The average Facebook user spends almost an hour on the site every day, according to data provided by the company last year. A Deloitte survey found that for many smartphone users, checking social media apps are the first thing they do in the morning – often before even getting out of bed. Of course, social interaction is a healthy and necessary part of human existence. Thousands of studies have concluded that most human beings thrive when they have strong, positive relationships with other human beings.
Continue reading… “A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel”
Making connections at work matters in the ‘age of loneliness’
We all would like to avoid that feeling of loneliness. Research shows it’s terrible for our health; it diminishes cognitive performance and the immune system, increases the risk of heart disease and dementia and hastens early death. And the psychological effects are just as bad; studies show that people need strong social connections to feel happy and find meaning in their lives, and that many of us would actually rather receive mild electroshocks than be alone.
Continue reading… “Making connections at work matters in the ‘age of loneliness’”
Building the next generation of smart cities
Smart cites tap into technology and social experiments.
Cities are becoming the focal point for policy and investment activities that drive economic growth and build more resilient social structures to address disasters, climate change, and healthcare. The ongoing financial crisis has prompted city managers globally to think about ways to achieve greater efficiencies and compete against other cities and regions for talent and business.
Continue reading… “Building the next generation of smart cities”
Google and Facebook go beyond social
It’s important to start back in the fall of 2010 if you want to understand the strange but spectacularly profitable world of Google and Facebook today. Facebook was a rising start four years ago. They had built the ultimate social walled garden — almost a separate alternative to the Internet at large.
Continue reading… “Google and Facebook go beyond social”
The persuasive pressure of peer rankings
Here’s what you might see on a typical week when users took part in a friendly competition to rank themselves against their friends and colleagues in weekly step counts.
When introducing a new product it is essentially an exercise in persuading people to change their behavior. Many companies try to tackle this challenge by making the functional benefits of the new seem so much more compelling than the old. But this approach rarely works. After all, how many of us as children enjoyed eating our vegetables just because our moms said they were better for us than dessert?
Continue reading… “The persuasive pressure of peer rankings”
Firefly – connects people with common interests and hobbies through their smartphone
Firefly
Remember warm summer evenings as a child, seeing flashes of light flutter around you, illuminating the night sky and capturing your attention and imagination? Recapture those magical moments with the Firefly social illuminated band. Firefly allows you to start conversations and keeps the social atmosphere interesting. (Video)
Social business remade the economy while most companies weren’t looking
The online world has clearly and systematically changed the rules of business, and companies must adapt or risk irrelevance. This often seemed self-evident to many of us, even if the ranks of the Fortune 500 and Global 2000 didn’t actually seem to change very much as a result. But the times, they have recently changed.
Continue reading… “Social business remade the economy while most companies weren’t looking”
The currency of the future will be your reputation
Marina Gorbis, author of The Nature Of The Future: Dispatches From The Socialstructed World, argues we are moving away from the depersonalized world of institutional production toward a new economy built on social connections and rewards–a process she calls socialstructing.
Continue reading… “The currency of the future will be your reputation”
Things big data can’t do
Big data has limitations.
David Brooks, a New York Times columnist, was at a dinner with the chief executive of a large bank not too long ago. Given the weak economy and the prospect of a future euro crisis the chief executive had just had to decide whether to pull out of Italy.
@Walmart Labs – Wal-Mart’s effort to become undisputed leader of social commerce
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDYpF7V0Xe8&hd=1[/youtube]
Wal-Mart is starting to turn heads in the tech world — and that may have important implications for the way we think about the future of the shopping experience. Once known for a soul-less retail store experience and a hyper-efficient supply chain that delivered “everyday low prices,” Wal-Mart has been fusing together innovations from the mobile and social networking worlds to create the foundation for a radically new type of hyper-personalized shopping experience.
Continue reading… “@Walmart Labs – Wal-Mart’s effort to become undisputed leader of social commerce”
British Plan Closure of Over 450 Libraries
Under 50-year-old laws, local councils currently have a legal obligation to provide comprehensive library services.
Public libraries across the country could be closed to save money, under plans being considered by ministers. More than 450 libraries are facing closure because of public spending cuts. The Government believes that the spread of the internet and other social changes may mean that councils should be free to close libraries.