Stolen Tweets
A recent rash of account hackings are ticking off celebs and begging the question: How secure is Twitter?

Newly single Ashton Kutcher tweeted about sleeping over with a girlfriend; the Huffington Post tweeted its affection for the New York Post; “Modern Family”’s Eric Stonestreet tweeted about miracle diet pills; and singer Nicole Scherzinger tweeted her support of Ron Paul, as did bands No Doubt and Rise Against. If any of these tweets left you scratching your head, it’s [...]

Compulsive Behavior
Our relatively new but extraordinarily rampant Internet addition may warrant an official diagnosis

Ever experienced a peculiar surge of elation when you watch the “likes” pile up on one of your Facebook statuses? This particular joy—triggered by, say, a small video-game victory, clever tweet or kind text message—is probably derived from the neurotransmitter dopamine, which sets our brains’ pleasure circuits ablaze. More scientists today are comparing this biological response with the gratification felt by addicts who bring the first [...]

The Cruel Kids
As we continue to see a backlash against bullying, we’re getting mixed messages about bad behavior

On Korea’s “Hug Day” (Dec. 14), Twitter was a hotbed of niceness: The hashtag #stopcyberbullying trended when Miley Cyrus tweeted against cyber-bullies in defense of her friends Kelly and Sharon Osbourne. Sadly, though, bullying continues—despite widespread efforts to staunch it, including new laws in Michigan, a movement in the U.K. to broaden the definition of “abuse” and an anti-bullying rally in [...]

For Your Eyes Only
Social media sites—and government officials—are still grappling with privacy issues

Mark Zuckerberg would have you believe that we’re sharing more personal information online today than ever because we’re now in “complete control” over who gets access to it. The Facebook founder recently took to Facebook’s blog to address the site’s settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which determined that Facebook deceived consumers over the years by failing to keep privacy promises. In his statement, Zuckerberg [...]

#HashtagHoopla
Twitter’s accessory du jour—the hashtag—is becoming more prominent around the world

Researchers are now looking to Twitter, 175 million users strong, to predict global mood, inform scientific research, make investment predictions, even spawn mighty protests—the Occupy movement can be traced back to a single tweet on July 13 urging people to #OccupyWallStreet. Thank not just Twitter but also the all-mighty hashtag for that one. The hashtag, too, is a gold mine for researchers scoping out trends and moods; in [...]

The Mile-High Country Club
Today’s first-class flight soars in a class all its own

A massage before take-off. An in-flight shower. Three-star meals. These days, first-class flights are more dramatically luxurious than ever before—in stark comparison to the spartan amenities afforded those occupying the back portion of the plane. Though first-class passengers account for just 5 percent of those on long-haul routes, and business class passengers for 15 percent, together those seats supply 40 to 50 percent of airline revenue. [...]

Modern Popularity
Klout is catching flak—but why exactly?

If you Tweeted and no one retweeted your Tweet, did you really Tweet at all? According to Klout, the answer may as well be no. The San Francisco–based firm, which analyzes data from 13 different online networks in order to derive a social-influence score from 1 to 100, has ruffled all kinds of feathers since its data started being used in earnest for such purposes as weeding out job candidates and drafting [...]

(This article was originally published on the Huffington Post.)
Does the notion of “me time” almost always mean “we time” in this decidedly social age (even if me plus one or more is virtual)?
I wonder what Greta Garbo (who infamously crafted a reluctant catchphrase in the movie Grand Hotel: “I want to be alone”) would think of alone time circa 2011? Later in life she discounted the plea and said, “I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, [...]

The Law of Facebook Averages
The typical social media user is older and more connected than ever before

It’s so 2008 to complain that Mom and Dad have joined Facebook. The platform long ago ceased playing host to mostly college kids and their keg party pictures. These days, the average age of an American Facebook user has risen, to 38 in 2010, up from 33 in 2008. (Also of note: This average user has amassed 229 friends but [...]

Social Media Performance Anxiety
As the rules for social media engagement evolve, one thing remains the same: Brand value hinges on it …

Now that the social media footprint of corporate brands has been directly linked to a company’s growth and value, more emphasis is being put on the how-tos of branding via social media. For one, there’s the matter of “likes” and comments and how to get them. Comments, especially, are valuable to brands, as they lead to four times [...]