Tag: the conversation
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AI (so-called) is made possible by a hyper-exploited human workforce
These workers are the lifeblood of the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) industry. Without them, products such as ChatGPT simply would not exist. That’s because the data they label helps AI systems “learn”. Self-driving cars, for example, rely on labelled video footage to distinguish pedestrians from road signs. Large language models such as ChatGPT rely on…
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Why is free time still so elusive?
Many economists see the status quo mostly as a choice: People would simply rather have more money. So they prioritize work over free time. However, in the past, many economists assumed that people’s need for more stuff would eventually be met. At that point, they would choose more free time.
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‘It is hijacking my brain’ – How to Help People Addicted to Social Media to Cut the Craving
Problematic social media addiction is associated with a host of negative effects including moodiness, anxiety and an excessive amount of time and energy spent on or thinking about social media. People with clinical social media addiction levels experience those same effects but to a great degree, with their habit patterns around social media resembling that…
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Women in South Africa’s Armed Struggle: new book records their stories
In her book Guerrillas and Combative Mothers, political and international studies academic Siphokazi Magadla uses life history interviews to offer firsthand insights into women’s participation in the armed struggle against apartheid in South Africa from 1961 until 1994. She also examines the texture of their lives in the new South Africa after demobilisation. Magadla interviewed…
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Why protest if it doesn’t make a difference?
Written by David J. Bailey of the University of Birmingham, published by the conversation.com on March 2nd, 2024, CC BY-ND 4.0 The current global wave of protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza has included mass demonstrations, street blockades, and efforts to disrupt arms manufacturing. This continues a decade-long trend of rising protest around the…
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100 years of radio in Africa: from propaganda to people’s power
Sisanda Nkoala, University of the Western Cape; Christina Chan-Meetoo, University of Mauritius; Jacinta Mwende Maweu, University of Nairobi; Marissa J. Moorman, Indiana University; Modestus Fosu, Ghana Institute of Journalism, and Stanley Tsarwe, University of Namibia for The Conversation, CC BY-ND 3.0 Radio is thriving across Africa. Exact figures are difficult to come by because audience…
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Human Migration is Ecologically Healthy
Can the movement of people (including those displaced by climate change) aid sustainable solutions to environmental problems? Our research suggests that it can. Migration is good for society in circumstances when it reduces inequality, enhances overall wellbeing, and does not place greater environmental burdens on the regions where people move to or from.
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Collective Action is the Only Answer to a Global Garment Industry Driven by Debt, Wage Theft and Coercion
Cases like the labour abuse in Mauritius are conspicuous and show new connections between modern slavery and migration. But these cases are enabled by centuries of colonial and neo-colonial organisation of production that has involved unacceptable forms of worker exploitation. The analysis of the disputes in our study clearly suggests that social justice is only…
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Exposure to stories on war, hate, and violence can cause anxiety and depression in children – here’s how to discuss bad news with them
“There’s been a shooting in Maine.” “There’s been a hurricane in Mexico.” “There’s been a terrorist attack in Israel and now there’s a war, and that’s really hard, but I want to talk to you about it. Tell me what you’ve heard about it.” Allow them to have that ability to tell you what they’ve…
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The Need for Animal Architecture
There’s hardly any part of the human-built environment that can’t be inhabited or changed by insects, animals and birds. It’s easy enough to understand how this works in relation to animals that are classed as pets. It’s generally taken for granted that pet owners know how to care for their animals. But it’s much harder…
