Articles tagged with Social Media
A new study suggests that African-Americans are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis, contradicting the widely accepted notion that they are at lower risk. The study found a 47% increased risk in African-Americans compared to Caucasians.
A Cornell University study reveals that nearly a third of Facebook users deactivate their accounts, and one in 10 completely quit the platform. Participants cited reasons such as concerns about privacy, productivity issues, and shallow social interactions as motivations for leaving.
A Georgia Tech study found that users who share informational content, are happy and avoid negative posts attract more followers. The study also discovered that certain network structures have a predictable effect on follower growth.
A survey of over 5,000 US plastic surgeons found that half regularly use social media for professional practice, citing benefits such as marketing and patient education. However, some surgeons also reported negative effects, including criticisms from patients and concerns about maintaining professionalism.
A six-month study reveals Adderall mentions spike sharply during final exam periods, with peaks on Dec. 13 and April 30, and peak use among college and university clusters in the northeast and south regions of the US. Tweets also reveal co-ingestion with other substances like alcohol and stimulants.
A pilot study by Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern University found that input from social media and crowdsourcing sites helped students identify human needs, generate ideas, and test concepts. The project showed promise for incorporating online crowds into coursework to teach innovation.
A Boston Children's Hospital study correlates Facebook users' interests with obesity rates in cities and neighborhoods nationwide. The research suggests that areas with higher percentages of activity-related interests have lower obesity rates, while those with more television-related interests have higher rates.
Researchers from Southern Methodist University found that high-volume Bitcoin exchanges are less likely to fail but more likely to suffer a security breach. The study analyzed 40 exchanges and found that those with higher transaction volumes were less likely to shut down but more prone to breaches, posing a risk to customers' funds.
Researchers have identified four verbs uniquely describing Pinterest, highlighting the site's focus on consumption. Female users tend to re-pin more than male users, with men having more followers. The study provides insights for both academia and industry, including Pinterest's commercial potential.
A new study by Ilana Gershon found that American college students tend to focus on the medium used for a breakup, rather than justifying why it ended. The research reveals a cultural preference for emphasizing the process of ending relationships over exploring underlying reasons.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg found that Instagram users often upload many pictures from museums during visits, showing effort behind posts. The study indicates that smartphones have changed our way of sharing experiences, moving from physical documentation to digital sharing.
Research examines how social media influences child development, including social-emotional learning, interpersonal dynamics, and emotional connections. The symposium explores the impact of new forms of media on social skills, value systems, and relationships among children and young adults.
A Michigan State University researcher found that Twitter can be a better source of information than traditional news sources and online search engines. Tweets tagged with hashtags provide multiple perspectives on topics like the Occupy Wall Street movement. The study suggests using Twitter as a complement to formal teaching and learni...
The report outlines how climate change could affect habitats, plants and animals within the sanctuary, as well as adjacent coastal areas. Climate change poses a grave threat to the health of the ocean, with impacts felt in marine protected areas like the Olympic Coast sanctuary.
A new review from the University of Luxembourg suggests that social media can provide valuable additional support for older people with sickness and diseases. The study highlights the potential benefits of social media, including enhanced feelings of control and self-efficacy, as well as access to health-related information and social ...
New research combines formal philosophy, social psychology, and decision theory to understand how info-tech amplifies irrational group behaviour. This phenomenon can lead to 'informational cascades', online discussions in echo chambers, and threaten democratic discourse.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) have released a policy paper providing guidance on best practices for physicians' online behavior. The recommendations aim to preserve trust in patient-physician relationships and protect patient interests when using social media.
Annals of Internal Medicine and ACP honor Adrienne Allen, MD, MPH, and Matthew Spitzer, MD, for their groundbreaking research on patient safety and erectile dysfunction. The awards highlight the importance of rigorous methodology and potential impact on clinical practice.
The MacArthur Foundation has awarded Carnegie Mellon University a $175,000 grant to investigate the role of social media and big data analytics in advancing human rights protection. The project aims to analyze the effectiveness of these technologies in gathering and analyzing data on human suffering and political repression.
A study of college freshmen women found that excessive media use, particularly social networking and texting, was associated with lower GPAs and other negative academic outcomes. However, newspaper reading and listening to music were positively correlated with academic performance.
The ACP Clinical Guidelines app provides clinicians with easy access to evidence-based clinical recommendations and rationale, saving them time in their practice. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Android, the app includes guidance statements and high-value care advice for all currently active guidelines.
In a competitive context, consumers bid more when unknown bidders are involved. However, mixing eBay and Facebook reduces bidding prices by assuming competitors' traits, leading to lower aggressiveness. This study reveals the impact of interpersonal ambiguity on bidding behavior in auctions.
A new tool called P3 removes small amounts of data from photos and encrypts them, allowing cloud file-sharing services to use the unencrypted portion while keeping the owner's sensitive information secure. With P3, photo owners can choose how their photos are shared, retaining rights to the complete photo and ensuring privacy.
A study by Penn State University researchers found that exposure to negative sentiment on Twitter is contagious, while positive sentiments are not. Microbloggers with reciprocal relationships tend to be influenced differently depending on the vaccine sentiments of their connections, with negative sentiments being more socially contagious.
PeerJ has launched a new 'preprint server' for the Biological and Medical Sciences, allowing authors to share early drafts and receive feedback. The service aims to facilitate an end-to-end publication process, providing a permanent digital identifier and long-term preservation.
Research by University of Toronto sociologist Scott Schieman found that men have greater levels of managerial authority and associated benefits, including job autonomy and higher earnings. Women, even when holding equal levels of authority, tend to earn less income.
A recent study published in Justice Quarterly found that most online activities of gang members are typical of their age group, with a rate of committing crimes or deviant acts online 70% greater than those not in gangs. Gang members use social networking sites and watch YouTube videos as status symbols.
A recent study found that stroke patients treated at certified stroke centers are three times more likely to receive clot-busting medication. The research examined hospital discharge data on over 323,000 ischemic stroke patients and found significant improvements in tPA administration at certified primary stroke centers.
A study of over 800,000 painted ceramic and 4,800 obsidian artifacts reveals dramatic changes in social networks over a 250-year period in the late pre-Hispanic Southwest. Researchers found that people maintained surprisingly long-distance relationships despite physical distances, using walking as their only mode of transportation.
A new study by Aalto University and Texas A&M University found that customers who engage with businesses on social media contribute 5.6% more revenue than those who don't. The research also identified key factors for success, including user-friendly sites, regular updates, and personalized messages.
A new study from Brigham Young University finds that only 10% of internet users post reviews and 15% comment, question or share health information on social media. The researchers believe more collective wisdom from the crowd could improve health-related discussions online.
Three University of Houston optometry educators, all UHCO graduates, received top honors from the Texas Optometric Association. Kevin Gee assumed TOA presidency, Nancy George received the William D. Pittman Leadership Award, and Pat Segu was awarded Educator of the Year.
A UM doctoral student uses Twitter to share updates from a conservation conference, reaching over 100,000 users worldwide. The study highlights the potential of live-tweeting to promote conservation education and outreach.
Scientists from Royal Holloway University have discovered evidence of Twitter communities that share common characteristics, occupations, and interests. The study found that users can be predicted to belong to a particular community by analyzing their language use, with surprising groups emerging that were not expected.
Researchers developed a cloud-computing platform called RoboEarth Cloud Engine to accelerate robot learning and adaptation in complex tasks. The platform allows robots to access enterprise-scale computing infrastructure, paving the way for lighter, cheaper, and more intelligent robots.
A new study published in PNAS shows that automated analysis of Facebook Likes can accurately predict personal details such as race, age, and sexual orientation. The researchers analyzed a dataset of over 58,000 US Facebook users and found accuracy rates of up to 95% for distinguishing between African-American and Caucasian Americans. H...
A study by neuroscientists found that while they recognize the importance of new media in shaping public opinion, most researchers make little personal use of social networks. The study suggests scientists still value the vetting process for information in traditional media channels.
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center found that healthy adolescent females have predetermined expectations for becoming parents but worry about fertility and childbearing due to a life-threatening illness like cancer. The study validated a tool to assess teenage girls' hopes and feelings about reproduction.
A new study from the University of Toronto found that Canadian workers who report high levels of job pressure often experience problems navigating work and family roles, as well as symptoms of physical and mental health issues. Having control over one's work schedule and job autonomy are associated with lower levels of job pressure.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality found that hospital Facebook 'Likes' are positively associated with patient recommendations and lower mortality rates. This suggests that hospitals with higher levels of quality and patient satisfaction tend to attract more 'Likes' on their pages.
Two high-profile fraud cases in photography have led to millions of dollars in settlements, fueling a revolution in photo conservation research. The cases, which involved fake and altered images, prompted researchers to develop new techniques for conserving and authenticating photographs.
PatientsLikeMe will develop open-participation research platform with RWJF grant, generating meaningful health outcome measures aligned with patient needs. Researchers can pilot, deploy, share, and validate new ways to measure diseases.
A study from the University of Arizona suggests that learning to use Facebook can improve cognitive function in older adults. Participants who used Facebook performed about 25% better on tasks measuring updating and mental performance compared to those who didn't use the site.
A NYU project aims to examine social media's influence on political participation and attitudes by analyzing real-time data from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The study seeks to understand the causal processes that shape collective action and inform a growing debate about social media's role in politics.
A new study suggests that smartphone apps can offer consistent and personalized recommendations to customers, every time and everywhere they go. This is achieved through automated systems and applications that capture both explicit and implicit feedback from customers.
A study by Northwestern University's Noshir Contractor aims to enhance cross-cultural mentoring among women in sustainable development. The researcher has created a social media recommender system that connects mentors and mentees across different regions and cultures.
A Stanford ecologist is using social media data to estimate the number of user-days for locations around the world, illuminating where people go and how visitation rates change. This approach can predict changes in recreational value after environmental changes, providing a novel solution to expensive empirical data requirements.
This article from ACS' Journal of Chemical Education explores the real chemistry behind famous opera plots, including poisonous snake bites and deadly venoms. The author highlights several examples of operatic themes involving chemistry that can be used as a teaching tool for students and the general public.
A study found that nearly half of online Viagra samples contained only 30-50% active pharmaceutical ingredient. Meanwhile, bedbugs produce a foul odor during mating attempts to deter unwanted advances.
The American Chemical Society reveals how chocolate contains hundreds of compounds with beneficial properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The video explains that moderate chocolate consumption may be good for cardiovascular health and mood.
Researchers used Twitter data to model how lifestyle factors such as social status, pollution exposure, and interpersonal interaction influence health. They found that even people who regularly talk about exercising get sick more often than those who actually exercise.
A new study by Michigan State University found that US citizens spend nearly twice as much time on social networking sites (52 minutes/day) compared to Chinese participants (28 minutes/day). In contrast, Chinese participants rarely use these sites, with only 4% of them using them regularly.
Researchers found that African American and Latino men who have sex with men voluntarily used health-related Facebook groups to discuss HIV knowledge, stigma, and prevention, leading to increased requests for home-based HIV tests. The study suggests social media can be a useful tool for collecting and analyzing data, saving money and i...
A study by University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researcher Christopher Sibona found that 40% of people would avoid someone who unfriended them in real life. The factors predicting avoidance include the person's emotional response, geographical distance, and the strength of the relationship before the unfriending.
The NOAA report reveals that 'no-take' protections in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve have boosted fish populations and fisheries, including a resurgence of spawning mutton snapper. Commercial catches of reef fish have increased without financial losses for regional fishers.
A recent University of Michigan study found that young adults in Generation X maintain a healthy balance between personal and electronic social networking. The study, which included responses from 3,027 Gen Xers, also revealed that individuals with higher levels of education tend to have larger social networks.
A recent study by Kansas State University researchers found that company policies alone are insufficient to curb cyberloafing, which results in lost productivity and potential legal trouble. Consistent enforcement of policies is key to reducing this behavior.
A study published in Journal of Youth and Adolescence reveals that peer competition, rather than exposure to thin media ideals or social media use, is a significant predictor of body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms among adolescent girls. Peer competition was found to predict lower life satisfaction as well.
A new tweet-screening method developed by Johns Hopkins researchers delivers real-time data on flu cases, filtering out online chatter that is not linked to actual flu infections. The system produces accurate results comparable to government disease data, making it a valuable tool for public health officials.
A recent study from Brigham Young University found that 15 percent of tweets contain accurate location information, which could aid in tracking disease outbreaks. The researchers used this data to demonstrate the potential of Twitter-based monitoring systems for public health.