Tech & ScienceAddiction Social media One summer day in 2010, a Swedish graduate student named Daniel Berg approached me after a talk I gave at Christ's College, Cambridge. During the talk, I had casually mentioned internet addiction. Berg told me that I had spoken a truth larger than I knew. Many of his male friends at Stockholm University had dropped out of school and were living in crash pads, compulsively playing World of Warcraft. They spoke an argot more English than Swedish. It was all raiding, all the time."How do they feel about their situation?" I asked."They feel angst," Berg said."But they keep playing?""They keep playing." This sort of behavior does seem like an addiction, in the sense of a compulsive, regret-filled pursuit of transient pleasures that are harmful to both the individual and society. For gaming, the personal cost was highest for Swedish men. "I am," Berg reported, "now the only male in my graduate program in economic … [Read more...] about Social Media Obsessives and Compulsive Gamers Share Addictive Traits, Experts Say
Social media listening command center
Social media influencers have evolved: they could be 21 and living in Bathinda
Razia Khatoon, 24, used to be a national-level archer, and has an M.Sc in Physics. In 2016, just for a lark, she posted a few videos of dishes she had cooked. Today, Cook with Razia has over 5 lakh followers on YouTube and over 5.4 lakh followers on TikTok.“I had never entered a kitchen,” she says in Hindi over the phone. “There was a function at home, and my dadi helped me make rasmalai,” she says. “I got so much praise that I decided to put it online.” Khatoon’s content is in Hindi and has a certain honesty — there’s no posturing or foreign locales. She gets comments from around the world. And using this platform, Khatoon has expanded her business model to include cooking classes and making baked goods on order. She collaborates with brands such as Snapdeal, Infinix mobile and Meesho. Razia Khatoon Social media influencers or SMIs like Khatoon are plenty, but the interesting thing is that Khatoon lives in Jamshedpur. … [Read more...] about Social media influencers have evolved: they could be 21 and living in Bathinda
‘Off the pedestal’: Supermodel Elle Macpherson on how social media has changed fashion and business
But Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson — aka “The Body” — says times have definitely changed in the modelling industry. With the rise of social media, Macpherson said models could no longer afford to keep their distance from the public. Now they have to keep it real, “get off the pedestal”, and be “down to earth”. “There have been quite a lot of changes with social media … (in the past) the more iconic you were, the more distanced you were from your public, the greater your success,” Macpherson said today, with her hair in long beachy waves and wearing a dark Hermes knit, a figure-hugging skirt and knee-high boots. Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson has opened up about the changes in the fashion industry, driven by social media. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images “Today, the more relatable you are, the more connected you are to your public, the greater your success,” she added. “I think … [Read more...] about ‘Off the pedestal’: Supermodel Elle Macpherson on how social media has changed fashion and business
Raising a Social-Media Star
When then-14-year-old Jonas Bridges ran down the stairs of his Atlanta home shouting, “Dad, I’ve got 1,000 fans!” his father, Rob Bridges, hardly took notice. A few days later Jonas barreled into the living room again, saying, “Dad, I’ve got 3,000 fans now.” Again, his father brushed him off. Several days later, Jonas told his father, “I have 5,000 fans now and if I get to 10,000 I’ll get paid for it.” Finally, Rob Bridges turned to his wife and said, “Denise, what the hell is he talking about?”What Jonas Bridges was trying to tell his father was that he was rapidly becoming famous on YouNow, a social video platform where he had begun hosting live-streams from his bedroom under the pseudonym “woahits_jonas.” Before his parents knew what was happening, Jonas had amassed an army of online fans for his vlogs and prank videos. Before they could grasp quite what his newfound fame meant, Jonas had begun raking in … [Read more...] about Raising a Social-Media Star
Some persons using social media against the government — Aisha Buhari
The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Buhari has said “bad people” have taken over the country from people who are “supposed to be in charge”. Aisha said this in a TV programme, Thursday during a phone-in interview on Television Continental (TVC)’s ‘Journalists Hangout’ programme. She said it is unacceptable that those who should be in control of the government have remained mute, while some persons are using social media to bring down the government. Also read: Aisha Buhari calls for regulation of Social Media Bills She said fake news has caused her some distress particularly when the president was rumoured to have died, and when he was said to be taking a second wife. “I didn’t take it seriously because even my husband didn’t know what was happening,” she said of the rumoured marriage. “Both of us didn’t know what was happening; they just decided to bombard social media with it. They are now … [Read more...] about Some persons using social media against the government — Aisha Buhari