Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • During Ramadan, virtual spaces help stave off the loneliness for some Muslims

    Digital platforms can provide a space for those living apart from their religious communities to affirm their identity. From hash tags to online academies, Muslims who otherwise would not have regular access to a mosque or religious network are creating their own communities online. During Ramadan, the communities offer support and allow people to break their fasts with others.

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  • Finland is winning the war on fake news. Other nations want the blueprint

    Teaching students to fact check encourages resilience and builds resistance to the post-truth phenomenon. In Finland, a school curriculum implemented at the national level equips elementary and high school students with a digital literacy toolkit geared toward recognizing disinformation online. In addition to specific exercises spotting fake news on social media platforms, a critical thinking curriculum is built into all subjects. Finland's success in fostering a social resilience against disinformation also draws on lessons from the country's oftentimes fraught history with its eastern neighbor.

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  • World Malaria Day: how a remote tribal region is bucking the global trend 

    As malaria rates continue to rise in many countries, Odisha, India stands out against the trend. Thanks largely in part to this state's three-part approach that includes distributing long-lasting insecticidal nets, mass screening programs and a focus on raising awareness in isolated communities, the country as a whole has seen a 24 percent decrease in cases.

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  • Fighting Bias, Block by Block

    In this excerpt from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, the author details the role surveillance and apps like Nextdoor play in perpetuating and disrupting discriminatory housing policies, racism, and segregation in the United States. Furthermore, it details how online communities can be spaces for meaningful discussions on race and racism in America.

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  • The woman in search of Indian Country's missing

    Native individuals and members of groups like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women have taken it into their own hands to find members of their communities who have gone missing. Recognizing that decades-old legislation often under-prioritizes tribal lands, indigenous populations have turned to grassroots efforts and social media to form their own search parties – and are seeing results.

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  • Inside the Crowdfunded Charity Helping Refugees by Topping Up Their Phones

    For many refugees living in camps and on the move, mobile phones can be a life line to families and the outside world. Phones can help organize political activities, arrange medical supplies, and so much more. But although SIM cards are fairly cheap now, data can be expensive. To address this, a Facebook group called Phone Credit for Refugees and Displaced People, or PC4R, raises funds for refugees to top up their mobile phones to support free and dignified communication.

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  • In the chat room, Boston's black millennials build a community

    In a city that many people of color consider unwelcoming, social media groups offer a path to visibility and community. The group, Young, Black, and Social, connects thousands of millennials in Boston to their peers, as well as social events and services. The group coordinates with other organizations and even event promoters to create a community and make people of color who are moving to Boston feel connected.

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  • The Viral Hashtag That's Getting People to Clean Up Garbage

    Viral social media trends can be harnessed for social and environmental good. A social media#trashtag challenge that spread from Reddit to Instagram draws upon the satisfying nature of a before-and-after meme. People all over the world who participated in #trashtag challenge went out and beautified green spaces. They then posted photos of themselves surrounded by the trash bags they had collected.

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  • Anti-vaxx propaganda has gone viral on Facebook. Pinterest has a cure

    Correcting "data voids," which provide the space for conspiracies to flourish online, requires online platforms to take active measures against misinformation. In the face of digital marketing incentive structures and biases in search algorithms, scientific journals can’t produce enough content to dispel assumptions of false equivalency between science and propaganda, creating a data gap. Pinterest is currently one of the few companies trying to correct this imbalance between settled science and misinformation campaigns characteristic of many online social media platforms.

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  • This Israeli Facebook group is a lifeline for women caught in a cycle of prostitution

    An Israeli Facebook group serves as a women's network for current or former prostitutes seeking help and support. The Hebrew-language group, called Lo Omdot Mineged, provides help in many forms, ranging from crowdsourcing money for groceries to building alliances with women struggling to find work outside of prostitution.

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