Top picks for Social Media Week London (that won’t cost you a penny!)
Social Media Week kicked off today in London and runs until Friday. A pass for the event costs over £700 but there are plenty of interesting side events you can attend for free.
SMW London is a week of talks, interviews, panel sessions and workshops. This year’s global theme is “Language and the Machine”, which examines how algorithms are shaping human language communication.
Here are some top picks of free SMW events…
The Good, The Bad and The Selfie: Social Media and its Effects on Young People’s Mental Health
The relationship between social media and mental health is complex, especially when it comes to young people. Social media can have both a positive and negative impact on our mental health but research shows that the cons often outweigh the pros.
At this event, hosted by SevenC3, a panel of five discuss whether or not social media is bad for our mental wellbeing and if more should be done to safeguard our mental health online. Panellists include Rizzle Kicks singer Jordan Stephens and Chairman of male suicide charity CALM James Scroggs.
Register for the event here. It takes place on Tuesday 12th September at 3.30pm.
AI & Social Media Advertising: What is the future?
AI is already changing our lives and is likely to have a profound impact on many different sectors, including digital marketing.
This interactive workshop hosted by Mighty Social looks into the key trends and innovations in AI and how it can be utilised to improve your social media advertising campaigns.
Register for free here now and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SMWNextWave. The breakfast event takes place at 9am on Thursday 14th September.
The Human-Centric Algorithms: How Content Can Champion Diversity
Another hot topic and one close to our hearts is how tech can help create a more open and tolerant society by challenging unhelpful and bias stereotypes.
This event will look at how the use of content changes the perceptions around diversity, and the human responsibility behind teaching AI and machine learning to be unbiased and free of misconceptions and stereotypes.
The conversation topics sound fascinating in particular ‘Machines and consciousness — Does a machine need a consciousness? How can it drive positive change when it lacks empathy?’
Hosted by Lobster, you can book the event for free here. Guests even get food and drink included. The event takes place at 4.30pm on Thursday 14th September.
VR and Social: Pipe Dream, or The Future?
We’ve heard a lot about Virtual Reality and Social Media ever since Mark Zuckerberg bought out Occulus Rift in 2014. But with the recent closure of AltspaceVR, the leading VR social platform, where does the future lie?
A panel of digital strategists and virtual reality innovators will provide a compelling discussion about the combined (or separate) future of these two technologies.
Hosted by Social & Innovation @ FleishmanHillard Fishburn you can register for free here. 6.30pm on Thursday 14th September.
Take a look at the full line-up for SMW London here. As well as the free events there are lots of talks that you can only register to if you are a pass holder — including events by BuzzFeed, Lad Bible and National Geographic.
Do let us know if you’re attending any SMW London event and say hello! 👋
