Tuesday, May 21

Tag: alone

Court Cases Alone Don’t Transform Society – But ‘Landmark’ Verdicts Like Chauvin Murder Conviction Make History
No Comments
SOCIAL JUSTICE

Court Cases Alone Don’t Transform Society – But ‘Landmark’ Verdicts Like Chauvin Murder Conviction Make History

Jennifer Reynolds, University of Oregon American courts in 2021 have already handed down several potentially historic rulings, from the Supreme Court’s recent decision restricting voting rights in Arizona and potentially nationwide to a Minnesota jury’s conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd last year. Cases like these are often called “landmark” cases, because they set forth ideas and ideals that may bring about significant changes in the political and legal landscape. Many analysts considered the Chauvin trial, in particular, to be a landmark. In it, police officers actually testified against one of their own, which is rare, and the jury held a white police officer criminally accountable for killing a Black man. On June 25, 2021, the judge sentenced Chau...
Read More
Want To Persuade Americans To Swap Out Beef For Plant-Based Burgers, Taste Alone Won’t Do It
No Comments
WHAT'S GOOD

Want To Persuade Americans To Swap Out Beef For Plant-Based Burgers, Taste Alone Won’t Do It

The big idea Consumers are more likely to choose a plant-based meat substitute when the restaurant’s advertising highlights the social benefits of doing so rather than its taste, according to recently published research I conducted with a colleague. We also found that showcasing the social costs of meat consumption also leads to a preference for plant-based “meats.” To reach this conclusion, we conducted two online experiments to examine the advertising of plant-based burgers and meatballs. Participants were recruited via the crowdsourcing website Amazon Mechanical Turk. In the first one, 156 participants were shown one of three commercials for a plant-based burger. They saw either a social appeal (“good for the environment and animal welfare”), a health appeal (“good for your health – n...
Read More
I Think Big Tech Should Be Left Alone – And I’m A First Amendment Scholar
No Comments
BUSINESS

I Think Big Tech Should Be Left Alone – And I’m A First Amendment Scholar

Twitter’s banning of Trump – an action also taken by other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat – has opened a fierce debate about freedom of expression and who, if anyone, should control it in the United States. I’ve written and taught about this fundamental issue for decades. I’m a staunch proponent of the First Amendment. Yet I’m perfectly OK with Trump’s ban, for reasons legal, philosophical and moral. The ‘spirit’ of the First Amendment To begin, it’s important to point out what kind of freedom of expression the First Amendment and its extension to local government via the Fourteenth Amendment protect. The Supreme Court, through various decisions, has ruled that the government cannot restrict speech, the press and other forms of communications ...
Read More
Diversity pledges alone won’t change corporate workplaces – here’s what will
No Comments
BUSINESS

Diversity pledges alone won’t change corporate workplaces – here’s what will

Dozen of companies, from Apple to Zappos, have reacted to George Floyd’s killing and the protests that followed by pledging to make their workforces more diverse. While commendable, to me it feels a bit like deja vu. Back in 2014, a host of tech companies made similar commitments to diversify their ranks. Their latest reports – which they release annually – show they’ve made little progress. Why have their efforts largely failed? Were they just empty promises? As a gender diversity scholar, I explored these questions in my recent paper published in the Stanford Technology Law Review. The problem is not a lack of commitment but what social scientists call “unconscious bias.” Big tech, little progress Today’s efforts to promote diversity are certainly more specific than the tech industry’...
Read More
Finding endless video calls exhausting? You’re not alone
No Comments
WORK

Finding endless video calls exhausting? You’re not alone

With much of the world in lockdown, our time spent on video calls has risen rapidly. Video conferencing has expanded from being a tool for business meetings to something we use to socialise, worship, and even date on. There is no doubt that platforms like Zoom are very useful. But all this time spent on video calls has its problems. We rely on it connect with people, yet it can leave us feeling tired and empty. It has given us some semblance of normal life during lockdown, but it can make relationships seem unreal. This feeling has spurred talk of a new psychological affliction: “Zoom fatigue.” When we interact with another person through the screen, our brains have to work much harder. We miss many of the other cues we’d have during a real-life conversation like the smell of the room or...
Read More