Selfie Reflective

Ben Nimmo studies online disinformation and is the Director of Investigations at social media analytics firm, Graphika ~

When it comes to our online space, the word disinformation features in popular vernacular a lot these days, and for very good reason: the spread of disinformation has the potential to meddle in our financial, psychological, educational and political spheres to name but a few.

As one person scrolling through an internet of endless information, it can feel impossible to discern between what's true, what's farce and what's deliberate deception - so it's wonderful to know that there are people out there who focus on ceasing the spread of disinformation by identifying red flags, investigating motivations and, ideally, locating and removing the sources.

Today's guest is Ben Nimmo, who studies disinformation for a living. He specialises in studying large-scale information operations across multiple platforms, and has helped to expose operations from Russia, China, Iran and the international far right, and election interference in the US, France, Germany and UK, among others. He is director of investigations at Graphika, a New York-based social media analytics firm. Ben is also a former scuba diving instructor, travel writer, journalist and NATO press officer, and as we'll learn, these are all applicable skills to his current role.

Today, Ben talks us through the scale and sophistication of online disinformation and specific cases he's worked on. He shares his thoughts on regulation, the impact of disinformation on our culture and even explains how you and I, as everyday scrollers, could be disinformation identifiers ourselves.

He also describes a scenario where his own very existence was the target of a disinformation campaign - a weird experience to say the least..!

Topics include: the difference between disinformation and misinformation, regulation, how to counter the spread, ways to stay astute online and more.

Shownotes:

Keep up to date with Ben's fascinating, intriguing and sometimes ridiculous disinformation pursuits by following him on Twitter

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Madeleine Chapman is the author of two books and a former senior writer at The Spinoff, New Zealand. ~

Whenever something controversial, scandalous or provocative happens online, I'm as guilty of anyone of grabbing the popcorn and heading straight for the comments. But in the back of my mind, when reading and making assessments of the situation based on the opinions, biases and twisted thoughts of total strangers, I always fear in the back in the mind that one day the target in a comments section - will be me.

In this episode we are joined by Madeleine Chapman, a former Spinoff senior writer at The Spinoff and author of not one, but TWO BOOKS. From ranking New Zealand dairy lollies to reminding people that reverse racism has never been a thing, Mad is no stranger when it comes to being the cause of debate - nor is she a stranger to being the target of a bunch of angry, outraged and loaded comments, sometimes at the expense of her character.

While you'd be forgiven for thinking that being exposed to this type of stuff comes with a huge mental toll, this conversation is incredibly refreshing. Mad is someone who does not let the comments define her writing decisions, nor her self esteem. But, like, HOW, I hear you ask? Hit play, people!

For anyone who publishes or plans to publish online, this discussion is a fantastic resource for thinking about ways to disassociate yourself from the comments, and getting motivated to write what you really want to write.

Topics include: overcoming 'hate' in the comments, the Martin Devlin incident, regulation, and unfair chip rankings.

Show notes:

Get yourself a copy of Madeleine's latest book - Jacinda Ardern: A New Kind of Leader - from your local bookstore (just in time for Mother's Day..). Stores aren't currently open, so here are a few links:

• Whitcoull's
• Mighty Ape
• Book Depository

Tweet your thoughts @SelfieReflect

Check out the shiny new WEBSITE!

And here's the link to Mad's favourite piece of writing on The Spinoff.

Today's special release features three guests; Netsafe CEO Martin Cocker, Fraud Education Manager Bronwyn Groot and Instagram user Molly Jobe. ~

A few weeks ago I was targeted for a scam. Over two weeks, I investigated this scam and published my findings in an article which you can read about here. The scam set-up was in the form of an 'Instagram collaboration', which influencers had to pay for up front in order to be a part of (spoiler alert - they never paid anyone for the collaboration in return). As I dug deeper into the 'company' that approached me, it all started unravelling very quickly - but on the surface, it really did seem so convincing - and this process got me thinking about the reality behind scams.

Who are the scammers? How much money are they making? Who are they targeting? what are the challenges for those trying to catch them? And what are the personal repercussions for those who are implicated by them?

In today's special episode, we are graced by the presence of three guests.

First, we'll hear from Molly Jobe, a woman from Ohio who was implicated in the scam that I investigated. Molly shares more of her story on the show.

Second, we chat to Martin Cocker, the CEO of Netsafe, an organisation that focusses on online safety. Martin talks us through some of the logistical and technical issues surrounding scams.

And our third guest is Bronwyn Groot, the Fraud Education Manager at the Commission for Financial Capability. Bronwyn's role is to provide information to the public on frauds and scams, like the red flags, how to protect yourself and, for those who have been scammed, options for recovery. Today, Bronwyn talks to us about the hugely distressing mental and emotional effects for those who have to live with the reality of being the victim of a scam.

There is so much in this episode and, with the globe spending more time on the internet, the content is a timely reminder to employ a lens of educated scepticism when engaging with strangers, unsolicited deals and unmissable opportunities online.

Show notes and resources:

- Visit netsafe.org.nz for useful resources around online safety or call 0508 638 723 seven days for expert incident advice. You can also follow @NetsafeNZ across social media for the latest tips and alerts.

- For info and resources to help protect yourself from scams and fraud, visit cffc.govt.nz

Whether on social media or via email, how many times have you been presented with unsolicited communications from odd individuals, dodgy businesses or actual scam artists? If you're anything like me, the answer is a few more than you'd care to count. Unless the content is coincidentally relevant to our own lives, we normally don't hesitate to ignore, erase, mark as junk, delete or block communications from the sender to avoid it happening again - but when an email landed in my inbox on March 10th, the content and 'opportunity' it contained struck a chord.

I was being asked to collaborate on Instagram content, and the company were paying $100 USD per post. This offer reminded me of a past-life that I'd since been working to unpack, explore and make sense of, so although receiving the email was humorous, it was also personal. I decided to dig a little deeper - and this is the crazy, winding result.

After you listen, check out the Brand New Selfie Reflective Website!

Sarah Frier is the social media reporter at Bloomberg and author of the newly released book, No Filter ~

As the end user, we have no choice but to work with whatever changes occur on social media platforms like Instagram. But what, or who, is behind the business and design decisions that impact our experience? And how do these decisions affect our behaviour not just online - but offline as well?

In this episode we speak with Sarah Frier, social media reporter at Bloomberg and author of the newly released book, No Filter - The Inside Story of Instagram. Sarah lets us pick her brain about influencers, the sometimes rigged system behind Insta-success and how celebrities like Taylor Swift hold unrivalled sway when it comes to decisions at Instagram HQ.

Topics include: celebrity culture, influencers, people as brands, what happened after Facebook acquired Instagram, the near-future of the platform and more.

Shownotes:

Find out more about Sarah's incredible book, No Filter! And check her out on Instagram and Twitter.

After you've listened:

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Christy Harrison is an intuitive eating counsellor, anti-diet dietician and author of the book, Anti-Diet. ~

Have you ever liked a photo of someone who underwent a huge weight transition? Have you ever told a friend they look amazing after losing 10 pounds? Have you ever thought that your life, your potential would look better - if only you could stick to that exercise regime? My friend, like me, you may have grown up around diet-culture. ~

Today's guest is Christy Harrison, an intuitive eating counsellor, anti-diet dietician and author of the book, Anti-Diet. Christy also hosts the Food Psych podcast, which explores people's relationships with food and their bodies, and is one of iTunes' top 100 health podcasts. Today, Christy talks us through the oppressive roots of diet culture, 'wellness' on social media and the fat acceptance movement.

Christy is incredibly generous with her knowledge, and this is one of the richest conversations to date.

Topics include: diet culture, weight stigma, 'wellness', fat acceptance, media representation, health at every size and more.

Shownotes -

You'll find Christy on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can also listen to her amazing podcast on iTunes and check out her courses here.

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Max Stossel is a Poet and Head of Education at The Center for Humane Technology ~

Scrolling, refreshing, clicking and liking has never been more irresistible. Aside from the fact that media outlets, journalists, influencers, friends and family all exist on the same online platforms, with algorithms that are geared towards fixating our attention, it's a wonder we can pull ourselves off social media at all. ~

Today we talk to Max Stossel, award-winning poet, filmmaker and speaker who was named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year. ~

Max is also the Head of Education for the Center for Humane Technology, an organisation of former tech insiders and CEO's dedicated to realigning technology with humanity's best interests. Before joining CHT, Max was a media strategist with an extensive background in social, spending more time learning the ins and outs of the Facebook algorithm than any human should. Today, he provides much needed creative and engaging perspective on the role of technology in our society. ~

Topics covered include: creator and publisher responsibility, kids online, reciprocity, breaking up in the digital age and more.

Shownotes:

More on Max: www.wordsthatmove.com

More on the Center for Humane Technology: www.humanetech.com

To help Max bring his show to New Zealand, shoot an email to [email protected]

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Online, the issue of privacy doesn't matter unless you have something to hide, right? If you've been listening to this podcast since day one, your answer is likely sort of yes - but also a very big no. We're all aware that platforms like Google and Facebook are collecting every scrap of data about us online, and that companies like Nike or even our local hypnotherapist can buy access to the insights that these behaviour and preferences allow. What they do with these insights can be as benign as generating a click or persuading a sale - or as powerful as swaying an entire presidential election. Privacy isn't just a matter of do we have something to hide - it's about knowing what we are giving away and how this is making us targets for mandates that have real world consequences. The big question is - should we be taking this issue of privacy more seriously, not just for ourselves - but for the kids? AJ Rice is the founder and CEO of Privo mobile, a company that designs dumb-phones. Although these internet-less phones were created with kids in mind, with a modern user experience and interface that works just like a smartphone, after you hear this episode - you might be running for one, too..

Topics covered include: dumb-phones, kids and social media, privacy, data protection, Facebook shadow profiling and more.

To find out more about Privo mobile, click here (https://bit.ly/2xg0i01). The phone is set to launch later this year - sign up the mailing list to stay updated.

After you've listened to this episode:

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Dr Crysal Abidin is a sociocultural anthropologist who studies internet cultures ~

As with more traditional forms of celebrity, we can't help but wonder what it would be like to have a taste of social media fame. But what are the consequences for someone who eventually rejects the demands of online fame in a very public way? And what responsibility do journalists and media outlets have for those who has had no agency when it comes to their online presence? Yes, we're talking about the kids.

In this episode, we converse with Dr Crystal Abidin about her research on young people's relationship with internet celebrity, self curation and vulnerability, and extends to childhood fame online.

Topics covered in this episode include: the progression of influencer culture, the pros and cons of accessibility online, Essena O'Neill and influencer wellbeing, childhood fame, media responsibility and more.

Shownotes:

You can find out more about Dr Crystal by visiting her website.

Dr Crystal's books include Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online (2018), Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to Cultures of Internet Fame (co-editor Brown, 2018), Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures (co-authors Leaver & Highfield, 2020), and Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media (co-editors Warfield & Cambre 2020). You can find these publications here.

After you've listened to the show:

• Leave an Apple podcast rating and review (very appreciated, thank you!)
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Amy Giddon is the co-founder and CEO of the empathy-driven Daily Haloha app ~

After scrolling through your social media feeds, are you left feeling more connected? Understood? Understanding? Joyful? Or does the experience often leave you feeling more disconnected? Polarised? Confused? Divided, even?

In this episode, we talk with Amy Giddon, co-founder and CEO of Daily Haloha - an application that aims to rekindle a sense of shared humanity and empathy through anonymity and curiosity.

Topics include: empathy, feedback, anonymity, personal brands, young people on social media and more.

Shownotes:

Download the (free) Daily Haloha Application to test whether the experience rekindles a sense of shared humanity in you! Don't hesitate to contact the Daily Haloha team with any feedback or ideas for improvement.

After you've listened:

• Leave an Apple podcast rating and review (very appreciated, thank you!)
• Email through any thoughts on this episode by contacting Lucy direct: [email protected]
• Sign up to the mailing list (sent monthly, due soon, best option 💌)
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