Every two weeks, Vanguard distills hundreds of digital media headlines into the best “byte”- sized pieces of useful information. Each edition has news ranging from the latest Facebook algorithm changes to best practices for email marketing. Share Digital Bytes with your organization to keep your digital strategies ahead of the pack.

Digital Bytes

When technology outpaces regulation and education, a vacuum can exist for misunderstanding and exploitation. Enter: Fake News. Cognitive dissonance and political issues aside, an interesting conundrum in the era of Fake News is how to train audiences to spot it online. This week, BuzzFeed and Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele released a PSA of former President Barack Obama that seems … off. Spot what’s off and learn more about how easy it is to produce fake news.

In other news …

• How has the media’s sentiment about Facebook changed post-election? BuzzFeed breaks it down with a thorough analysis of the New York Times, USA Today and The Guardian.
• Raise your hand if someone has told you that Facebook spies on you through the microphone on your phone. ? Facebook can be really, really creepy, but Recode debunks this common myth.
• “I Fundamentally Believe That My Time at Reddit Made the World a Worse Place.” Harsh words from former Reddit product head Dan McComas.
• Rights related to digital photography and intellectual property are murky at best. From The Verge: “Since the quaint, pastoral days of catfishing, intellectual property theft and profit-piggybacking on the internet has always been difficult to track, and it’s only getting harder.”

Fun Resource

Ever wondered where you could get high-quality, free social media training? If you’re a beginner, the best place to start is to look at the training opportunities that each platform offers! Browse Facebook Blueprint and Twitter Flight School for interesting courses.

Finally …

Yes, this meme is a month old now, but who doesn’t love some self-deprecating social media humor!?