Mediaboss Marketing

July 15, 2024

Bathed in the blue light of your phone in the late hours of the evening, you scroll almost subconsciously through your YouTube feed until, suddenly, you see a three-hour explainer from one of your favourite creators on some obscure angle about a childhood cartoon you treasure.

Does the person who created that video make any difference to your viewing experience? Does your response make any difference to the creator, for that matter?

This is what I wanted to explore in my masters thesis as a student in the University of Manitobas department of English, theatre, film & media.

Scholars of literary and film studies have been grappling with authorship for decades. Some, like French theorist Roland Barthes, say the only person who matters in the reception of a piece of media is the viewer. Popularly, many audiences put the strongest emphasis on what the author of a work intended to do with it.

What complicates this debate is that all notions of authorship are evolving on social media.

I studied cancellation videos on YouTube, or videos where YouTubers respond to scandals which drastically shifted their audiences perceptions of the YouTuber and elicited backlash. YouTubers like James Charles, who was canceled after his friend and fellow YouTuber, Tati Westbrook, accused him of being a bad friend and manipulator, addressed criticisms they anticipated receiving from their audiences in their videos.

The formal properties of these videosor the editing, scripting, and even the way the YouTuber actssuggest the authors anticipation of the audiences response influences the production of the video.

I noticed this influence persisted in other forms of video on social media too. I also researched TikTok trends like Two Pretty Best Friends, which was inescapable at the time I was writing my thesis. The meme developed around TikToker jayrscottyy after he posted a video saying, I aint never seen two pretty best friends. Its always one of them gotta be ugly.

Almost all of the memes remixing this TikTok either repurposed aspects of jayrscottyys appearance or clips of his voice in their own audio. Some users parodied his video, using soup emojis to represent his eyes, for instance, while others lip-synced his audio and mimicked his unblinking stare.

Even livestreams change the dynamic between authors and audiences. I studied Twitch streamers like Pokimane, and found that her streams were constructed to facilitate a sense of connection between her and her viewers. If Pokimane did not show her face on stream, she sometimes compensated for her absence with placeholder animations showing cartoon representations of her.

Because interactions between authors and audiences can lead to an expectation of intimacy and authenticity, they pose some ethical problems too.

For instance, if an author appears in their own video and audiences have the power to remix elements of the video, what are the ramifications of audiences treating fundamental pieces of authors identities, like their faces and voices, as scrap material for internet memes? Furthermore, what are the consequences for creators if viewers believe they are owed explanations and intimate details about their lives?

These questions are relevant to more than just the lives of internet celebrities. Everyone who creates something on social media becomes an author. Sudden, unexpected virality might turn any one of us into authors with global recognition, subjecting all of us to similar expectations of famous creators.

Ultimately, perspectives like Barthess and those opposite his are too extreme. In the age of social media, notions of authorship are constantly evolving, and many of these evolutions are influenced by the interaction between authors and their audiences.

Reflecting on my own authorial history, including my time as a grad student, feedback and guidance from my mentors and friends influenced my own production process.

My advisor, Dr. Jonah Corne, guided me as I wrote my thesis and he encouraged me to develop my first sole-authored, peer-reviewed article on Midsommar, which will be published in fall 2024. I anticipated their responses as I wrote and adjusted my writing accordingly, and that dialogic process is evident in the final product.

When I was in the thick of writing my thesis, I could not have anticipated it would be recognized with UMs Distinguished Masters Thesis Prize. This is the sort of response to ones work that inspires emerging scholars and writers to push on and keep creating.

I am starting my PhD in cinema studies at York University in Toronto in September 2024. Moving to a new place and meeting new people is daunting, but if the people I meet are as extraordinary as those Ive been privileged enough to work with in Winnipeg, the experience will be worth writing home about and maybe even posting to social media.

Jessie Krahn [BA(Hons)/2018, MA/2023] is a 2024 UM Distinguished Masters Thesis Prize winner. The prize is given out annually to recognize the achievements of Masters graduates who submitted groundbreaking theses in the previous academic year. View her thesis titled Here comes the author: evolving notions of authorship on social media.

Jessie Krahn

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Faculty of Arts | On social media? Then youre an author - UM Today

Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

We are just about a month from the USC Trojans kicking off fall camp, and less than 2 months from the Men of Troy taking on the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas.

One of the best things about football and being a fan is building a community. Being able to engage with other fans, through the good times and the bad. Well, USC Football has some of the best fans in the world and that certainly is represented in the Social Media space.

We at LAFB have had the pleasure of getting to engage with all of these amazing fans and content creators. Not only are they passionate, but they create informative and fun content! So, if you want to be informed, meet some awesome people, and have fun on game days and during the week, these are the BEST USC Trojans accounts on X.com that you have to follow!

@FightOnRusty

Rusty might be the gold standard when it comes to social media follows. He is very in tune with the program and is always very insightful with his information. There will also be a study one day on how good he is at trolling Oregon fans

@TheTrojanBlade

Trojan Blade is another fantastic follow that also has a must-subscribe YouTube channel. As he has grown he has gotten very plugged in with the program and creates extremely informative videos. He is also going to be writing articles for LAFB this season, so obviously one of the best follows out there!

@USCJ32

USCJ is another tremendous follow and his YouTube channel is one of the top spots for USC Football content. He is very plugged in with the players and families which gives him great insight that fans love. J is also just a fantastic human being.

@USC_Nico

Our guy Nico sells beautiful LA homes by day, and tweets juicy USC Football content by night. A die-hard fan that provides content and context around the clock.

@SSN_USC

Always great information and fun content!

@FoundersEdits

Dope USC edits and graphics. Need we say more?

@Tim_Prangley

Tim writes for USA Today and hosts the Conquest Call-in show. Great content and another great dude!

@916Trojan

Our Trojan brother up north! One of the most die-hard fans and he is always in the know about USC Football!

@_LightTheTorch

A fun, fan-driven podcast, that keeps fans informed.

@TrojanFBx

Another great follow and just launched a new YouTube channel!

We know that we have missed a ton of accounts so let us know and we will continue updating this article as the central location!

Obviously we would appreciate it if you would follow and tune in to all of our LAFB USC accounts as well. We are credentialed by the USC Trojans and the Big 10, so will provide year content in the form of articles, podcasts, video, and social!

@LAFBNetwork, @USC_LAFB, @Coach_Rowe2, @RyanDyrudLAFB, @DanielOrdazLAFB, @LAFBJamz

Fight On!

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The USC Trojans Social Media Accounts That Are A MUST Follow For Fans - LAFB Network

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday said it seized two domain names that nefarious actors in Russia used to craft almost 1,000 fake accounts on the social media platform X. One of the individuals, an unnamed editor at Russian state-run news agency RT, worked with Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, to create the fake accounts, the department said. Government personnel and other employees at RT then used the accounts to spread misinformation in the United States and other countries, according to the Justice Department.

What sort of alleged misinformation did these bots spread? One of the accounts in question claimed that Russias war in Ukraine was about founding a new world order and not about territorial conflict or achieving geopolitical balance, the Justice Department said. Another account alleged that fewer foreign fighters were serving alongside Ukrainian forces than many public estimates indicated. Another account indicated that Russia had gifted Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine certain geographical areas after freeing them from Nazism in World War II.

How did the Justice Department discover these accounts were Russian bots? The FBI began investigating the X accounts, and the domain names used to create them, after receiving a tip from another, unidentified U.S. government agency, according to court documents. The FBI sifted through the layers of false email accounts, bitcoin payments, and disguised IP addresses to identify the individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.

How did Russia create so many bots and how did this all work? The United States, the Netherlands, and Canada released a joint statement explaining how the Russian government used an artificial intelligence software program called Meliorator to create the bots. Some of the bots passed themselves off as real users while sharing propaganda, while other bots served only to like misinformation shared by the original bots.

Has the U.S. government also been tracking Chinese hacking efforts? The National Security Agency, along with the Australian Signals Directorate and other agencies, on Monday issued a report on APT 40, a Chinese hacking group that has targeted companies, networks, and agencies in the United States and Australia. The group has exploited software loopholes to infiltrate widely used networks and used home office devices as operational infrastructure, the NSA said. The NSA suggested that network defenders patch all internet-exposed devices, segment their networks, and disable unused network features.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from last month about Polands efforts to bolster its cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent Russian hacking attempts.

Read more here:
Russia using bots to spread misinformation on social media, DOJ says - WORLD News Group

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

There is a fine line between dunking on a rival and giving them motivation to just beat their head in, in real life. Thats the line the Los Angeles Chargers social media team crossed according to Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams with their post comparing the six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team AP All-Pro receiver to a garbage-flavored Pop Tart.

During his appearance on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, the host asked him, How responsible do you feel for the entire Chargers team giving up on their coach in this game. Referring to the 63 points the Raiders hung on the Chargers in Week 15 that resulted in the firing of Brandon Staley. Adams caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in that game. Davante pivoted away from talking about that specific game and to the teams social media post and its inaccuracy. Here is what he had to say;

They posted me and then like a trash can or something like that. I thought about responding on social media to it and and being funny there, but I figured itd be better to just beat their head in in real life and continue doing it my way because my first game against them I dont know they, clearly forgot like 10 catches 141 yards and a touchdown and then the next time that same year it was like 177 yards and two touchdowns. I think it was that game.

So I just wanted to kind of remind them what theyve been going through as it pertains to playing against me. Hopefully the people that made that post because its not the players fault they didnt have anything to do with the post but this is directed strictly toward the Charger social media page. Please keep my name out your mouth.

In his four games against the Chargers since going the Raiders, Adams has caught 34 passes for 494 yards and four touchdowns. The teams have split the series with two wins each. In addition to the two games he mentioned from 2022, Adams caught eight passes for 75 yards in Week 4 and eight for 101 in the aforementioned Week 15 game.

The Chargers will kick off the 2024 season against Adams and the Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, September 8th. They will also wrap up the season in Vegas in Week 18 against the Raiders on January 5th.

Follow this link:
Chargers Social Media Team Goes Too Far, Gives Bulletin Board Material to Top WR - LAFB Network

The proliferation of AI-generated images "has made Facebook a very bizarre, very creepy place for me," said Casey Morris, an attorney in Northern Virginia. Facebook hide caption

The proliferation of AI-generated images "has made Facebook a very bizarre, very creepy place for me," said Casey Morris, an attorney in Northern Virginia.

Casey Morris, an attorney in Northern Virginia, recently started checking Facebook again after a long break. Among posts from friends and family, she noticed a strange trend.

"The caption will say, 'Close your eyes 70% and see magic.' And without squinting at all, it's very obviously sort of an image of Jesus, but it will be made up of, like, vegetables and a tractor and a little girl that are sort of distorted," she said.

That wasn't the only oddity in Morris' feed. Similar pictures with identical captions recurred. So did different, more emotionally exploitative posts depicting disabled mothers and children in the mud or smiling amputees, with captions asking for a birthday wish.

"It has made Facebook a very bizarre, very creepy place for me," Morris said.

Between their subject matter, stylistic clues and odd errors, it quickly became obvious to Morris that these images were fake the products of artificial intelligence.

They're not being posted by people she knows or follows. Instead, Facebook is suggesting she might be interested in them and they seem to be really popular.

"They're getting thousands of reactions and thousands of comments [from] people who seem to think they're real, so wishing them a happy birthday or saying something religious in the comments," she said.

"These weren't sporadic images here or there that only a few people were interacting with. They were really getting a ton of traction," said Josh Goldstein, a research fellow at Georgetown University. Facebook hide caption

Morris isn't the only Facebook user whose feed has started to fill up with AI-generated spam. Reporters at the tech website 404 Media tracked a surge in apparently AI-generated posts on Facebook, which is owned by Meta, in recent months. AI-generated images like these are starting to show up on other social media sites too, including Threads, which is also owned by Meta, and LinkedIn.

On Facebook, in many cases, it appears that the platform's own algorithm is boosting AI posts.

When researchers at Georgetown and Stanford universities investigated more than 100 Facebook pages that routinely post AI content sometimes dozens of times a day they found that many are engaging in scams and spam.

"We saw AI-generated images of everything you can imagine, from log cabins to grandmas with birthday cakes to children with masterful paintings that just simply couldn't be real," said Josh Goldstein, a research fellow at Georgetown University and co-author of the preprint study, which hasn't yet undergone peer review.

Goldstein and his co-author also found that Facebook is actively recommending some of this AI content into users' feeds potentially creating a cycle where the posts get more engagement, so they get recommended to even more users. Some individual posts from the pages they analyzed have accumulated hundreds of thousands and even millions of interactions.

"These weren't sporadic images here or there that only a few people were interacting with. They were really getting a ton of traction," Goldstein said.

Their analysis found that some of these pages are classic spam, posting links to websites where they can collect ad revenue. Others are scammers, advertising AI-generated products that don't appear to actually exist.

But many of the pages don't have a clear financial motivation, Goldstein said. They seem to simply be accumulating an audience for unknown purposes.

"It could be that these were nefarious pages that were trying to build an audience and would later pivot to trying to sell goods or link to ad-laden websites or maybe even change their topics to something political altogether," Goldstein said. "But I suspect more likely, many of these pages were simply creators who realized it was a useful tactic for getting audience engagement."

Clickbait has always been on social media. But in the past few years, Facebook has doubled the amount of posts it recommends to users, as it seeks to keep up with changes in social media pioneered by TikTok. On a recent earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts that recommended posts now account for about 30% of users' feeds.

At the same time, AI-generated content is now easier than ever for anyone to make. Together, these dynamics are creating a recipe for weird renderings of Jesus, disturbing birthday posts and impossible architecture and handicrafts to go viral.

"It's mimicking, like, all of the elements of what made something go viral. But they're putting in the most bizarre images I've ever seen," said Brian Penny, a freelance writer who has been tracking AI on Facebook for nearly two years. He's part of a group dedicated to sharing and debunking AI images.

Penny has seen a shift from pictures that have some grounding in reality like the AI-generated depiction of Pope Francis in a puffy coat that went viral last year to something far more uncanny.

"We work to reduce the spread of content that is spammy or sensational because we want users to have a good experience, which is why we offer them controls to what they see in their feed," a spokesperson for Meta told NPR in a statement.

Facebook says it will soon begin labeling some content created by AI tools. Facebook hide caption

The company plans to begin labeling AI-generated content created with some industry-leading tools soon. Last week, TikTok started applying similar labels to some AI-generated posts on its platform.

In the meantime, the surge in AI spam is turning off many people.

Katrina McVay, who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., says she has had to discourage her mom from buying woodwork and other home decor she sees on Facebook that are clearly fake.

"She'd be like, 'Wouldn't this be so cool for your daughter?'" McVay said. "And I'm like, 'That's not real, though.'"

Some Facebook users are considering leaving the platform entirely because of their frustrations with being recommended spammy AI images.

"Am I supposed to sift through all this to see that my cousin's just been to the Sahara desert?" asked Borys Rzonca, a Los Angeles furniture designer. "It's no longer worth it for me."

Beyond finding AI spam on Facebook annoying, many people NPR spoke with say they're worried about the larger stakes of artificial images showing up everywhere.

"It just sort of reinforces people's disbelief and ... makes it harder to see what is real," said Hobey Ford, a puppeteer in North Carolina who has seen AI images pop up in Facebook groups dedicated to science, claiming to depict new discoveries.

"And I think that's dangerous in our world right now," he said.

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AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media. Here's why - NPR