Crosscurrents

Social media is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for social justice advocates, not through oft-maligned “slacktivism” campaigns such as changing one’s profile picture for a cause or through making a topic trend — but through its capability to help shape the national discourse surrounding issues, as two recent examples from two very different spheres of the web prove.

A new study published in the journalPsychological Science shows a correlation between college students that come from states with high income inequality and students that cheat. The researcher, Lukas Neville, is a Ph.D. candidate in organizational behavior at Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He said he became interested in academic dishonesty and plagiarism because of his teaching experience. Turnstyle spoke with Neville about his research.

The Beach Motel: how a zoning dispute becomes a neighborhood controversy; a conversation with filmmaker Tiffany Shlain about her documentary, "Connected"; and local singer Kacey Johansing.

The San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival kicks off this Saturday, and one of the films you can see this year is one you can probably relate to. Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain was inspired to make the documentary film Connected after catching herself faking a bathroom break so she could check her email.

About 16 years ago, San Francisco native Allan Manalo visited Manila, the capital of the Philippines, in an effort to reconnect with his heritage. There he met his wife, Joyce D. Juan-Manalo and recognized that even though they grew up with an ocean between them, they were strikingly similar in many ways. Here they recall the sparks that connected them in the beginning.

This interview was facilitated by Frank Kingman of San Francisco Storycorps.