It’s a small world after all

Do you know someone who knows someone? We have all played this game, often to be amazed that despite the extreme scale of human society, random people can be linked through very small chains of acquaintances — typically, around six. Recently, a group of researchers from across the globe discovered that this magic of six degrees can be explained mathematically. The intriguing phenomenon, they show, is linked to another social experience we all know too well — the struggle of cost vs. benefit in establishing new social ties.

The AVID college prep program leads to lower substance use, better health behaviors among high school students, UCLA-led research suggests

New UCLA-led research finds that a college preparatory program for youth experiencing educational inequities that operates in about 13% of U.S public high schools has a positive effect on students’ social networks, psycho-social outcomes, and health behaviors.  The findings, published Dec. 16 in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics, suggests that the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program, aimed at increasing educational opportunities for under-represented and economically disadvantaged students, also significantly reduces substance use.

Coping in College? Female Students Much More Stressed Than Their Male Counterparts

Researchers measured both the psychological perception of stress and evaluated how undergraduate males and females cope with stress. The differences are vast. Females experienced much higher levels of stress than males and used emotion-focused approaches to cope more than males. Females used self-distractions, emotional support and venting as coping strategies. Male students on the other hand sought much lower levels of support, since they either may lack the social network or may not have developed those skills.

Study shows users banned from social platforms go elsewhere with increased toxicity

Users banned from social platforms go elsewhere with increased toxicity, according to a new study featuring researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

FAU Invention for Maximum Privacy of Sharing Files Online Gets U.S. Patent

While services such as Snapchat allow self-destructing messages or notify users when a recipient takes a screenshot of a message, there is no way to prevent someone from photographing or showing it to others on the screen. A new invention controls how and when shared documents are displayed and restricts individuals from viewing documents based on individual identity (e.g., face ID, a voice sample), their social network, and when and where the document is being viewed.

Pitch: Shutting down social media platforms somewhat effective in curbing hate speech, but not a long-term solution

While deplatforming (shutting down  social media platforms) can be effective in reducing users and content produced, it’s not a long-term solution for what is a very complex issue, according to Jeremy Blackburn, assistant professor of computer science at Binghamton University,…

MAKING THE BEST DECISION: MATH SHOWS DIVERSE THINKERS EQUAL BETTER RESULTS

A Florida State University researcher published a new study today that tackles how groups make decisions and the dynamics that make for fast and accurate decision making. He found that networks that consisted of both impulsive and deliberate individuals made, on average, quicker and better decisions than a group with homogenous thinkers.

Like Humans, Beluga Whales Form Social Networks Beyond Family Ties

A groundbreaking study is the first to analyze the relationship between group behaviors, group type, group dynamics, and kinship of beluga whales in 10 locations across the Arctic. Results show that not only do beluga whales regularly interact with close kin, including close maternal kin, they also frequently associate with more distantly related and unrelated individuals. Findings will improve the understanding of why some species are social, how individuals learn from group members and how animal cultures emerge.

Which Comes First: The Heavy Drinking Young Adult or the Alcohol-Saturated Social Culture?

Heavy-drinking peer groups increase young adults’ desire to drink, according to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Investigators used behavioral economic theory — the science of how people make choices — to assess motivations for consuming alcohol among a diverse sample of young adult drinkers. Young adults’ motivation to drink alcohol, as well as their likelihood of misusing it, is associated with how it is consumed within their social networks. But it is not well understood how these factors influence each other, and how those effects may vary depending on sex, race, and education level. For example, does the culture of heavy drinking in US colleges drive the high demand for alcohol there, or is alcohol demand high among young adults generally?

A Faster Way To Replace Inaccurate Information On Social Networks

Researchers have demonstrated a new model of how competing pieces of information spread in online social networks and the Internet of Things. The findings may be used to disseminate accurate information more quickly, displacing false information on anything from computer security to public health.