The latest on the tiny, timely technology known as the QR code
QR (quick response) codes aren’t new (they’ve been used for years to track car parts in the auto industry), but they’re relatively new to most of us and their use is evolving quickly. After engineers realized that smartphones can serve as barcode readers, they encouraged marketers to rethink the phone as a means of instant entree to a brand’s website or social media site. Proven to increase conversion rates, QR codes, which look like pixelated black and white square mazes, are now integrated in print and TV ads, on storefronts, and on flyers everywhere.
Click to read more…
There was an interesting review this weekend in the New York Times on iDisorder, a book by California psychologist Larry D. Rosen, who is concerned that the use of digital technologies is actually making some of us mentally ill. He notes, for instance, that heavy use of Facebook has been linked to mood swings in teenagers–a condition researchers are calling “Facebook depression”–and that people who are prone to narcissism, depression, and/or obsessive compulsive disorder are most at risk.
Read the book review here. And watch an interview with Dr. Rosen here.
Mobile commerce is evolving…from food trucks to fashion trucks
Taking a lesson from the established popularity of fashionable food trucks, the retail industry is going mobile as well—with quirky clothing and accessories stores in vehicles as varied as rehabbed double-decker buses, school buses, Airstreams, and Winnebagos. See Wanderlust, which sells vintage and handmade goods in Portland, Ore., from a 1969 converted travel trailer, or The Styleliner, peddling luxury accessories in a former potato chip truck and embarking on “tour dates” around the United States.
Click to read more…
There’s a gender gap when it comes to physical attractiveness in the job market
It’s no secret that a pretty face can give job seekers a leg up during the hiring process, but new studies suggest that attractive men have the greatest advantage of all. Possibly that’s because HR departments are staffed predominately by women, who may want to filter out potential competition, but even when it’s men making the decision, attractive men are selected over other candidates. Attractive women are actually at a disadvantage at the hiring stage—they’re less likely to get a callback than Plain Jane counterparts with very similar résumés. However, pretty ladies are more likely to be promoted once they’ve already secured the job.
Click to read more…
In the U.S., the number of folks living alone is eight times greater now than in 1950. In an era in which people tend to couple up and marry later and find divorce more acceptable and accessible if things don’t work out, 51 percent of Americans are single. That translates to roughly 1 in 4 living alone, and not a few of them are unhappy about it.
A new book, Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, calls the living-alone trend the biggest demographic shift since the baby boom. Many who live alone praise the scenario for allowing them to live by their own rules (staying up all night to read, say), celebrate their quirks (like speaking French aloud during breakfast), and acknowledge their deepest desires (such as single motherhood by choice).
Click to read more…
There are all sorts of questions regarding digital technology and the impact it’s having on society. Some people claim that Google and other online search options are making us “dumber” and that social media will ultimately harm our personal relationships and sense of community. I feel the opposite is true. In my view, digital technologies are already creating a better world for us all. Here’s why:
Digital Technology Is Making Us Smarter
New technologies and platforms, including Google and Wikipedia, offer a shortcut to knowledge—meaning that virtually anyone has the means to become an expert on virtually anything. The Internet is the fastest and simplest
Click to read more…
Internet addiction is real but also really treatable
Many of us are perpetually “plugged in” for work and pleasure, but experts say that some of us have formed debilitating Internet habits. How debilitating? Enough to warrant a diagnosis of Internet Addiction Disorder, likely to be added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) later this month. True Internet addicts may find their personal relationships damaged, as well as their brains diminished (similar to what’s experienced by cocaine or alcohol addicts).
Warning signs of the disorder include excessive preoccupation with and need to connect to the Internet, unsuccessful attempts to reduce Internet use, or acting dishonestly to get or remain connected to the Internet. Sometimes the areas of interest are specific—such as porn, gambling, or games like World of Warcraft—but browsing patterns can be relatively random.
Click to read more…
Don’t take it for granted that everyone’s online
Isn’t everyone online these days?! Your grandma may have joined Facebook, but there are plenty more who haven’t, reminds a new Pew poll: Though 88 percent of Americans own a cell phone, one in five adults still does not use the Internet. Nicknamed “Internet innocents,” the people least likely to have Internet access include the elderly, Spanish speakers, those living with disability, those with less than a high school education, and those who earn less than $30,000 per year. These “innocents” say they find the Internet irrelevant to them or that they feel ill-equipped to learn the technology. Still, one in 10 admits interest in learning to use email or Internet. And when a group of elderly nursing home residents were taught to go online, they enjoyed increased well-being and a new way to connect with their families.
Click to read more…
The mobile wallet gets off to a shaky start
Forgetting your wallet at home may soon be less incapacitating than it once was, so long as you didn’t forget your smartphone, too. This past fall Google rolled out Google Wallet, which stores your credit card information and then allows you to pay at participating stores with a tap of your fingertip. But not everyone thinks that NFC (Near Field Communication) payments are ready for prime time; for one, Google Wallet has been dogged by a revolving door of executives—not a great confidence boost. The European Commission is struggling to create legislation for digital payments and questioning whether the continent’s mobile wallet project is “discriminatory,” as it encompasses only the three largest mobile operators. And some American lawmakers worry
Click to read more…
