Researchers who used AI to analyze keywords on Twitter say people were more resilient than anticipated
Researchers who analyzed language related to depression on social media during the pandemic say the data suggest people learned to cope as the waves wore on. University of Alberta researcher Alona Fyshe and her collaborators at the University of Western Ontario hypothesized that depression-related language would spike during each wave of COVID-19. But their study shows…
The federal government is on the verge of further empowering the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as our regulator of Internet content, including as it pertains to streaming companies. To really appreciate the all-encompassing grasp of Canada’s soon-to-be online regulator, look no further than its history of managing religion and pornography. It all goes…
There’s actually a striking amount of broad-based consensus around energy
A new artificial-intelligence-powered social media tool is showing that Canadians aren’t as polarized about energy policy and transition as we might imagine. Developed by University of Alberta engineering professor Lianne Lefsrud and an interdisciplinary team of researchers, Ai4Buzz uses targeted keywords to harvest, aggregate and examine Twitter conversations about energy and energy policies. Organized by category into a series…
While the amount of information available is astounding, it is usually hard to find the answers
When I was a kid, we didn’t have cellphones, the internet or even computers. Facebook, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram or myriad other social media platforms didn’t exist. Add to that the many apps that are available to help us learn bird songs or identify everything from plants, mammals and insects to mushrooms, and we…
But what happens when disinformation campaigns run headlong into reality?
I’m not a fan of making predictions because there are usually way too many variables at play. Trying to guess the price of oil leaves me speechless despite the pathetically large number of hours I spend trying to understand the market. Yet, given the way 2022 is unfolding, I offer the following predictions as more…
Celebrating the small wins in life will make you happy in no time
There will always be conversations within our minds that dictate our words and actions and how we perceive the world. The things we tell ourselves have the power to raise us to the greatest heights or plummet us to the deepest depths. It can be argued that there’s nothing so telling regarding our success as…
Instead of embracing its liberating capabilities, the government is opting for woke conformity
Who should police the internet? The big tech platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – or is this a role for government? Our right to free expression on the internet is being challenged by both the tech platforms and governments that want to control not only activities that are already illegal, but any news…
Last week’s Troy Media column asked: “Can Elon Musk’s bid for Twitter succeed?” We now have an answer: Yes, it can. On Monday afternoon, it was announced that Musk will buy Twitter for US$44 billion. Investors will receive US$54.20 for each share, which is 38 per cent higher than the publicly-traded company’s share value close…
Purchasing Twitter is a huge risk for Musk’s net worth and investments
A meme that’s been popular on social media for several years features two photos posted side-by-side. One is labelled “How it started” and the other has “How it’s going.” This meme has typically been used for light-hearted posts about relationships, marriages, children and so forth. It could be used for other purposes – maybe a…
Having trouble spotting trends in endless spreadsheets? Visual analytic tools can help
With its vast volumes, big data is useless without the analytic and presentation functionality of visual analytical tools. Think how difficult it is to spot anomalies or trends in endless rows of spreadsheet data. Visual analytic tools solve that overload problem. Big data is an in-vogue topic in the information technology world. Many executives see…
Researchers who analyzed language related to depression on social media during the pandemic say the data suggest people learned to cope as the waves wore on. University of Alberta researcher Alona Fyshe and her collaborators at the University of Western Ontario hypothesized that depression-related language would spike during each wave of COVID-19. But their study shows…
