Trusting Social Media News + Stifling Instapoets

Even as trust in social media news is falling in Western countries, other parts of the world are putting faith in it.

Ahmad couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the headline. It was December 2017 and Mada Masr — Egypt’s last independent outlet — published an investigation detailing how a front for the Egyptian intelligence agency bought seven of the country’s most prominent media outlets.
“I knew never to trust mainstream Egyptian media again,” says Ahmad, a 23-year-old activist who asked not to disclose his last name for fear of reprisal. “From then on, Facebook became the only place where I could get my breaking news, but I also check Mada Masr.”
Ahmad isn’t the only one turning to Facebook for news over mainstream Arab media: 80 percent of Arab youths say they get their news from social networks, up from just 25 percent five years ago. And, what’s more, 60 percent of young people in the Middle East say they trust social media as a news source, a 53 percent increase from 2014.

Ending the prohibition of drugs without effective criminal justice reform will do nothing to reduce violence.

Even before he won office, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aka AMLO, was making noises about changing the country’s approach to drug trafficking and security. So it came as no surprise when he announced earlier this year that the prohibition model for illegal drugs is unsustainable and that getting rid of it is the only way to reduce addiction and drug trade violence.

But there has been no detail from AMLO’s administration about what the end to prohibition will involve. Will it legalize the consumption of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and LSD? Legalizing those drugs is a whole other ballgame than that of legalizing marijuana.

These micro music events offer intimate performances and unique experiences to a limited audience.

As a DJ spins records next to a natural hot spring, people dance and splash in the water, sipping cocktails and blowing bubbles into the air. Vibrant green grass surrounds them and snow-capped mountains can be seen in the distance. The sun peeks out from behind a few white clouds. It looks like a magical way to spend an afternoon — although this party could very well be happening at 2 am. This is the Secret Solstice festival in Reykjavik, Iceland, which takes place annually when the country experiences 24-hour daylight.

As if the idyllic scene and all-night sun parties weren’t enough, Secret Solstice has another big draw: The festival only admits about 9,000 attendees each year. If you’ve ever been to a big music festival, Secret Solstice will be a welcome break from the throngs of people crowding you all weekend long. For comparison, Coachella in Indio, California, and Lollapalooza in Chicago draw approximately 100,000 people per day.