SAN FRANCISCO — Like health officials facing outbreaks of disease, internet companies are trying to contain vaccine-related misinformation they have long helped spread. So far, their efforts at quarantine are falling short. Searches of Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram turn up all sorts of bogus warnings about vaccines, including the soundly debunked notions that they cause autism or that mercury preservatives and other substances in them can poison and even kill people. Some experts fear that the online spread of bad information about vaccines is planting or reinforcing fears in parents, and they suspect it is contributing to the comeback in recent years of certain dangerous childhood diseases, including measles, whooping cough and mumps. “The online world has been one that has been very much taken over by misinformation spread by concerned parents,” said Richard Carpiano, a professor of public policy and sociology at the University of California, Riverside, who … [Read more...] about Vaccine wars: Social media battle spread of misinformation
Social media command center
‘Random’ gunfire: After unconfirmed social media posts, Birmingham police step up patrols
Police say they have increased patrols in portions of east Birmingham after multiple weekend social media posts about random gunfire at motorists, but authorities said they’ve received no official reports of such incidents since two shootings – one deadly - four days ago.Early Thursday, Jan. 3, someone opened fire on an eastern Jefferson County mother and her three children while they were stopped at a traffic light on Old Springville Road. One of the bullets grazed a 14-year-old girl but she is OK, as were her siblings and her mother, Lajonia Jefferson.Ten minutes later, Carltez “Tez” Clark, 28, died outside the Birmingham Police Department’s East Precinct shortly after 12:30 a.m. Thursday. He was raising his two girls - the youngest of whom lost her mother to gunfire in 2015.Clark had gotten off work at Honda early Thursday morning and was a passenger in his girlfriend’s vehicle as the couple went to get something to eat. As they were traveling on … [Read more...] about ‘Random’ gunfire: After unconfirmed social media posts, Birmingham police step up patrols
Arkansas attorney general’s office to represent senator in suit over social-media blocking
Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, center, is shown in this file photo. The Arkansas attorney general's office will represent state Sen. Jason Rapert, R- Conway, in a lawsuit over the senator's banning of critics on social media, court filings show. Two lawyers in the office, Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni and Assistant Solicitor General Dylan Jacobs, filed notices to appear on behalf of Rapert in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas on Thursday. Rapert was sued in federal court earlier this week by four Arkansans who accused the senator of violating their free-speech rights when he blocked them on Twitter and Facebook. The plaintiffs, who each claimed to be atheists, had posted remarks critical of Rapert, who is the founder of Holy Ghost Ministries and one of the principal backers of a successful effort to place a monument of the 10 Commandments on the State Capitol grounds. They were joined in the suit by American Atheists Inc., based in New Jersey. The … [Read more...] about Arkansas attorney general’s office to represent senator in suit over social-media blocking
Tweets and posts: How much does social media impact election outcomes?
opinion Sid Salter Guest Columnist Published 10:00 AM EDT Sep 26, 2018 STARKVILLE – In the old days, a long drive on a state highway through stretches of rural Mississippi were a reasonably reliable barometer of the voter support or at the very least the fiscal health of a statewide campaign. All one had to do was count the billboards and yard signs. Billboards covering a wide, strategic area of small- to medium-sized towns coupled with a strong presence of yard signs actually in people’s private yards were certainly not a guarantee that a candidate would win – but it signaled strength, organization and a modicum of voter intensity for the candidates who could make that kind of splash. Yeah, went the old saying, “but yard signs don’t vote!” No, but the people displaying the signs in their yards usually did vote. But that little slice was election lore was back in the days when posts held up fences and tweets were only for the birds. Today, … [Read more...] about Tweets and posts: How much does social media impact election outcomes?
Synthesio Named a Leader in Independent Social Listening Platforms Report
Synthesio Received The Highest Scores For the Data Sources and Pricing Strategy Criteria /EIN News/ -- New York, Aug. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synthesio, the leading Social Intelligence Suite, has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Social Listening Platforms, Q3 2018 report. For this report, Forrester identified and reviewed the most significant Social Listening Platforms, and after going through their 40-criteria evaluation, Synthesio received the top scores for the Data Sources and Pricing Strategy criteria, and has been named a Leader. The Forrester Wave™: Social Listening Platforms, Q3 2018 report states that “Synthesio consistently delivers the essentials for a social listening platform” and “is a sound choice for brands.” The report accurately notes that “Synthesio anticipates a convergence among marketing, communication, and customer experience disciplines.” It also notes that “Synthesio offers a platform that … [Read more...] about Synthesio Named a Leader in Independent Social Listening Platforms Report