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Last week, LinkedIn announced a new process for blocking unwanted messages on its InMail platform. Targeting harassing messages has become a big concern for LinkedIn officials in recent years.
Even with this new initiative, it’s frustrating to hear that some professionals (particularly women) are dealing with this kind of behavior, of all places, on LinkedIn. We used to liken LinkedIn to other social media platforms by calling it the “Facebook for professionals.” While this was true in the early days, the platform has morphed into much more, including the ability to research, build your skill set (LinkedIn Learning) and connect directly with other like-minded professionals (InMail). InMail works similar to Facebook’s Messenger and other platforms with services that allow users to send messages, share files and do most of the same things we can do with traditional email. For LinkedIn users, this service is particularly useful for connecting job seekers and employers, but it’s also an important tool for building our professional networks — not just social networks. Unfortunately, just like other social platforms, some users harass others on LinkedIn’s public feed. Unlike InMail, there’s a way to combat the public harassment. Because of the businesslike culture of the platform, posts that sink below civilized debate often violate LinkedIn’s unwritten social norms. Read more at https://www.vindy.com/life/lifestyles/2020/08/how-linkedin-stops-inmail-harassment/ (may encounter paywall). As a father of four, I’m fond of saying my kids were born with screens in their hands.
I know that sounds awful. We’re really not absent-minded, hands-off parents. We limit screen time and tech access. We set age limits on smartphone use, video games and content from streaming services. Of course, as most parents will tell you, these rules have become increasingly difficult to enforce as the pandemic in the U.S. persists. Still, even before the pandemic, parents were struggling to find a “too much” and “too little” (or no) balance. So, has technology really made it harder to parent? According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, two-thirds of parents in the U.S. with at least one child younger than 18, but who may also have an adult child, say parenting is harder today than it was 20 years ago because of technology. I don’t have adult children, but I remember what it was like to be parented by a mom and dad who didn’t have to worry about who we were chatting with online and what apps we were downloading to our phones. Read more at https://www.vindy.com/life/lifestyles/2020/08/parenting-is-harder-now-because-of-tech/ (may encounter paywall). Thanks to the pandemic, we’re neck deep in video conferences.
Conducting meetings with nothing more than platforms like Zoom or WebEx seemed like a foreign concept just six months ago. Now it’s a necessity. “We got good at this fast,” I said to a colleague last week, referencing how quickly people adapted to meeting via video. “Now we’re getting lazy,” I lamented. I was referring to meetings I recently attended during which everyone had their cameras off. Even the host opted for audio-only, using his microphone to conduct the meeting. Except for my camera, of course. My camera was on. Perplexed and frustrated, I asked my colleague (rhetorically), “I understand why people are muting their microphones, but what’s the point of having a video conference if no one is actually going to use video?” Read more at https://www.vindy.com/life/lifestyles/2020/08/tips-for-getting-the-best-video-conference/ (may encounter paywall). Instagram just made it easier to start your own personal fundraising campaign.
If you’re the philanthropic type with a cause or passion project, or if you’re just raising money for personal needs, Instagram’s platform is the newest entry into the world of social media fundraising. It’s a busy time for online fundraising. According to a recent post on Instagram’s Newsroom, users have raised more than $65 million for COVID-19 and racial justice fundraisers globally on their platform and Facebook (Instagram’s parent company). In fact, from late-June to mid-July, donations on Instagram doubled in the U.S. “From people raising money to buy medical equipment for Black Lives Matter protesters, rebuilding black-owned small businesses affected by COVID-19 and funding educational resources related to racial justice, people are eager to mobilize around causes they care about,” Instagram noted in its Newsroom post. Read more at https://www.vindy.com/life/lifestyles/2020/08/instagram-introduces-online-donation-platform/ (may encounter paywall). |
AuthorDr. Adam C. Earnheardt is professor of communication studies the department of communication at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, OH, USA where he also directs the graduate program in professional communication. He researches and writes about communication and relationships, parenting and sports. He writes a weekly column for The Vindicator and Tribune-Chronicle newspapers on social media and society. CategoriesArchives
February 2021
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