Category: Social Media

Does Your Social Networking Profile Say Too Much?

Research reveals what personal information Facebook users disclose, and who discloses the most.

Research reveals what personal information Facebook users disclose, and who discloses the most.

When communicating over the internet people don’t feel the same pull towards social conformity as elsewhere. Online, people cast aside their inhibitions, worry less about the consequences of their actions and let it all hang out. Sometimes literally.

Psychologists call this the online disinhibition effect and its upshot can be seen everywhere.

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Can You Trust a Facebook Profile?

Do people display their actual or idealised personalities on social networking sites?

facebook

Do people display their actual or idealised personalities on social networking sites?

There are now over 700 million people around the world with profiles on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. In the US 75% of those between 18 and 24 who have access to the internet use social networking sites. And over the past four years, across all adult age-groups, their use has quadrupled.

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‘Social Networking Increases Cancer Risk’ – I Salute the Debunkers!

Debunkers, I salute you!

When I came across this Daily Mail headline last week…

How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer

…I simply let out a low moan without bothering to read any further. I assumed it was the usual sensationalist rubbish that frequently passes for the media reporting of science. Nowadays, for good or ill, I take it for granted that almost any science story appearing in the newspapers or on TV will be at best misleading and at worst just plain wrong.

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Men Chatty as Women | Avoid Sloppy Thinking | Facebook Snubbing

Women don’t talk more than men.

Here are a few pointers and thoughts on what I’ve been reading this week on other blogs and elsewhere.

Women don’t talk more than men. New research finds no statistical difference between the amount of words uttered by men and women. Previous research by Louann Brizendine had suggested women speak on average 20,000 words per day while men only speak, on average, 7,000. Wrong! (apparently).

There’s loads more on this from the Language Log. ‘Not Exactly Rocket Science‘ has a good write-up.

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Dodgy Juries, (Un)Ethical Professors, MySpace vs. Facebook

Report on the accuracy, or rather inaccuracy of juries.

Here are some pointers to what I’ve been reading this week on other blogs and elsewhere.

As a former law student I was very interested to see this report on the accuracy, or rather inaccuracy of juries, on Psychology and Crime News. This US study compared the official jury decision with the unofficial opinion of the judge. There were some worrying findings. In 25% of cases the jury convicted the defendant, despite the judge thinking they were innocent. In 14% of cases where the jury acquitted the defendant, the judge thought they were guilty.

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