1. Lessons from the Information War over Ukraine (USCPD)
The information war underway amid the ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is generating a formidable impact on global public opinion and the conduct of foreign policy. On September 6, 2022 from 10:00am–11:15am (PT), CPD will host a panel discussion with experts who will address the characteristics of this phenomenon in the context of contemporary public diplomacy practice and study.
2. The European Union opens a Silicon Valley ’embassy’ (Politico)
Long-time European Commission bureaucrat Gerard de Graaf will head a new California office, opening September 1st, where he’ll talk to Google, Apple, Meta and other tech firms about how new European rules apply to them.
3. The metaverse isn’t here yet, but it already has a long history (The Conversation)
The metaverse has a long way to go, but it already has a long history. Proximity and immersion are just two examples of crucial topics this history can demystify. This is important because the current, rampant mystification isn’t accidental. The emerging version of the metaverse is overwhelmingly owned and developed by Big Tech. These companies seek to manufacture the perception that the metaverse is new and futuristic. But metaverse histories are real; they can reveal past mistakes and contribute to better virtual futures.
4. Dynamics between City Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy (USCPD)
What is the relationship between city diplomacy and public diplomacy in the United States? While this question is often raised among scholars and practitioners of public diplomacy, a concrete and systematic response to it seems difficult to locate.
5. Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022 (Pew Research Center)
TikTok has established itself as one of the top online platforms for U.S. teens, while the share of teens who use Facebook has fallen sharply
We find that approximately one-fourth of content with relevance for China that gains widespread public attention on Twitter makes its way to Weibo. Unsurprisingly, Chinese state-controlled media and commercialized domestic media play a dominant role in facilitating these inflows of information.
Could TikTok really become a competitor in the web search and discovery stakes, and move into Google’s territory? Google’s Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan recently shared that the search giant does indeed see this as a risk, noting that: “In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”
8. Narratives, Propaganda & ‘Smart’ Power in the Ukraine Conflict, Part 1: Narrative Clash (USCPD)
All commentators agree that this is a ‘hybrid’ war. This means that alongside all the traditional military firepower, we see in action every imaginable form of propaganda, information, disinformation, misinformation, overt and covert, aimed at domestic audiences, international audiences and all those directly involved at every level. But in the Ukraine conflict, propaganda is most distinctively born out of political, historical and cultural narratives.
9. Netflix, library analysis, and globalization: rethinking mass media flows (Article by )
Analyses suggest considerable variation in the contents of Netflix libraries cross-nationally, in contrast with other U.S.-based services, as well as Netflix libraries offering content produced in a greater range of countries. These and other results illustrate, albeit indirectly, the operations and strategies of global streamers, which then inform theory building regarding their cultural role.
10. Twitter Launches Election Integrity Features Ahead of US Midterms (Social Media Today)
The US midterms are coming up, and Twitter’s working to get ahead of any potential misuse of its platform to spread misinformation around the candidates, with a range of improved election integrity features, as well as new, curated election info hubs to help boost credible updates.