Social Media

Facebook may affect your mental health: Study

Jerusalem: Facebook and other social networking sites may affect your mental health by causing psychotic episodes and delusions, researchers warn. As Internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so do related psychopathologies such as Internet addiction and delusions related to the technology and to virtual relationships, according to the study.

Computer communications such as Facebook and chat groups are an important part of this story, said Dr Uri Nitzan of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care Center. According to Nitzan, patients shared some crucial characteristics, including loneliness or vulnerability due to the loss of or separation from a loved one, relative inexperience with technology, and no prior history of psychosis or substance abuse.



In each case, a connection was found between the gradual development and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms, including delusions, anxiety, confusion, and intensified use of computer communications. The good news is that all of the patients, who willingly sought out treatment on their own, were able to make a full recovery with proper treatment and care, Nitzan said....more    

Employees see using Facebook at work as their right: Study

New York: Most employees consider using Facebook in the office not as luxury or a business tool, but as a right, a new study has found. Nearly one-third of employees are spending an hour or more a day on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites during work hours, researchers found. The research by virtual office space company Intelligent Office surveyed more than 1,000 employees in the US and Canada....  

Explain how children below 18 open Facebook accounts: HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre's response on a plea questioning how children below the age of 18 years are allowed to open an account on social networking sites including Facebook, even though Indian laws do not permit it. The court also asked two US-based entities - Facebook Inc and Google Inc - to reply to the plea of former BJP ideologue KN Govindacharya seeking...  

Social media can't influence voters: Manish Tewari

New Delhi: The government on Thursday dismissed reports suggesting that social media will influence at least 160 Lok Sabha constituencies out of 543 during the next general elections. Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and IT and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said voting preferences in a complex country like India is decided on issues and considerations more than anything else. "I tend to disagree with the suggestion that social media...  

Social networking, texting linked to poor academic performance

Washington: Scientists have reported that rampant use of social networking, texting and chatting on mobile phone can result in lower grades and poor performance of students, says a study. The widespread use of media among college students - from texting, chatting on mobile phones to posting status updates on Facebook - may be affecting their academic performance, say researchers at the Miriam Hospital's Centres for Behavioural and Preventive Medicine in...  

Facebook users can influence results in 30% of Lok Sabha seats in 2014

New Delhi: In the 2012 US presidential election Facebook was called the "the real presidential swing state" and helped Barack Obama win a second term. This influence of Facebook in determining which button voters press at the polling booth is likely to affect results in as much as 30 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general elections, says a study by IRIS Knowledge Foundation and the...  

'Social media may influence 160 seats in next LS polls'

New Delhi: Social media is likely to influence 160 Lok Sabha seats in the next general elections, a study has said. "There are 160 high impact constituencies out of the total of 543 constituencies, which are likely be influenced by social media during the next general elections," the study by IRIS Knowledge Foundation and Internet and Mobile Association of India has said. The state of Maharashtra has the maximum 21...  

Karnataka polls: Parties take to social media

Bangalore: In the battle for Karnataka, a lot is playing out on the social media, especially Twitter. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress and BS Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Paksha have all joined the bandwagon. The question is whether the Election Commission will be able to regulate online campaigns. Sanjay Gowdar Sidappa leads the team of silent warriors for Yeddyurappa's KJP. He is a part of the social media strategy cell...  

Being too active on social media may harm relationships

London: Engaging in too much social media activity may damage strong relationships, a new Oxford study has warned. Research by Dr Bernie Hogan of Oxford University tested the theory of 'media multiplexity' (the ability to communicate via several communications channels) which was first posed in 2005. The theory suggests that there is a clear link between the number of media channels used to communicate, the frequency they are used and...  

Mr Fixit vs Mr Dreamer

Bloody Mary |  Sagarika Ghose

The Modi-Rahul face off is good democracy The forthcoming electoral contest of 2014 is fast passing into pop culture. The Battle of the "Bachelors" ...

Your Facebook, Twitter popularity may land you a job

Melbourne: Your popularity on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn may help you bag a job as companies are increasingly looking for well-connected and influential people, experts say. Digital experts say social media and recruitment now largely go hand in hand. While at the most basic level, companies check up on prospective employees to see if they make unsavoury postings online, they are also using LinkedIn, Twitter...  

Saudi Arabia's top cleric criticises Twitter users

Saudi Arabia's top religious cleric has criticised the social media website Twitter, calling it "a council for jokesters" and a place for unjust, incorrect messages. ...  

Need to regulate social media: Salman Khurshid

Lauding the effectiveness of social media, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said the freedom that comes out of using it needs to be regulated. ...  

All India Radio launches services on social media

To carve a niche for itself on the social media, the All India Radio (AIR) has launched live streaming of its Urdu service, FM Gold on Youtube and an android based mobile phone application of for its news service. The services were launched by Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari. ...  

Mumbai: Police starts its social media lab

With a view to study and understand the mindset of the netizens for the purpose of providing better safety and security in the metropolis, Mumbai police launched a social media laboratory. With this, Mumbai police have arguably become the country's first police force to open such a lab. ...  

Complainant's Facebook post helps Bangalore police catch molesters

Social networks are rendering an invaluable helping hand to the police forces in the latter's bid to better the law and order situation in India's cities. ...  

Social media users in urban India to reach 66 million by June 2013

Social media users in urban India are estimated to reach 66 million by June 2013 on the back of availability of affordable smartphones and consequent mobile Internet use, a report said today. ...  

Women more prone to jealousy on Facebook

Women are more prone to romantic jealousy spurred by Facebook posts on their boyfriend's wall than men, a new study has found. ...  

Facebook wins German court fight on fake names ban

Facebook has won a court battle against a German privacy watchdog that challenged the social networking site's policy requiring users to register with their real names. ...  

What Valentine's week does to Roman-Singh couples

Doing rounds on all social networks it's about Valentine's Day 'Q-tiyapa' - plays on a popular Hindi abuse. ...