Articles tagged with Social Media
A study from the University of Kansas found that the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of Colombian soccer star Luis “Lucho” Díaz, resulted in coverage that portrayed his son as a national hero and cast doubt on peace negotiations. The media framing of the story had broader implications for the Total Peace initiative and the Petro...
A new study by Binghamton University Professor Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm found that social media hashtags can help identify early warning signs of violence and amplify local voices. The research examined social media campaigns in Canada and Syria, analyzing over 5,000 posts tied to #TruthAndReconciliation and #SaveSyria.
A new study by ESMT Berlin shows that entrepreneurs can increase support from the silent majority by broadening their public replies to vocal commenters. By managing conversational pathways, founders can create multiple entry points without fragmenting the main story.
A cohort study of students in grades 4-12 found that social media use varied by age and sex, with heavy use linked to poorer well-being. The study's findings suggest that abstinence from social media may not always be beneficial for adolescents.
A new study from Aalto University found that online shopping is more strongly linked to stress than reading news or watching adult entertainment. Social media use and gaming also correlated with increased stress levels, while time spent on news sites reported lower stress levels.
Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed nearly 200,000 Twitter posts between 2012 and 2022 to understand why people perceive pollen seasons as getting worse. They found a partisan gap in how liberals and conservatives attribute pollen season changes to climate change.
A recent study by Professor Damon Centola and alum Douglas Guilbeault found that content moderators who worked in teams reached near-perfect agreement on classifying controversial material online. In contrast, individual participants showed only 38% agreement, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on classifications for only about 30...
A recent SFU study found one in four B.C. teens experience disordered eating, with higher rates among LGBTQ+ youth and those exposed to influencer-driven misinformation on social media. Reducing social media time and promoting digital literacy are key strategies to mitigate this 'shadow pandemic'.
The journal has integrated ResearchGate to improve accessibility and impact of research on aging. This allows authors to connect their work with a wider network of peers, fostering collaboration and advancing understanding of the biology of aging.
A new study from the University of East Anglia finds that AI tools excel at speed and clarity, but human translators remain crucial for tone, cultural nuance, and natural sound. Generative AI can handle parts of video translation, but consumers still notice when something feels off.
A study published in PLOS Global Public Health found that US Congress members' social media responses to mass shootings vary along party lines. Democratic congressmembers are more likely to post about guns, framing their responses in terms of community, victims, and legislature, whereas Republican members focus on Second Amendment righ...
A recent study found that Americans overestimate online toxicity, with participants believing 43% of Reddit users post toxic comments when only 3% actually do. Correcting this misperception improves social cohesion by reducing pessimism and increasing positivity.
A new study found that highly educated, Western European millennials have the most digital concerns, with individuals having higher levels of digital literacy being the most affected. The research also found that people's perceptions of digital harm are heightened by their level of digital exposure and knowledge.
A new analysis using COTSI data reveals that verifying fake accounts for use in the US and UK is almost as cheap as in Russia, while Japan and Australia have high prices due to SIM costs and photo ID rules. The average price of SMS verification for an online platform was $0.26 in the US and $0.10 in the UK.
A recent study found that TikTok videos about gout are often misleading, inconsistent, or inaccurate. Gout is a painful inflammatory arthritis caused by high urate in the blood, and there are persistent gaps in awareness among patients and the public.
A study analyzing resharing behavior on X (formerly Twitter) shows that different expressed emotions unfold in the aftermath of celebrity suicides, with disgust being the most contagious emotion. The findings emphasize the need for emotion-specific approaches to both theoretical modeling and practical intervention in online environments.
New research reveals heightened anxiety and declining optimism among young Americans, who perceive risk everywhere they turn due to factors like Covid-19 lockdowns and school shootings. Gen Z is increasingly cynical about changing the world, viewing politics and protests with skepticism.
Children who spend a significant amount of time on social media platforms experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate. The study found no association between TV watching or video game playing and attention symptoms.
A new FAU study reveals significant mental health differences between dark web users and surface web users, with dark web users reporting substantially higher levels of depressive symptoms and paranoid thoughts. The study also found substantial differences in suicidal thoughts, non-suicidal self-injury, and digital self-harm.
Social media influencers share biased or misleading medical advice, causing harm, experts argue. Strategies include effective regulation, stronger accountability, and user empowerment through targeted education.
The ARU symposium delves into the effects of consuming mass-produced low-quality content, reshaping art, media, politics, and the internet. Dr Tina Kendall discusses the psychological and societal implications of AI-generated material, including its environmental costs.
Research on US adults found that most social media users are driven by habit rather than genuine addiction. Frequent social media use is often labeled as an addiction in news articles, influencing user perceptions
A new tool reorders content to downrank posts containing antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity, reducing polarization. Users who had such content downranked showed more positive views of the opposing party, with a noticeable impact on their emotional responses.
A study suggests personalized algorithms can lead to inaccurate generalizations, even when users know nothing about a topic. Researchers found that algorithmic personalization can bias learning and cause overconfidence in incorrect answers.
A 1-week social media detox in young adults was associated with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The study's findings suggest a potential therapeutic benefit of reducing social media use for mental health concerns.
Researchers tested a 'mental model' approach to counter unwarranted fears about mRNA technology. The study found that exposing people to visual models of how vaccines work and/or how cells protect DNA from foreign fragments undercuts the effect of exposure to misconceptions.
A study from Aalto University found that just a handful of influential voices can drive dramatic societal rifts, with an elite cluster accounting for a striking share of overall polarisation. Alignment among elites has also become increasingly complete, leading to political gridlock and regression in individual and societal well-being.
A study published in Insect Conservation and Diversity analyzed over 17,000 social media photos and videos to understand domestic cats' prey in urban settings. The research found that cats hunt a diverse range of arthropods, including Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Blattodea.
A new approach developed by University of Waterloo researchers uses social media posts to identify early warning signs of increasing vaccine skepticism. This method can detect patterns in data much more effectively than traditional methods, providing a bigger lead time before an outbreak occurs.
A new study by University of Notre Dame researcher Helge-Johannes Marahrens shows that analyzing social media posts can help experts predict when people will move during crises. Sentiment was found to be a more reliable signal for predicting forced displacement than emotion.
A recent study by researchers from the University of Rochester, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and University of Virginia found that publicly displayed community notes can effectively curb misinformation on social media platforms. The study analyzed 264,600 posts on X that received at least one community note and found that p...
Researchers found high-engagement social media posts lack essential risk information and promotional elements, potentially eroding patient decision-making. The study highlights the need for fair balance in online advertising to maintain informed consent.
A new study reveals a strong connection between social media addiction and poor sleep quality among high school graduates in Bangladesh. Higher levels of social media addiction were closely associated with poorer sleep quality, particularly in female participants.
A new study from Arizona State University and the University of Michigan explores the strategic trade-offs individuals make when facing punishment for dissent. The research reveals that self-censorship is a rational response shaped by the interplay of boldness, surveillance, and punishment severity.
A recent study analyzing millions of social media posts found that news shared on platforms with conservative user bases is lower in quality, yet gets more likes and shares. Meanwhile, a user's posts with lower-quality news links get more engagement than their higher-quality news posts across both liberal- and right-leaning platforms.
A Rutgers University review of 31 studies found that exposure to digital alcohol marketing increases the likelihood of past 30-day alcohol use, binge drinking, and susceptibility to drinking. The study suggests that algorithmic amplification can normalize alcohol for subsets of young people, leading to increased drinking behaviors.
Researchers identified three types of online brand defenders: promoters (emotionally attached), justice promoters (fairness driven), and self-promoters (ego-driven). Companies can encourage promoters by acknowledging them, while justice promoters require a sense of fairness. Self-promoters are motivated by attention and rewards.
The Baltic states of Lithuania and Estonia topped the Index on International Media Freedom Support, while Latvia came in 9th. The report highlights a significant gap between public commitments and actual support for media freedom among larger countries like the US, UK, Italy, and Japan.
Researchers found that AI-generated content is a triple threat to Reddit moderators, posing concerns over decreasing content quality, disrupting social dynamics, and being difficult to govern. To address these issues, moderators are enacting rules and trying to preserve the community's humanity.
A study published in a book by Professor Florian Stöckel and colleagues found that social media comments can act as signals for true or false information, helping users identify accurate news. However, these comments can also be misleading and undermine trust in correct information.
A study published in JAMA found that both low and high increases in social media use during early adolescence are negatively associated with cognitive function. Specifically, adolescents with higher or lower social media use tend to perform poorly in certain aspects of cognition.
A new study reveals that true crime media can be both a help and a hindrance to co-victims, with many experiencing a loss of privacy and trauma due to sensationalized coverage. The research highlights the need for ethical production practices and standards to protect co-victims from harm.
Researchers analyzed 659 posts on Reddit to better understand the role of social media in managing inflammatory bowel disease. The study found that patients use social media to track symptoms, manage medications, and cope with stress.
The review study found that digital tools encourage multiple identities, language mixing, and support for minority languages. This allows language learners to experiment with 'hybrid' identities, combining different languages fluently.
The Graffiti framework enables users to create personalized social apps that serve communities' needs, promoting healthier online interactions. With its flexible structure and decentralized infrastructure, Graffiti allows users to migrate between applications without losing their data or connections.
A new study by the International Center for Journalists and US universities found that Trump was the main source and distributor of disinformation in ethnic and Indigenous press in the US. The research also linked the prevalence of political disinformation to a decline in trust in the news and an increase in violence against journalists.
A new AI tool called Waldo can scan social media data to discover personal reports of harmful side effects of popular health products. The tool achieved an accuracy of 99.7% in detecting adverse events, outperforming general-purpose chatbots.
Citizens' perceptions of government effectiveness play a crucial role in shaping media choices during times of conflict, according to new research. Exposure to violence alone doesn't significantly impact trust in non-regime media; instead, citizens turn to alternative sources when they believe the state has failed to protect them.
The 'Benadryl Challenge' has resurfaced on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, and is encouraging adolescents to ingest high doses of over-the-counter antihistamines. This trend can lead to severe health consequences, including heart arrhythmias, seizures, and death.
A study analyzing 120 top TikTok videos with #naturalparenting, #antivaccine, and other hashtags found that 61% contained contradictory medical information. The majority of creators were self-identified parents or influencers, promoting vaccine hesitancy, natural remedies, and rejection of conventional pediatric care.
Researchers analyzed over 250,000 CEO posts and 1.6 million user mentions to find that consistency, positivity, and diversity are key factors in achieving social media celebrity status. CEOs who achieve this status are more likely to gain visibility in traditional media, amplifying their reach and influence.
A massive meta-analysis of 25 previous studies found that efforts to reduce partisan animosity are largely ineffective, with superficial interventions improving feelings towards the other party by only 5.3%. The effects are fleeting, disappearing within one week, and even repeated interventions fail to produce lasting results.
Researchers found that posts with Community Notes attached were less prone to going viral and got less engagement. After getting a note, reposts dropped 46% and likes dropped 44%. The study suggests that Community Notes are an important addition to platforms' toolbox in reducing misinformation spread.
The Leopoldina discussion paper advocates for age limits and restrictions on addictive functions in social media to protect children and adolescents from negative effects. Researchers recommend setting a minimum age for access, restricting certain functions, and implementing policies to promote healthy social media use.
A new study from Ohio State University found that middle-schoolers who use primarily informational social media sites are less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. In contrast, interactive sites like Snapchat and Facebook were linked to lower ability to refuse sex and negotiate condom use. Informative sites like YouTube and TikT...
A study explores how Buddhist philosophy can enhance psychotherapy in the context of digital mental health. The findings focus on three key lenses: networked dynamics, reciprocity, and cognitive flexibility. These lenses frame experience as relational and evolving, highlighting the importance of overlooked connections and incidental en...
A recent study by Cornell University researchers found that seven distinct strategies commenters employ when objecting to content online. The most common strategy is reputational attacks, also known as "vinegar," while moral appeals are less common but more effective in reducing online vitriol.
Researchers found that more interactive mobile apps and AI chatbots foster a sense of playfulness, lowering privacy concerns. However, this interactivity can also distract users from thinking about the information they share with the system.
Researchers analyzed over 50,000 barrage comments from a promotional video on Chinese platform Bilibili, finding a clear link between positive emotional comments and purchasing intent. The study also observed real-time emotional contagion and nuanced dynamics in viewer behavior.
A study found that adolescents become highly motivated to seek rewards after just a few hours of social isolation, which can be beneficial in driving them towards social interaction. However, limited opportunities for connection may lead to pursuing less healthy rewards.