All articles tagged with #online communication
Research shows that language use in everyday communication, including online posts and conversations, can reveal underlying personality dysfunctions, with patterns such as negative emotion words, self-focus, and rigid thinking indicating potential personality issues. Recognizing these linguistic cues can help identify early signs of distress or personality disorders, aiding in better understanding and support.
Snapchat adjusts its controversial "Solar System" feature, which ranks users' closeness to friends, by turning it off by default after facing criticism for adding to teens' anxiety. The feature, available to paid subscribers, displays users' positions in their friends' solar systems, potentially leading to hurt feelings and tough conversations. While Snap defends the feature as providing additional awareness and context, critics argue it's a way to keep young people addicted to using Snapchat. This move comes after previous controversies surrounding Snapchat's friend ranking systems and features like "Streaks," which have faced backlash for their addictive nature and psychological harms.
A study from the University of Toronto suggests that using the present tense in online communication, such as reviews and pitches, can make the message more persuasive. The present tense makes the message seem more specific and concrete, allowing audiences to better visualize its meaning and feel psychologically closer to the author. The study found that reviews with more present tense verbs received higher helpfulness ratings, while reviews with past or future tense verbs received lower ratings. The impact of verb tense was particularly strong when the reader was geographically closer to the author. The study highlights the importance of using concrete language to enhance persuasiveness in online communication.
Discord is a messaging platform used by almost 200 million people online, primarily by gamers to communicate with each other. However, it has also become a space for social media and extremist groups to communicate and organize. The recent Pentagon leak was reportedly posted inside a private Discord server accessible by just a couple dozen users. Discord has a zero-tolerance policy against hate or violent extremism and takes action when it becomes aware of it, including banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with authorities when appropriate.