It looks like, for kids, tablets are the new TV – at least that's the way media companies are viewing these handheld devices that kids are taking to bears to honey. When I started reading this New York Times piece about Dreamworks's new "DreamTab," I thought, "Shades of the days when cellphone makers made kids' phones," which never really took off for phone and toy makers. But this is different. … [Read more...] about Kids’ tablets the new TV sets?
‘Internet addiction’: New ‘disorder’ about age-old needs?
Judging by the just-released documentary Web Junkie, about a Chinese "Internet addiction" treatment center, it's loneliness that's at the heart of what the Chinese officially call a clinical disorder (more often called "problematic Internet use" in the West). If you can get past the boot-camp-like conditions and young patients' (inmates'?) tears, you'll get to a scene – at 4:50 into the … [Read more...] about ‘Internet addiction’: New ‘disorder’ about age-old needs?
Keek’s fast-growing ‘kred’ (with video-sharers)
You may not have heard of Keek the social app because Mashable says it has "maintained an under-the-radar presence" since it launched in 2011 but is "steadily gaining both users and notoriety in the shadow of networks such as Vine, Instagram and Snapchat." What's most different about it is that videos can be as long as 36 sec. (up from Vine's 6-sec. max and Instagram's 15 sec.). Video or text … [Read more...] about Keek’s fast-growing ‘kred’ (with video-sharers)
Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret
It's being said that the preference pendulum in social media culture is swinging back from transparency (as in Facebook) to anonymity (as in Whisper). And the growing popularity of the Whisper app – where users' posts are Internet meme-style photos overlaid with text (the app makes posting easy by offering up photos it "thinks" match your text, and you get to pick one). People can respond by … [Read more...] about Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret
Teens on social media’s impact on relationships: Survey
Today a guest post that shows how much we need to understand the relationship between social media and social life – in other words, get more granular in our understanding of how social media affect the relationships in our lives (our lives as a whole, not just the online parts)…. Guest post by Kris Gowen The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) for My Future-My Choice, a peer-led sexuality education … [Read more...] about Teens on social media’s impact on relationships: Survey