A new study in communication examined how the data-driven business models of TikTok and Spotify shape both the music artists make, and the songs people listen to. The study was published Feb. 27 in the journal Information, Communication & Society.

Over the past few years, there have been extensive changes in content moderation policy on social media platforms. As companies like X and Meta loosen these policies, users have reported an increase in hate speech. So what caused this shift? Professor Cuihua (Cindy) Shen, who specializes in computational communication, provided insight into the evolving policies of major social media platforms, the rise of hate speech, and the role of algorithms in its spread.