Tuesday, April 23

Tag: people

Lost In Meta’s ‘Average User’ Data – The Thousands Of Vulnerable People Harmed By Facebook And Instagram
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Lost In Meta’s ‘Average User’ Data – The Thousands Of Vulnerable People Harmed By Facebook And Instagram

Joseph Bak-Coleman, University of Washington Fall 2021 has been filled with a steady stream of media coverage arguing that Meta’s Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram social media platforms pose a threat to users’ mental health and well-being, radicalize, polarize users and spread misinformation. Are these technologies – embraced by billions – killing people and eroding democracy? Or is this just another moral panic? According to Meta’s PR team and a handful of contrarian academics and journalists, there is evidence that social media does not cause harm and the overall picture is unclear. They cite apparently conflicting studies, imperfect access to data and the difficulty of establishing causality to support this position. Some of these researchers have surveyed social media users and fou...
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For The Millions Of People Who Need It Most Building More Homes Won’t Solve The Affordable Housing Problem
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IN OTHER NEWS

For The Millions Of People Who Need It Most Building More Homes Won’t Solve The Affordable Housing Problem

Alex Schwartz, The New School and Kirk McClure, University of Kansas Even before 2020, the U.S. faced an acute housing affordability crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic made it a whole lot worse after millions of people who lost their jobs fell behind on rent. While eviction bans forestalled mass homelessness – and emergency rental assistance has helped some – most moratoriums have now been lifted, putting a lot of people at risk of losing their homes. One solution pushed by the White House, state and local lawmakers and many others is to increase the supply of affordable housing, such as by reforming zoning and other land-use regulations. As experts on housing policy, we agree that increasing the supply of homes is necessary in areas with rapidly rising housing costs. But this won’t, by itse...
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Since The Rise Of Social Media And Smartphones – Are People Lying More?
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Since The Rise Of Social Media And Smartphones – Are People Lying More?

David Markowitz, University of Oregon Technology has given people more ways to connect, but has it also given them more opportunities to lie? You might text your friend a white lie to get out of going to dinner, exaggerate your height on a dating profile to appear more attractive or invent an excuse to your boss over email to save face. Social psychologists and communication scholars have long wondered not just who lies the most, but where people tend to lie the most – that is, in person or through some other communication medium. A seminal 2004 study was among the first to investigate the connection between deception rates and technology. Since then, the ways we communicate have shifted – fewer phone calls and more social media messaging, for example – and I wanted to see how well ear...
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What Type of Ultraviolet Light Is Safest To Use Around People And Most Effective At Killing Coronavirus?
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COVID-19

What Type of Ultraviolet Light Is Safest To Use Around People And Most Effective At Killing Coronavirus?

Karl Linden, University of Colorado Boulder Scientists have long known that ultraviolet light can kill pathogens on surfaces and in air and water. UV robots are used to disinfect empty hospital rooms, buses and trains; UV bulbs in HVAC systems eliminate pathogens in building air; and UV lamps kill bugs in drinking water. Perhaps you have seen UV wands, UV LEDs and UV air purifiers advertised as silver bullets to protect against the coronavirus. While decades of research have looked at the ability of UV light to kill many pathogens, there are no set standards for UV disinfection products with regard to the coronavirus. These products may work to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but they also may not. I am an environmental engineer and expert in UV disinfection. In May 202...
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If People Can Be Fashionable Why Not Dogs? Woof
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LIFESTYLE

If People Can Be Fashionable Why Not Dogs? Woof

How to pick the perfect Clothing label for your Pet? Today's consumers look for more than just bland colors and boring designs. It's all about eye popping logos, bright colors and intuitive design features that make clothing brand labels stand out. People love to adorn their pets with customized accessories and clothing labels. A great set of custom clothing labels can easily do the trick. There are millions of pets owners in United States and around the world who want to dress up their pets and willing pay top dollar to do so. When it comes to choosing a pet product the durability is essential as these products get very heavy use. Please refer to below chart what clothing labels you should use for your project: Woven Labels and Woven Patches Pet Collars Pet Leash Pet Clothing Pet Beddi...
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Sex, Drugs And TikTok: Keeping Young People Safe Needs A Mature Response
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CULTURE, Journalism

Sex, Drugs And TikTok: Keeping Young People Safe Needs A Mature Response

Isabelle Volpe, UNSW and Clare Southerton, UNSW You may have read recently that TikTok allegedly “serves up” sex and drug videos to minors. Media reports have described the video-sharing platform, which is designed predominantly for young people, as an “addiction machine” that promotes harmful content. In an investigation, reporters at the Wall Street Journal created 31 bot accounts on TikTok, each programmed to interact only with particular themes of content. Many of the bots were registered as being aged 13-15, including one programmed with an interest in “drugs and drug use”, which was ultimately shown 569 videos related to drugs. The investigation sought to better understand how the app’s algorithm selects videos for users. The workings of these kinds of algorithms are an industry s...
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Even When It’s Not The Most Efficient Route – Cellphone Data Shows That People Navigate By Keeping Their Destinations In Front Of Them
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TECHNOLOGY

Even When It’s Not The Most Efficient Route – Cellphone Data Shows That People Navigate By Keeping Their Destinations In Front Of Them

Carlo Ratti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Think of your morning walk to work, school or your favorite coffee shop. Are you taking the shortest possible route to your destination? According to big data research that my colleagues and I conducted, the answer is no: People’s brains are not wired for optimal navigation. Instead of calculating the shortest path, people try to point straight toward their destinations – we call it the “pointiest path” – even if it is not the most efficient way to walk. As a researcher who studies urban environments and human behavior, I have always been interested in how people experience cities, and how studying this can tell researchers something about human nature and how we’ve evolved. Chasing down a hunch Long before I could run an experime...
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Largely Whitewashed Out Of History – The Brutal Trade In Enslaved People Within The US
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Journalism

Largely Whitewashed Out Of History – The Brutal Trade In Enslaved People Within The US

A trade card with printed black type for the domestic slave traders Hill, Ware and Chrisp. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Joshua D. Rothman, University of Alabama For my recently published book, “The Ledger and the Chain,” I visited more than 30 archives in over a dozen states, from Louisiana to Connecticut. Along the way, I uncovered mountains of material that exposed the depravity of the men who ran the largest domestic slave trading operation in American history and revealed the fortitude of the enslaved people they trafficked as merchandise. But I also learned that many Americans do not realize that a domestic slave trade existed in the U.S. at all. Mentioning my research to others repeatedly provoked questions about Africa, not...
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Is It Ethical To Farm Insects For Food Now That More People Are Eating Bugs
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Journalism

Is It Ethical To Farm Insects For Food Now That More People Are Eating Bugs

Matan Shelomi, National Taiwan University What is the life of a cricket worth? Insect farming is a rapidly growing industry, with hundreds of companies worldwide rearing insects at industrial scales. The global value of insect farming is expected to surpass US$1.18 billion by 2023. Farmed insects, or “mini-livestock,” refers to insects such as crickets and mealworms raised for the sole purpose of being sold as food or animal feed. These are not the fried tarantulas on a stick hawked to tourists or scorpion lollipops sold as novelties. High-protein insect powder can be used in foods from breads to buns, pasta and protein bars. Such products are already available in countries including the U.S., Switzerland and Finland. As an entomologist who has studied the potential and promotion of e...
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People Under Conservator-Ship Aren’t Free To Marry Who They Want – Even Britney Spears
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CELEBRITY NEWS, Journalism

People Under Conservator-Ship Aren’t Free To Marry Who They Want – Even Britney Spears

Disability and marriage have an especially fraught relationship in American history. Sara Luterman Originally published by The 19th On Sunday, Britney Spears announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari. Spears’ Instagram account appears to be on hiatus, but a defiant announcement remains on Asghari’s account – a photo of Spears and Asghari kissing, their faces hidden behind Spears’ outstretched, adorned ring finger. While it might look like an ordinary celebrity announcement, it’s actually much more. Spears is claiming a right stripped of her under her conservator-ship: the right to marry. Conservator-ship is a legal arrangement in which someone, usually a family member, is appointed by a judge to manage the finances or daily life of another person due to incapac...
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