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Terry Flew, Professor of Digital Communications and Culture at The University of Sydney, explains the context behind Australian ban on social media for under-16s, and discusses whether it is actually likely to work.

Terry Flew, Professor of Digital Communications and Culture at The University of Sydney, explains the context behind Australian ban on social media for under-16s, and discusses whether it is actually likely to work.

With the flurry of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in the United States, Australians could be forgiven for not catching the news that one of these orders related to the popular social media platform, TikTok.

The use of AI to influence voters was in the spotlight across major elections around the world last year and now the Australian Electoral Commission is grappling with similar challenges as our federal election looms large.

Images and videos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to try to influence Australian voters at the ballot box this year, experts are warning. It will be the first time such technology is widespread during an Australian federal election, with academics predicting certain voting groups will be specifically targeted.

Social media giant Meta has decided to stop using third-party fact-checkers on their US platforms, among a series of measures it says is aimed at boosting political content and free speech. The company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, directly attributes this move to what he described as the ‘cultural tipping point’ of the United States presidential election. But there are concerns around what this change means for Australian users, particularly ahead of a federal election this year.

Big tech companies would have to either do deals with news organisations to help fund journalism or pay a charge to the Australian government, under a new plan announced by the Albanese government on Thursday.

Meta’s decision to end factchecking to prioritise “free speech” has prompted alarm among social media experts, as well as questions about the ethics of using its platforms such as Instagram.

Three papers have now been published in the peer-reviewed journal Global Perspectives (University of California Press) arising from the 2024 International Communications Association (ICA) post-conference on News Industries: Funding Innovations and Futures. The event was held on the Gold Coast, Australia, on June 25, 2024.

Just days out from the United States presidential election last month, X (formerly Twitter) suddenly crippled the ability of many major media and political organisations to reach audiences on the social media platform.