February 17, 2023

Introducing Artifact: How the new app is revolutionizing how students can keep up with the news

Students continue to turn to social media platforms to stay up-to-date with current events and news. A surprising 91% of students reported that they get their weekly news from social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.  

Artifact, a social media app for news, could revolutionize how students get their news and information. The app’s personalized news feed driven by artificial intelligence (AI) gives students a new, convenient way to access news and information tailored to what they are interested in. 

TikTok and Twitter… Combined?

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the co-founders of Instagram developed Artifact. In Systrom’s recent Instagram post, he described Artifact as “a personalized news feed driven by AI that works on your own terms.” 

Artifact seems to combine two of the most popular social media apps, TikTok and Twitter. It provides users with a personalized feed of articles, just like the videos you can find on TikTok’s For You Page. And much like Twitter, it allows users to share and post news stories and articles from other websites. Artifact differs from Twitter in that it displays content from all different users, whereas Twitter only displays content from users a person follows.

The app is currently in Private Beta, but the waitlist for the Android and iOS versions of the app opened on January 31st, and students can sign up to gain access now.

Artifact’s features personalize how students get their news

  • “TikTok” for Text: For those of you who may not be TikTok experts like students, it is a social media app that uses algorithms to create tailored video feeds for users, based on their individual activities and preferences. Artifact is designed to be like TikTok for text, offering users a list of popular articles and then showing them more similar posts once they click on one that’s interesting to them. 
  • Personalized feed: Artifact’s personalized feed can be compared to TikTok’s “For You Page” except instead of showing people videos, it shows them articles. Your feed will also show you articles that the people you follow post, and it lets you comment on articles.
  • Direct messaging: Like most social media apps, there is a direct messaging feature, which could make the app a great alternative to Twitter. Students use direct messaging (DM) to communicate with their peers in a private and more secure manner, rather than publicly commenting on posts. It also allows them to have conversations with multiple people at once, making it a great way for students to keep in touch. 

TSI’s Take

Artifact is an exciting development for teachers and students alike. It could be a great choice for students who are looking for a new way to stay connected and informed on current events. Systrom stated that they will also be removing individual posts that spread misinformation, ensuring students are getting their news from credible sources. The platform’s personalized approach to news and its AI-driven algorithms could also make it easier for students to stay up-to-date on current events from sources they trust on topics they are interested in.

Empowering Students to Spot Misinformation Online

Over the past few years, students have had to navigate more misinformation and disinformation on social media than ever before. In fact, misinformation is 70% more likely to be retweeted than the truth. Artifact makes it easier for students to identify the source of the news they are reading to analyze its credibility. You can empower your students to spot misinformation online by coaching them to:

  1. Check the facts by finding the same information from another credible source
  2. Assess media bias with a tool like the Media Bias Chart
  3. Recognize sponsored content by looking for the #ad hashtag on sponsored social media posts
  4. Avoid emotionally charged and divisive headlines

For more information about empowering students to spot misinformation online, check out our blog for more helpful tips!

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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.