1. Through the Meme Looking Glass (Diplomatic Courier)
In his latest book review, Joshua Huminski analyzes “Meme Wars” by Joan Donovan, Emily Dreyfuss, and Brian Friedberg, which explores why and how fringe figures online became normalized and the long-term consequences of that normalization.
2. What is hybrid balancing? (International Affairs)
Ryuta Ito explains why hybrid balancing is important for understanding China’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
3. New Zealand passes plain language bill to jettison jargon (The Guardian)
New Zealand has bid its farewell to grandiloquent memos and sesquipedalian documents, passing a new law to banish jargon and complex language from its bureaucracy. Officials will need to communicate clearly with the public as part of a bid to improve accessibility for all parts of society.
4. Influencer Marketing Report 2022 (eMarketer)
Many marketers are tightening their budgets—but not for influencer marketing. Influencer marketing will not only remain resilient, but it may actually benefit from some of the macroeconomic challenges facing social advertising. This eMarketer report reveals our inaugural forecast for influencer marketing spending on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, along with an analysis of why marketers are funnelling more money into creator partnerships and what (if anything) could change that.
5. How inauthentic Facebook accounts targeted detained Moroccan journalists (DFRlab)
As Moroccan authorities surveilled, harassed, and eventually imprisoned the journalists Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, an inauthentic and coordinated campaign on Facebook complemented this repression by posting salacious and derogatory content about the journalists.
6. Billionaires Won’t Save Ukraine’s Internet (Foreign Policy)
Turns out Elon Musk isn’t a dependable ally.
7. What to read to become a better photographer (The Economist)
The whole of life may be summed up in a momentary appearance,” wrote Susan Sontag, a critic of photography and much more. She may have overstated the power of a frozen image, but photographs matter. They help to document lives, reinforce memories and encourage self-expression (and, equally, may distort reality).