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Elite Professional Boxer And Social Media Sensation Viddal Riley Dominates In And Out Of The Ring – Forbes

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Most people don’t give and take punches for a living.

Most people don’t become social media influencers for a living either.

Viddal Riley does both.

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The professional boxer and internet sensation from Hackney, England has dominated life in and out of the ring. From his start as a boxer at the ripe old age of six to winning the European Junior Silver Medal in Anapa, Russia and representing Team Great Britain in the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, he paved his amateur career with success as he went 41-8 (with 19 KOs). Currently sitting at 4-0 since his professional debut in the cruiserweight division, the undefeated 23-year-old, who’s signed with Mayweather Promotions, has taken his win streak inside of the ring and extended outside in his online endeavors. Riley currently has over 1.1 million subscribers on Youtube, 315K followers on Twitter, and 620K followers on Instagram. His content ranges from incisive and earnest commentary on professional and YouTube boxing to uniquely-crafted music videos. Riley has plenty to say about the current status of his boxing career, and what he plans to accomplish in the future on social media.

Frederick Daso: People tend to think that you’re a YouTuber first and boxer second, but that’s not right. You are a professional boxer first, and a social media sensation last. Tell me what initially got you into boxing. 

Viddal Riley: He used to box and didn’t have the support to work through to the level he would have wanted and was working towards. Boxing for me was a journey started by my father. He used the box, and he didn’t have to support that work to see it through to the level that he would have desired and was working towards. And, we’ve heard that quite a lot. Historically, people have the talent, but they don’t have the back end, and they don’t have what you need to maximize your talent. He didn’t make the same mistake with me. He said to me to try it. He realized, ‘Okay, we’ve got a little talent, let’s hone it, harness it, and see how far you can go. That happened at the age of six, I would say, I started a bit earlier, but I mean, going into the gym for the first time was six years old. That’s when I first got in the ring or someone else my age and stuff like that. 

The journey started at six years old. And yeah, it’s been very eventful. There’ve been many highlights, some of which I forget even, unless I go back and check the memories and photos. But it all started as a family thing, and now I’m just trying to take it to the next level. That’s really how boxing entered my lap. It’s just been a journey of 10 years as an amateur boxer. During that time, I won eight national titles, a European junior silver medal in Anapa, Russia and in 2014 became a Youth Olympian for Team Great Britain in Nanjing, China. I pushed myself as I was in charge and reached the elite levels. A lot of my skills and mindset stems from being in the gym from such a young age.

It brings us to the present day, where I’m now an undefeated professional with four wins, three of them being knockouts. I haven’t boxed in over a year, which is painful to say, but these things do happen. I look at it as a time to recoup and refresh cause once the ball starts running again, we can’t stop it. So I’m taking my time and appreciating it. As much as this is painful, I know that bigger things are to come in the future. 

Daso: I love your mindset and, speaking of your accomplishments, when you’re an amateur, what was the turning point or was there a definitive moment when you were an amateur boxer where you knew that, ‘Hey, I could turn pro.’ 

Riley: I always wanted to be a professional, not an amateur boxer. I didn’t watch much amateur boxing since I wasn’t aware of that circuit. I just knew from watching on TV that I wanted to do that. I’ll be honest with you. It didn’t hit me at a certain stage until I decided to turn professional. I always wanted to be a professional. My successful amateur career made me realize that I would succeed as a pro with what I’m achieving because I always believed that I could be one. No moment really brought that home for me until it came into mind. 

This is what I’ve been working towards and wanting to do since I was a kid. Now I’m finally at that stage where I can copy the guys and follow in the footsteps of the guys I watched on TV as a kid. So, no, there wasn’t one moment, but it was just, I looked at every moment as a stepping stone to become professional. 

Daso: When I’ve seen you on YouTube, either alone or with other content creators, I always got the sense that you’re at least a couple of years older instead of being 23. You’ve got me where I think you’re 33 instead of 23. Tell me, what is it about boxing that has accelerated your maturity, or just, in general, the way that you carry yourself, right? 

Riley: It’s just boxing is an honest sport, right? And we live in a world where very few are brave enough to be honest with themselves and with others. I think that stalls people’s progression because they’re in denial or they’re afraid of tackling issues that you cannot survive without addressing in the sport of boxing. People are looking to find your issues and win and get used to them. I thought that with my parents. Academically, my mom was more assigned to the role of making sure I have an education. My dad too, but more so it was boxing where he took that role and led the way. It’s just being honest, being truthful, telling you how to improve, and never allow me to see the world through the smokescreen of lies or false profits, which has never been the case. 

Everything has been from this stark, cutthroat view: this is right, this is wrong. This is the truth. This isn’t. I think it just allows me to see through many things that go on because I just live in the truth. I think a lot of people don’t decide to do that until later years in their life. With me being this young, the maturity just comes from acknowledging the truth and acknowledging that to be improved and to increase your knowledge with, anything mentally, with his business relationship, anything is just to deal with the truth. I feel that’s the key behind my maturity.

Daso: Well said. Your maturity has been evolved through boxing because you have to be in an honest environment where someone finds out your flaws, you either correct it, or you’re going to get beaten because they were able to exploit that flaw. Taking that into your actual professional matches, now you’re 4-0 reigning undefeated. I hope you keep it that way. Most of your matches have ended up in KOs or TKOs. But I saw your fight with Austine Nnamdi in Dubai. That’s the one that went the distance. I want to know, what does that fight reveal about your boxing IQ and your strategy to win? Because it seemed like in the ring, you respected his ability and, because of that, it wasn’t just a straight-out slugfest. It was more intellectual. 

Riley: Yeah. I only found out two days before I was fighting him. I prepared seven weeks for an opponent that pulled out two days before. The whole game plan was based on that style of fight. Austin was a completely different style to what we practice in the US for. I was kind of working out on the spot on what he’s going to do. That’s why I gave him that respect because I wasn’t aware of what threats he would bring to the ring. I only saw footage of him on the Monday before the fight. I didn’t know entirely what to expect. My approach was ‘don’t do anything stupid.’ Don’t allow this guy at short notice to catch you off guard and give you anything unexpected. 

I would say that’s why that performance was a more reserved one because I feel like that’s how I had to be. 

Daso: Absolutely. You got the job done, unanimous decision, and that’s okay. That’s so insightful because you only had two days. You were learning on the fly while you’re in the ring. 

Riley: Yeah. You can say the same thing for him also. You can say he only found out two days before, but he was always scheduled as a backup. Though he knew confirmation two days before, he was already training to be in shape because he was aware that if anything goes wrong with the current opponent, he would have to step in. And respect to him for that. A lot of respect to him because he could have said, ‘No, you guys told me too late.’ For me to be part of an event with a star-studded audience such as KSI (Olijide “JJ” Olatunji) and Miniminter (Simon Minter) from the Sidemen (the group also includes Zerkaa (Josh Bradley), TBJZL (Tobi Brown), Behzinga (Ethan Payne), Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn) and W2S (Harry Lewis)), Badou Jack, Naseem Hamed, MoVlogs and owner of the Five Palm Hotel, Jumeirah Dubai, was amazing.

It was great. It was a great audience to showcase my skills, and I would have gone into better performance, but the wind is what matters and how you win is important. I feel like I caught one without stretching myself too far and looking into the challenge. I’m happy with it for the time when that performance happened. When I watch it back now, I take those things into account, which was good for the time. But I’d expect more from myself now. 

Daso: Through studying your overall career, both boxing and social media, I kind of boiled it down to kind of two key pivotal moments for your professional career. The first one being you signing for Mayweather Promotions. I saw the video covering it and KSI’s reaction, and then really also you becoming KSI’s trainer. I have two questions for you here. One, what did Jeff Mayweather see in you, as a potential top contender in the cruiserweight division that encouraged him and his team to bring you on under the Mayweather Promotions fold, and then second, what’s the real story behind when you first met KSI? It wasn’t just like you coming on to be his trainer. 

Riley: To answer your first question, Jeff himself said I could listen to his instructions because he cornered me for a sparring session, and he did give various commands that I should follow that could help me in that spot. He said he used to work with many boxers who would be doing their own thing and not listening. He noticed that I took what he said and attempted to incorporate his feedback as he said it. He said to have the ability to try his and to listen to him at that level led him to believe that I could be a professional. It was also the level of the opponent that I was sparring with while trying to do what Jeff said. 

Daso: If you don’t mind me interrupting, didn’t your sparring opponent at the time, Andrew Tabiti, go on to be a future champion in his division, or was he already one? 

Riley: He fought for a world title. He’s the best cruiserweight in America. He fought for a world title when I was sparring with him, and I was trying these moves. Jeff was like, you’re an amateur at this point. And you’re fighting the best guy this country has to offer in your weight division, and you’re doing what you need to do. So, you can be a professional. I guess maybe that is a time when I knew I could be professional before was after that spring session, with testing myself against a high-level professional and proving that I wasn’t out of place. Once you can fit into the highest standard, you have no reason to doubt and second guess yourself. I feel like that’s why Jeff believed that could be a top cruiserweight. 

In terms of KSI, JJ is the person who is. I’d say he’s the person who gave me that platform to showcase my talent and the only books in talent, but everything else as well. But it wasn’t just him. I trained a lot of other YouTubers before that. I trained many people who are friends with him, and they recommended that he train with me because of how the results went. And obviously, my credentials as well. So, it’s rare to see a guy at 19 years old be a head coach of somebody, but he believed that I had enough knowledge to pass on to him and allow him to have successes in his boxing. That’s what we saw, and that’s what’s happened. 

Daso: That’s right. The results speak for themselves. 

Riley: It was, it was a thing where it was mentioned a few times he’s going to come down to the gym, I’m going to talk to him, see if he wants to come down. And one day, he did. From that day, he said, yeah, cool. Yeah, this is where I need to be. And, we did a look back from that point. I mean, he’s still moving forward now. It was a big turning point in both of our lives. As much as he already had a bigger stage than myself still, I would say it was a life-changing experience for him. I mean, he learned something that changed his life. And, I learned things from him in terms of socializing, YouTube, how to maneuver our brand. I learned that from him. It was a really give-and-take relationship as it came to coaching. 

Daso: Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m so glad to see it blossom on both sides of the equation. 

Riley: Me too. That’s normally the best situation in life. Both people can benefit from it and understand that, yeah, this is what we will bring to the table and elevate. 

Daso: I want to try and dispel the notion because a lot of people may think that, ‘Hey, you’re only relevant because you train KSI,’ but after getting on his platform, you’ve shown yourself to be a top content creator on your own terms. I want to establish that then ask you, how has your relationship with KSI evolved from being his coach initally? You’re not as coach anymore but you’re still in his camp though, right? 

Riley: I’m not. I’m now his friend. I don’t have involvement in his boxing as of now. If he called me and asked for help and asked me, ‘Can you help me out with this or whatever,’ I would, of course, help him, but I’m not in his training team. Our relationship has naturally progressed into being a friendship. So that’s enough for me. That means more to me than being a coach.

Daso: That’s beautiful. Now that’s the question, how have you and KSI evolved from trainer and boxer to a friend and social media collaborator? 

Riley: Well, we experienced a lot together. I think we experienced a lot together, and it’s hard to make history with people and not have love for them and respect them. Because it’s hard to make history, and it’s hard to make meaningful history that people are aware of worldwide. I think we pioneered a big movement on YouTube, such as boxing and getting into the sport. Now, we see it grow to a level that I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to see it grow that far, but for anyone to deny that KSI is a pioneer of the YouTube boxing thing is lying. He wouldn’t have done that alone. That’s the facts of the matter. He didn’t do that alone. I was the guy there, someone else, maybe they could have done it, but they didn’t. I was there. 

With that, I would class myself as a pioneer within that field, in that industry, and the successes made people want to be involved. I would say that KSI learning the skills that I equipped with him led to his eventual success. And, yeah, it’s hard to not have respect forever for one another, or even bond with each other beyond just coaching, especially when you spend that much time together and you realize how much you guys have achieved in each other’s company. 

Daso: Seeing you guys evolve from the first Logan fight to the second one showed your relationship was beyond just a coach and trainee; you two were a unit. It’s undeniably evident when you guys do have the time to collab that chemistry has always been there, and it has grown. 

Riley: Yeah, for sure. For sure. I think it will always be a relationship that is kept because there’s no reason for either of us to turn on one another at all. It’s just not going to happen. We’re always going to be on good terms and supporting each other when in music, boxing or whatever field we decide to take up. 

Daso: You mentioned the YouTube boxing scene as a whole, right. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. I’ve been watching the fights, especially the latest one, TikTok versus YouTube. I want your professional opinion because you are a professional boxer first and foremost. What do you think, does this mean for the sport of boxing as a whole, that you have personalities, internet personalities providing a larger microphone for boxing as a whole? Then I have a particular question for you.

It’s called the ‘Mayweather Question.’ From what I saw on the internet on the Mayweather-Paul fight contract, it turns out Mayweather got $10 million to show up just to put on his trunks and show up. For you as a professional boxer, who’s in the very early stages of your career versus him who’s past the twilight of his career, he made more money just putting on his trunks before fighting than he did, in 30 to 35 fights in terms of purses. How do you position yourself in both your social media and boxing career to where someone who’s going to pay you $10 million just to put on your trucks regardless of the fight outcome?

Riley: I think it’s all about how many people care that you put on your trunks. That’s the way it boils down to because people do that every day when everyone cares. Floyd has built a brand around money means built a brand around being the highest-grossing boxer forever. Another thing is consistency, which a lot of people seem to fail at noticing. A lot of people seem to fail to realize he’s very consistent. Yes, he’s the spins and the tools, this and that, but he’s never failed in the ring. That doesn’t happen because he buys Bentleys. It happens because of the work he puts into the gym. That’s what everyone has to remember at the bare minimum. You have to be good at your craft. There’s no point marketing yourself if you can’t fight because you will be exposed, and once you’re exposed, if you prove not to be anything, then people will switch off. 

I’d say to put yourself in a position where you can make that money without having to guarantee yourself a win is to have enough people interested in watching you fight anyway. That’s the thing where you can make that money. Logan can make that money. All these guys can make that money because we want to see what happens, right regardless of results. That, and because we’re intrigued to see what happens, it equals money equals revenue, the attention equals revenue. We’re always focused on your craft first, but then close second, make sure you’re showcasing your skills and exposing yourself as much as you can to a wider audience. Because once that wider audience takes to you can then begin to dictate terms on how those people see you, who will be on your shorts when you decide to put them on, how much you can charge for people to see you put your shorts. These things are the privilege of those who have enough attention for people to care. 

I’d say that the biggest thing is the attention: the traction and the reach. If you can reach millions, you can make millions. That’s the way that you got to look at it here. 

Daso: If you can reach millions, you can make millions. Well said. That quote just segues into another perfect question. Going back to the YouTube versus TikTok match, the event was projected to be 500,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys from what I saw online. It was revealed that there was only over a quarter of that 136,000. Here we are, they, these guys had a cumulative falling of over two hundred million, if you want to crunch the numbers. They failed to get even a tenth of that. What do you think that means for the viability of future influencer boxing? 

Riley: Well, I don’t know how solid those numbers are. I don’t believe it was 136,000 buys total. I believe the total was more than that. But if it was that anyway, then many factors take place, such as illegal streaming. The platform is not being established as well as others is another factor. People don’t know really how or why, like where to find this show. We’re not going to search for some new platform to watch some fights that we can get on a stream link. Just on Twitter, it comes down to stuff like that will affect the pay-per-view, but it’s. I think it won’t be because their followers don’t want to see them fight because once you get followers and that community, they follow you regardless of what you do—also being part of a community based on the internet. 

People are also smart enough to work their way around, getting what they want without being charged. That always has to be taken into consideration. I feel like many people try to dismiss the fact that streaming illegally on the side is a big thing. The person who normally watches boxing on TV isn’t thinking about a stream in the forefront of their mind. Right. However, the person who’s always on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram. Yeah. They’re going to see that link and go, well, here it is. So that’s treating them legit. That’s a big factor. I think a lot of people dismiss that.

Daso: I’m inclined to agree with you here. I think that’s a really good point you make about the platform through which the event occurs. If I had to sum up what you’re saying, the platform wasn’t established enough. It wasn’t secure enough to prevent those things. Now, I have a bonus question for you. 

JJ just launched his promotion company. This is just speculation on my end, but could the next YouTube event be held under that and plot with a more mature and official platform such as DAZN?

Riley: KSI’s promotional deal is with people who work on Sky Sports. And that is a secure network. As you said, I was commentating on the Mayweather-Paul fight in the UK on Sky Sports. What you just said is valid because he’s signed with a promotional company, which has rights to Sky Sports for showing his events.

Daso: I couldn’t even watch the repeat because it’s blocked in America. That’s how secure it is.

Riley: Right. See, so in the UK, anyway, he will be secure since that’s already a country locked down to say, if you guys want to watch more shows, we’re going to, it’s going to be on sky school. It doesn’t mean it won’t be; people still won’t find that makes it a lot harder with a big network and a big company. I feel like these are the steps people are taking to avoid piracy.

Daso: Absolutely. Absolutely. Because at the end of the day, if you get in the ring, you want to secure that bag.

Riley: Course it’s important. You must have given us a service and for a fee. You want people to pay the fee, and it will contribute to your pockets, as we know, but it’s only right. It’s only right. You’re going through pain. You’re going through war. You’re getting attacked for people’s entertainment. If you don’t feel like you don’t feel that guy is deserving of being paid right, then that’s a whole new discussion, but I think that can be out of order. That’s out of order because this person’s putting themselves through hell for your entertainment to argue for some. If the fight is worth it, that is fair. 

Daso: Absolutely. I mean, hearing the fighters from that event not getting paid as far as we know up to this point, it’s very disappointing. Right. I think that might have negative consequences for future fights because I am so amazed to think I’m not going to get paid; my management will make sure that my payment is secure at the end of the day.

Riley: Yes. That’s what your team is for. No one can do anything alone, and you need people in your team that can make sure those risks and those possibilities are kept to a minimum. It won’t fully extinguish them because the internet is a place that is undefeated, but it will help. It will help. 

Daso: Getting back to the social media side of things, right. You know, you’re a full-time boxer. I mean, you haven’t found the ring for over a year at this point due to injuries and also COVID. But you know, let’s say that before then, you were fighting, and you’re working on social media as well. How did you balance the two? How can you leverage your reach so that you command more eyes, more attention and therefore translate into more money when you keep on fighting?

Riley: Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit to bring in still the numbers that I do. And, like my last video was number two, trending in the world on YouTube. That’s crazy even to think, very creative in the world. There are some amazing creators that my video can be ranked second, only second to the European football or soccer as you guys call it is a big deal worldwide, soccer slash football, as I call it, is the biggest sport in the world. It’s a full second to the Euros when Spain and England and at least half of the teams are playing. I can’t complain about that. I’m not bigger than the euros. I’m the second. I was the second biggest thing for a while. I think I work within my means. I don’t do anything that I can’t keep up. 

I think that’s my number one thing. There’s a lot of things I would like to do. I could offer a lot more, but it wouldn’t be consistent at this point. I think I’ve found the lane where I can make content and not fall off because of our content; I can manage this. I thought many people who have this big spike and then the decline are because they’ve chosen an angle that has got them their views, money, and attention, but they cannot keep it and maintain it.

That type of content drastically decreases the quality. That’s when people switch off. I’ve managed to keep a steady mood going. And, I think that’s allowed me to be out of the ring for over a year and still bring in the attention and numbers that I do. And I know what to talk about. I know where my opinion is valued, and I know where it isn’t, and I just don’t choose to create content in areas that I know people will not be interested in. It doesn’t make any sense. I know what people want from me, and I balance what people want from me with what I’m comfortable with doing and what I want them to see I can do. Right. And for that full process, I think it’s working out better than I thought it would. 

I’m happy with the position I’m in. I know we’re move rapidly once I start acting in some other things, but for now, I’m content. I’ll keep moving steady until people see that big spike and change. Once that happens, there’s not going to be much room for others, because I know my mind is already ahead of maneuvering in the social world. I know what I’m going to do based on hanging around with the likes of KSI and many others. I know he’s the main one, but I do like to make sure people realize it’s not just him. Right. I’ve had influencers from multiple YouTube is with over a million subscribers and then watching how they move and take their advice. That allows me to know how to move forward with my own channel and with my own content. 

Daso: You also create music videos and have a growing podcast series. How do you combine all of these endeavors into a coherent, unique narrative about your ultimate vision for you boxing and social media career?

Riley: I feel like with everything I do, I try my best to keep the branding as close to my true self as possible. These endeavours also would not be successful if I didn’t work within my means. I feel some of my ventures could be bigger than they are but for how long? Consistency is key and prioritising boxing is always No.1.That holds the key to everything. 

Daso: Absolutely. What are those things that are going to be activated, then?

Riley: Listen, listen, right now, the way I feel is that I’ve been placed in this position to allow others to have more time. I think I’ve been placed in this position to allow others to have more time, allow me to learn more, and not just be content as a man, as a human being, to learn myself, and two, to be more knowledgeable, more confident. And, once those things are being checked off in the doc, you things have been checked off in the dark, and everyone in the world likes to see people came out. I know it’s like you come out of nowhere, and no one comes out of nowhere. You weren’t paying attention at that time. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am getting the attention, but I know it’s going to skyrocket. The same people that say, ‘Oh, you only can make content about this. He hasn’t fought in this long.’ Once I’m back in the ring, there’ll be the same one singing the praises. I can’t worry about them too much. I just know what I want to do, if you care. If you don’t, whatever. I don’t live and die by public opinion. And I don’t care that much. I only care about the people that care about me genuinely care about me. 

Daso: You’re playing the long game. It’s a long game. You might not be in the center of the spotlight right now, but you’re saying you understand that your season is coming.

Riley: I believe because I know I’m making moves. I’m putting things in place for that season to come. I’m not only waiting. It will come. Maybe one video is going to bang one day. If that video bangs, great. I’ll take it from there. But first, you got to put things in place. You have to plan for your explosion. You have to plan for that. Come up. That’s what I’m doing right now, wherever it’s harnessing my books and skills, wherever I’ve competed or not, whether it’s thinking of video ideas across more. I know that I have to be significantly smaller than my main. Still, I know with those channels as well, it will grow over time. You see who’s quality is everywhere. Anyone can have a hot moment when I was training JJ/KSI. 

Those are hot moments because he was in the hot moment. Yeah. So, of course, I’m living off it. Of course, I’m getting some of the benefits of being hot, but being hot is only temporary. You come, you won’t be hot all the time. It’s just, it’s impossible. You’re not going to be hot all the time. If you play the long game, you continuously train and perfect your craft. No matter what you do, you will be appreciated, and you will also get rewards. And, I, being 23, as we mentioned at the beginning of the interview, where am I rushing to? I’m not rushing. I mean, I lived steady within my means across everything. When it’s time for things to propel, they will propel, but I’ll be ready for it because I’m not phased but prepared for things like that. 

It’s a blessing to have been exposed to so much so early because most boxers don’t know what it feels like even to be famous or have any money or anything like that before reaching the highest level. I learned on the job and managed to watch someone I trained, see the press conferences, and see the big arenas travel the world. So when I’m doing it, I’m there. It will be the second time around for me in some sense. It’s not going to be anything new. There’s always something to learn. Based on it’s not going to be anything I haven’t seen before. That’s why I know it’s going to be amazing when this is me who’s in that position, because not only have I seen it, I can learn from those situations and then make sure it lands even better once I reach it.

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Five of the best books about social media – The Guardian

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From Covid conspiracy theories to recent speculations about Catherine, Princess of Wales, social media is at the heart of how we share information, and misinformation, with one another in the 21st century. For those who want to have a better understanding of social media and how it affects us, here are a selection of titles that explore how we consume, share, and manipulate information on social media platforms.


So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

Journalist and author Jon Ronson argues we live in “a great renaissance of public shaming”, and this book tracks down some of the many victims of online shaming to understand what happened to them as a result. In the process, we learn about Ronson’s own values, question our own, and figure out how we’ve reached a time where an online feed can become a social courtroom.


Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

After getting repeatedly mistaken for feminist-turned-conspiracy-theorist Naomi Wolf online, and then in real life, Naomi Klein penned Doppelganger as an earnest and introspective look at herself. The book explores how conspiracy theories and lies spread quickly through the internet, and how the social and political climate of the physical world manipulates the way we experience online platforms. While not exclusively about social media, the story behind Doppelganger is a perfect case of the ways our digital lives and identities intersect with what we experience in reality – and how dangerous the repercussions of spreading online lies can be.

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Irresistible by Adam Alter

Have you ever wondered why you can’t stop scrolling on your TikTok “for you” page, or obsessing over how many likes you got on a recent Facebook post? You’re not alone, and Adam Alter’s book explores why we get sucked into the digital world. He answers what makes an online addiction, whether it be to emails, Instagram, or Netflix, different to other forms of addiction – and warns us of the dangers this could cause long-term. As well as introspection, he gives practical solutions to how digital addiction can be controlled for good.


Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz

Journalist Taylor Lorenz calls this book “a social history of social media”; she uses real-life case studies of mothers, teenagers, politicians and influencers to assess how social media touches all demographics. Extremely Online explores topics from the digital economy and influencer culture, to what makes moments go viral on Twitter and how this is all influencing the way we socialise and understand the world. At its core, this book explores the idea of what it means to connect – and how social media as an innovation has warped communication.


TikTok Boom by Chris Stokel-Walker

TikTok is arguably one of the most significant advancements in social media in the past two decades. This book by journalist and writer Chris Stokel-Walker explores how the app is changing the way users interact with content. It moves away from the social-commentary style of the other books mentioned here, instead using business and technology analysis as a means to describe wider socio-political repercussions of the app. Stokel-Walker bridges the gap between the digital and the physical, showing the feedback loop that exists between what happens online on platforms such as TikTok and the real world.

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Ontario school boards take social media giants to court for disrupting student learning – CBC.ca

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Four major Ontario school boards are taking some of the largest social media companies to court over their products, alleging the way they’re designed have negatively rewired the way children think, behave and learn and have thus disrupted the way schools operate.

The public district school boards of Toronto, Peel and Ottawa, along with Toronto’s Catholic counterpart, are looking for about $4.5 billion in damages from Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc. and ByteDance Ltd., which operate the platforms Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok respectively, according to statements of claim filed Wednesday.

“The influence of social media on today’s youth at school cannot be denied. It leads to pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges,” said Colleen Russell-Rawlins, director of education at the Toronto District School Board, in a release Thursday.

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“Therefore, it is imperative that we take steps to ensure the well-being of our youth. We are calling for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation.” 

The school boards, operating under a new coalition called Schools for Social Media Change, allege students are experiencing an “attention, learning, and mental health crisis” because of “prolific and compulsive use of social media products.”

Trying to respond to this has caused “massive strains” on the group’s funds, including in additional mental health programming and staff, IT costs and administrative resources, the release states. The boards call on the social media giants to “remediate” the costs to the larger education system and redesign their products to keep students safe.

Neinstein LLP, a Toronto-based firm, is representing the school boards in their lawsuit. The boards will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached, the release states.

“A strong education system is the foundation of our society and our community. Social media products and the changes in behaviour, judgment and attention that they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” said Duncan Embury, a partner and head of litigation at Neinstein.

CBC Toronto has reached out to the companies named for comment.

The latest lawsuit comes after a large civil suit against Meta Platforms Inc. was initiated in the U.S. last fall. Over 30 states accused Meta Platforms Inc. of harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that cause children to be addicted to its platforms.

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Four Ontario school boards sue social-media giants for products that harm students' behaviour and education – The Globe and Mail

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Colleen Russell Rawlins, Director of Education with the Toronto District School Board, talks to students at Selwyn Elementary School on Mar 27.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Four of Canada’s largest school boards are suing the companies behind social-media platforms Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok, accusing them of negligently designing products that disrupt learning and rewire student behaviour while leaving educators to manage the fallout.

In four separate statements of claim filed on Wednesday in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Peel District School Board accused social-media companies of employing “exploitative business practices” and choosing to “maximize profits” at the expense of the mental health and well-being of students.

The addictive nature of social media means that educators spend more classroom time trying to have students focus on their lessons, the boards say in the statements of claim. They say the compulsive use of social-media platforms has also strained limited school board resources: Schools require additional mental health programs and personnel; staff spend more time addressing aggressive behaviour and incidents of cyberbullying; and information-technology services and cybersecurity costs have increased.

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“The Defendants have acted in a high-handed, reckless, malicious, and reprehensible manner without due regard for the well-being of the student population and the education system,” according to the statements of claim.

Similar lawsuits against social-media companies have been filed in the United States in recent months by individual states and school districts. This would mark the first time it’s being done by school boards in Canada.

The four boards filed their lawsuits against Meta Platforms Inc., which is responsible for Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc., the parent company of SnapChat, and ByteDance Ltd., owner of TikTok.

The school boards are advancing combined claims of around $4.5-billion. They are also asking that the social-media giants redesign their products to keep students safe.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

In an e-mailed statement, Tonya Johnson, a spokeswoman for Snap, said the platform was “intentionally designed to be different from traditional social-media” so that users could communicate with friends. “While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence,” she stated.

Meta and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Social-media use by children and young people has been the topic of widespread discussion among parents, policymakers and educators. Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans social-media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds.

In Canada and elsewhere, there are growing concerns over the role social-media platforms play in cyberbullying, disrupted sleep patterns, brain development, and the inability of young people to focus.

A survey from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2021 found that 91 per cent of students in Grades 7 to 12 use social media daily, and about a third spend five hours or more daily on it. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 Ontario students. Almost one-third reported being cyber-bullied at least once in the past year.

In their lawsuits, the four school boards said the companies “knew, or ought to have known, that the deliberate design of addictive and defective social-media products would interfere with students’ access to an education, negatively impact the learning environment, and create a public nuisance within the education system.”

Colleen Russell-Rawlins, education director of the Toronto District School Board, the country’s largest school board, said in an interview on Wednesday that social media has affected the education system in “very significant ways.”

“Students are not present,” she said, describing the addictive nature of social-media platforms. Educators are hearing about more incidents of cyberbullying. They are witnessing the rapid escalation of aggression that starts online. And they are helping students who are coping with anxiety and other mental health challenges.

The lawsuits, she said, are not just about raising awareness, but about protecting children by calling for safeguards and ensuring that school boards have the resources to help address the negative effects of increased social-media use.

“I think there’s no other childhood addiction that’s impacting children’s futures through education that we as educators and leaders would be expected to remain silent about. We feel compelled to act on behalf of our young people,” Ms. Russell-Rawlins said.

Pino Buffone, the education director at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, echoed the sentiment, adding that the compulsive use of social media has further strained the finite resources of the school board. Educators and other school staff are being forced to manage behaviour that stems from social-media use.

“It has become clear that we need to hold social-media giants accountable,” Mr. Buffone said.

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