Jack McCarron

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Jack McCarron

Just after 6pm on Sunday 1 June in the centre of Carlow town a 22-year-old man discharged a firearm inside a supermarket at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre. The man later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was the sole fatality. While there was understandable panic in the shopping centre, it was amplified online by false claims, misinformation, and disinformation about the number of victims and nature of the incident.

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Jack McCarron

Just after 6pm on Sunday 1 June in the centre of Carlow Town a 22-year-old man discharged a firearm inside a supermarket at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre. The man later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was the sole fatality. While there was understandable panic in the shopping centre, it was amplified online by false claims, misinformation, and disinformation about the number of victims and nature of the incident.

3 weeks ago | rte.ie | Jack McCarron

When video footage of French President Emmanuel Macron appearing to have an altercation with his wife Brigitte circulated online last week, the Élysée Palace initially suggested the footage could have been created using AI. The footage was later confirmed to be real. As references to AI become more common in political discourse, what happens when democratic governments begin using it to question the authenticity of real events?

1 month ago | rte.ie | Jack McCarron

Online, it's called The Manosphere’: a loose, algorithm-fueled ecosystem of male influencers, forums and podcasts offering young men advice on self-improvement, masculinity, dating, and power. On the surface, it can look like self-help — and for some, it offers a sense of direction, discipline or belonging. But woven through much of this content is a worldview which frames gender relations in adversarial terms and can lead to hostility towards women and progressive ideas.

1 month ago | rte.ie | Jack McCarron

Experts Prime Time have spoken to are concerned that perceptions of masculinity held by significant numbers of young men are being shaped and distorted by negative narratives and communities online. Some fear that influencers who promote types of masculinity which involve disparaging or dominating women are connecting with young men who feel disconnected from communities or are struggling to find their place in society.