Why Are We Letting Them Fool Us?

There’s an entire industry that profits from exploiting political controversy and division. Why do we let them get away with it?

Whitney Houston, Chris Christie, And America’s Obsession With Celebrity Worship

An object lesson in celebrity worship from the State of New Jersey.

The GOP’s Increasingly Weird Delegate Math

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that anyone will have the race for the nomination wrapped up any time soon.

Breaking and Unbreaking News in Twitter Time

Within an hour last evening, I passed along and retracted two breaking news stories on Twitter.

Bad Journalism, Or A Reason Not To Have Private Conversations In Public?

Should journalists report things they happen to overhear in a public place?

Wikipedia To Go Dark Wednesday To Protest Online Piracy Bills

Wikipedia’s English language site will be offline for 24 hours tomorrow to protest two controversial online piracy bills.

Complaining About Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and other Constantly Changing Products

Henry Farrell thinks “The New Gmail Sucks” and doesn’t care who knows it.

(Not) Breaking News: People Who Work For The Government Look At The Internet

Apparently, people who work for the government are surfing the World Wide Web.

Associated Press Reporters Reprimanded For Using Twitter To Send Out Breaking News

The Associated Press is trying to fight Twitter rather than engage it.

Gary Johnson Files Complaints With FEC, FCC Over Debate Exclusion

Gary Johnson is right to be upset that he’s been excluded from debates, but he shouldn’t get the government involved.

The End Of America’s Political Parties?

Are America’s political parties become irrelevant?

Facebook v. Google+: Completely Unscientific Case Study

Google+ was supposed to be a Facebook killer. If their social media icons are any indication, it’s not happening.

Media Coverage of the Candidates

Rick Perry has gotten the most and best coverage thus far in the campaign. President Obama has gotten mostly negative coverage.

‘Gay’ Résumé Not Okay?

Listing affiliation with gay activist groups hinders one’s chances of landing a job interview.

Survey of Political Attitudes and Online Behaviors

A group of researchers at Texas Tech, The University of Texas, and Yale University are conducting an online survey investigating social media use and political attitudes and behaviors.

Occupy Wall Street Not Our Arab Awakening

A meme is emerging that the Occupy Wall Street protests are America’s version of the Arab Awakening. That meme must die.

Attackwatch: It’s Just Politics, Folks

The Obama campaign’s new “Attackwatch” site is the latest Outrage Of The Day

Digital Native Myth

The idea that students raised in the Information Age are therefore savvy about information is a dangerous but pervasive myth.

Academia Embraces Social Media

Contrary to myth, the college classroom is a rapidly evolving place.

The Rights of Englishmen

What’s a little thing like freedom of speech when there are shops being looted and burned?

Netflix Raising Prices 60 Percent

Netflix will charge $7.99 for streaming video; it’s now a $2 add-on.

Casey Anthony Trial Got More News Coverage Than GOP Candidates

The biggest news story of the past six weeks was something completely trivial.

Vancouver Riot Kiss Scott Jones and Alex Thomas by Rich Lam Vancouver Riot Kiss Scott Jones and Alex Thomas by Rich Lam

Does Privacy Still Exist?

When everyone can record video at any time and post it to for all the world to see, is there such a thing as privacy anymore?

Weiner Admits Messaging with 17-Year-Old Girl

Where’s the line when a public figure interacts with a teenage fan?

In Wake Of Weiner, Fewer Congressional Tweets

Perhaps understandably, the Anthony Weiner incident seems to have caused some politicians to rethink their Twitter strategy.

Writing for Free Doesn’t Pay Well

It’s hard to get paid for work others will do for nothing.

The Twitter Trap?

Has technology robbed us of more than it’s given in return?

Will Video Chat Take Off?

Video calling is becoming widely available. Will it become as common as talking on the phone?

How Perpetual War Became U.S. Ideology

Why the United States has found itself in a seemingly endless series of wars over the past two decades.

Twitter As Breaking News Source

Sunday’s announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden was the latest example of how Twitter has become the go-to source for “Breaking News.”

Information Overload Not New

While complaints that there’s too much information for intellectuals to sort through, much less read, are constant, they’re not new. Harvard historian Ann Blair argues in her new book Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information Before the Modern Age that this stress goes back at least to Seneca’s time.

New York Times Announces Paywall Rates To Begin March 28th

In less than two weeks, much of the content of The New York Times will go behind a paywall.

Anatomy of a Meme: How the P.J. Crowley Quote Went Viral

Philippa Thomas has a fascinating take on how she broke the news of (now former) State Department P.J. Crowley’s condemnation of the Obama administration’s treatment of Bradley Manning.

Facebook Underage Users

Facebook limits accounts to those who say that they are at least 13 years old. Shockingly, some kids lie to get on the popular social network.

Gmail Smart Labels

Gmail has introduced another feature to help people deal with inbox overload: Smart Labels.

Charlie Sheen Fired from ‘Two and a Half Men’

Charlie Sheen was the highest paid sitcom actor on the planet. Until a few minutes ago:

Facebook Comments and the Authenticity of Multiple Identities

The lines between our public and professional identities and our private and social ones continue to blur.

Andrew Sullivan Joins Daily Beast

While the prestige outlets of the halcyon days of the last millennium still hold some cachet for those of us old enough to remember that era, they mean next to nothing on the Web.

What Should The U.S. Do About Libya? Most Americans Say Nothing

Calls are coming from both sides of the aisle for the U.S. to do “something” about the situation in Libya. It would be better if we didn’t get involved.

Want A Job: Give Us Your Facebook Password

Should employers be allowed to ask for your Facebook login as a condition of employment?

Facebook Adds Gay Friendly Status Options

Facebook has come up with new settings to meet the needs of users in same-sex relationships.

Is Email Dead?

Is social media killing electronic mail?