Social Web : All Tech Considered Sites like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized the Web, altered how we interact with each other and even changed the way news is gathered and delivered. Read about the impact of social media and its continuing evolution.

All Tech Considered

Tech, Culture and Connection

Social Web

Thursday October 27, 2016

Vine Withers, Reminding Us That Nothing Is Forever

Vine has produced some young stars, including Japanese artist Hayatto Noguchi, who used the social network as a career springboard. Eugene Hoshiko/AP hide caption

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Eugene Hoshiko/AP

Social Web

Vine Withers, Reminding Us That Nothing Is Forever

October 27, 2016 • The news of Vine shutting down has sent a shockwave through the Internet. It had brought together a diverse slew of comedians, musicians, artists and amateur directors, preceding the live video craze.

Wednesday October 26, 2016

Twitter's Dual Challenges: Taming The Trolls, Attracting More Users

When Twitter started, its founders wanted to connect people from all parts of the world, but the company is struggling to grow beyond its 300 million users. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Industry

Twitter's Dual Challenges: Taming The Trolls, Attracting More Users

October 26, 2016 • Twitter is a powerful platform for news and conversation, but lingering problems with hate speech hamper its efforts to grow, says Emily Bell of the Columbia Journalism School.

Twitter's Dual Challenges: Taming The Trolls, Attracting More Users

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Monday October 17, 2016

How Free Web Content Traps People In An Abyss Of Ads And Clickbait

Author Tim Wu says that much of the content on the Internet is created by businesses that are on a "quest for clicks." PeopleImages.com/Getty Images hide caption

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PeopleImages.com/Getty Images

The Industry

How Free Web Content Traps People In An Abyss Of Ads And Clickbait

Fresh Air

October 17, 2016 • Author and law professor Tim Wu says much of the "free" content on the Web comes at a price to users, who are subjected to ads that are targeted specifically at them and increasingly hard to ignore.

How Free Web Content Traps People In An Abyss Of Ads And Clickbait

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Tuesday October 11, 2016

Can Dating App Hinge Make You Talk, Not Swipe?

Dating app Hinge has killed its freemium product and, in an effort to get serious daters only, is offering a new service for $7 a month. Hinge hide caption

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Hinge

Social Web

Can Dating App Hinge Make You Talk, Not Swipe?

October 11, 2016 • Once upon a time, there was a startup that wanted to play Cupid. But Hinge lost its way and became just another hookup app. Now it's issuing a public confession and taking a big risk.

Can Dating App Hinge Make You Talk, Not Swipe?

Listen · 4:32 4:32

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Thursday September 22, 2016

Yahoo Reveals Massive Data Breach; Internet Fixates On Fantasy Football

Eric Risberg/AP

Privacy & Security

Yahoo Reveals Massive Data Breach; Internet Fixates On Fantasy Football

September 22, 2016 • Yahoo says 500 million user accounts may have been breached. Social media erupt in jokes.

Wednesday September 21, 2016

Society

Anti-Defamation League Steps Up Efforts To Combat Anti-Semitism Online

September 21, 2016 • The Anti-Defamation League is hiring a Silicon Valley representative to lead efforts to combat anti-Semitism and other hate speech online, says CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

Anti-Defamation League Steps Up Efforts To Combat Anti-Semitism Online

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Saturday September 10, 2016

With 'Napalm Girl,' Facebook Humans (Not Algorithms) Struggle To Be Editor

This is a June 8, 1972, file photo of South Vietnamese forces following after terrified children, including 9-year-old Kim Phuc (center). The Pulitzer Prize-winning image is at the center of a heated debate about freedom of speech in Norway after Facebook deleted it from a Norwegian author's page. Nick Ut/AP hide caption

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Nick Ut/AP

Social Web

With 'Napalm Girl,' Facebook Humans (Not Algorithms) Struggle To Be Editor

September 10, 2016 • A little-known team of humans at Facebook removed the iconic photo from the site this week. That move shows how much the company is struggling internally to exercise the most basic editorial judgment.

With 'Napalm Girl,' Facebook Humans (Not Algorithms) Struggle To Be Editor

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Friday September 9, 2016

In Effort To Curb Violence In Chicago, A Professor Mines Social Media

Police crime tape marks the scene where a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed and an 18-year-old man was wounded in April in Chicago. The grim milestone of 500 homicides already passed this year in Chicago. Joshua Lott/Getty Images hide caption

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Joshua Lott/Getty Images

Social Web

In Effort To Curb Violence In Chicago, A Professor Mines Social Media

September 9, 2016 • Desmond Patton is studying how gangs in Chicago use social media to communicate. Now he is helping to create an algorithm to predict when a social media threat might spark real life violence.

In Effort To Curb Violence In Chicago, A Professor Mines Social Media

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Monday September 5, 2016

Why Your Facebook Habit At Work Makes Economists Worry

Ivary/Getty Images

Social Web

Why Your Facebook Habit At Work Makes Economists Worry

September 5, 2016 • Productivity, a key measure of the economy's health, has been growing more slowly in recent years. Can Facebook and other social media distractions on the job be partly to blame?

Why Your Facebook Habit At Work Makes Economists Worry

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Tuesday August 30, 2016

Social Web

Groups Worry About Impact Of Police Moves To Block Social Media

August 30, 2016 • As police find themselves in encounters that are posted live — including video — they sometimes want to pull the social media plug. Activists say this threatens to censor an electronic witness.

Groups Worry About Impact Of Police Moves To Block Social Media

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Sunday August 28, 2016

You Think You Know Me, Facebook, But You Don't Know Anything

A sample of interests Facebook linked to one NPR reporter. Facebook/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Facebook/Screenshot by NPR

Social Web

You Think You Know Me, Facebook, But You Don't Know Anything

August 28, 2016 • A new feature on Facebook shows what interests the website thinks users have and the types of advertisements it would generate to target them. But people quickly found that not every pick is a gem.

Tuesday August 23, 2016

Social Network Nextdoor Moves To Block Racial Profiling Online

Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia says a pilot project using algorithms to check for racially charged terms has helped cut racial profiling posts by roughly 50 percent. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Social Web

Social Network Nextdoor Moves To Block Racial Profiling Online

August 23, 2016 • Social networks let users share without being impeded. But Nextdoor, a platform for neighborhoods, is moving to block posts for the first time when they appear to be racial profiling.

Social Network Nextdoor Moves To Block Racial Profiling Online

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Monday August 1, 2016

Silicon Valley engineer Bindu Reddy created the new social network Candid that facilitates online conversations without trolls. Courtesy of Bindu Reddy hide caption

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Courtesy of Bindu Reddy

Social Web

Can Candid Conversations Happen Online Without The Trolls?

August 1, 2016 • After receiving backlash for writing a post about gender in the tech industry, Bindu Reddy launched a new social network with the goal of hosting anonymous conversations without harassment or abuse.

Can Candid Conversations Happen Online Without The Trolls?

Listen · 5:10 5:10

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Thursday July 21, 2016

Managing Your News Intake In The Age Of Endless Phone Notifications

Oliver Byunggyu Woo/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium

Behavior

Managing Your News Intake In The Age Of Endless Phone Notifications

July 21, 2016 • This summer, it has felt like the terrible news just won't stop. A digital journalism expert at Columbia University offers advice for dealing with the barrage of news updates flowing to our screens.

Managing Your News Intake In The Age Of Endless Phone Notifications

Listen · 5:38 5:38

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Wednesday July 20, 2016

What Does It Take To Get Permanently Banned From Twitter?

Conservative writer and Internet personality Milo Yiannopoulos has been permanently banned from Twitter. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Social Web

What Does It Take To Get Permanently Banned From Twitter?

July 20, 2016 • Twitter says it's reviewing its hateful-conduct policy. The suspension of conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos has prompted a new focus on the company's ongoing struggle to rein in abusive messages.