Real-Life Support Far Superior Than Social Media
Razi Berry Social media may make it easier for people to engage online, but it does not provide certain benefits of real-life human interactions, says a Michigan State University researcher. “Problematic social media use has been associated with depression, anxiety and social isolation, and having a good social support system helps insulate people from negative […]
Narcissism More Likely Due to Insecurity, Not Inflated Self
Razi Berry Narcissism is driven by insecurity, and not an inflated sense of self, finds a new study by a team of psychology researchers. Its research, which offers a more detailed understanding of this long-examined phenomenon, may also explain what motivates the self-focused nature of social media activity. “For a long time, it was unclear […]
High Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Helps Spot ‘Fake News’
Razi Berry People with high levels of emotional intelligence are less likely to be susceptible to ‘fake news’, according to research at the University of Strathclyde. The study invited participants to read a series of news items on social media and to ascertain whether they were real or fictitious, briefly describing the reasons for their […]
Social Media is Just Like Any Other ‘Addiction’
Razi Berry Our use of social media, specifically our efforts to maximize “likes,” follows a pattern of “reward learning,” concludes a new study by an international team of scientists. Its findings, which appear in the journal Nature Communications, reveal parallels with the behavior of animals, such as rats, in seeking food rewards. “These results establish […]
When Educating Public, Make Sure Social Post Language Matches Pictures
Razi Berry When using social media to nudge people toward safe and healthy behaviors, it’s critical to make sure the words match the pictures, according to a new study. After looking at social media posts, parents of young children were better able to recall safety messages such as how to put a baby safely to […]
An Interesting Study on ‘Deepfakes’ and Our Likelihood to Circulate Them
Razi Berry A Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) study has found that some Singaporeans have reported that, despite being aware of the existence of ‘deepfakes’ in general, they believe they have circulated deepfake content on social media which they later found out was a hoax. Deepfakes, a portmanteau of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’, are […]
Screen Time Correlates with Increased Impulsivity
Razi Berry In a new study, people who spent more time on their phones — particularly on gaming or social media apps — were more likely to reject larger, delayed rewards in favor of smaller, immediate rewards. Tim van Endert and Peter Mohr of Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany, present these findings in the open-access […]
Mental Health For Teens: More Exercise and Less Screen Time
Razi Berry A new study from UBC researchers finds that teens, especially girls, have better mental health when they spend more time taking part in extracurricular activities, like sports and art, and less time in front of screens. The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, found that spending less than two hours per day […]
Re-Thinking the Algorithms that Control the Internet
Razi Berry Polarization, conspiracy theories, fake news: What people see on the Internet is largely determined by the opaque algorithms of just a few corporations. That’s a worrying development for democratic societies. But online environments could be designed in ways that promote autonomy and transparency, thereby fostering the positive potential of the Internet. A team […]
The Shadow Side of Social Distancing
Razi Berry When faced with danger, humans draw closer together. Social distancing thwarts this impulse. Professor Ophelia Deroy from Ludwigs-Maximilians Universitaet in Munich (LMU) and colleagues argue that this dilemma poses a greater threat to society than overtly antisocial behavior. Could our current dilemma pose a greater threat to society than overtly antisocial behavior? The […]