In Indonesia, a new way to take back social media from extremists
By Yonat Shimron — November 15, 2016
JAKARTA, Indonesia (RNS) How can the world’s third-largest democracy bridge its diversity challenges? At a hackathon this summer, a group of Indonesians came up with an idea.
Facebook founder meets the pope. Friendly, if not yet ‘friends’
By Josephine McKenna — August 29, 2016
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social media giant, said he and the pontiff discussed social justice. Whether Francis will join Facebook is another question.
A pastor’s mobile ministry to Silicon Valley’s underbelly
By Yonat Shimron — August 10, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (RNS) Like a prophet crying out in the wilderness, Wagers is dogged in his pursuit of justice for the homeless.
Ten reasons Facebook died for me last Friday
By David P. Gushee — July 13, 2016
Write me a letter by longhand. Commission a carrier pigeon.
Online, Muslim women face threats from both Islamophobes and reformers
By Aysha Khan — June 28, 2016
(RNS) Muslim women have created a vibrant space for themselves online. But increasingly, many groups — from Islamophobes to conservative Muslims to feminists — are using social media’s lack of accountability to attack them.
The Gospel Coalition and how (not) to engage culture
By Jonathan Merritt — June 6, 2016
The ministry blocks dissenters and ignores journalists who might ask difficult questions. This is not engaging culture, but evading culture.
Why do we pick-and-choose our religious beliefs? Blame social media
By Tobin Grant — May 16, 2016
We now pick the emojis that go with our beliefs.
New Jersey school board member quits over anti-Muslim comments
By RNS staff — April 23, 2016
"Go back to your own country; America needs to get rid of people like you," wrote the school board member, according to CAIR.
Passover candy: Good or evil?
By Lauren Markoe — April 21, 2016
(RNS) Those fruit slices with no fruit in them inspire a surprising amount of emotion.
A mobile minaret is mightier than the sword (COMMENTARY)
By Laleh Bakhtiar — February 26, 2016
(RNS) How do we keep Muslim youth from the extremists? We need imams and scholars to teach Quranic critical thinking on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
West gathers digital arsenal against Islamic State — to what effect?
By Julie Poucher Harbin — February 10, 2016
(RNS) ISIS may be the first terrorist group to use the Internet to mobilize and recruit young people. Can taking down online accounts help win the war?
To silence propaganda, Iraq seeks to take Islamic State offline
By Reuters — February 4, 2016
Iraq is trying to deal a blow to the group's potent propaganda machine which relies heavily on social media to inspire its followers to wage jihad.
To fight ISIS, West Point cadets secretly build Facebook page
By Lauren Markoe — February 3, 2016
(RNS) Future Army officers anonymously use social media to coax the vulnerable away from extremists.
White House to talk terrorism with Apple, Facebook
By Elizabeth Weise — January 8, 2016
SAN FRANCISCO — Obama administration officials are scheduled to meet with major tech executives to discuss terror organizations’ growing exploitation of the Internet for recruitment and planning, and how firms can help federal law enforcement.
Starbucks’ red cups, and the Internet outrage machine (COMMENTARY)
By Laura Turner — November 9, 2015
(RNS) The latest missives in the culture wars have come from different sides of Christianity over, of all things, the new design of the Starbucks red cup.
