The phenomenon of online dating has undergone significant transformations over the past five years, ranging from the record surge in users during the Covid-19 pandemic to the so-called "dating app winter," marked by consecutive declines in active users since 2023. This paper aims to analyze how the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based features has been framed as a strategy to counteract this crisis and to what extent these innovations can— or fail to— address users' current dissatisfaction.

To this end, we examine news reports on AI implementation in dating apps between 2020 and 2025, identifying how the discourse surrounding this technology has intensified as user dissatisfaction has increased, as evidenced even in reports issued by the companies operating these platforms. We seek to answer the following question: "What are the trends in AI integration in dating apps?" Our hypothesis is that companies are investing in strategies designed to further reduce decision-making time, prioritizing mechanisms that enhance interaction efficiency, minimize discomfort, and ensure greater user satisfaction.

This discussion will be framed within critical platform studies and the datafication of life, as well as debates on the commodification of affect and the solutionist approach to the design and modification of these technologies.

Young adults are less likely than older generations to place automatic trust in legacy media, and more likely to want to be the arbiter of which news is “true” (Schut et al. 2024; Thorson & Battochio, 2024). A recent phenomenon with great potential to help us better understand how young adults ‘weigh’ trust considerations is Dutch Instagram-channel “cestmocro”. Repurposing content from legacy news sources with catchy captions and images, it has garnered 1.1 million followers. Professional journalists have criticized cestmocro for being biased (e.g. in the Israel–Hamas war) and spreading misinformation.

The popularity of cestmocro raises two important questions: 1) Why do young people find cestmocro appealing?, and 2) What role does trust play in their consumption of cestmocro? To answer these questions, between April-June 2024, we interviewed 40 Dutch young people that follow this account. Our results suggest that while most participants are aware of how cestmocro does not meet certain traditional news quality criteria (e.g. objectivity), these are the very reason they perceive it a welcome – or even necessary – addition to their news repertoire. Most notably, regarding the Israel–Hamas war, participants argue that while NOS reports objective – but “filtered” – facts, the admittedly subjective, raw perspectives shared on cestmocro allow them to get a fuller understanding of the situation. We also identified a “verification-finds-me”-attitude: rather than actively verifying posts they don’t trust, participants assume the information will be corrected or confirmed by other posts encountered while scrolling through Instagram.

This study examines the strategic exploitation of social media platforms, particularly Facebook, for information operations that extend beyond traditional disinformation. These operations employ a range of misleading content and tactics to maximize reach and influence, compromising the integrity of digital spaces. Using a mixed-methods approach grounded in the theoretical framework of strategic information operations, the study analyzes the intersection of algorithmic affordances, deceptive tactics, and user-driven amplification dynamics.

The research focuses on three case studies: pro-Putin propaganda, online casino promotion, and the spread of adult content in poorly moderated groups. These cases illustrate how malicious actors leverage Facebook's platform features to conduct strategic information operations, manipulating public discourse and increasing the perceived influence of deceptive narratives. The study reveals how these operations blend political and benign content to fabricate grassroots support, use automated tools to maintain visibility and exploit weak moderation policies to disseminate illicit content.

The findings highlight significant governance and policy implications, emphasizing the need for robust strategies to mitigate these operations. The research also addresses challenges posed by restricted access to social media data and calls for greater investment in accessible monitoring tools and transparent data-sharing mechanisms. The presentation will discuss these case studies in the context of current social media governance, underscoring the critical need for enhanced monitoring tools to combat deceptive information operations.

The Brazilian Amazon is the site of several conflicts involving threats to its biodiversity, the traditional populations that live there. In the region, a harmful combination of disparities in power, knowledge and access to information also prevails, in addition to divergent views on how to deal with such conflicts. The ongoing research investigates the information dynamics in communities that have resisted for years the invasion of neo-extractivist projects and the threats. The particular focus in on the role of new digital media specialized in disseminating information about threats to sociobiodiversity and violence to defender in the Amazon, giving them global visibility. The research methodology includes mapping media vehicles and other organizations specialized in covering conflicts in the Amazon in Brazil, the application of structured questionnaires to collaborators and activists, the conduct of in-depth interviews and a field study in two cities in the state of Pará. More than 80 news outlets, NGOs and associations of indigenous communicators that work with this mission have already been identified. The idea is to track the entire path of information, from its origin to its dissemination, including the production of information and verification of content.