trends

How Connected Is Your Community to Everywhere Else in America?

Sep 20, 2018 | ,

America is often described as a place of great divides — between red and blue, big cities and rural towns, the coasts and the heartland. But our social lives are shaped by a much stronger force that ignores many of these lines: distance.

In the millions of ties on Facebook that connect relatives, co-workers, classmates and friends, Americans are far more likely to know people nearby than in distant communities that share their politics or mirror their demographics. The dominant picture in data analyzed by economists at Facebook, Harvard, Princeton and New York University is not that like-minded places are linked; rather, people in counties close to one another are.

Even in the age of the internet, distance matters immensely in determining whom — and, as a result, what — we know.

Source: How Connected Is Your Community to Everywhere Else in America? – The New York Times

Teens are hooked on social media. But how does it make them feel about themselves? 

Sep 12, 2018 | , ,

Broadly, teens seem aware of the negative consequences of too much social media use:

  • Nearly three-quarters of teens believe that tech companies are manipulating users to spend more time glued to their devices.

  • More than half of social media users say it distracts them from doing homework or paying attention to the people they’re with.

  • Some 21 percent of teens say using social media makes them feel more popular, 20 percent said more confident, and 18 percent said it makes them feel better about themselves.

  • A quarter said it makes them feel less lonely, and 16 percent said it makes them feel less depressed.

  • Some 8 percent said it makes them feel more anxious, but 12 percent said less anxious.

Source: Teens are hooked on social media. But how does it make them feel about themselves? – Recode

Descubrimiento Digital: The Online Lives of Latinx Consumers

Sep 12, 2018 | , ,

The visibility of U.S. Hispanics highlights an increase in cultural inclusivity and civic representation as well as recognition of the community’s strides. With continuing progress in educational pursuits, economic gains and more, the Latinx community and its influence on the new American mainstream are undeniable on many fronts.

Source: Descubrimiento Digital: The Online Lives of Latinx Consumers

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee on Why AI Redefines What It Means to Be Human 

Sep 8, 2018 | ,

I talk in my book about the great divide between the top 1% and the bottom 50% of the population. There are areas where AI has the potential to be an equalizer — for example, reducing the cost of healthcare or lowering the barrier to accessing a good education.

However, the digital divide that has been enhanced and exacerbated by the advent of computers, the internet, and mobile devices could also get worse with AI. Various ideas are being advanced in relation to the redistribution of wealth, and I think that some government policy response will end up being necessary. As I mention in my book, I have many concerns about the concept of universal basic income. But some form of redistribution is going to be inevitable. Otherwise, this large divide isn’t a formula for stability, happiness, or harmony.

Source: Dr. Kai-Fu Lee on Why AI Redefines What It Means to Be Human – Salesforce Blog