Friday Five: Everything in Moderation Edition

Even though - alas - I didn't just get paid, it's Friday Five!!! (Early 90's jams then, now, and always.)

1. Moderation, Censorship, and Free Speech

Pour yourself a nice warm beverage, settle in, and read this wonderful article by Catherine Buni and Soraya Chemaly on The Verge about the complex art of online moderation. It's a fascinating deep dive into the shifting sands and conflicts between free speech, harassment, and censorship, and the toll it can take on the people doing the moderating. A must read for anyone who does social media management.

2. Imperial Ambitions

As a birthday gift for the past few years, my lovely finance has spoiled me with a subscription to The Economist. (Mainly because there's nothing better than saying to some insufferable know-it-all, "Why yes, I have heard that the Panamanian government is facing some serious opposition." So what if I only know about it because I read a two sentence blurb about it?!?) I thought this week's cover story about Facebook and its pivot toward machine learning was really interesting, particularly since I just heard a lecture by John Markoff of the New York Times about this very issue.

3. Medium Makes a Move

Several digital publications are moving to being hosted fully on Medium, and I am very interested to see how it all plays out. I think this could be a really great tool for colleges that are looking for a home for specialized publications like alumni magazines but don't have the capacity to build a whole micro-site for them. 

4. Insta-grim

People working in social media are sometimes a bit thin-skinned when it comes to criticism about the platforms they are so reliant on, but I thought this article by Mary Pilon on Backchannel about how Instagram has changed the way we live moments in the present was fair and fascinating. These issues are very prevalent on college campuses, and I'm reminded of something one of the dorms did when I was working at UP - a full social media blackout on a weekend night, where all the residents hung out together and played games and talked and left the digital world behind for one night.

5. Lion King Cam

Stop everything and watch this (very short!) Lion King cam video taken at a Denver Nuggets game earlier this week, because it's the best thing you're going to see all week. Seriously, if you work at a school that has a jumbotron at any of its athletic events, MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!

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EARLY 90'S JAMZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!