choking game. Some social media sites, such as YouTube, are sensitive to community feedback and will take down a video that is flagged as dangerous.

As parents keep an eye out for unhealthy risks, they should encourage their children to take healthy ones, such as joining a new social group or participating in outdoor activities. These healthy risks help children learn from mistakes, build resilience and improve risk-management skills. The more they can assess and manage potential dangers, the less likely they will engage in truly unhealthy behaviors.

But many parents have increasingly adopted another route. They shield their children from the healthy challenges the real world presents to them. When that happens, children tend to underestimate more dangerous risks, and they may be more likely to try them.

This issue is systemic, involving schools, government and technology companies alike, each bearing a share of responsibility. However, the dynamic between parents and children also plays a pivotal role. Rather than issuing a unilateral “no” to risk-taking, it’s crucial for parents to engage actively in their children’s healthy risk-taking from an early age.

This helps build a foundation where trust is not assumed but earned, enabling children to feel secure in discussing their experiences and challenges in the digital world, including dangerous activities both online and offline. Such mutual engagement can support the development of a child’s healthy risk assessment skills, providing a robust basis for tackling problems together.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Steven Wolterning, Texas A&M University and Paige Williams, Texas A&M University

Read more:

• Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens – a pediatric sleep expert explains how critical sleep is to kids’ mental health
• Teens on social media need both protection and privacy – AI could help get the balance right
• To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Feature Image: Video clips of teens playing dangerous games are easily accessible on many social media sites. Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images

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By Andrew Edelblum, University of Dayton; Ashish Kalra, University of Dayton; Na Young Lee, University of Dayton; Riley Dugan, University of Dayton, and Sangsuk Yoon, University of Dayton

In today’s high-pressure business world, demands like meeting sales targets and managing customer relationships are challenging enough. But for some workers, the real battle is surviving the toll of an abusive manager.

Toxic behavior from supervisors — including public ridicule, unfair blame and angry outbursts — can push talented employees to the brink, increasing the likelihood of disengagement and turnover. Just consider the quiet quitting phenomenon of recent years.

As business researchers interested in workplace dynamics, we set out to look into these troubling trends. Our goal was to explore strategies for mitigating the harmful impact of so-called “jerk boss” behaviors, such as insulting employees as “soft” for declining to work weekends.

Drawing from a survey of 237 business-to-business salespeople across multiple industries, our newly published work found two low-cost, high-impact remedies. The first is to encourage productive workplace social media use. The second is to offer flexible work arrangements.

Social media as a support system

In some workplaces, managers view workplace-based apps and larger platforms — like Instagram, LinkedIn and Microsoft Teams — as valuable tools for networking, promotion and coordination. In others, they criticize these spaces for encouraging cyberloafing.

However, an underappreciated quality of social media is its role as a support system for workers facing toxic leadership. Journalist L.V. Anderson once aptly described Slack as “a safe space for mild grousing about management, power dynamics and subtle inequities in the workplace.”

Our research strongly supports this sentiment, highlighting how online platforms enable employees to connect, vent and bypass the formalities of traditional email.

The power of flexible work arrangements

Another key result was that flexible work can go a long way. Personalized work schedules and telecommuting options offer a buffer against the stress caused by abusive supervisors, we found.

It’s easy to understand how this works: Workers feel valued when offered a tailored schedule that meets their needs. This sense of being appreciated helps offset the emotional toll of working under a jerk boss.

So it’s no surprise that more and more workplaces are adopting flexible work setups. An estimated 58% of the American workforce — or 92 million workers — are currently in roles that offer a remote or hybrid setup, according to polling from McKinsey. The same survey found that 87% of people accept offers to work remotely when given the option.

What this means for business

These findings are a call to action for businesses, particularly as disgruntled employees reportedly cost U.S. firms a whopping US$1.9 trillion annually.

Our work suggests that encouraging the use of workplace social media — along with offering flexible work arrangements — can create a more resilient workforce that’s better equipped to handle the challenges of even the harshest of managers. Using both techniques in tandem seems to provide the strongest protection.

To be fair, these interventions don’t directly tackle abusive bosses’ behavior. Addressing that may require more complex solutions, such as targeted training and improved recruitment practices.

But our research suggests that, as part of a larger suite of management reforms, social media and flexible work arrangements can go a long way toward creating more supportive, functional work environments.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Andrew Edelblum, University of Dayton; Ashish Kalra, University of Dayton; Na Young Lee, University of Dayton; Riley Dugan, University of Dayton, and &l

Read more:

• About a third of employees have faced bullying at work – here’s how to recognize and deal with it
• Emotion-tracking AI on the job: Workers fear being watched – and misunderstood
• Religion in the workplace is tricky – but employers and employees both lose when it becomes a total taboo

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Feature Image: Slack can be a haven. So can flexible work. iStock/Getty Images Plus

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By Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder

What would you say at Twitter’s funeral?

That’s the question my collaborators and I asked over 1,000 people on social media as part of a broader research project on Twitter migration. Responses ranged from the profane to the poetic, but one common theme was that despite its significant flaws, Twitter at its best was truly great … until it wasn’t.

“The world is a better place for it having existed, and a better place now that it’s gone.”

“It takes so little to destroy so much.”

“I will miss it for what it could be in its best moments, but I will be happy that we can finally move on to healthier spaces.”

For many, it was time to leave in the hopes of finding greener pastures.

Since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now branded as X, in October 2022, there have been reports of mass migration from the platform, and much ink was spilled – including some by me, a researcher who studies online communities – speculating where those users might land.

The decentralized social network Mastodon attracted a lot of early attention, gaining a significant influx of users in the months following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. In July 2023, Meta’s microblogging platform Threads gained 30 million users in its first day. Other Twitter alternatives appeared in 2023, some of which have chugged along with relatively small user bases, while others have already shut down. But these days, all the buzz seems to be about Bluesky.

Looking for the familiar

Bluesky was created in 2019 as a research project within Twitter led by then-CEO Jack Dorsey. It eventually severed ties with Twitter and became an independent company following Musk’s acquisition. The goal with Bluesky was to build a decentralized standard for social media that Twitter could eventually adopt. In that way, Bluesky is comparable to Mastodon in that they both allow for the creation of different servers that interact, and users can move their data and network between servers.

But what does all this mean for your experience on Bluesky? If you are confused by – or just don’t care about – centralized versus decentralized social media, Bluesky won’t seem very different. It looks and feels a lot like Twitter. Nearly all of Bluesky currently operates from a single server, bsky.social, which means that you don’t have to choose a server when you sign up and your experience is contained there. Though Bluesky provides the option for users to host their own server and therefore store and control their own data, most users will experience what they’re accustomed to on traditional, centralized social media.

My previous research on platform migration revealed how leaving a platform requires both a compelling reason and an immediate viable alternative. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was a compelling reason for many users, and there have been a number of policy, design and cultural changes since that have compelled even more users to jump ship.

As for an immediate alternative in November 2022, Mastodon had a significant head start because Bluesky hadn’t launched, and when it did in February 2023 it remained invitation-only for about a year. Threads didn’t launch until July 2023. Though Mastodon has a very dedicated user base, particularly among people who share a commitment to decentralization and user autonomy, there are a number of factors that have limited widespread adoption.

My colleagues and I found that even among those on Mastodon, knowing how to find and join a specific server was the biggest challenge, and this has been enough of a barrier to keep many people off the social network entirely. Research on the migration of “Academic Twitter,” a broad community of academics connected on Twitter, also revealed that the decentralized structure of Mastodon created challenges for community building and sustained user engagement.

Bluesky’s moment

Meanwhile, the U.S. election in November seems to have been the tipping point as a compelling reason to leave for many X users, along with terms of service changes regarding AI training. And it seems that at this moment there are other different “immediate viable alternatives.”

Bluesky in particular saw huge growth in November, topping 20 million users, and at the time of this writing is still gaining several users per second.

Though media and popular attention has been focused on Bluesky, Threads, which has nearly 300 million users, saw even more new sign-ups in November than Bluesky’s entire user base. Nevertheless, even Meta seems to be focused on Bluesky’s surge. It has scrambled to incorporate features into Threads that are selling points of Bluesky, such as customizable feeds.

Perhaps Bluesky’s growth is particularly impressive – and therefore threatening to Meta – because it occurred essentially by word of mouth. In contrast, Threads has an absolutely enormous advertising platform: Instagram. Not only can Threads users simply use their existing Instagram accounts, but Meta has also started pushing Threads posts to Instagram.

So when considering these three major Twitter alternatives – Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads – Bluesky’s moment actually makes a lot of sense to me. It feels less corporate than Meta’s Threads, and so it represents an alternative to Big Tech platforms controlled by billionaires. It also appeals to people who believe in the vision of decentralized social media or who want the option to control their data.

But at the same time, the user experience is nearly identical to familiar, traditional social media, and it addresses some of the challenges identified with Mastodon, such as the learning curve for choosing a server. A surge in creation and use of starter packs on Bluesky – curated lists of people to follow – have also accelerated the creation of community and social networks. And the sudden buzz around the platform all at once has created momentum for entire former Twitter communities, such as Academic Twitter, to partially reconstitute themselves.

No one site to rule them all

Despite my optimism for the continued growth of Bluesky, I don’t think there will ever be a “new Twitter.” Social media fragmentation is here to stay, and many people are very happy on Threads or Mastodon or even smaller alternatives capitalizing on the latest X exodus. And X itself has over 600 million active monthly users.

These platforms all provide something different, with different communities and priorities, and none will be the best option for everyone. Moreover, as Bluesky continues to grow, it will inevitably face many of the same problems that Twitter did even when the platform was perceived as being at its greatest.

But for those who were hoping to “move on to healthier spaces” after attending Twitter’s funeral, there are multiple doors open for them.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder

Read more:

• Why Elon Musk is obsessed with casting X as the most ‘authentic’ social media platform
• Meta’s Threads is surging, but mass migration from Twitter is likely to remain an uphill battle
• Surgeon general’s call for warning labels on social media underscores concerns for teen mental health

Casey Fiesler’s social media migration research was supported in part by the NSF IIS grant “RAPID: Documenting and understanding large-scale migrations between social media platforms.” She is also a content creator and has been paid through Meta for her content on Instagram and Threads.

Feature Image: Bluesky is having a moment as millions of people have joined in the wake of the 2024 election. Anna Barclay/Getty Images

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In a stunning turn of events, President Joe Biden has announced that he will not seek re-election, bowing to mounting pressure from within his own party. This decision comes after a growing number of Democratic Party members (including Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati) voiced concerns that Biden’s candidacy was jeopardizing their chances of keeping the twice-impeached former President Donald Trump out of the White House.

President Biden, who faced intense scrutiny following a disastrous debate performance last month, made the announcement in a letter posted on his X account. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote.

Biden assured the nation that he would continue to serve with dedication until the end of his current term. He also indicated that he would provide further details about his decision in a forthcoming address to the nation later this week.

This unexpected announcement has already sent shockwaves through the political landscape, setting the stage for a highly contentious primary season as the Democratic Party scrambles to find a new standard-bearer. Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic presidential nominee in this note to other Democrats from his account on X: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

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As the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season approaches in Atlanta this week, the Biden-Harris campaign has ramped up its strategy of trolling the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. The campaign’s social media team has been using Trump’s own words to highlight his often bizarre and controversial statements, casting doubt on his cognitive abilities and countering criticism about President Biden’s age.

The Biden-Harris team has taken particular delight in pointing out the irony of the attacks on 81-year-old President Biden’s cognitive health, given Trump’s own incoherent remarks. At 78, Trump made several statements that left many people scratching their heads. A recent tweet from the official Biden-Harris rapid response page quoted Trump saying, “Washing machines to wash your clothes. They want no water.” This comment was part of a larger, disjointed diatribe about water regulations, prompting even Trump ally Fox News to cut away during his speech.

In another instance, Trump rambled about water pressure and hair care: “No water in your faucets. You ever try buying a new home and you turn on. You want to wash your hair or you wanna wash your hands. You turn on the water and it goes drip, drip…you can’t get it off your hand. So you keep it running for about 10 times longer. You trying, the worst is your hair. I have this beautiful luxuriant hair and I put stuff on. I put it in lather. I like lots of lather because I like it to come out extremely dry because it seems to be slightly thicker that way. And I lather up and then you turn on this crazy shower and the thing drip, drip and you say I’m gonna be here for 45 minutes. What? There’s so much water. You don’t know what to do with it. You know, it’s called rain…washing machines to wash your dishes. There is a problem. They don’t want you to have any water. They want no water.”

Trump’s controversial remarks extend beyond domestic issues to include disparaging comments about crucial swing states. As a 34-times convicted felon whom a jury twice found responsible for sexually assaulting a woman, Trump has called Milwaukee “a horrible city,” described Detroit as “like living in hell,” and labeled Philadelphia “one of the most egregious places anywhere in the world.” The Biden-Harris campaign retweeted these statements, emphasizing Trump’s hostile rhetoric about important voter regions.

The trolling escalated further when Trump expressed opposition to wind energy, bizarrely suggesting that his TV would turn off when the wind isn’t blowing. The Biden-Harris campaign also pointed out Trump’s habit of becoming sidetracked during speeches to single out women in the audience, asking, “Are you happily married?”

Additionally, the Biden-Harris campaign reminded their 372,000 Twitter followers of Trump’s extreme immigration policies, including his plan to round up millions of Latinos into mass detention camps and his nostalgic reference to the 1950s military operation “Operation Wetback.”

Trump’s history of contentious statements on election integrity was also highlighted. Despite his 2016 victory, Trump has claimed that every election he has participated in was rigged. Recently, he made the contradictory statement, “I don’t need any votes. We have all the votes we need. We don’t need the votes. We have the votes. I don’t care,” while simultaneously threatening mass destruction if he loses to Biden in November.

In another bizarre moment, Trump declared, “I will shut down the federal Department of Education,” and questioned his own language abilities with the comment, “And my stupid people when I wanted to refute it, they said, sir, don’t dignify it with a refuttal. Refutal or refuttal. What the hell word would that be? Refuttal. Watch, they’ll say he didn’t know refuttal or refutal but they don’t know either.”

Other controversial statements from Trump include his suggestion that wounded soldiers should not participate in military parades because “nobody wants to see that,” his confusion over the difference between mental institutions and insane asylums, and his strange story about choosing electrocution over a shark attack if a boat were sinking: “If there was a shark or you get electrocuted, I’ll take electrocution every single time.”

Trump’s penchant for making outrageous comments extends to personal boasts and grievances. He has claimed, “I have wounds all over my body. If I took this shirt off, you’d see a beautiful, beautiful person, but you’d see wounds all over me. I’ve taken a lot of wounds. More than any president ever.” He has also warned, “If the Democrats get their way, they will pass a federal law guaranteeing abortion rights,” and recounted his experiences with mental health terminology: “Mental institutions and insane asylums. Because, actually there, there’s more than a slight difference, right? Whenever I say Silence of the Lambs, the fake news back there, they say, oh, he’s talking about, he’s talking about Silence of the Lambs. And I say the late great Hannibal Lecter. Oh, he likes Hannibal Lecter. No, they’re crazy. I walk into a wall purposely. I look at that wall. Oh, that’s, that’s perfect. Sometimes, they don’t have a wall. You’re free-standing. It doesn’t. But I imitate him, and I, I, you know, walk into a wall, and the next day they write, Donald Trump could not find his way off the stage. So I don’t even do it anymore.”

Trump’s bizarre anecdotes also include a surreal tale involving a boat, a powerful battery, and sharks: “So I said, let me ask you a question, and he said, nobody ever asked this question, and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. Very smart. He goes, I say, what would happen if the boat sank from its weight? And you’re in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery and the battery is now underwater and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there, by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that a lot of shark? I watched some guys justifying it today. Well, they weren’t really that angry. They bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were, they were not hungry, but they misunderstood what who she was? These people are. He said there’s no problem with sharks. They just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming now. It really got decimated and other people do a lot of shark attacks. So I said, so there’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards or here, do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking? Water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking. Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted? Because I will tell you he didn’t know the answer. He said, you know, nobody’s ever asked me that question. I said I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water. But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time.”

As the presidential debate nears, the Biden-Harris campaign’s strategy of using Trump’s words to highlight his inconsistencies and controversial viewpoints continues to shape the political discourse. The team’s focus on humor and irony aims to underscore the contrasts between the candidates and memorably engage voters. “Trump’s incoherent rants and reckless comments speak for themselves and highlight the clear choice Americans face in this election,” the Biden-Harris team stated.

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By Jon-Patrick Allem, Rutgers University

About 37 million children ages 13 to 15 around the world use tobacco, according to a 2024 report from the World Health Organization.

In 2023, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product in the U.S., with 7.7% of middle school and high school students reporting e-cigarette use. Cigarettes were the next most common, with 1.6% of middle- and high school students saying they had consumed them in the past month.

Research shows that most people who use tobacco start in childhood.

I am a public health researcher who studies the different ways in which corporations influence adolescent health, with current projects focused on identifying sources of exposure to tobacco marketing among adolescents and young adults.

Over the past decade, I’ve researched ways in which tobacco companies market to children and young adults.

Health harms of tobacco

Smoking is harmful to every organ in the human body and is known to cause many types of cancers and heart disease, among other problems. Nicotine, by itself, in products like e-cigarettes and oral pouches, is harmful to adolescent brain development.

The adolescent brain develops into early adulthood, especially in the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is involved in higher cognitive development, including functions pertaining to attention, memory and cognitive flexibility. Research has shown that nicotine exposure results in long-term functional and structural changes in the brain.

Old tactics in new US products

Decades of research have documented how tobacco companies marketed tobacco products for years to attract young customers in order to sustain and grow their businesses.

In a 2021 study, my team and I showed that exposure to e-cigarette marketing with cartoon images decreased high school students’ perceptions of harm from e-cigarettes. Research makes clear that this change in perspective can make adolescents more open to trying e-cigarettes.

In an earlier study, my team and I examined the impact of e-cigarette product placement and imagery in music videos on propensity to use e-cigarettes among young adults. We found that exposure to e-cigarette product placement in music videos increased young adults’ intentions to try e-cigarettes in the future.

Striking at an early age

While our research has largely focused on the U.S. context, several recent studies have shown how tobacco companies continue to market to children in other parts of the world.

For example, a team of researchers conducted focus groups among Chinese adolescents to understand sources of tobacco marketing exposure and what features made ads attractive. They found that adolescents reported being exposed to tobacco ad campaigns near their home and school. These young Chinese people also reported that bright colors, product packaging and price promotions featured in e-cigarette ads and other promotional materials attracted their attention.

In England, a 2022 study provided an overview of marketing claims present on the websites of popular e-cigarette brands. Most notably, the study found that U.K websites featured medicinal claims for smoking cessation, associations with youth culture and depictions of young people using e-cigarettes.

Normalizing tobacco use

The emergence of social media platforms has led tobacco companies to shift their marketing tactics from traditional channels like magazines, billboards and retail stores to online channels, capitalizing on the time that young people spend on screens.

Tobacco companies have helped normalize tobacco use online with the help of branded social media account pages and social media influencers. For example, in 2021, researchers discovered that e-cigarettes were being used and promoted by influencers on Amazon-owned Twitch, a video-sharing platform popular among adolescent gamers.

Similarly, streaming platforms normalize tobacco use. For example, in a 2022 study, my team and I analyzed Netflix original TV shows and films for e-cigarette-related content. Most notably, we documented brief representations of teenagers holding e-cigarettes in the PG-13 film “Hubie Halloween.” Our findings contradict Netflix’s no e-cigarette pledge for PG-13 content.

This suggests a need for further outside-party monitoring of e-cigarettes in Netflix programming.

Spreading awareness

Every country will have to effectively enforce and expand restrictions on cigarette and e-cigarette marketing to protect children and teenagers from messages that encourage them to try smoking and vaping. Additional efforts are needed everywhere to help discourage young people from getting hooked on tobacco.

Most parents, teachers and other authority figures are likely unaware of the extent to which young people are exposed to tobacco content online, including tobacco ads and peer-generated posts on social media that normalize tobacco use.

Campaigns focused on tobacco-related digital media literacy could create awareness about tobacco products and describe how they are being marketed in the digital environment. There are various evidence-based resources that could be built upon to help young people evaluate tobacco advertising messages, empowering digital and social media users to actively evaluate information rather than remain a passive target for the industry’s marketing.

I am certain that increased awareness could prevent young people from consuming tobacco.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Jon-Patrick Allem, Rutgers University

Read more:

• The US government’s call for deep nicotine reduction in cigarettes could save millions of lives – an expert who studies tobacco addiction explains
• Cigarette smoke can reprogram cells in your airways, causing COPD to hang on after smoking ends
• Mounting research points to health harms from cannabis, THC and CBD use during pregnancy, adolescence and other periods of rapid development

Jon-Patrick Allem receives funding from the California Tobacco Control Program, and the National Institutes of Health. He has received fees for consulting services in court cases pertaining to the content on social media platforms.

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