Social Media Commons^™

Iran: Who Is Quicker - The Hacker Or The Twitter?, Anja Mihr

Human Rights & Human Welfare

For a moment we believed that we had entered into a new era of democratic movement. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google—chat have given proof that regardless where people live, what background they have, what system they adhere to or what religion they practice: they want to share the injustice and violence that happens to them with the world. They seek awareness, help and support and moreover they look for an end to the unfair and violent treatment. So have thousands of people in Iran—and still they do. They use what is the most widely available, quickest and the cheapest way …

Protest, Iranian Style: A Two-Way Conversation?, Shareen Hertel

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Darrell West gets it right when he argues that despite their promise, digital technologies alone “cannot produce revolutions. To generate fundamental change, it still takes strong leadership, powerful ideas, and people willing to risk detention and imprisonment.” West is writing about Iran—and the critical role that social networking has played in fostering social protest in the wake of a disputed election in that country. He also warns that oppressive regimes may turn the very same tool of protest against those fighting for freedom, by using digital technology to track protesters. Yet West underplays the importance of social networking for cracking …

Twitter And Youtube: Positive Developments For Human Rights Protection?, Nicola Colbran

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A number of statements have been made regarding the benefit to human rights protection of advances in technology. However, can these advances also have a negative impact?

Focusing on instant messaging and social network services such as Twitter and YouTube, the positives are quickly apparent. They can draw immediate attention to human rights violations that may otherwise go unnoticed, allow interested parties to stay abreast of developments in the protection of human rights, and create strength and courage in numbers for action that may not be anticipated by the perpetrator. These services also enable human rights activists to tweet their …

Stop The Revolution, Michael Jackson Is Dead!, William Paul Simmons

Human Rights & Human Welfare

We won’t soon forget the rapid fire pace of “tweets” and Facebook posts direct from the streets of Tehran. The haunting images of Neda Agha Soltan shocked the consciences of hundreds of thousands around the globe as it went “viral.”

The Impact Of Mobile Phones On A Student’S Life In Various Cities Of Pakistan, Khair-Uz Zaman, M. Imran Khan

Business Review

This paper examines the impact of mobile phone on the personal, financial, psychological, physical, educational and also the social life of a student. We have taken a sample of hundred students from the various cities of Pakistan, such as, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Dera Ismail Khan. Mostly their educational level is from Matric to PhD, considering both males and females equally and their age group is from teenager to adulthood. The results of this study show that 65% students have their own mobile phones, while 35% do not have their own. Mostly 28% students are using U-fone, while 23% …

The Political Psychology Of Cybersexuality: The Example Of Child Pornography, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article analyzes rationales behind legislation banning certain aspects of cybersexuality.

Special Article: Recommendations For Optimal Personnel Security In The Cyberworld, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article considers the social construction of recommendations for personnel security in the context of a global cyberworld.

Trends. Politics And Cyberpsychology, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The IBPP editor discusses political changes that might come about given the continual expansion of the Internet.

Rumor, Social Contagion, And Truth: Not So Strange Political Bedfellows, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the shared epistemological foundations of the political communication of rumor and truth.

Trends. Wanted: An Internet Psychology, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the prospect of analyzing internet psychology, or the impact of internet use on human psychology and political socialization.

Online Counseling: Much To Do About Nothing In The Political World?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes some of the common issues in assessing the efficacy of online counseling.

Trends. More On The Psychology Of The Internet: Ignoring The Old For The New?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the psychological impact of Internet use as well as potential methodological biases in the haste to report noxious consequences of this behavior.

Trends. The Political Psychology Of The Psychology Of The Internet, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses whether Internet users experience higher levels of loneliness and depression than non-users. It is based on one study from Carnegie Mellon University, and another joint study from the Stanford Institute for the Qualitative Study of Society and the Free University of Berlin.