Tag Archives: people

‘Almost all the people support Labour’: Why the 2024 election won’t be dominated by TikTok | TikTok

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While this may be the first general election to be decided using TikTok, it won’t be the first election to be decided on TikTok for the simple reason that British users of the video app are already more likely to vote for Labour.

“The problem is that pretty much everyone on TikTok is already on our side,” a Labour campaign source said. “We need to reach out to the swing vote.”

TikTok’s relatively young user base, and Labour’s commanding lead among young voters, give the app a strange role in this election. There’s no doubt that tens of millions of Britons are consuming election content on the platform — a fertile ground for memes to spread, embarrassing videos to go viral, and passionate political opinions to rally support — and all political parties feel they have to be involved.

But within the Labour party, it is also seen as an unreliable way of conveying Keir Starmer’s core messages on economic and education policy to “Whitby women” and other specific undecided voters who will decide the outcome of dozens of close constituencies across the UK.

Just using TikTok is a strong indicator that someone is already inclined to vote Labour, according to Deltapol research, which found that TikTok users are 31% more likely to vote for Keir Starmer’s party than people of the same age and background who don’t use the video app.

“This allows us to conclude that people who use TikTok are more likely to vote Labour,” said Mike Joslin, a veteran digital campaigner who commissioned the research for artificial intelligence start-up Bombe. “Other channels give them more control in reaching undecided voters.”

TikTok’s cultural influence in the UK is undeniable, with 45% of UK internet users spending an average of 28 minutes a day on the app, according to the British Communications Authority. If you’ve ever seen the queues outside a TikTok-inspired restaurant or shop, you know the app can have a huge real-world impact and change behavior. While the typical user is Gen Z, its audience is actually ageing, with much of its recent growth coming from people in their 30s.


Lord Cameron was filmed on a voter's Ring doorbell camera while campaigning for the Conservative party in the general election. Photo: TikTok

Joslin said the app has become “essentially television,” with users endlessly scrolling through videos without necessarily engaging. “You can reach 10 million people, but what impact does that have on their actual willingness to vote? It’s more of a tool for mobilizing voters than necessarily a tool for persuading voters.”

One of the biggest challenges is that TikTok employs an opaque recommendation algorithm that is extremely difficult for political activists and journalists to monitor, meaning that just determining which videos are popular focuses on what political parties are doing on their official accounts, even though much of the conversation is taking place elsewhere and is largely invisible.

Older social networks like X and Facebook were built on the concept of following individuals and sharing content, such as links to news articles, in a way that could be tracked and monitored. TikTok is centered around powerful algorithms that identify users who are likely to enjoy specific content and serve them appropriate video streams.

The end result is highly unpredictable and not necessarily useful for political campaigns: if an ordinary person with no followers produces a particularly compelling political video (such as the 1 million people who watched David Cameron through a Ring doorbell during an election campaign in Hampshire), it can be more effective than a carefully crafted official post by an official channel (such as the 40,000 people who watched Rishi Sunak answer a question about agriculture on the official Conservative party account).

According to one Labour campaigner, the aim of the party’s TikTok strategy is to encourage young people to watch videos (e.g.
A post comparing Rishi Sunak to a Magic the Gathering card) and post it to a family WhatsApp group. This way, they say, TikTok content can actually reach swing voters. “The strategy isn’t to target young people, but to connect with friends and family by sharing outside the platform.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Study finds that Internet addiction alters brain chemistry in young people

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Studies indicate that adolescents with internet addiction exhibit alterations in brain chemistry that can contribute to further addictive behaviors.

In a study published in PLOS Mental Health, researchers analyzed fMRI studies to explore how brain regions interact in individuals with internet addiction.

The findings revealed changes in neural network activity in the brains of young individuals, with increased activity during rest and reduced connectivity in areas involved in cognitive functions like memory and decision-making.

These alterations were linked to addictive behaviors, mental health issues, cognitive abilities, and physical coordination in adolescents.

The study reviewed 12 prior studies involving 237 young individuals diagnosed with internet addiction from 2013 to 2023.

Recent surveys show that nearly half of British teens feel addicted to social media platforms.

Lead researcher Max Zhang from the University of London emphasized the vulnerability of adolescents to internet addiction due to developmental changes during this crucial stage.

The study suggests that early intervention for internet addiction is essential to mitigate negative impacts on adolescent behavior and development.

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Experts recommend targeted treatments focused on specific brain regions or therapies to combat internet addiction symptoms.

Parental education plays a crucial role in preventing internet addiction, enabling better management of screen time and impulsive online behaviors.

Lead author Eileen Li from GOS ICH emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries on internet usage and being mindful of its effects on mental and social well-being.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Muting people on social media can be done quickly, for free, and has the power to profoundly impact your life

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I I don’t usually believe in life hacks. I’d like to imagine that with one simple adjustment my life would reappear like a cracked tennis court, but as time and experience have shown, positive change usually happens slowly and gradually.

But there is one hack that I truly believe in. It’s fast, free, and will instantly change your life for the better. Just mute the annoying people on social media.

The process varies by platform. Typically, you would go to the offending poster’s profile page or one of her posts and tap “Mute,” “Snooze,” or “Unfollow.” But that’s it. Thanks to this digital dust, social media is cleaner, or at least less dirty than it used to be. They’ll disappear from your timeline, and so will the various little annoyances they caused. Also, unlike unfollowing or blocking someone, the muted party won’t know they’ve been silenced, so there’s no risk of awkwardness or drama. .

Several people are muted. Some of them are people you don’t want to unfollow. I unfollowed some people, but I muted them because others might repost and pollute my pure timeline. One is a semi-celebrity who was rude to me about work many years ago. Another person was rude to my friend. There are also ex-lovers and people who are always humble and boastful and make you want to bang your head against something hard.

These people brought out the worst in me. When I saw their posts, I felt angry, mean, and small. I wondered how much it would cost to buy billboards along major highways with bullet points detailing just how bad it really is.

Luckily, I rarely think about these people anymore because I’ve muted them on all platforms. I usually forget these people exist unless someone brings it up in conversation. They were weeded from the lush garden of my brain.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Three lines of bold text that say “Actually,” then “Read more about how to live a good life in a complex world,” then pinkish text that says “Continue here.” ‘Graphic section with lavender pill-shaped buttons’

Bailey Parnell, founder and president of the Center for Digital Wellbeing, said, “Muting accounts that repeatedly make you uncomfortable is setting up digital boundaries to create a healthier digital environment.” I am. This allows you to avoid offensive content without disconnecting. It’s a solution, she says, to the complicated situation where a relationship with someone is important to you despite their annoying online presence.

“This allows you to maintain your social and professional networks while also maintaining your mental health,” she says.

This may seem like obvious advice. Still, it can be difficult to follow. The frustration you feel when you see someone’s bad posts can be accompanied by a sense of satisfaction. It’s like, “Look!” It’s annoying!

“There can be a dopamine rush at the end of a big emotion,” says Monica Amorosi, a certified trauma therapist in New York City. We may begin to crave the adrenaline spike that comes with content that makes us feel shocked, angry, or disgusted.

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“If we lead a mundane life, lack stimulation, are bored or overwhelmed, consuming this substance can be a form of entertainment or distraction,” says Amoros. says Mr.

Amorosi emphasizes the importance of not creating a “space of ignorance” in your feed by avoiding different perspectives on current events and alarming news. But this does not mean that social media should only be used to access upsetting information. Our feed can be used for “healthy, positive education, connecting with like-minded people, understanding the nuances and diversity of the world, fact-checking information, and learning new hobbies and ideas,” she says. say.

So muting is probably most effectively applied against people who annoy you in a bland, everyday way, such as an arrogant colleague. Not seeing humble braggarts pretending to be ashamed of their professional successes does not limit my worldview. Instead, I get back the 5-10 minutes I might have wasted taking screenshots of posts and complaining to friends about them.

Frankly, I haven’t done anything with the time I’ve gained by not badmouthing the people I’ve muted. But how nice that at least he has days when he’s comfortable for even five minutes.

So feel free to mute yourself and often. And what if you disagree with me? Please mute. You never know!

Source: www.theguardian.com

People engage in watching sports, engaging in sexual activities, procreating, and conducting research.

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children’s victory

Data from a study by Gwynyay Maske and colleagues at University College Dublin in Ireland shows that spectator sports are good for kids – good for them.

The data covers major American football, association football (soccer), and rugby union tournaments in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

The researchers found that, “with a few exceptions,” these popularity contests “continue to increase in number of births and/or fertility 9 (±1) months after notable team wins and/or tournaments.” “It was associated with an increase in the ratio.” .

Sporting events at this level seem to work that way for the winners, but not for the losers, says a study published in the journal Peer J. No joke, the downsides are significant. “Unexpected losses by Premier Soccer League teams were associated with fewer births nine months later.”

celebratory sex

The study of sports viewing begins with the following fascinating sentence: “Major sports tournaments may be associated with increased birth rates nine months later, possibly due to celebratory sex.”

Not many researchers have focused on the topic of celebratory sex. However, four academics from the University of South Dakota wrote in a 2017 paper thatMidwestern college students reported sexual activity in parked cars.”.

The quartet candidly write about their observations:[Some people] For birthdays, holidays, graduations, proms, new car “run-in” sessions, we planned days and weeks in advance to have “celebratory” sex in a slow, long park… Parking Sex during men and women was primarily a positive sexual and romantic experience for both parties. “

The abstract climax of this study ends with the simple idea that “future research on sex in parked cars in urban settings is recommended.”

Timeliness of time

The eternal question, “What is time?'' staggered onto the stage. The first was the Finnish report on Russia's time zone, and the second was the varied actions of the Kazakh state.

Neri Piatteva and Nadezhda Vasileva from the University of Tampere in Finland,Controlling the time zone: a national large-scale assessment of time as a means in the Russian Federation”.

Russia has 11 time zones. Piattyeva and Vasileva tell us that “the existence of multiple time zones indicates the lack of a unified spatiotemporal nature.” And they express ideas that no one has ever been able to articulate clearly. “Bureaucratically, the desire for simultaneity and synchronicity takes the form of meticulously ordering sequences of actions through normative documents.” They argue that there is a hinge to everything. is revealed. “In our analysis, we repeatedly returned to the most difficult question: What is time?”

On its own, the Kazakh government added clarification, surprise, and perhaps confusion to the general timeliness. On March 1, Kazakhstan changed its two time zones to a single time zone nationwide.

period of central asia reported two weeks before the big day that “not all citizens are happy about this, and some claim it will affect their health.” times In an interview with Sultan Turekhanov of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, he warned: In particular, it is a change in the temporal structure parameters of human biological rhythms. ”

The feedback is, above all, a tribute to the audacity of those who dare to play with the temporal structural parameters of the biological rhythms of human tissues.

unread, non-existent

How many studies are there that no one reads…and eventually disappear? And how many studies disappear that no one reads even before they disappear? Both? Rough answer to the question – it's not exactly the same question. – Now it exists.

The first question was answered almost 20 years ago when Lockman I. Mejo of Indiana University Bloomington published a paper (which has not disappeared) called “.The rise of citation analysis”.

Meho writes: “It is a solemn fact that approximately 90% of papers published in academic journals are not cited at all. In fact, 50% of his papers are never read by anyone other than the authors, reviewers, and journal editors. not.”

Martin Paul Eve from Birkbeck, University of London got the second question right. His new research (also not extinct yet) is called “.Poor preservation of digital academic journals: A study of 7 million articles”. The study “evaluated” 7,438,037 academic citations with unique identification codes called DOIs. Now, in the research, we attempted to evaluate. According to Eve's report, 2,056,492 (27.64%) of them appear to be missing.

Eve also said that 32.9 percent of organizations responsible for digitally preserving documents “do not appear to be doing adequate digital preservation.”

Feedback: old ideals: The study should raise more questions than answers.

Mark Abrahams hosted the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founded the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Previously, he was working on unusual uses of computers.his website is impossible.com.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

1 out of every 8 people worldwide is obese

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Obesity rates are rising around the world

Shutterstock/Rostislav_Sedlacek

More than 1 billion people around the world, or approximately 1 in 8 people, are obese, making it the most common form of malnutrition in nearly every country.

Francesco Branca Researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) compiled data from more than 3,600 studies published over the past 35 years to understand how obesity rates have changed between 1990 and 2022. The study included approximately 230 million people in 197 countries. The researchers then calculated participants’ BMI (a score based on height and weight) to estimate how obesity rates changed over time.

During the study period, global obesity prevalence more than doubled in adults aged 20 years and older and quadrupled in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years. By 2022, obesity rates among women and girls have increased in approximately 93% of countries. The same was true for boys in all but five countries. France was the only country where obesity rates among men did not increase.

Adult obesity rates rose the most in countries in the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa. Meanwhile, the biggest increases in child and adolescent obesity were in Brunei, Chile, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Caribbean island states.

Obesity increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and a variety of other health problems. “It is very worrying that the obesity epidemic that was evident among adults in many parts of the world in 1990 is now being reflected in school-age children and adolescents,” he said. Majid Ezati researchers from Imperial College London, one of the study’s senior authors, said in a press release.

Researchers believe that calorie- and sugar-rich processed foods, which have become more widely available around the world in recent decades, are partly to blame for the skyrocketing obesity rates. However, researchers note that focusing on individual behaviors such as diet and exercise has had, and will continue to have, little impact on the prevalence of obesity. To truly prevent and manage obesity, governments around the world need to implement policies that make healthy food and physical activity more accessible and affordable, Branca said in a press release.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Can Banning Smartphones and Social Media Help Protect Young People from Online Dangers?

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The members of the WhatsApp group ‘Smartphone Free Childhood’ advocate for banning under-14s from owning smartphones and preventing under-16s from accessing social media to protect them from the dangers of the internet. However, believing this is the solution is unrealistic. Announcement (“Crazy: Thousands of UK parents join in quest for smartphone-free childhood”, February 17).

It is a parent’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for their children and teach them how to safely navigate the internet. Just like roads can be dangerous but we don’t ban cars, teaching children internet safety is crucial. Building open and honest relationships and setting boundaries at home will help young people understand internet dangers better than blanket bans. Making social media “adults only” may backfire and make it more tempting for children. They may also be less likely to seek help if they encounter inappropriate content.
stuart harrington
Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset

As seen in cases like Brianna Gee’s, giving children smartphones can have negative consequences. However, we should consider the benefits and drawbacks of smartphone access. I personally benefitted from having a smartphone in school for various tasks like using apps for transportation, news, and communication. While parental controls and monitoring are essential, smartphones have many positive uses. It is important to adapt to the changing online threats and promote more parental supervision.
oscar acton
Merton, County Durham

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it. Selected photos will be featured in our readers’ best photos gallery and in Saturday’s print edition.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Google halts use of AI-generated images of people following backlash over ethnic portrayal

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Google has temporarily blocked a new artificial intelligence model that generates images of people after it depicted World War II German soldiers and Vikings as people of color.

The company announced that its Gemini model would be used to create images of people after social media users posted examples of images generated by the tool depicting historical figures of different ethnicities and genders, such as the Pope and the Founding Fathers of the United States. announced that it would cease production.

“We are already working to address recent issues with Gemini's image generation functionality. While we do this, we will pause human image generation and re-release an improved version soon. “We plan to do so,” Google said in a statement.

Google did not mention specific images in its statement, but examples of Gemini's image results are widely available on X, along with commentary on issues surrounding AI accuracy and bias. 1 former Google employee “It was difficult to get Google Gemini to acknowledge the existence of white people,” he said.


1943 illustration of German soldier Gemini. Photo: Gemini AI/Google

Jack Krawczyk, a senior director on Google's Gemini team, acknowledged Wednesday that the model's image generator (not available in the UK and Europe) needs tweaking.

“We are working to improve this type of depiction immediately,” he said. “His AI image generation in Gemini generates a variety of people, which is generally a good thing since people all over the world are using it. But here it misses the point.”

We are already working to address recent issues with Gemini's image generation capabilities. While we do this, we will pause human image generation and plan to re-release an improved version soon. https://t.co/SLxYPGoqOZ

— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) February 22, 2024


In a statement on X, Krawczyk added that Google's AI principles ensure that its image generation tools “reflect our global user base.” He added that Google would continue to do so for “open-ended” image requests such as “dog walker,” but added that response prompts have a historical trend. He acknowledged that efforts are needed.

“There's more nuance in the historical context, and we'll make further adjustments to accommodate that,” he said.

We are aware that Gemini introduces inaccuracies in the depiction of some historical image generation and are working to correct this immediately.

As part of the AI principles https://t.co/BK786xbkeywe design our image generation capabilities to reflect our global user base and…

— Jack Klotzyk (@JackK)
February 21, 2024


Reports on AI bias are filled with examples of negative impacts on people of color.a Last year's Washington Post investigation I showed multiple examples of image generators show prejudice Not just against people of color, but also against sexism. Although 63% of U.S. food stamp recipients are white, the image generation tool Stable Diffusion XL shows that food stamp recipients are primarily non-white or dark-skinned. It turned out that there was. Requesting images of people “participating in social work” yielded similar results.

Andrew Rogoiski, from the University of Surrey's Institute for Human-Centered AI, said this is “a difficult problem to reduce bias in most areas of deep learning and generative AI”, and as a result there is a high likelihood of mistakes. said.

“There is a lot of research and different approaches to eliminating bias, from curating training datasets to introducing guardrails for trained models,” he said. “AI and LLM are probably [large language models] There will still be mistakes, but it is also likely that they will improve over time. ”

Source: www.theguardian.com