Bright Social App

20/05/2024

📣 Social Media and Elections (in the United States)

The rapid development of social media technology has presented unforeseen consequences. This was a great excuse 20 years ago, but now we need to reevaluate across the board, and elections are no exception.

Social media platforms play a significant role in US politics, allowing candidates to engage with constituents and disseminate information.

But the lack of clear rules and absence of consistent enforcement on social media platforms leads to uncertainty about what is permitted according to the platforms themselves, and the United States government has more relaxed rules for candidates than other countries.

In practice, this means that he who controls the platform, controls the speech. We're uncomfortable with that idea in other societies, is it time to start thinking more carefully about platform accountability in the US?

Our next episode will focus on Tucker Carlson and his controversial interview with Vladimir Putin.

16/05/2024

New Podcast Episodes: Hate Speech

Over three episodes, we set out different approaches to regulating (or permitting) hate speech, discuss the controversy unfolding at US universities, and talk through several hypotheticals to demonstrate the different between the US and European approaches.

04/03/2024

The Global and Western Frameworks for Free Expression

🚩 80% of the global population live with less freedom of expression than they had one decade ago

🚩 The level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen in 2021 was back down to where it was in 1989

Coincidence? We don't think so.

Join us as we examine the global framework for protecting the freedom of expression and the challenges in establishing universal agreement (on this or anything else).

Creating a space where social media can live its best life.

19/02/2024

📣Special Episode: Senate Hearing on Child Exploitation

We discuss the hearings and explain why we're optimistic that this could be a turning point in terms of government action even though most of the CEOs in attendance were not there by choice and stuck to their talking points.

*This episode includes sensitive content so is rated 18+*

02/02/2024

📣 A global history in 20 minutes? You got it!

We jump back to Cyrus the Great and Ancient Athens to begin our discussion - see you there!

Social Media Update Things are going....interestingly in social media right now. Are we on the cusp of major change? Or just plus ça change? James Ward • Mar 03

30/01/2024

Breaking the Feed: Season Two

Available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Creating a space where social media can live its best life.

25/01/2024

📣 Breaking the Feed Season 2: Free Expression and Free Speech

Why should we care about the freedom of expression and free speech and what does it have to do with social media?

Our first two episodes discuss and examine the role of governments and social media platforms, and the complexity and different interpretations of these rights. We look at the concept of the digital public square and outline some of the challenges of regulating online communication, and discuss the role nuance and context play in these analyses.

Social Media Update Things are going....interestingly in social media right now. Are we on the cusp of major change? Or just plus ça change? James Ward • Mar 03

11/01/2024

📣 WE'RE BACK!!

Three new episodes on what's next in social media and why.

We discuss:
Network Effects
Barriers to Entry (Hint: It's not regulation!)
AI and Social

Will 2024 be the year we see real change from big (or challenger) socials - let us know what you think!

01/12/2023

📣 New Twitters and Copycat Socials: We explore Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Discord, Tribel, Truth, and others so you don't have to.

Is there a meaningful alternative to Twitter/X available now? Join us as we look at more than 10 offerings and think about why it's difficult to replicate or replace (but not impossible).

16/11/2023

📣 New Podcast: Superapps: The Future of Social Media?

Already popular in many areas around the world, are super apps likely coming to a phone near you?

We look at some of the existing superapp offerings, explore some of the advantages and disadvantages (including what it could mean for social media), and think about who might be most likely to build one with widespread appeal in the West, and what it might look like.

Creating a space where social media can live its best life.

03/11/2023

Do you remember when X was Twitter?

Or when Twitter was twttr?

What made Twitter, Twitter? And is X the end, or just the beginning of a new wave of social networks?

Episodes 17, 18, and 19 available now.

Creating a space where social media can live its best life.

05/10/2023

📣 Big news! We're launching a podcast!

From hype cycles to fake news, it's hard to find what's real on social media. Yet we spend much of our lives getting our news and interacting with one another on networks that known an enormous amount about us, while we know virtually nothing about them.

Breaking the Feed pulls back the curtain and explores the origins of today's social media landscape and addresses some of the most pressing issues including privacy, abuse, misinformation, and other harms.

Our hosts, Taryn Ward and Steven Jones, walk through these issues and share their own experience.

You can find Breaking the Feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many other podcast listening apps and distributors.

Creating a space where social media can live its best life.