NETUCATION Blog

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  • Anyone Can Be Found on Social Media in 12 Hours

    The Physics arXiv Blog for MIT Technology Review

    In 1967, the American social psychologist Stanley Milgram sent out 160 packages to randomly chosen individuals in the U.S., asking them to forward them to a single individual living in Boston. The task included a simple rule: The recipients could only send each parcel on to somebody they knew on a first-name basis.

    To his surprise, Milgram found that the first package arrived at its destination via only two people. On average, he found that the parcels reached their destination via five pairs of hands, which amounts to 6 degrees of separation.

    Milgram’s work has since been repeated on various social networks. For example, Microsoft says people on its Messenger network are separated by 6.6 degrees of freedom and Facebook claims its members are separated by only 4 degrees of separation.

    But there is another element to this work that has been less closely studied, which is the time it takes to travel across a network. In Milgram’s experiment, the first package arrived in just four days. But the others took significantly longer.

    So an interesting question is how quickly is it possible to traverse a social network — to track down a random individual across the network.

    Today, we have an answer thanks to the work of Alex Rutherford at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi and a few pals who have measured how quickly it is possible to track down random individuals around the world using social networks.

    They concluded that, on average, any individual is just 12 hours of separation from another.

    Their data comes from a competition called the Tag Challenge, in which the goal was to find five individuals in five different cities in North America and Europe. The only clue was a mugshot of the individual, the name of the city he or she was in and the fact that they would be wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the event.

    Rutherford and his team won the competition by identifying three of the five individuals in just 12 hours.

    They say a key factor to achieving this feat was the ability of participants to target other individuals who may be to help. That’s in contrast to another strategy which is blindly gathering as many different people to help as possible.

    Click here to read the full article

    source: Mashable

  • Warning over child ‘addiction’ to smartphones and gaming devices

    BY NICOLA ANDERSON – 23 APRIL 2013

    More young children are showing signs of becoming “addicted” to gadgets such as smartphones and gaming devices, psychologists have warned.

    Children are having problems concentrating in school and have motor skills worryingly below their appropriate age because they are spending “hours” playing computer games each day.

    One professional recently treated a 10-year-old who had gashes on his knuckles after lashing out in his sleep as a result of becoming agitated and aggressive after hours of playing the violent 18-rated ‘Grand Theft Auto’.

    Educational psychologist Dr Catriona Martyn, who is based in Dunmore, Co Galway, said there were also concerns about concentration levels in school but parents are often surprised when it is linked with the use of gadgets.

    Educational psychologist Anne Staunton warned that research had to begin “sooner rather than later”, saying she had noticed evidence among schoolchildren that gaming and playing on devices “can become an addiction”.

    This comes as research in the Britain reveals how young technology addicts experience the same withdrawal symptoms as alcoholics or heroin addicts when the devices are taken away.

    A technology addiction programme was set up three years ago by Dr Richard Graham, of the Capio Nightingale clinic in London, who said the condition prevented young people from forming normal social relationships, leaving them drained by the constant interaction.

    source: Belfast Telegraph

  • Research finds that video games hold both risks and rewards for children with Autism

    By  — April 22, 2013

    One in 88 children in America have a disorder that falls somewhere on the Autism Spectrum according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These range from conditions like the high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome to pervasive developmental disorders. With autism diagnoses rising at an incredible rate in recent decades, it’s been more important than ever to identify effective methods for helping to educate and socialize those with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Based on new research conducted at the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center, video games could be a powerful tool in reaching children diagnosed with an ASD – but the data so far compiled demonstrates that games also carry some risks.

    Assistant professor Micah Mazurek recently conducted a study of 202 children diagnosed with ASD alongside 179 of their respective siblings to determine which types of screen-based media (television, video games, other computer software, and web-based entertainment) they respond to. Mazurek observed a demonstrable link between children with ASD and games.

    “We found that children with ASD spent more time playing video games than typically developing children, and they are much more likely to develop problematic or addictive patterns of video game play,” said Dr. Mazurek.

    “Using screen-based technologies, communication, and social skills could be taught and reinforced right away. However, more research is needed to determine whether the skills children with ASD might learn in virtual reality environments would translate into actual social interactions.”

    The primary conclusion of Mazurek’s most recent study is that there is a need for more study into how those with ASD interact with video games, and what social skills they take away from gaming. As obsessive behavior is a common characteristic of ASD, children with disorders are also possibly more susceptible to game addiction. “Parents need to be aware that, although video games are especially reinforcing for children with ASD, children with ASD may also have problems disengaging from these games.”

    As detailed in a new report by National Public Radio’s Lauren Silverman though, video games can be an important outlet for those with ASD even after childhood. “[Those with ASD} may really flourish at engineering-type tasks or computer design, where their interaction with people is somewhat limited,” says Dr. Patricia Evans of Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. It’s because of that propensity that Gary Moore and Dan Sellic opened the nonParelli Institute, an educational institute and software company that exclusively works with ASD employees.

    source: DIGITAL TRENDS 

     

  • 5 Ways Teenagers are the New ‘Mobile-First’ Generation

    It’s always a useful task to put some perspective onto the rate of technological change over the last decade or two.

    I have talked about Generation Y and the millenials in an earlier post, with the video of the toddler using an iPad with ease, but being dumbfounded by a magazine, illustrating perfectly how the children of the internet age are true digital natives.

    What’s really interesting to look into is the way the new ‘totally mobile’ generation are using the internet, social media and connectivity in different ways to the rest of us.

    Just this month the Pew Research Centre released a new study into smartphone adoption among American teens. One of the key findings was how a quarter of teenagers from the study are now ‘mobile-mostly’ internet users, with their smartphone the primary way of going online versus a desktop PC or laptop.

    The survey looked at technology use among 802 12-17 year olds and their parents. Here are five key findings from the study.

    1. 78% of all teens now have a mobile phone (up from just 45% in 2004).
    2. 37% of all teens have smartphones (up from just 23% in 2011).
    3. 23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population.
    4. 95% of teens use the internet.
    5. 74% teens ages 12-17 say they access the internet on mobile phones, tablets, and other mobile devices at least occasionally.

    The statistics also reveal how the ‘totally mobile’ generation use their devices to create content (photos and video) and share more widely across social media. It’s also worth noting how little teens use voice relative to text and internet services to communicate with each other. Here’s the full breakdown from Pew of what teens use their mobiles for.

    • 83% take pictures.
    • 64% share pictures with others.
    • 60% play music.
    • 46% play games.
    • 32% swap videos.
    • 31% exchange instant messages.
    • 23% access social networks.
    • 21% use email.
    • 11% purchase things.

    These figures are based on studies of US teenagers but many of these trends will be similar to teens in Western Europe and other developed parts of the world. As Mary Madden, senior research for the Pew Research Centre’s Internet Project concludes: “In many ways, teens represent the leading edge of mobile connectivity, and the patterns of their technology use often signal future changes in the adult population.”

    The challenge for the future is to ensure that users are fully educated about how to run their mobile lives safely and responsibly, and that there are the necessary measures in place to ensure safety without shackling creativity and opportunity.

    I’ll leave you with some interesting food for thought for future discussion. These statistics only cover the US but last year one in five of the world’s mobile phone owning youth lived in India.

    I’d love to hear any other statistics or anecdotes about the evolution of this ‘totally mobile’ generation and the future impact.

    Photo credit wrangler / Shutterstock

    source: Linkedin

  • Study: Google Searches Reveal Mental Health Patterns

    Search terms implied that people are 24 percent less likely to consider suicide in the summer, among other seasonal fluctuations that may be useful in epidemiology for illnesses that are difficult to track.

    LINDSAY ABRAMS APR 9 2013, 8:21 AM ET

    PROBLEM: Google overhyped the flu this year, which seemed to be a blow to the company’s claim that it can track disease in real-time. Not to mention, the CDC was doing a fine job monitoring the virus’s spread without the help of Google’s search-based analysis. Traditional epidemiological surveillance techniques are less reliable, though, when it comes to mental illness, which remains complex and stigmatized enough that there’s reason to believe people may be more comfortable consulting the Internet than their doctors.

    METHODOLOGY: Public health experts at San Diego State looked at every mental health query made on Google between 2006 and 2010 in the U.S. and Australia. They identified searches that used “language suggestive of mental health matters,”  which usually involved people either attempting to self-diagnose or treat themselves, or looking up information on behalf of a friend or family member. When it comes to ones skin, they should be aware of what needs to done in case of a fibromyalgia rash.

    The researchers specifically analyzed this data in terms of seasonal changes: shorter, darker days are known to increase symptoms of depression, but little is known about possible patterns for other mental illnesses. They adjusted for big news stories, to avoid the effects of media hype like that which caused Google to suggest that the flu was more widespread than it actually was.

    RESULTS: In the U.S., inquiries about mental health dropped by 14 percent from winter to summer. The seasonal differences, for major mental illnesses, were as follows:

    • Eating disorders: 37%
    • Schizophrenia: 37%
    • Bipolar: 16%
    • ADHD: 28%
    • OCD: 18%
    • Suicide: 24%
    • Anxiety: 7%

    Similar drops were seen in the Australian dataset. In fact, peaks and troughs in search volume between the two countries closely reflected one another — while Americans enjoyed the decline in mental illness that appeared to come with lengthening days and warmer weather, the Australian winter signaled a rise in the very same:

    IMPLICATIONS: “We can figuratively look inside the heads of searchers to understand population mental health patterns” by analyzing Google searches, said lead researcher John Ayers in a statement. There are obvious limits to this supposed omniscience: it doesn’t allow us to zero in on any specific demographics, and even if more people were searching for “OCD symptoms,” “OCD tests,” and “medications for OCD,” there’s no way of confirming that those the trends correspond to actual, diagnosable cases of OCD. The data also doesn’t help us to understand why these seasonal patterns exist. But it’s the very least, as the authors write, “a stigma- and cost-reducing venue to help screen and treat those who search for but may not bring problems to the attention of their clinicians.”

    “Seasonality in Seeking Mental Health Information on Google” is published inThe American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

    source: The Atlantic

  • Facebook Users Fall for Stalker More than Sex Scams

    by Leslie Meredith, TechNewsDaily Senior Writer
    April 18 2013 04:29 PM ET

    Are you dying to know who’s viewed your Facebook profile? Scammers bet you are and will tempt you with fake apps promising to reveal who’s been stalking you on Facebook.

    In a study released today (April 18) by security software firm Bitdefender, about 25 percent of all Facebook scams detected over the past six months promise to show Facebook users who has looked at their profiles. But what they get instead is trouble.

    “The most common path after clicking on the scamming links is either landing on endless surveys and fraudulent websites, where you may have your credentials stolen, or on a page loaded with malware such as banking Trojans,” Catalin Cosoi, a security strategist for Bitdefender, told us. “A malicious app can post on your behalf, and spreads on your friends’ timeline[s] as well.”

    The research also offers a glimpse into the hidden desires  of many Facebook users, Cosoi said.

    Second to stalkers (and remember, a stalker can also be an admirer, depending on a person’s feelings for the viewer), the sexy antics of celebrities appear as lures in most scams. The promise of a Rihanna sex tape was used in almost one in five Facebook scams. Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox, Justin Bieber , Selena Gomez and Chris Brown followed in order as the celebrity names most frequently abused by scammers.

    The Facebook security team has made a lot of improvements to reduce the complexity and number of scams, Bitdefender said. But the scams persist. Prevention is the best protection: Don’t click on links that make tempting promises, even if they appear to be from a friend.

    Damage control

    But what should you do if you’ve already clicked on a harmful link? Cosoi recommends removing the malicious posts from your timeline  or deleting the app from your account in the AppCenter. Also, warn your friends and have them do the same. Finally, run a security check on your computer with an antivirus scanner, and consider a Facebook security app to protect your account in the future. Of course, Bitdefender recommends its own Safego app.

    source: TechNewsDaily

  • Facebook’s message charge shows how to make money out of desperate fans

    Facebook is on to a good thing with its £11 charge for fans to contact their idols. But here’s a way for celebrities to cash in too

    Taylor Swift: hundreds of unopened fan letters were discovered in a dumpster in Nashville in March. Photograph: Getty Images for TAS

    One of Facebook’s strangest revenue-building schemes of recent times is its new decision to charge civilians to send messages to celebrities. Messaging Tom Daley, for instance, will cost nearly £11. Miranda Hart, meanwhile, is 71p.

    Facebook’s aim, it selflessly claims, is to reduce the amount of spam in celebrities’ mailboxes, but in tacitly purporting to provide a direct route to Jessie J’s eyeballs, it disregards the reality of social media for even the remotely famous. A celebrity‘s experience of social media is completely different from our own, bombarded as they are with praise, fury, demands and inanity with each hour that passes. Also, many of the miniature missives pinged at notable names come from desperate fans who are so obsessed that £11 will seem like a small price to pay.

    Even traditional fanmail has historically been hard to keep up with, and the volume of that medium is naturally subdued by the effort associated with pens, paper, stamps and postboxes. Yet still it comes, by the sackload. It’s harrowing to witness the piles of letters, cards and gifts that pile up in the dressing room of any moderately successful chart act as they tour from city to city. This mail is frequently never even glimpsed by the intended recipient and is often swept, unopened, into a black binbag by a tour manager at the end of the night. In it all goes: poetry, lovingly sketched artwork, teddies and trinkets on which pocket money has been trustingly spent.

    It’s a predicament that hit Taylor Swift a month ago when a box containing hundreds of her unopened fan letters was found unceremoniously ditched in a Nashville dumpster. Now, before you become too angry, the act wasn’t completely uncaring – the letters had at least been placed in the recycling section. But it’s hard not to feel a twinge of heartbreak when faced with the spectacle of hundreds of trashed communiques which, as the Daily Mail noted, were “covered with pictures, hearts and sparkles”. HEARTS AND SPARKLES. In the aftermath of bingate, a Swift spokesperson noted that Taylor received thousands of fan letters daily and that these were opened, read and recycled. If true, this is certainly an impressive commitment to fan relations: opening and reading 2,000 letters daily would be a full-time job for four people, and that’s before a single reply is sent.

    Click here to read the full article

    source:  The Guardian

     

  • How Smart Phones Make You Smarter

    by Markham Heid April 10, 2013, 12:05 pm EDT

    Boost your brainpower with Bejeweled. Spending a few minutes gaming on your phone can make you smarter, finds new research published inPLoS ONE.

    After 4 weeks of playing phone-based games for an hour a day, 75 people significantly improved their working memory, focus, spatial memory, or multitasking ability, the research shows. At the end of the study period, the participants’ scores in multiple areas of cognition jumped by as much as 40 percent compared to pre-videogame levels.

    Just as weight training pumps up your biceps, some video games are a workout for your brain, the study suggests. And you don’t have to bury your face in your phone for a full 60 minutes a day to experience the benefits, says study coauthor Michael Patterson, Ph.D., of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. A few minutes whenever you can squeeze them in should be enough to do the trick, he says. 

    That brain boost can last from a few months to 2 years, says study coauthor Adam Oei, a graduate student at NTU. But you have to choose the right game to match your desired brain benefit:

    • First-person shooters and action games like Modern Combat: Sandstorm ($4.99, iOS and Android) enhance your brain’s ability to quickly assess and disregard irrelevant information or distractions, according to the study. Referred to as “cognitive control,” this skill will help you ignore all the time-wasters in your inbox—or the 95 percent of that quarterly report that isn’t relevant to your job.
    • To improve attention and multi-tasking ability, try shape-manipulation puzzlers like Bejeweled ($.99, iOS and Android). These games involve complex tasks that hone your brain’s ability to store and retrieve short-term memories, and also switch quickly between challenges without losing focus, the study authors say.
    • Hidden-object games like Everest: Hidden Expedition (Free, iOS) improve visual search ability, the study finds. This will help your eyes more quickly locate and recognize what they’re searching for, whether you’re playing outfield and trying to hit your cut-off man or hunting for lost keys.
    • Memory games like Matrix Brain (Free, iOS), boost spatial working memory. You use that brain function to remember your way around a new neighborhood or city—or to break down complex diagrams or visual data, the study explains.

    source: Men’s Health News

  • Twitter and Facebook ‘addicts’ suffer withdrawal symptoms

    Facebook and Twitter users suffered withdrawal symptoms when forced to go cold turkey as part of a scientific study into the addictiveness of social media, academics have found.

    Going cold turkey caused many of the participants to suffer withdrawal symptoms Photo: CORBIS

    By 

    1:33PM BST 11 Apr 2013

    In a study by researchers at the University of Winchester, ten self-confessed Facebook “addicts” and ten prolific tweeters were asked to stop using their accounts for four weeks. Many quickly became isolated from friends and family and reported feeling “cut off from the world”.

    One female participant from Yorkshire said: “So much of my life was organised via Facebook. I haven’t communicated with my family all week.”

    Another volunteer said: “I’ve felt alone and cut off from the world. My fingers seem to be programmed to seek out the Facebook app every time I pick up my phone.”

    But Dr David Giles, a reader in media psychology who led the study, said that heavy use of social networks is not necessarily dangerous. “Some people would argue this addiction to social media is eating away at people’s lives, but what most of these so-called addicts are doing online is profoundly social,” he said.

    “The average internet user today is not the bedroom hermit of the 1990s but a savvy individual with a smartphone who openly manages his or her entire social life and personal relationships online.”

    Moderation could be key, however. Complete abstinence caused many of the participants to suffer withdrawal symptoms, but not all of the effects were negative. One woman from Wales said being forced off Facebook allowed her to catch-up on household chores, while another volunteer confessed that the ban had allowed her to spend more time with her daughter.

    The study, commissioned by first direct, also showed that those who had avoided social media in the past could find it useful and enjoyable. Researchers took ten people with inactive Twitter and Facebook accounts, and ten who had never used social media at all, and asked them to regularly tweet and update their Facebook status for four weeks.

    One participant said: “I thought I would find using Facebook every day dull and pointless, but I’m finding that I’m quite enjoying it. I’m actually seeing my friends more now.”

    The research showed that Twitter users coped better than their Facebook counterparts with being cut off from their accounts, which researchers put down to Twitter’s less “social” nature.

    Dr Giles believes that more people will eventually be forced to accept using social media as a fact of life. Life is getting more difficult for people who lack an email address or Facebook profile, and companies increasingly treat them as the “vagrants of the digital age”, he said.

    The research also highlighted 12 distinct types of social media users, from occasional “dippers” who only occasionally log-in to post an update to full-blown “ultras” who are habitual participants. Click here to see which tribe you belong to.

    source: The Telegraph