Tag: Social media

It’s one month before under – 16 social media ban

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date November 10, 2025
No Comments on It’s one month before under – 16 social media ban

Today is one month before the Australian Government bans children under sixteen from certain social media platforms.

According to Herald Sun, this is in response to increased tensions between the Government and social media giants over child safety. Last year, Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese claimed:

Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time put on it.

(“Australia’s world-first social media ban for under- 16s begins one month from today”, Mia Erickson, Herald Sun, 10 November 2025)

The platforms that will be forced to ban children under sixteen are:

Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
YouTube
Threads
Kick
TikTok
Reddit

The Australian Government has emphasised that the burden for compliance will be placed on the (mostly American) social media companies, not parents.

How will the ban play out?

Prime Minister Albanese has labeled the legislation “imperfect”. However, news outlets have been given general information on how this ban will play out.

According to ABC, the E – Safety Commissioner has put platforms on notice.

The platforms listed above will be labelled as ‘age – restricted’ platforms. They must take “reasonable steps” to ensure that children under sixteen aren’t creating accounts. Tech companies could face fines up to A$49.5 million if they fail to block underage accounts.

Platforms that are exempt from ban

Children under sixteen will not be banned from all social platforms. They will still be able to access:

Messenger
WhatsApp
YouTube Kids
Discord
GitHub
LEGO Play
Roblox
Steam
Steam Chat
Google Classroom

E – Safety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant has raised a major loophole in the current proposed legoslation. Children could simply go to other platforms, such as BlueSky, that are currently not listed. This means that the danger of cyber – bullying, exploitation, etc is still present.

We will continue to take a whole-of-ecosystem, but we want to reinforce that just because a service is excluded. it does not mean it is absolutely safe.

(“Which social media platforms will be forced to ban Australian users under the age of 16?”, Annabelke Bowles, ABC, 5 November, 2025)

Age – verification and ‘parent run’ accounts?

Credit where credit is due. I commend the Albanese Government for taking children’s online safety seriously enough to act on it. I think it comes from a good place. But it does have glaring holes.

First, how are the platforms going to verify age? Just ticking a box? Providing government identification documents when someone signs up? What does that do to a person’s privacy? How will identity documents be stored to avoid identity theft?

What about parents? Currently, platforms like Instagram and YouTube have thousands of accounts of underage influencers (who are under thirteen).

Family vloggers are notorious for exploiting underage children. Many of these children, such as H from Dougherty has her own Instagram account. She’s only seven. The accounts are ‘run by parent’.

Another child that has been disgustingly exploited on social media was E of Cole and Sav LaBrant. Josh Barbour from Dad Challenge Podcast exposed disturbing comments E got when she was around five – years – old.

This proves it’ll be tricky for the Australian Governmemt to enforce this ban. It’s not just banning children under sixteen. They’ll have to somehow outlaw fake accounts and ‘parent run’ accounts. We’ll have to see how far this will go.

What do you think of the social media ban? Do you thimk it’s needed and will work? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags child safety, Facebook, Instagram, Social media, social media ban

Opinion/Commentary

Teens delete TikTok to combat negative body image

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date September 19, 2025
No Comments on Teens delete TikTok to combat negative body image

For years, parents, teachers and health professionals have worried about how social media affects children and teenagers.

Over the past decade, many young people have experienced cyber – bullying. In response, the Australian Labor Government recently introduced a bill banning children under the age of sixteen from certain social media platforms, including: Snapchat, Meta (Facebook), TikToknand YouTube.

Another issue affecting young people is body image. Not surprisingly, Instagram images and reels and TikTok videos often portray unattainable beauty standards and lifestyles.

Now, researchers are realising that getting off social media can reverse some of these negative effects.

Researchers reveal that deleting social media reverses harm

According to Lauren Novak, researchers from Flinders University had teens deleting social media, especially TikTok. Psychologist and researcher, Dr Simon Wilksch has raised alarm in social media and its impact on body image. He’s vocally backed Australian Government’s ban on social media for children under sixteen.

He’s also urged governments to offer more treatment options. for young people with eating disorders.

Dr. Wilksch told Herald Sun:

As a psychologist working with people with an eating disorder, I see the devastating toll these illnesses can take.

Social media platforms are image and video-based, constantly giving users the meesage. that how they look is important and that efforts to change their appearance will lead to greater likability by others.

(’Devastating toll’: Aus researchers team up with teens to fight TikTok – fuelled eating disorders, Lauren Novak, Herald Sun, 15 September 2025)

Dr. Wilksch highlights how teenagers are vulnerable, due to peer relationships and their need for acceptance.

The research

A trial by the Media Smart Targeted (MST) included over 500 13 to 25 – year – olds across Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. Willksch said that the rate of young people seeking help for eating disorders has doubled over the past twelve years.

On the I Am Media Smart Fact Sheet, Dr Wilksch recorded:

50% of boys and 75% of girls between 13 – 25 report having poor body image
A study of 1,000 Year Seven and Year Eight students revealed 52% of girls and 45% of boys have recently displayed disordered eating behaviour

Poor body image is linked to many health issues, including:

Higher risk of depression
Higher risk of anxiety
Low self – esteem
Self – harm
Substance abuse
Sleep disorders
Unhealthy relationship with food (no surprise, really)
Unhealthy relationship with exercise
A drop in academic performance
Lower school attendance
Poor peer relationships

Parents of children under sixteen granted consent for their children to be surveyed. Participants over sixteen gave their own consent.

What can be done to help young people struggling with body image?

Content warning: this part of the post deals with suicide

Dr. Wilksch encourages schools and health practitioners to display the MST data.

Obviously, healthcare for young people needs to be adequate. Unfortunately, services like Headspace — which is meant to help young people within that age group — are often ill – equipped to help young people in dire circumstances. Unfortunately, they don’t have enough qualified psychologists and psychiatrists that deal with issues as severe as self – harm and severe mental illness.

Unfortunately, too many inpatient services aren’t properly equipped either. In 2011, Albury Councillor, Stuart Baker and his wife Annette lost their only daughter, Mary to suicide. She was only fifteen and had a long battle with an eating disorder after an abcess removal and root canal treatment.

Paeditricians initially dismissed Mary’s inability to eat, telling Stuart and Annette that it was “all in her head”. She battled the eating disorder for three years before tragically losing her life.

In the aftermath of Mary’s death, Stuart, Annette and their two sons have worked tirelessly to end the stigma around mental health and suicide. For years, Stuart and Annette held the Survivors of Suicide and Friends Winter Solstice to help people who’ve lost loved ones to suicide.

Mary Baker’s tragic passing exposed the fatal flaws in youth mental health system and the need for better treatment for young peoole with eating disorders.

It’s great that the media is shining a light on youth mental health, the effects of social media and disordered eating. I hope society keeps up with the fight and finds a solution that saves future generations.

If you are in crisis, please call 000 (or your national emergency number).

If you’re in Australia and need help, you can contact Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 or visit the website.

If you need help with an eating disorder, you can visit the Butterfly Foundatiin website.

Tags mental health, News, Social media, TikTok, young people

Former 7News reporter swears to not sharing her children on social media

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date February 17, 2024
No Comments on Former 7News reporter swears to not sharing her children on social media

Earlier this year, cricketer David Warner and his wife Candice admitted to posting their three daughters online. The daughers — all under the age of ten at the time— had their own public Instagram account. The Warners bragged that they amassed over 162,000 followers.

At the time, I wrote a post criticising their announcement. The harms of public social media for children isn’t a secret.

Fortunately, some public figures are determined to protect their children. They want their children remain out of the public eye.

Kendall Gilding vows to keep young children out of public eye

Last month, former 7News reporter wrote on QWeekend about children and social media. She opened with a chilling introduction:

I walked into a cafe recently, saw a toddler and immediately thought, “Hey I know you!” Except I didn’t. “No, it must be your mum I know.”. Except I didn’t.

In some cases, this could be the start of a parasocial relationship. Parasocial relationships are relationships that are one – sided. Parasocial relationships are often sparked by the adoration a fan has for a celebrity.

More and more, this is extending to social media influencers and vloggers.

Luckily, Gilding knew the boundaries. She knew she didn’t know the baby or the mother who she’d seen on social media. She didn’t fantasise about the child being hers, or being close to her in some way.

This awareness spurred on Gilding to make an important decision.

Gilding claims she won’t share images of her children on social media

Gilding admitted that her son and daughter had been featured in magazines, newspapers and Instagram. However, she’s never been comfortable posting her children on Instagram.

She claims she’s very protective of her daughter, who was born through IVF after years of infertility. Instead of sharing her daughter’s face on Instagram, she opted to sharing her baby’s hand.

Who is following the children?

YouTuber, Josh Barbour has campaigned against family vloggers and kid influencers since 2020.

His main argument has always been that children can’t give informed consent having their lives publicly displayed on social media.

He’s also exposed who most often interacts with child influencers online — especially girls. And he’s found that a large percentage of millions of interactions are made by adult men. Everleigh Labrant/ Smith is a troubling example.

Not only are adult men seeking young girls’ conternt, they often make inappropriate comments.

Arttificial Intelligence (AI) and the Dark Web are other dangers that child influencers are exposed to. Children’s voices and images can be used in child abuse material.

Yes, ot’s dark and sick, But this is what parents need to grapple with in 2024.

It boils down to this: do you want to protect your children or not?

This is the heart of the issue, isn’t it? Do you want to protect your (or anyone’s) children or don’t you? Do you care about the safety of your children?

Naturally, most parents — most adults — want to protect children. But the rise of family vloggers and kid influencers proves that not all adults do. Especially when money i# involved.

Posting children’s images and identities on public social media isn’t safe. Remember I mentioned parasocial relationships earlier? They can be toxic. ‘Fans’ can suddenly turn on their former idols.

Parasocial relationships can become obsessive. This can make an influencer uneasy. And, at it’s worst, if a fan becomes obsessed and realises where an influencer lives, it can become dangerous. Children shouldn’t be exposed to that.

What do you think? Should parents stop posting their children on public social media? Should it be outlawed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Tags child protection, influencers, Instagram, Social media

Elon Musk fires half Twitter’s employees and introduced other changes

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date November 4, 2022
No Comments on Elon Musk fires half Twitter’s employees and introduced other changes

Messenger, Twitter and Facebook apps displayed on a phone/ tablet home screen — Image: iStock

Back in April, Tesla’s Elon Musk bought Twitter for US$44billion (A$61.4billion).

The announcement received a mixture of hope and fearl

Musk hasn’t wasted time in shaking things up.

In a statement, Twitter announced:

Get Twitter Blue if you sign up now.. Blue checkmark: power to the people. Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like celebrities, companies and politicians you follow.
Twitter

Twitter has also promised users that paid subscribers will see less advertisements on their feed.

No longer completely free

Sure, anyone can make a Twitter account. But some features are no longer free.

Musk listened to users and introduced an edit option for published tweets. But there’s a catch. It isn’t freely available. Instead, users/ brands have to buy the ‘blue’ subscription for US$8 (A$12.37) per month.

That’s not all. On Tuesday, Musk announced that he was calling for an overhaul of Twitter’s verification system. He called the previous verification system “bulls#$t”.

Instead, Musk wants users/ companies/ brands to pay for a blue mark verification. These accounts will get priority in the algorithm; gaining more exposure and engagement.

Layoffs

Musk has also been condemned for laying off around half of Twitter’s 7500 staff.

Musk defended his actions, saying he had no choice. He claimed that Twitter was losing US$4million (A$6.185million) a day. Musk offered no further information on the losses, nor whether staff were going to be paid a three month severence.

According to Fortune, at least one former employee has filed a lawsuit against Musk for violating federal law.

Win for free speech?

Since Musk bought Twitter, it has received mixed reactions. Some have expressed hope that it would bring free speech back to the platform.

On the flip side, some people have expressed fear that it will just spurr on hate speech, especially racism.

English YouTube commentator, Emma Thorne posted a video about the spike on racist tweets, including slurs, that were posted after Musk’s takeover,

Should people just give up on social media?

So, should people abandon social media? Matthew Hennessy from Wall Street Journal thinks so:

…it makes no sense to pay for the privilege of being Twitter’s product. This is an opportunity to be one of the smart ones. Make yourself less dependent on social media. Quit altogether if possible. You won’t have any trouble finding razors and newsletters. And now think what you can do with all the money you’ll save.
Matthew Hennessy, Wall Street Journal, later published in The Australian

Maybe that’s not a bad idea.

As a blogger, Twitter has always been a tricky platform to build a following. It’s even tricky for people to see your tweets unless you tweet multiple times a day, (which I don’t).

It’ll be interesting to see how these changes play out. Will tweets from non – paying users be buried and gain no impressions, no matter how many times they tweet in a day?

Ultimately, this is an attempt to save Twitter. Will it work? We’ll have to wait and see. But I’m not holding my breath.

What are your thoughts? Will the changes make you join or delete Twitter? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.

Tags Elon Musk, free speech, Social media, Twitter

Opinion/Commentary

Wren Eleanor and the not – so innocent world of kid-fluencers

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date August 12, 2022
No Comments on Wren Eleanor and the not – so innocent world of kid-fluencers

Home screen with TikTok and other apps — Image: iStock

People are getting concerned about children safety online.

According to The Australian, concerns over American toddler, Wren Eleanor has Australian influencers question posting their children online.

Wren’s mother, Jacquelyn, has received backlash after inappropriate comments were found under videos of the three – year – old. Videos of Wren eating attracted worrying comments.

Jacquelyn called the comments “disturbing”.

Influencers start questioning posting images of their children online

The scare over Wren has made other influencers think twice about posting their children’s images online. Social media creator, Caleb Finn told The Australian:

[Wren] is going to grow up and the mother claims it’s a digital scrapbook for her daughter to look back on, but if you go on any of the videos, it’s all these older people pining for this baby.

Adding to Finn’s comment, many of the comments on Wren’s and other children’s accounts appear to be by men.

Concerns for kids on social media isn’t new

The issue of children on social media has been discussed on social media since 2020. This was largely sparked by Myka and James Stauffer, who exploited, then ‘rehomed’ their Chinese – born adopted son.

Canadian YouTuber, Josh Barbour has been particularly critical of family vloggers who use children. He covered the Stauffer case, and has since exposed other family vloggers such as: Cole and Sav Labrant, Jessfam and Ruby and Kevin Franke (formerly Eight Passengers).

Since 2020, Canadian YouTuber has exposed the dangers of family vlogging and kid-fluencers

His argument has been consistent: children can’t give informed consent. When asked whether children can give informed consent, former Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and professor, Dr Kirk Honda said: “No. It’s obvious”.

In late 2020, Dr Kirk Honda confirmed that kids can’t properly give consent to having their images/ videos shared online

Barbour has exposed what I mentioned above — that young girls’ accounts are often targeted by men. Children such as Everleigh Labrant (Cole & Sav) and Piper Rockelle are exploited and numerous men make inappropriate comments.

Even infants and toddlers aren’t safe. More recently, Barbour has exposed TikToker, Maia Knight and the inappropriate parasocial relationships created between her twin infant daughters and Knight’s audience.

TMI: parents divulge sensitive and traumatic information

Apart from the sexualisation of young children, family vloggers tend to overshare. They divulge very personal information about their children, especially medical.

Barbour has slammed family vloggers who share their children’s sensitive information and traumas to their subscribers. Earlier this year, he slammed Tiffany Nelson for exploiting adopted daughter, JourNee’s traumatic past.

JourNee is twenty – three, but the video was so uncomfortable to watch. JourNee looked visibly uncomfortable.

Tiffany went into detail about JourNee’s living conditions in Russia before being adopted. JourNee didn’t remember it. Barbour was angered by these revelations.

Having adopted sons himself, he knows how information about trauma should be handled. It’s up to the adopted child when they’re an adult. They can access their file, or let it be. It’s not up to adopted parents to disclose the infornation or make it public.

Family vlogging may have sounded cute and fun. But there’s no other way to say it. It’s exploitation. Every day a parent decides to profit off their child’s image or video, they’re exposing them to danger.

Say it with me: kids can’t consent.

Tags consent, influencers, News, Social media, wren eleanor

Instagram linked to poor mental health in young people

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date September 24, 2021
No Comments on Instagram linked to poor mental health in young people

The Wall Street Journal uncovered troubling findings on the impact Instagram has on teens.

Instagram’s parent company Facebook Inc conducted the research.

One slide from Facebook’s internal message board last year claimed:

Thirty-two percent of teen girls said when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.

Another slide noted:

Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves

Facebook Inc has conducted the research over three years. The consistent findings are worrying.

While not a cause, Instagram has shown to exacerbate depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicidal ideation. 13% British and 6% of American teens blamed Instagram for their suicidal ideation.

Facebook CEO and Head downplay the findings

Not surprisingly, Facebook Inc has downplayed worrying findings.

Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg argued:

The research that we’ve seen is that social apps to connect with other people can have positive mental-health benefits.

Likewise, Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri has also minimised the findings, claiming size of the issue was “quite small”.

Instagram banks on young people

Young people are abandoning Facebook. They have been for almost a decade. However, the number of young people using Instagram has exploded.

People aged twenty-two and under make up 40% of Instagram’s users. On average, US teens spend 50% more time on Instagram than Facebook.

That’s why Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram’s Head Adam Mosseri has downplayed the alarming research. At a Congressional Hearing in March this year, Zuckerberg argued:

The research that we’ve seen is that using social apps to connect with other people can have mental-health benefits

Mosseri downplayed the issues. He said the extent of the problem was “quite small”.

Of course, Mosseri and Zuckerberg will want to minimise links between Facebook, Instagram and youth mental health. Young people on Instagram have become their cash cow.

Instagram and the exploitation of underage children

Canadian Youtuber and podcaster, Josh Barbour is vocal against influencers who exploit children. His campaign was triggered by Myka and James Stauffer’s adoption and ‘rehoming’ of a Chinese child. (I’m not going to use the name the Stauffers gave him).

The case exploded Barbour’s channel, The Dad Challenge Podcast. Since then, Barbour has exposed a whole underbelly of child exploitation on social media.

Piper Rockelle and Liliana K

Two revolting instances of children being exploited on Instagram are Liliana Ketchman (aka Liliana K) and Piper Rockelle.

I remember when I saw his video on Ketchman, her account was mass reported. Liliana was underage (twelve, I think). Unfortunately, Instagram refused to take the account down. Reason? Her ‘mother’ (I use that term loosely) ran the account.

I was infuriated. I seriously thought about deleting my Instagram accounts.

A few months later, Barbour exposed the exploitation of Piper Rockelle. Unlike Liliana K, Rockelle was over the age limit (she was fourteen, I think).

The images are beyond revolting.

For me, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I deleted both my Instagram accounts. Please note, I don’t begrudge those who still have an Instagram account.

However, if people delete their accounts in revolt, I’m all for it. People should hold Facebook Inc accountable.

Platforms like YouTube and Instagram are potentially putting children in danger. The full impact on child influencer culture is yet to be seen.

I’ll be fair to Mark Zuckerberg for a second. Do I believe that he deliberately created Instagram to exploit children? No. But he is responsible. And Facebook Inc is failing a whole generation.

I’m passionate about mental health. I think that mental health care, especially therapies, should be free for clients. If you feel the same consider signing the Green’s petition here. You can also write to your MP.

Tags child exploitation, Culture, Facebook Inc., Instagram, mental health, Social media

Does the ABC’s new site make it harder for independent bloggers?

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date September 6, 2019

The ABC has another site, ABC Life.

The site covers a number of topics: food, family, work and well – being to name a few.

Reading some of the articles, I think they are generally well – written, even if some are politically correct.

Where does this leave independent media?

ABC is obviously trying to get into the lifestyle/ culture media space; genres that, a number of other outlets in Australia has failed to launch; such as women’s website, The Hoopla or recently folded, such as Cleo and Cosmopolitan Australia.

If the ABC is filling the void that collapsed media companies left, then where does that leave future independent media outlets in Australia? Considering the ABC is arguably Australia’s largest media company, where dooes that lead other media?

Mainstream media dominating social media

ABC Life also has already got a social media presence, including a YouTube channel. This is their right, I guess. But I do feel uneasy about it. Even though their current subscriber count is modest, I fear they could potentially overshadow independent creators.

Earlier this year, YouTube political commentators Kyle Kulinski (The Kyle Kulinski Show/ Secular Talk) and David Pakman (The David Pakman Show) accused YouTube for prioritising mainstream media outlets over independent ones. The Google algorithms made media companies like CNN and MSNBC favoured as recommendations for viewers. This has negatively affected view counts of videos from independent commentators like Kulinski and Pakman. Will the ABC further have a similar negative effect? I hope not.

I’m not saying the ABC or any other mainstream media outlet can’t have a YouTube channel, but not at the expense of killing independent content creators.

The blog/ website landscape

Naturally, this is where my concern is. How can independent bloggers compete with the ABC? We can’t. One bonus, I guess, is that the ABC doesn’t rely on advertisers like commercial or independent media.

Will it affect other bloggers’ ability to gain traffic and trust from readers? Maybe. Despite the criticisms that ABC frequently received, I think it’s still a fairly trusted company across the country. I know that people in rural towns often get news from their radio stations.

On a positive note, I’ll have more to write about and critique on here. Hopefully I will. Watch this space!

Independent writers/ content creators need to maintain high standards

I think the ABC Life potentially overcrowds an already overcrowded market. Independent bloggers and YouTubers will have to work hard in not just creating content, but also in advertising it.

I guess if we can’t beat the ABC and mainstream commercial media, we have to join them. We, as independent writers/ content creators need to maintain high standards in our work. And just cross our fingers that we’ll get readers/ viewers who are willing to support our work.

What do you think about mainstream media outlets extending to online? Do you think it makes it harder for independent content creators?

Also, have you looked at ABC Life? What are your thoughts on their posts? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags ABC, abc life, independent media, mainstream media, Media, Social media

Gillette ad controversy: is the media and social media trustworthy?

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date February 16, 2019
No Comments on Gillette ad controversy: is the media and social media trustworthy?

U.S. razor company, Gillette, caused a furore last month for their viral ad ‘The Best Men Can Be’.

If social and traditional media was anything to go by, this was an outrage. They were attacking boys and men — their primary consumers. This was #MeToo on steroids.

Hashtag #boycottgillette trended on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/socalsnowbrdr/status/1095811379741642752?s=21

So you’d assume that the ‘anti masculinity’ campaign would destroy Gillette. Well, no. Apparently, the campaign was actually positive.

Many U.S. consumers applauded the campaign

According to Upworthy, two studies showed that most consumers looked favourably on the campaign.

Data collected by Morning Consult found that more consumers believed that Gillette shared their values than before the campaign (42% before, 71% after). 65%of study respondents said they were more likely to buy Gilette products since the campaign.

Over four fifths (84%) of women and more than three quarters (77%) of men were either in favour or felt neutral towards the campaign. Data from Ace Metrics produced similar results.

Is the media and social media out of touch?

I am always careful when it comes to studies, especially on social issues. Too often, so – called ‘studies’ are conducted purely to confirm one’s own biases.

I don’t know the sample size of the Morning Consult study. I am also not familiar with Ace Metrics.

But, lets assume for a moment that both sets of data are a fair representation of Americans’ overall attitudes toward Gillette.That means traditional and social media did not represent mainstream public opinion. And maybe it’s not the only time.

Traditional media still a major source of news for the public

I’ve heard that U.S cable networks such as CNN and Fox are losing loyalty among the public. Meanwhile, independent news sources, including YouTube channels are rising in popularity.

Australians, too, seem to also have little faith in the media.

A Roy Morgan study showed that journalists are generally not trusted by the public. Inaccuracies left uncorrected and biases were two major criticisms. Out of radio, TV and print news, most people surveyed, (66% for national news, 56% for world news) gained their news from TV. Print media gained the most negative responses.

Social media also deemed untrustworthy

While traditional media has its critics, social media hasn’t faired well, either. 2018 saw a backlash against social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

According to Reuters Institute, Digital News Report found that social media was facing a worldwide decline in both popularity and trust, with the U.S. leading the charge. News item were also not shared on social media as frequently as it used to

Apps such as WhatsApp and email news services are rising in popularity. However, many reported being annoyed at being bombarded with emails and notifications.

Personally, I’ve gotten increasingly annoyed by the number of statuses and ‘news’ articles that turned out to be hoaxes or just untrue. It’s made me cynical about sharing anything and now I mostly ignore a lot of articles I see posted.

I’ve also found that so much on Facebook is heavily biased, often veering to one extreme on the political/ ideological spectrum. People are often hard Left or hard conservative, with very few willing to look at multiple sides to an issue. Look, people can publish what they want. I’d just advise viewers to be wary of articles that are posted. If you read it, Google it and see if the article is factual. Many times, they aren’t.

Social and traditional media have issues with trust. To mainstream journalists, no offence, but pull your head in. Your viewers/ readers/ listeners deserve the truth, not just political propaganda.

What did you think of the Gillette ad and do you have any news outlets you particularly like? Let me know in the comments

Tags bias, Media, News, newspapers, radio, Social media, trust, TV

Opinion/Commentary

Public servants spend hours on dating and shopping sites

Post author By Sara Harnetty
Post date April 2, 2018
1 Comment on Public servants spend hours on dating and shopping sites

Bureaucrats are spending time looking at dating and shopping sites on the job, @according to Sunday Herald Sun. (‘Public servants spend thousands of work hours online looking for love’, Annika Smetherst, Sunday Herald Sun, April, 1).

Smetherst reported that the Sunday Telegraph gained access to documents confirming a list of sites visited by Department of Social Services employees during work hours over twelve months. Sites included:

RSVP
Elite Singles
Bureau of Meteorology
Twitter (Public servants can use Twitter for political debate, providing they don’t criticise other agencies or ministers, according to the Australian Public Service Commission)
Taste.com
Footy tips
Lite’n’easy
Kmart
Ikea
Movie schedules
Real estate
David Jones

Now, I admit that I have a habit of wasting time online when I should be doing other things. Sometimes, it’s good to take a break from what your work for a while. But the list above is extensive. And the hours over a twelve momth period is, quite frankly, ridiculous.
And how does this affect the running of the services? I know that Centrelink get lots of criticism about customer waiting times when trying to contact someone over the phone. Is this a possible reason? The public rightly expect that services that most of the public pay for is up to scratch. Unfortunately, the truth is, for years now, services like Centrelink, have been less than satisfactory.

This just fuels more public anger against politicians. They are tired of being treated by mugs. It’s more than enough.

Politicians and publis servants need to pick up their game. I’m not saying that public servants have no right to visit dating and shopping sites, but not at the expense of the quality of services that most of the public pay for and other rely on. The public have a right to demand a whole lot more and there needs to be accountability put back into politics and the public service. Waiting hours to talk to someone on the phone at Centrelink, (especially when it’s required for someone to maintain payments or to avoid gettimg a debt in overpayments, which can add up to the tens of thousands), is inexcusable.

But what can we do? We can wait until next year’s election, get Labor in and then… start all over agsin, I guess. The lack of an ethical compass of most politicians and, apparently public servants have, is disgusting, to be frank. But what can we do?! Maybe increased direect pressure might help. Contact MPs either by phone or email (be respectful, of course). Start social media campaigns. If you see a politician face to face, tell them of your disappointment. I’m just going off the top of my head here. Whether it’d do any good is another thing. How can you criticise someone who’s ethical compass and sense of duty is so out of whack and has been for decades now?

Anyone got any other suggestions on how we can spurr things on to make our public services better? What have your experienes with public service been? Let me know in the comments below.

Tags dating sites, News, Politics, public service, Social media, work