A study finds that people with higher inflammation tend to prefer social media over face-to-face contact. Researchers measured C-reactive protein and screen time, and say the effect is stronger for introverted or neurotic people.
Photo by julien Tromeur, Unsplash
Online communities on platforms like Xiaohongshu use codes and posts that normalise strict eating and extreme thinness. Research shows more Chinese teenagers now show signs of eating disorders and experts say removal of posts is not enough.
A study of rural students and one of their parents finds that university often increases who young people meet, while social media usually broadens networks. Sharing platforms between parents and children has mixed effects on network diversity and tolerance.
Researchers built a browser extension that scans an X feed for antidemocratic and partisan posts and reorders them without removing content or platform cooperation. Tests during the 2024 election showed small but measurable improvements in attitudes toward the other party.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen propose a small pause before sharing on platforms like X, Bluesky and Mastodon. A computer model shows that a short delay plus a brief learning step can reduce reshares and improve shared content quality.
Researchers find that analysing social media posts can give early warning of population movements and help humanitarian agencies respond faster. The study in EPJ Data Science tested methods across three case studies using nearly 2 million posts on X.
Many Moroccan students choose to study in China because economic and social pressures at home make staying difficult. High youth unemployment, low graduate pay, social media and agencies drive the trend, but visas and scams create risks.
Hurricane Melissa moved across the central Caribbean in late October and strengthened. Officials issued warnings from October 20, shelters opened, power and water failed in places, and Jamaica recorded deaths and injuries before an expected landfall on October 28.