We’ve all been there – it starts with a quick check of social media before bed, and suddenly, two hours have vanished into an endless stream of concerning headlines and updates. That familiar tension in your shoulders builds as you scroll through one troubling story after another.
In my recent article for The Conversation, I explore this modern phenomenon known as “doomscrolling” and offer practical strategies to break free from this cycle while staying meaningfully informed about world events.
Why This Matters
While staying informed helps us make better decisions and engage with our communities, research shows that endless consumption of negative news can seriously impact our mental health and sleep patterns. The key is finding balance – staying connected without letting it overwhelm us.
Key Takeaways for Healthier News Consumption:
Set clear boundaries around when and how you consume news
Choose trusted sources rather than letting algorithms decide
Pay attention to your physical and emotional responses
Consider implementing a “digital sunset” – a cutoff time before bed
Focus on in-depth articles rather than endless scrolling
Look for solution-focused stories that highlight positive change
Taking Action
Breaking the doomscrolling habit doesn’t mean disconnecting completely. It’s about being intentional with how we engage with news and information. The article provides practical tools and strategies to help you develop healthier digital habits while staying informed about things that matter.
Want to learn more about creating a balanced approach to news consumption? Read the full article where I dive deeper into specific strategies and tools you can start using today.
Remember: Staying informed doesn’t mean staying constantly connected. Your well-being matters, too.
Read the full article to discover more strategies for mindful news consumption.
As news feeds fill with reports about Trump’s return to office, I want to focus on something fundamentally changing: how information flows through our digital ecosystem.
The Regulatory Shift:
Meta’s recent abandonment of third-party fact-checkers favouring a community-based system (similar to X’s approach) marks a dramatic shift in how content is moderated. This isn’t just a policy change – it’s a complete rewrite of how information is verified and distributed online.
Key Developments I’m Tracking:
1. Platform Evolution 📱
Meta’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) are reintroducing political content into recommendations
Social media companies are rapidly segregating into distinct ideological spheres
Content moderation policies are being dramatically relaxed
2. Corporate Realignment 🔄
Tech giants are actively repositioning their communication strategies
$1M donations from major platforms to Trump’s inauguration signal this shift
Moving trust and safety teams (like Meta’s) from California to Texas indicates a philosophical pivot
3. Information Flow Changes 📢
The dismantling of traditional fact-checking infrastructure
Shift toward community-based moderation systems
Increased emphasis on “free speech” over content regulation
The Bigger Picture:
This isn’t just about politics – it’s about a fundamental restructuring of how digital information is created, verified, and distributed. We’re seeing the emergence of a new communication landscape where traditional gatekeepers are being replaced by community-driven systems.
What This Means for Professionals:
If you’re in communications, marketing, or any field that relies on digital platforms, these changes will affect how you reach and engage with audiences. The rules of engagement are being rewritten.
Critical Questions:
How will these changes affect brand communication strategies?
What role will AI play in this new information ecosystem?
How can businesses navigate increasingly polarized digital spaces?
The Tech-Media Convergence:
Watch the $100B Stargate venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and others. This isn’t just about infrastructure – it’s about who controls the pipes through which information flows.
Looking Forward:
The next few years will likely see more dramatic shifts in how we communicate online. The combination of relaxed regulations, new AI capabilities, and platform reorganization suggests we’re entering uncharted territory in digital communication.
Your Thoughts?
How are you preparing for these changes in your communication strategy? Are you seeing impacts already in your industry?
Data privacy is becoming increasingly important for professionals in today’s AI-powered world. From video calls to documents stored online, the digital footprint we leave behind is increasingly at risk of being used as training data for artificial intelligence systems. Recent changes in terms of service agreements highlight how tech companies are evolving their policies to capitalise on this data. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening and what it means for your privacy and professional life.
Why Your Data Matters in AI Training
AI relies on vast amounts of data to learn and make decisions. Data isn’t just a byproduct for companies developing AI; it’s the main ingredient. This demand for training data has led many tech firms to revise their terms of service, allowing them more freedom to use user data. Recent examples, such as Zoom, Instacart, and The New York Times, demonstrate a clear trend: tech companies are trying to secure broader rights to user information, often without fully transparent communication.
The Fine Print: Legalised Data Mining
Many of these terms-of-service updates are written in dense legal language that hides the extent of data collection and usage. For instance, Microsoft and Amazon have recently amended their policies. Microsoft clarified that while it may use some customer data for AI training, it will exclude data from enterprise-focused tools like Microsoft 365. Meanwhile, Amazon specifies that it will avoid using “personal data” but may still leverage “user content” to improve AI tools. These distinctions, however, are often lost on users, especially in documents that are difficult to parse.
Why This Affects You
For professionals, particularly those in data-sensitive fields, this could directly threaten confidentiality and client trust. Imagine discussing a business strategy on Zoom, only to realise later that portions of that meeting data might be repurposed to enhance an AI model. This isn’t hypothetical: a recent survey showed that over three-quarters of respondents felt less trustful of Zoom after learning it could use meeting content in this way.
Furthermore, while large corporations might have the leverage to negotiate terms with service providers, smaller businesses and individual users have less luxury. For many, the choice boils down to either agreeing to these terms or foregoing essential services entirely—a scenario that leaves us all vulnerable to what some experts call “consent coercion.”
The Bigger Picture: Lack of Regulation
Despite the demand for data transparency, there’s little regulatory oversight to address these practices. The absence of a unified federal privacy law means companies can effectively shape their policies with limited consequences. While the EU is forging ahead with its AI Act, the U.S. has yet to put similar protections in place. This leaves professionals and businesses largely on their own to interpret and protect against evolving AI data practices.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Privacy
Scrutinise Terms of Service: Whenever you subscribe to a service, don’t skip the fine print. Look for language around data usage, and check if the service allows you to opt out of certain types of data collection.
Minimise Data Sharing: Be selective about what data you share online, especially in work-related settings. Where possible, avoid sharing sensitive information on platforms known to use data for AI training.
Stay Updated on Policy Changes: Tech companies often change their terms without much fanfare. Make it a habit to review updates to terms of service, especially for tools you frequently use in a professional setting.
Support Regulatory Action: Advocate for data privacy legislation that protects consumers and businesses alike. The more pressure we apply, the more likely it is that meaningful regulatory measures will follow.
Moving Forward
As AI technology continues to evolve, so will the policies around its data needs. While we can’t control these shifts entirely, understanding them empowers us to make better decisions and protect our own, and our clients’, digital privacy. Keeping an eye on these developments, advocating for clearer laws, and making thoughtful choices about our digital tools will be key to navigating this AI-powered landscape with confidence
As a media and communications academic, I find myself at a fascinating crossroads between traditional media education and the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven content creation. The question isn’t whether AI will transform media industries—it’s already happening—but how we can best prepare our students for this new reality while preserving the fundamental skills that make great communicators.
The Changing Media Landscape
The media industry has always been dynamic, but the introduction of generative AI represents a paradigm shift unlike anything we’ve seen since the rise of social media. Today’s students will enter a workforce where AI can generate articles, create images, edit videos, and produce basic broadcasts. However, this technological revolution doesn’t spell the end of human creativity—rather, it demands a new kind of media professional.
Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s Media Professionals
1. AI Technical Fluency
Students must develop a deep understanding of AI tools as users and critical evaluators. Traditional literacy is not enough, they need to be fluent and:
– Understand the capabilities and limitations of different AI systems
– Learn to prompt effectively and iterate with AI tools
– Recognise AI-generated content and its markers
– Evaluate the ethical implications of AI usage in media
2. Enhanced Critical Thinking
The abundance of AI-generated content makes critical thinking more crucial than ever. Students must become experts at:
– Fact-checking and verification
– Understanding context and nuance
– Identifying bias in both human and AI-generated content
– Making ethical decisions about AI implementation
3. Human-Centric Skills
As AI handles more routine tasks, distinctly human capabilities become more valuable:
– Emotional intelligence and empathy
– Complex storytelling and narrative development
– Cultural sensitivity and awareness
– Strategic thinking and creative problem-solving
– Interpersonal communication and relationship building
Reshaping the Curriculum
To address these needs, media and communications programs must evolve. Here’s how I’m approaching this challenge in my teaching:
Integration of AI Tools
Rather than banning AI tools, I encourage their thoughtful use in appropriate contexts. Students learn to:
– Use AI as a brainstorming partner
– Leverage AI for initial research and content organisation
– Experiment with AI-assisted content creation
– Develop workflows that combine human creativity with AI efficiency
Focus on Higher-Order Skills
While AI can generate basic content, it cannot replace human judgment and creativity. Our coursework emphasises:
– Strategic communication planning
– Advanced storytelling techniques
– Ethical decision-making
– Cross-cultural communication
– Leadership and project management
Real-World Applications
Students need hands-on experience with AI in media contexts. This includes:
– Collaborative projects using AI tools
– Case studies of successful AI implementation in media
– Discussions with industry professionals about AI integration
– Ethical considerations in real-world scenarios
The Future of Media Education
As we prepare students for media and communications careers, we must balance embracing technological innovation and preserving the human elements that make communication powerful. The goal isn’t to compete with AI but to work alongside it effectively.
Key Considerations for Educators
1. Stay current with AI developments and their impact on media industries
2. Maintain strong connections with industry professionals to understand evolving needs
3. Regularly update curriculum to reflect technological changes
4. Foster ethical discussions about AI use in media
5. Encourage experimentation while maintaining academic rigour
Conclusion
The future of media and communications education lies not in resisting AI but in embracing it as a powerful tool while developing the uniquely human skills that will always be essential to effective communication. Our role as educators is to prepare students for the industry as it exists today and for the rapidly evolving landscape they’ll enter tomorrow.
By combining traditional communication fundamentals with AI literacy and enhanced critical thinking skills, we can ensure our graduates are well-equipped to lead the next generation of media professionals in an AI-augmented industry. The key is to view AI not as a replacement for human creativity and judgment but as a powerful tool that can enhance and amplify human capabilities in the media landscape.
The recent event at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity “Women in Sport: New League Boom” has highlighted the significant growth and potential of women’s sports, both in terms of participation and commercial opportunities.
Emerging Leagues
Investment in emerging leagues is driving women’s sports to new heights. The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), League One Volleyball, and Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) are just a few examples of the new leagues that are focusing on brand partnerships and expanding access to sports. It’s a great time for our Aussie sportswomen to shine on the global stage.
The women’s sports industry is predicted to break the $1 billion barrier for the first time in total revenue this year, a 300% increase from 2021. The main driver of cash coming into women’s sports is commercial sponsorships, followed by media rights and matchday revenues.
The upcoming Paris Games this summer will have an equal number of men and women athletes for the first time in Olympic history. NBC, which has exclusive rights to air the games, has already sold more than $1.2 billion in advertising around the games.
Music and Sports
In an exciting crossover between music and sports, LSU women’s basketball star Flau’jae Johnson, who also doubles as a performing artist, is set to release a collaboration with Lil Wayne.
The growth and investment in women’s sports is a testament to the hard yakka and dedication of countless athletes, coaches, and administrators. It’s a ripper time to be a fan of women’s sports, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let’s celebrate the unstoppable rise of women’s sports together!
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