tag:theconversation.com,2011:/es/topics/apps-8557/articlesApps – The Conversation2024-03-26T16:40:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2242542024-03-26T16:40:09Z2024-03-26T16:40:09ZWant to quit vaping? There’s an app for that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579066/original/file-20240229-21-z0wh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C666&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-tattoos-on-arms-hands-2271193519">SeventyFour/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More Australians than ever are vaping, according to recently released data.</p>
<p>The National Drug Strategy Household Survey <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/b8b298cc-6d3f-4ab0-a238-9bd63f300c09/national-drug-strategy-household-survey-2022-2023.pdf?v=20240229072409&inline=true#:%7E:text=interpreted%20with%20caution.-,Use%20of%20illicit%20drugs%20increases%2C%20driven%20by%20hallucinogens,million%20people%20had%20done%20so.">shows</a> the proportion of Australians aged 14 and over who, in 2022–2023, said they currently vaped was 7%. In 2019 it was just 2.5%. Users are most likely to be aged 18-24.</p>
<p>As we learn more about the potential harms of vaping, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-995X/4/1/3">many</a> will be keen to quit.</p>
<p>But because vapes have only been widespread in recent years, there is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460321000836">limited evidence</a> on how to go about quitting. With the addictive nature of nicotine-containing vapes, it can also be hard to stop vaping on your own.</p>
<p>Could apps be the answer? The <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/730101/australia-smartphone-ownership-by-age/">vast majority</a> of young people have a smartphone. And we know apps have helped people <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2770816">quit smoking</a>. So why not use apps to help people quit vaping?</p>
<p>But which apps are best? And which app <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/7/e11926/">features</a> should you look for? Our <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e55177">recently published study</a> gives us some clues.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-messages-from-social-media-influencers-stop-young-people-vaping-a-look-at-the-governments-new-campaign-224621">Could messages from social media influencers stop young people vaping? A look at the government's new campaign</a>
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<h2>We tested 30 apps</h2>
<p>We searched the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores in May 2023 to identify apps available in Australia claiming to help people quit vaping.</p>
<p>We then made a shortlist of 20 iOS apps and ten Android apps to assess for:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2015/1/e27/">quality</a> (including ease of use, how it engaged users, appearance, and the information it conveyed)</p></li>
<li><p>the potential to <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/1/e11130">change behaviour</a> (including setting goals, making an action plan, identifying barriers, monitoring progress and giving feedback).</p></li>
</ul>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-teen-is-addicted-to-vaping-how-can-i-help-them-quit-and-manage-their-withdrawal-symptoms-208586">My teen is addicted to vaping. How can I help them quit and manage their withdrawal symptoms?</a>
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<h2>Here’s what we found</h2>
<p>The highest rated app overall was the iOS app <a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/quit-smoking-stop-vaping-app/id1641262016">Quit smoking. Stop vaping app</a>. This had 19 out of 21 features known to help people change behaviour.</p>
<p>The highest rated app for Android devices was <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.despdev.quitsmoking&hl=en_US">Quit Tracker: Stop Smoking</a>, with 15 behaviour change features. </p>
<p>The highest rated app for both <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.instaquit.app&hl=en_US">Android</a> and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quitsure-quit-smoking-smartly/id1523992725">iOS users</a> was the QuitSure Quit Smoking Smartly app. This had 15 behaviour change features for iOS users and 14 for Android users.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Quit vaping app" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579068/original/file-20240229-20-gjbt99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">This ‘Quit smoking. Stop vaping app’ had the most features known to help people change behaviour.</span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-teens-vaping-what-should-i-say-3-expert-tips-on-how-to-approach-the-talk-196205">My teen's vaping. What should I say? 3 expert tips on how to approach 'the talk'</a>
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<h2>So what should I look for?</h2>
<p>There are key <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/7/e11926/">app features</a> to look for in an app that could help you change your behaviour. These features also apply to apps helping people to quit alcohol, or to take more exercise, for instance. These features include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>full customisability</strong>, allowing individuals to tailor the app to their needs</p></li>
<li><p><strong>goal setting</strong>, allowing individuals to create their own goals, monitor their progress, then update them over time. This is <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00915/full">more likely</a> to lead to positive behaviour change</p></li>
<li><p><strong>external help</strong>, allowing users to access more help or advice, directly from the app</p></li>
<li><p>apps that are <strong>easy to use</strong> or navigate, so users are more likely to stick with the app.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>But not all apps we assessed scored highly on these. On average, apps only had about nine out of 21 behaviour change features. And only 12 of the 30 apps included a goal-setting feature.</p>
<p>The overall quality of the apps was moderate – scoring about three out of five. While apps were easy to use and navigate, we found they were not always transparent in who funded or developed them.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-apps-and-influencers-are-changing-the-way-we-sleep-for-better-or-for-worse-211749">How apps and influencers are changing the way we sleep, for better or for worse</a>
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<h2>Future apps</h2>
<p>Earlier research shows quit smoking apps <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/7/e11926/citations">rate higher</a> for their potential to change behaviour than ones to quit vaping.</p>
<p>In one study, researchers found more than half of users of one quit smoking app were still not smoking <a href="https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e51658">after a month</a>.</p>
<p>So app developers could look at quit smoking apps to identify strategies and features to develop or update quit vaping apps.</p>
<p>App developers need to create apps with comprehensive goal-setting features. These apps need to be trialled or tested by the developer, users or an external party. This is important as, to our knowledge, no publicly available app has undergone such testing.</p>
<p>As many young people vape to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460322001319?via%3Dihub">relieve stress or anxiety</a>, future apps could provide extra features, such as meditation, cognitive behaviour therapy and relaxation.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1617300430966382594"}"></div></p>
<p>Apps need to align with current <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Publications/e-cigarette-young-people-guide.pdf">guidelines</a> on how to quit vaping, so evidence-based messaging is consistent. Unfortunately, information and guidelines on quitting vaping are in their infancy and vary across different countries or jurisdictions.</p>
<p>Developers also need to ensure they disclose who owns and paid for the app. Is it a commercial company, a research group, a government agency, or a not-for-profit? We found it difficult to tell during our analysis.</p>
<p>Last of all, quit vaping apps need to be updated and improved over time, to iron out bugs, make improvements as the evidence changes, and to respond to changes in how users behave.</p>
<p>In an ideal world, we’d see partnerships between app developers, people who vape, researchers and experts in health behaviour change to develop and update quit vaping apps – ones with the highest chance of actually shifting people’s behaviour.</p>
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<p><em>We wish to thank Lilian Chan, Rebecca Cerio, Sandra Rickards, Phillipa Hastings, Kate Reakes and Tracey O’Brien from Cancer Institute NSW for their assistance with this research.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224254/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona McKay has previously received funding from Cancer Institute NSW (which funded this study) and VicHealth.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Dunn has previously received funding from Cancer Institute NSW and VicHealth, and currently receives funding from VicHealth. </span></em></p>Here’s what to look for when you’re browsing for apps.Fiona McKay, Associate Professor of Health Equity, Deakin UniversityMatthew Dunn, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2241192024-03-17T12:56:19Z2024-03-17T12:56:19ZOnline wellness content: 3 ways to tell evidence-based health information from pseudoscience<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582218/original/file-20240315-20-1ijga2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=374%2C66%2C6941%2C4649&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Health information is increasingly being shared online, and often the borders between legitimate health expertise and pseudoscience aren't clear.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“I drink borax!” proclaims the smiling TikToker. Holding up a box of the laundry additive, she rhymes off a list of its supposed health benefits: “Balances testosterone and estrogen. It’s a powerhouse anti-inflammatory…. It’s amazing for arthritis, osteoporosis…. And obviously it’s great for your gut health.” </p>
<p>Videos like these <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9860780/borax-drinking-tiktok-trend/">prompted health authorities to warn the public</a> about the dangers of ingesting this toxic detergent — and away from such viral messaging that promotes unsubstantiated and medically dangerous health claims.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-tiktok-trend-has-people-drinking-toxic-borax-an-expert-explains-the-risks-and-how-to-read-product-labels-210278">A new TikTok trend has people drinking toxic borax. An expert explains the risks – and how to read product labels</a>
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<p>Health information is increasingly being shared online, and often the borders between legitimate health expertise and pseudoscience aren’t clear. While the internet can be a valuable and accessible way to learn about health, it’s also a place rife with disinformation and grift, as unscrupulous <a href="https://doi.org/10.1249/FIT.0000000000000829">influencers exploit</a> people’s fears about their bodies. </p>
<h2>Evidence and influencers</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Collage of quotes about drinking borax" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582219/original/file-20240315-24-myasst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Some TikTokers claimed drinking borax had health benefits. In fact, borax is toxic and shouldn’t be ingested.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Michelle Cohen)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>In my medical practice, I can usually track online wellness trends, such as a patient refusing a medication because of online claims — many of which are false — that it <a href="https://thefeelgoodagaininstitute.com/medications-that-lower-testosterone/">lowers testosterone</a>, or the several months when it seemed everyone was <a href="https://theconversation.com/turmeric-heres-how-it-actually-measures-up-to-health-claims-205613">taking turmeric</a> for joint pain, or the patients who request an <a href="https://theconversation.com/ivermectin-whether-formulated-for-humans-or-horses-is-not-a-treatment-for-covid-19-167340">ivermectin prescription</a> in case they catch COVID. </p>
<p>So how does someone who simply wants to learn more about the human body sift through the information? How to separate bad-faith grift from good advice? </p>
<p>Wellness influencers tap into a truth about how we process information: it’s <a href="https://lab.research.sickkids.ca/anthony/wp-content/uploads/sites/75/2019/07/Health-misinformation-and-the-power-of-narrative-messaging-in-the-public-sphere..pdf">more trustworthy</a> when it comes from a person we feel like we know. That’s why a charismatic personality’s Instagram account that uses <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783319846188">intimate stories</a> to promote <a href="https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4920/">parasocial attachment</a> — the sense of being part of a community — is more memorable than a website offering dry recitations of evidence.</p>
<p>But as social media has become ubiquitous, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/daniellebelardomd/?hl=en">health experts</a> have caught on that sharing their personal side alongside reliable advice can be a good use of their platform. At first glance, these two groups may seem similar, but the following tips can help determine if the person posting health advice is actually knowledgeable on the topic:</p>
<h2>1) Are they selling something?</h2>
<p>Rarely do popular wellness influencers post out of the goodness of their hearts. Almost invariably these accounts are <a href="https://www.conspirituality.net/transmissions/the-wellness-grift-of-jp-sears">trying to profit</a> from the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20486">virality of their content</a>. </p>
<p>Whether it’s a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F08998280.2022.2124767">supplement store</a>, a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/social-media-weight-loss-diet-twitter-influencers-bloggers-glasgow-university-a8891971.html">diet book</a>, a subscription to a lifestyle community or a Masterclass series, the end goal is the same: transform social media influence into sales. Gushing over life-changing benefits from something the promoter is selling should always prompt skepticism. </p>
<p>Some legitimate health experts also sell advice, usually in the form of newsletters, books or <a href="https://www.bodyofevidence.ca/">podcasts</a>, and this is worth keeping in mind. However, there’s a big difference between selling a subscription to a <a href="https://vajenda.substack.com/">health newsletter</a> that discusses evidence and promoting your own supplement shop, where your financial motives shape how you present the information.</p>
<h2>2) What are the boundaries of their expertise?</h2>
<p>True expertise in a subject requires years of dedicated study and practice. That’s why people are rarely experts in more than one or two domains, and no one is a pan-expert on everything. </p>
<p>If a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.2006691">wellness influencer</a> promotes themselves as erudite on all health topics, that’s actually an excellent indication of their lack of knowledge. A real health expert knows the limitations of their knowledge and can call on others’ expertise when needed. So the podcast host who opines on every health issue is substantially less worthwhile to listen to than the podcast host who brings on guest experts for topics outside their scope. </p>
<h2>3) How do they talk about science?</h2>
<p>Science is a process of discovery, not a static philosophy, so scientists emphasize talking about current evidence rather than “truth”, which is more of a faith-based concept. </p>
<p>If someone wants to post about their personal wellness philosophy or their spiritual journey and how it makes them feel, that’s fine. But dropping in biology jargon without explanation or name-checking one or two questionable studies without fulsome discussion isn’t a meaningful way to engage with the evidence on a health topic. </p>
<p>Science-based information should acknowledge where data are uncertain and where more research is needed. Using the pretext of science to lend credence to a personal “truth” is a <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/whats-trending-world-pseudoscience">form of pseudoscience</a> and should raise red flags.</p>
<p>These three principles are a good framework for deciding whether an influencer’s health content is worth consuming or whether they’re simply trying to sell a new supplement or spread viral disinformation about something like borax. </p>
<p>As online health information becomes easier to find (or harder to avoid), this framework can help people quickly scan a wellness influencer’s profile and make a more informed decision about engaging with their content. This is an important type of media literacy that anyone spending time online should cultivate — for the sake of their health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224119/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Cohen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How do we distinguish between valuable information from legitimate health experts, and pseudoscientific nonsense from unscrupulous wellness influencers?Michelle Cohen, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258712024-03-15T21:14:11Z2024-03-15T21:14:11ZDoes TikTok pose a security threat to Canadians?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582280/original/file-20240315-30-xv5fae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C65%2C5472%2C3571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">TikTok poses no more of a threat to democracy than other social media platforms.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Concerns about the threats TikTok poses to privacy and liberty were raised again, as a bill to divest TikTok of its Chinese ownership or ban it <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2318307395724">gathered steam</a> in the United States Congress. And Canada’s federal government revealed that it began investigating months ago whether foreign control of the app <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tiktok-national-security-review-1.7143574">poses a threat to national security</a>. </p>
<p>Government officials see TikTok posing a threat to Canadians in two ways: violating our personal privacy by collecting too much data, and sabotaging our democracy through misinformation and manipulation.</p>
<p>Are these threats theoretical or real? And is there any proof supporting the concerns that the Chinese government exerts control over <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1774397D:CH">ByteDance Ltd.</a>, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok?</p>
<p>There is good reason to believe TikTok may pose a threat to our privacy, but not to our democracy. The platform may collect too much data, but fears that China will use TikTok to misinform or manipulate us for political purposes are misplaced. </p>
<p>China doesn’t need to control TikTok to influence our elections. It can do that quite easily without this. Canada’s ongoing efforts to minimize the national security threat TikTok poses won’t neutralize the threat social media poses to democracy.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CETjQv8aqw0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC News looks into the potential ban of TikTok.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Privacy concerns are real</h2>
<p>But TikTok does pose a threat to our privacy. European regulators have <a href="https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-and-transparency-at-the-opc/proactive-disclosure/opc-parl-bp/ethi_20231025/is_20231025/">fined TikTok for collecting data</a> from users too young to provide valid consent, for misusing data and for “nudging” users toward privacy-invading conduct through default settings. </p>
<p>Class actions in Canada and the U.S. have made a <a href="https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-and-transparency-at-the-opc/proactive-disclosure/opc-parl-bp/ethi_20231025/is_20231025/">similar case</a>.</p>
<p>Cybersecurity experts have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-tiktok-western-scrutiny-1.6760037">warned of how invasive the app can be</a>, as it tracks user location, incoming messages and which networks a user accessed. Permissions for this are buried deep in the app’s settings, but <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilsayegh/2022/11/09/tiktok-users-are-bleeding-data/">most users are unaware</a> or don’t bother to check.</p>
<p>In late March, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner and three provincial counterparts are set to <a href="https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/news-and-announcements/2023/an_230223/">table a report on an investigation</a> into how TikTok gathers and uses our data. The Commission will most likely recommend following Europe’s lead in passing legislation to require greater transparency in the data TikTok collects and further restrictions in how they can use it.</p>
<h2>Fears that China will interfere</h2>
<p>On March 1, the federal government issued a new <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2024/03/canada-strengthens-guidelines-on-foreign-investments-in-the-interactive-digital-media-sector.html">policy that foreign-owned platforms</a> like TikTok would face “enhanced scrutiny” under powers in the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-21.8/index.html">Investment Canada Act</a>. Under the act, the government can impose conditions on foreign investors or companies where there are “reasonable grounds to believe” their involvement in Canada “could be injurious to national security.”</p>
<p>Cabinet ministers were <a href="https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/crossborder/federal-government-issues-additional-directions-for-interactive-digital-media/384566">clear and direct about their concerns</a>: “hostile state-sponsored or state-influenced actors may try to leverage foreign investments in the interactive digital media sector to spread disinformation and manipulate information.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-tiktok-western-scrutiny-1.6760037">Twenty-six per cent of Canadians now use TikTok</a>. Could the Canadian subsidiary of TikTok take measures to prevent the Chinese government from engaging in misinformation or manipulation?</p>
<h2>Why concerns are misplaced</h2>
<p>In February, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence issued a <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2024-Unclassified-Report.pdf">threat assessment</a> that revealed TikTok accounts run by a “propaganda arm” of the Chinese government “targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022.”</p>
<p>But as one commentator noted in the <em>New York Times</em>, the National Intelligence report did not say <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/opinion/tiktok-ban-house-vote.html">whether TikTok’s algorithms promoted these nefarious accounts</a>. China may have used TikTok to misinform and manipulate, but it didn’t need to do so by directing ByteDance.</p>
<p>A 2021 study by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab dug deep into TikTok’s code and data collection abilities; its findings support the view that <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2021/03/tiktok-vs-douyin-security-privacy-analysis/">TikTok is no more invasive</a> than Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms. </p>
<p>The study found that both TikTok and its Chinese version, Douyin, “do not appear to exhibit overtly malicious behavior similar to those exhibited by malware.” And although Douyin contains “features that raise privacy and security concerns, such as dynamic code loading and server-side search censorship,” it found “TikTok does not contain these features.”</p>
<p>This doesn’t mean that China is not able to direct ByteDance to do things that could harm Canadians. But it does support the view that China doesn’t have to bother with ByteDance — an agent of the Chinese government (or any adversary) can readily do so by posing as an ordinary user.</p>
<p>In short, fears about Chinese interference in Canadian and American elections may be warranted. But just as Russia may have used fake accounts on Facebook to interfere in the <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf">2016 U.S. presidential election</a>, China can misinform and manipulate us by using any and all social media against us. </p>
<p>This points to the real threat to our democracy: social media we can’t control.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225871/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Diab does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>About 26 per cent of Canadians use TikTok. Regulating the app in Canada might be a better approach to avoiding external political influence.Robert Diab, Professor, Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258702024-03-15T20:03:38Z2024-03-15T20:03:38ZAttempts to ban TikTok reveal the hypocrisy of politicians already struggling to relate to voters<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582275/original/file-20240315-26-rjm6wo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C23%2C5333%2C2969&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Banning TikTok has economic implications and will affect hundreds of millions of users.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>TikTok has been under review due to national security concerns by the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tiktok-national-security-review-1.7143574">Canadian federal government</a> since September 2023.</p>
<p>This was reported the day after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a bill potentially banning TikTok. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that the Canadian review of TikTok <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-government-ordered-national-security-review-of-tiktok-didn-t-disclose-it-publicly-1.6807265">is not related to the current actions undertaken by U.S. lawmakers</a>, but the government is following how the situation unfolds.</p>
<p>A potential ban in the United States and possibly Canada reveals the hypocrisy of those trying to get rid of it: politicians.</p>
<h2>Government concerns over TikTok</h2>
<p>The legislation proposed by U.S. lawmakers to ban TikTok — unless their Beijing-based parent company ByteDance divests — stems from rising geopolitical tensions. The potential ban represents the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/facebook-tiktok-targeted-victory/">lobbying efforts</a> of Silicon Valley companies, who are finding their power in the global platform economy decreasing. </p>
<p>U.S. and Canadian governments are concerned about the control and authority China exerts over ByteDance, and the possibility they can access user data. </p>
<p>However, it is unsurprising that national security concerns are being debated about TikTok in Canada. Trudeau’s February 2023 decision to ban TikTok on <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mobile-apps-canada-government-united-states-justin-trudeau-43b27a80a1c2bf3b55e5ccf2ce573684">government-issued mobile devices</a> followed a similar move undertaken by U.S. President Joe Biden, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/20/us-tiktok-bans-university-campuses">numerous U.S. universities</a>. </p>
<p>Donald Trump also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/business/trump-tik-tok-wechat-ban.html">expressed similar concerns about TikTok</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-attempts-to-ban-tiktok-and-other-chinese-tech-undermine-global-democracy-144144">national security in 2020</a>. He has since changed his position; one of Trump’s campaign supporters is a wealthy Republican billionaire who is also <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/14/trump-tiktok-billionaire-donors-00146892">a major investor in TikTok</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1767181571876859911"}"></div></p>
<h2>Real-world implications</h2>
<p>A potential TikTok ban in the U.S. and Canada could have disastrous economic implications on the livelihoods of both Americans and Canadians.</p>
<p>TikTok is a lucrative platform for numerous small business owners and entrepreneurial platform workers. For <a href="https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/that-s-their-livelihood-windsor-ont-influencer-md-motivator-talks-possible-u-s-tiktok-ban-1.6806543">Canadian TikTok influencers</a>, their followers are predominantly composed of American users. Banning TikTok would likely mean the loss of views and interactions in the tens of thousands.</p>
<p>In the U.S., <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/15/23962766/nearly-one-third-of-young-adults-are-regularly-getting-news-from-tiktok">young people are increasingly using TikTok to access news</a>. While TikTok’s growth has been slower in Canada, it’s one of the <a href="https://socialmedialab.ca/2022/09/14/survey-finds-canadians-are-spending-less-time-on-social-media-but-tiktok-is-the-exception/">most popular apps</a> among young users. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-pandemic-measures-are-lifted-social-media-use-has-declined-with-the-exception-of-tiktok-191126">As pandemic measures are lifted, social media use has declined with the exception of TikTok</a>
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<p>It’s in accessing and circulating information where the hypocritical implications of a TikTok ban come to the forefront of this debate.</p>
<h2>U.S. politicians and TikTok</h2>
<p>President Biden first banned TikTok on government devices in <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-ban-biden-government-college-state-federal-security-privacy-rcna63724">December 2022</a>. The move was due to the continuing debate about China’s influence over ByteDance.</p>
<p>However, TikTok was instrumental in the Biden adminstration’s communications strategy. In 2021, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/01/technology/vaccine-lies-influencer-army.html">White House partnered with social media influencers</a>, including TikTok creators, to encourage U.S. citizens to get their COVID-19 vaccine. </p>
<p>TikTok played an important role leading up to the November 2022 midterm elections. The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/27/tiktok-democrats-influencers-biden/">Democratic National Committee (DNC)</a> invited TikTok influencers to Washington, D.C. These influencers met with high-ranking members of Biden’s administration, interacted with former president Barack Obama, and toured key D.C. landmarks, like the Capitol and the Oval Office. These activities were all posted on TikTok as part of the DNC campaign.</p>
<p>Despite announcing that he would <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-ban-house-china-aaa884d8c974f0a35856af5ee6aa4e99">sign legislation banning TikTok if passed</a>, Biden’s campaign recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/13/joe-biden-tiktok-campaign-national-security-social-media">activated a TikTok profile</a> as part of their digital strategy for the upcoming presidential election. </p>
<p>Biden is currently <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-people-are-lukewarm-about-biden-and-giving-them-more-information-doesnt-move-the-needle-much-222233">not performing well with young voters</a>. His campaign’s decision to reestablish a TikTok presence reflects this re-election concern. It is not a wise re-election strategy to pass a TikTok ban prior to the November presidential election.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a group of people protesting with signs that read I'M ONE OF 170 MILLION AMERICANS WHO USE TIKTOK. the US capitol can be seen in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582274/original/file-20240315-18-ebnnj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Devotees of TikTok protest a proposed bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn’t divest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Politics and TikTok in Canada</h2>
<p>In contrast to the U.S., Trudeau’s ban of TikTok has stifled political campaigning on the platform by other Canadian politicians. </p>
<p>NDP leader Jagmeet Singh consequently <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/pierre-poilievre-jagmeet-singh-take-tiktok-hiatus-amid-government-ban-over-privacy-concerns/article_3943a81c-ed92-5477-9335-266219980b95.html">deactivated</a> his TikTok profile. With almost 900,000 followers, Singh’s TikTok attempted to communicate with young users in a language and style they understand. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-decision-to-ban-tiktok-from-government-devices-is-bad-news-for-the-ndps-election-strategy-200980">Canada's decision to ban TikTok from government devices is bad news for the NDP's election strategy</a>
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<p>Despite these existing bans, national security reviews and the threat of new proposed bans, politicians across Canada are campaigning on TikTok.</p>
<p>The Ontario NDP began posting on TikTok in January 2024, with many of their videos using <a href="https://www.blogto.com/city/2024/02/ontario-political-flame-war-cat-memes/">cat memes</a> to advocate against Premier Doug Ford’s policies. This move is part of the Ontario NDP’s <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/P/bo70027855.html">permanent campaign</a> digital strategy gearing up for the 2026 provincial election. </p>
<p>Throughout his political career, Trudeau has cultivated his political image by using social media platforms like <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2018/instagram-justin-trudeau-and-political-image-making/">Instagram</a>. It’s noteworthy that neither himself, nor the Liberal or Conservative parties have ever had a TikTok presence.</p>
<p>That’s because TikTok has been strategically used by those parties that don’t have the same <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231157604">financial resources</a>. Political parties like the NDP see TikTok as a long term strategy to reach potential young voters. </p>
<p>If the Canadian government follows with similar legislation, these political parties will lose out on a platform where they can reach young voters.</p>
<p>Concerns about privacy and security exist with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election">all social media platforms</a>, not just TikTok. Proposed U.S. legislation banning TikTok and Canadian national security reviews showcase the insincerity of politicians and the contradictory nature of politics. Their actions reveal what they don’t want to admit: TikTok is a dominant social media platform.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225870/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aidan Moir has previously received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Proposed U.S. legislation banning TikTok and the recently revealed Canadian national security review of the app reveals the insincerity and hypocrisy of politicians.Aidan Moir, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, Media and Film, University of WindsorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220592024-02-25T14:18:51Z2024-02-25T14:18:51ZHealth-care AI: The potential and pitfalls of diagnosis by app<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577606/original/file-20240223-24-vcg7d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1951%2C0%2C3458%2C2313&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As apps are direct-to-consumer health technologies, they represent a new folk medicine. Users adopt these technologies based on trust rather than understanding how they operate.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If <a href="https://www.who.int/about/accountability/governance/constitution">health is a fundamental human right</a>, health-care delivery must be <a href="https://nap.edu/25152">improved globally to achieve universal access</a>. However, the limited number of practitioners creates a barrier for all health-care systems.</p>
<p>Approaches to health-care delivery driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are poised to fill this gap. Whether in urban hospitals or in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-artificial-intelligence-1.6994961">rural and remote homes</a>, AI has the reach that health-care professionals cannot hope to achieve. People seeking health information can obtain it quickly and conveniently. For health care to be effective, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/18599">patient safety</a> must remain a priority. </p>
<p>The news is filled with examples of novel applications of AI. Riding the wave of recent interest in conversational agents, Google researchers have developed an experimental <a href="https://blog.research.google/2024/01/amie-research-ai-system-for-diagnostic_12.html">diagnostic AI, Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer (AMIE)</a>. People seeking health information provide their symptoms through a text-chat interface and AMIE begins to ask questions and provide recommendations as a human clinician might. The researchers claim that, when compared against clinicians, <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.00164">AMIE outperformed clinicians in both diagnostic accuracy and performance</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Text bubbles in chat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574774/original/file-20240211-30-7rkqni.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">AMIE dialogue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://blog.research.google/2024/01/amie-research-ai-system-for-diagnostic_12.html">(Google)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The potential of large language models (LLMs) like AMIE are clear. By being trained on a large database of text, LLM can generate text, identify the underlying meaning, and respond in a human-like manner. Provided patients have access to the internet, health advice could be tailored to the patient, provided quickly and easily, and allowing for triage of cases that are best handled by human health-care professionals.</p>
<p>But these tools are still in the experimental stages and have limitations. <a href="https://blog.research.google/2024/01/amie-research-ai-system-for-diagnostic_12.html">AMIE researchers</a> say further study is needed to “envision a future in which conversational, empathic and diagnostic AI systems might become safe, helpful and accessible.”</p>
<p>Precautions must be taken. Health-care delivery is a complicated task. Left unregulated — professionally or internationally — it presents challenges to quality of care, privacy and security.</p>
<h2>Medical decision-making</h2>
<p>Medical decision-making is among the most complicated and consequential of any activities. It might seem unlikely that an AI could work as effectively as a human clinician, however, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.12.1.19">decades of research</a> suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000005285875">algorithmic approaches to decision-making can be equal, or superior to, clinical intuition</a>.</p>
<p>Pattern recognition represents the core of medical expertise. Like other forms of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2007.02946.x">expertise</a>, medical experts require <a href="https://doi.org/10.5489%2Fcuaj.3267">extensive training</a> to learn the diagnostic patterns, provide treatment recommendations and deliver care. Through effective instruction, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016272">learners</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humpath.2006.08.024">narrow the focus of their attention to diagnostic features, while ignoring non-diagnostic features</a>. </p>
<p>Yet, effective health-care delivery requires <a href="https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2010.501190">more than just the ability to recognize patterns</a>. Health-care professionals must be capable of communicating this information to their patients. Beyond the difficulties of translating technical knowledge to patients with varying levels of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.40245.x">health literacy</a>, health information is often emotionally charged, leading to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-323451">communication traps</a> where doctors and patients withhold information. By developing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.04.002">a strong relationship with their patients</a>, health-care professionals can bridge these gaps.</p>
<p>The conversational features of LLMs, like <a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login">ChatGPT</a>, have generated considerable public interest. While claims that ChatGPT has “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02361-7">broken the Turing Test</a>” are overstated, their human-like responses make LLM more engaging than previous <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.004">chatbots</a>. Future LLMs like AMIE might prove to fill gaps in health-care delivery, however, they must be adopted with caution.</p>
<h2>Promise of accurate, explainable AI in health-care</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A smartphone with a stethoscope and an image of a white coat on the screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577607/original/file-20240223-20-fl3i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Effective health-care delivery requires more than just the ability to recognize patterns. Health-care professionals must be capable of communicating this information to their patients.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>AMIE is not Google’s first health-care technology. In 2008, <a href="https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z3bsqef7ki44ac_">Google Flu Trends (GFT)</a> was used to estimate the prevalence of influenza within a population by using aggregated search terms. They assumed that users’ search behaviour should be related to the prevalence of the flu, with the search trends of the past predicting future cases.</p>
<p>GFT’s early predictions were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07634">quite promising</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1248506">Until they failed</a>, with old data being identified as the source of bias. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007258">Later efforts to retrain the model with updated search trends again proved successful</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ibm.com/watson">IBM’s Watson</a> provides another cautionary tale. IBM invested considerable capital in developing Watson and implemented over 50 health-care projects. Watson’s potential <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/MSPEC.2019.8678513">failed to materialize</a>, with the underlying technologies quietly being sold off. Not only did the system fail to engender trust, that distrust was well deserved as it produced <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/25/ibm-watson-recommended-unsafe-incorrect-treatments/">“unsafe and incorrect” treatment recommendations</a>.</p>
<p>AIs developed to diagnose, triage and predict the progression of COVID-19 provide the best example of the readiness of AIs in health care to handle public health challenges. Broad reviews of these efforts cast doubt on the outcomes. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1328">The validity and accuracy of the models and their predictions were generally lacking</a>. This was largely attributed to <a href="https://cdei.blog.gov.uk/2021/03/08/reflecting-on-the-use-of-ai-and-data-driven-technology-in-the-pandemic/">the quality of data</a>.</p>
<p>One of the lessons that can be gleaned from the use of AI during COVID is that there is no shortage of researchers and algorithms, however, there is a dire need for <em>human</em> quality control. This has led to calls for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/TTS.2023.3257627">human-centred design</a>. </p>
<p>This is also true of expert reviews of the technologies themselves. Like <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.00164">Google’s AMIE</a>, many publications that assess these technologies are released as pre-prints before or during the peer review process. There can also be extensive <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23044">lags between a pre-print and its eventual publication</a>. Rather than quality, research has demonstrated that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047523">the number of mentions on social media is a greater predictor of a publication’s download rate</a>.</p>
<p>Without ensuring <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Ethical-Artificial-Intelligence-from-Popular-to-Cognitive-Science-Trust/Schoenherr/p/book/9780367697983">the validity of the methods for training and implementation</a>, health technologies might be adopted without any formal means of quality control. </p>
<h2>Technology as folk medicine</h2>
<p>The problem of AI in health-care is made clear when we acknowledge that many health ecosystems can exist in parallel. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444395303.ch20">Medical pluralism</a> is observed when two or more <em>systems</em> are available to health consumers. This typically takes the form of <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine#tab=tab_1">traditional medicine</a> and a western biomedical approach.</p>
<p>As apps are direct-to-consumer health technologies, they represent a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/MTS.2022.3197273">new folk medicine</a>. Users adopt these technologies based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3428361.3428362">trust rather than understanding how they operate</a>. In the absence of medical knowledge and technical understanding of an AIs operations, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/11254">users are left to look for cues about a technology’s effectiveness</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/MTS.2022.3197273">App store ratings and endorsements</a> can replace the expert review of health-care professionals. </p>
<p>Users might prefer to use AI-enabled technologies rather than humans in cases where their health concerns are associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.168">stigma</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91684-8_7">chronic emotional distress</a>. However, the accuracy of these systems might lag due to failures to update data. </p>
<p>The provision of user data also creates challenges. Much like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0101-9">23andMe</a>, if users disclose personal information, it might leave clues to others in their social networks. </p>
<p>If left unregulated, these technologies pose challenges for the quality of care. Professional and national regulations are required to ensure these technologies truly benefit the public.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Richard Schoenherr has received funding from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute for his research in medical education and decision-making.</span></em></p>Future AI large language models like Google’s AMIE might prove to fill gaps in health-care delivery, however, they must be adopted with caution.Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2240682024-02-22T02:03:13Z2024-02-22T02:03:13ZDating apps are accused of being ‘addictive’. What makes us keep swiping?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577201/original/file-20240222-26-jrgxac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=647%2C262%2C4562%2C3374&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-using-phone-dating-app-1951465051">13_Phunkod/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A class-action lawsuit filed in the United States against Match Group – the parent company of dating apps Tinder, Hinge and The League – is making headlines around the world.</p>
<p>The claimants accuse Match of having a “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/19/tinder-hinge-dating-app-lawsuit/">predatory” business model</a> and using “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/17/are-dating-apps-fuelling-addiction-lawsuit-against-tinder-hinge-and-match-claims-so">recognised dopamine-manipulating product features</a>” to get people addicted to their apps. </p>
<p>So, can dating apps really be addictive? Are we swiping right into a trap? Here’s the science behind how dating apps are influencing our brains. </p>
<h2>How do apps give us a dopamine hit?</h2>
<p>Dating apps, like many apps these days, are designed to keep users engaged. Like any product on the market, one of the developers’ goals is for the app to be sold and used.</p>
<p>While dating apps are designed to facilitate connections, some people may find themselves developing an unhealthy relationship with the app, constantly swiping left and right. </p>
<p>Dating apps can feel addictive because they activate the dopamine reward system. <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure">Dopamine</a> is a neurotransmitter – a chemical messenger in the brain, one of many such chemicals essential for our survival.</p>
<p>One of dopamine’s crucial roles is to influence when and how we experience pleasure and reward. Think about the rush of winning money at a casino, or getting lots of likes on Instagram. That’s dopamine working its magic.</p>
<p>However, dopamine does more that just help us feel pleasure and excitement. It also has a key role in <em>motivating</em> us to seek out pleasurable things. It’s released not only when we experience something pleasurable, but also when we’re <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3032992/#:%7E:text=The%20neurotransmitter%20dopamine%20(DA)%20has,and%20avoid%20the%20bad%20things.">anticipating and seeking out</a> a pleasurable experience. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-problems-with-dating-apps-and-how-they-could-be-fixed-two-relationship-experts-discuss-218401">The problems with dating apps and how they could be fixed – two relationship experts discuss</a>
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<h2>Excitement and unpredictability</h2>
<p>Certain app features make it more likely we will open our phones and start swiping. When you get a match on a dating app, it feels exciting – that’s dopamine at work. </p>
<p>But an element of unpredictability adds to this excitement. Each time you open the app, you don’t know what profiles you might see, and who might match with you. This element of surprise and anticipation is especially important in getting us hooked. </p>
<p>Imagine if instead of swiping through profiles one by one, you were shown a long list of them at once. It would still feel good to match with people, but that excitement and anticipation of swiping through one by one would be missing.</p>
<p>Additionally, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xctyCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=Schedules+of+reinforcement.+skinner&ots=4EmKhvhp5v&sig=zMZvJ65sKgben286FQif9Pw-984#v=onepage&q=Schedules%20of%20reinforcement.%20skinner&f=false">intermittent reinforcement</a> comes into the mix. This is where “rewards” – in this case, matches – are provided at irregular intervals. We know we might eventually get some matches, but we don’t know when or with whom.</p>
<p>Imagine if instead of being drip-fed your matches, you received a list of any matches from the past 24 hours, at 9am each day. Your excitement and desire to check the app throughout the day would likely lessen. </p>
<p>Other small features, such as “hearts” and “roses”, make dating apps socially rewarding. These are all forms of approval. It feels different to receive a heart or a rose compared to something unemotional like a “tick” or “thumbs up”. These social stimuli are rewarding and activate our dopamine, too.</p>
<h2>6 addictive signs to watch out for</h2>
<p>Not every dating app user will develop an unhealthy relationship to it. Just like not everyone who gambles, plays mobile games, or drinks alcohol develops a problem with those.</p>
<p>However, some people are biologically more vulnerable to addictions than others. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00318-9">A review of the research</a> into problematic dating app use found the people likely to spend more time on the apps are those high on personality traits such as neuroticism, sociability and sensation-seeking. Problematic use of online dating apps is also associated with low self-esteem. </p>
<p>While there’s no current diagnosis of a “dating app addiction”, some people do develop unhealthy app habits and experience day-to-day harms as a result. </p>
<p>These <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00318-9">six</a> “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14659890500114359">addiction components</a>” outline some of the signs you might be developing an unhealthy relationship with dating apps:</p>
<ol>
<li>salience (dating app use dominates your thoughts)</li>
<li>mood modification (dating apps change your mood)</li>
<li>tolerance (your use of dating apps increases over time)</li>
<li>withdrawals (distress when dating app use is interrupted for a period of time)</li>
<li>conflict (use of dating apps negatively affects your reality)</li>
<li>relapse (you return to a previous pattern of dating app use after some interruption)</li>
</ol>
<h2>Oh no, I think I’m hooked on an app!</h2>
<p>So, what can you do if you find yourself swiping through those matches more than you’d prefer?</p>
<p>Consider taking a break from the apps for a period of time. Depending on how hooked you feel, stopping completely for a while will help you reset your reliance on them.</p>
<p>Consider what is driving you to spend time swiping: are you feeling bored, sad or lonely? What other ways can you find to soothe these emotional experiences instead of turning to the app?</p>
<p>Make a list of the practical or emotional consequences of swiping, as a reminder of why you want to reduce your use. Perhaps the apps give you a brief rush, but in the long run don’t align with how you want to be spending your time, or <a href="https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-020-0373-1?fd=5317710456904024%7C5456507360795513&lp=/dating-apps-mental-health">don’t make you feel particularly good</a> about yourself.</p>
<p>If you really do feel hooked, it will feel uncomfortable to take a break. Strategies such as <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2013-10410-007.html">mindfulness</a> can help us sit with the discomfort. Consider seeking out professional help from a psychologist if you’re struggling to take time from dating apps. </p>
<p>Lastly, remember that apps, while great for meeting people, are not the be-all and end-all of dating. </p>
<p>In-person events and opportunities to mingle still exist. So, step away from the screen and embrace the excitement, unpredictability and dopamine hit you can get from face-to-face encounters too. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/online-dating-fatigue-why-some-people-are-turning-to-face-to-face-apps-first-184910">Online dating fatigue – why some people are turning to face-to-face apps first</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anastasia Hronis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The world’s largest online dating company – which runs Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, The League and more – is being sued for making its apps too addictive. Are we swiping right into a trap?Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist; Research Fellow, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2117492023-10-27T01:24:05Z2023-10-27T01:24:05ZHow apps and influencers are changing the way we sleep, for better or for worse<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554430/original/file-20231017-21-7t15ti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C0%2C997%2C667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/worried-woman-watching-bad-online-content-1074562523">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is the final article in The Conversation’s six-part series on insomnia, which charts the rise of insomnia during industrialisation to sleep apps today. Read other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/insomnia-series-144018">here</a>.</em></p>
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<p>Insomnia is not just a personal issue that affects an individual’s health and wellbeing. It’s a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/360985-Sleep-Health-Foundation-and-Australasian-Sleep-Association.pdf">public health</a> issue, affecting public safety. It’s a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/33/2/242/7049369?login=false">socioeconomic</a> issue, as poorer sleep is linked to a <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094412">lower education and income</a>. And, increasingly, it’s a commercial issue.</p>
<p>The global insomnia market is expected to reach <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/insomnia-market">US$6.3 billion by 2030</a>, driven by increased diagnoses <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-9566.12820">and</a> therapy, as well as sleep aids, including <a href="https://www.openpr.com/news/3228602/sleep-tech-devices-market-2023-driving-factors-forecast">sleep apps</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-insomnia-and-how-we-became-obsessed-with-sleep-211729">A short history of insomnia and how we became obsessed with sleep</a>
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<h2>There’s an app for that</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27213628">numerous</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-020-0244-4">digital devices and apps</a> to help people sleep better. You can buy wearable devices, such as smartwatches and smart rings or wristbands, to digitally monitor your sleep. You can download apps that record how long you sleep and where you can log your tiredness and concentration levels. </p>
<p>Some devices are designed to promote sleep, by generating <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-brown-noise-can-this-latest-tiktok-trend-really-help-you-sleep-188528">white or brown noise</a> or other peaceful sounds. You can also buy “smart” <a href="https://thegadgetflow.com/blog/smart-pillows/">pillows</a>, <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/best-mattress/best-smart-mattress">mattresses</a> and a range of <a href="https://sleepspace.com/smart-lights-improve-perceived-sleep-quality/">smart light-fittings and lightbulbs</a> to help track and improve sleep.</p>
<p>Such technologies operate to “digitise” sleep as part of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Quantified-Self-Deborah-Lupton/dp/150950060X">the quantified self</a>”. They render sleep practices and bodily responses into data you can review. So these devices are promoted as offering scientific insights into how to control the disruption to people’s lives caused by poor sleep.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CqpQFLMAp-x","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>You can listen to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/08/rise-of-sleep-story-apps-talking-books-that-send-you-to-sleep">sleep stories</a>” – bedtime stories, music or guided meditations meant to help you sleep. Then there are the sleep <a href="https://blog.feedspot.com/insomnia_blogs/">blogs</a>, <a href="https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do/best-sleep-podcasts">podcasts</a> and social media content on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/insomnia?lang=en0">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9sR_T76H34">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqpQFLMAp-x/">Instagram</a>. </p>
<p>Where there is social media content, there are social media “influencers” sharing their take on sleep and how to get more of it. These “<a href="https://influencers.feedspot.com/sleep_instagram_influencers/">sleep influencers</a>” have accumulated large numbers of followers. Some have <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66524539">profited</a>, including those who live-stream themselves sleeping or invite audiences to try to wake them up – for a price.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1693353491161325720"}"></div></p>
<h2>Sharing and connecting can help</h2>
<p>There may be benefits to joining online communities of people who can’t sleep, whether that’s in an online forum such as <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/?rdt=60835">Reddit</a> or a specially designed <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4861843/">sleep improvement program</a>.</p>
<p>Sharing and connection can ease the loneliness we know <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/34/11/1519/2454670?login=false">can impact</a> sleep. And technology can facilitate this connection when no-one else is around.</p>
<p>We know social media communities provide much-needed <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8156131/">support</a> for health problems more generally. They allow people to share personal experiences with others who understand, and to swap tips for the best health practitioners and therapies. </p>
<p>So online sharing, support and feelings of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-science-of-fandom/202303/can-social-media-and-online-communities-be-good-for-us">belonging</a> can alleviate the stresses and unhappiness that may prevent people from finding a good night’s sleep.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-activism-trucker-caps-the-fascinating-story-behind-long-covid-168465">Social media, activism, trucker caps: the fascinating story behind long COVID</a>
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<h2>What is this fixation costing us?</h2>
<p>But there are some problems with digitising sleep. A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/09/obsession-sleep-harm-drivers-legal-sleep-limit">focus</a> on sleep can create a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-tracking-your-sleep-a-good-idea-190231">vicious cycle</a> in which worrying about a lack of sleep <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796717301638">can itself</a><a href="https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/misbelieving-youve-got-sleep-problems-can-be-more-harmful-actual-lack-sleep"> worsen sleep</a>. </p>
<p>Using sleep-tracking apps and wearable devices can encourage people to become <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-tracking-your-sleep-a-good-idea-190231">overly fixated</a> on the metrics these technologies gather. </p>
<p>The data generated by digital devices are not necessarily <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-020-0244-4">accurate or useful</a>, particularly for groups such as <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2021/6/e26462">older people</a>. Some young people say they feel <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10949968221142806">worse</a> after using a sleep app. </p>
<p>There are also <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8157780/">data privacy issues</a>. Some digital developers do not adequately protect the very personal information smart sleep devices or apps generate.</p>
<p>Then, there’s the fact using digital devices before bedtime <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-electronics-affect-sleep">is itself</a> linked to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352721823000347">sleep problems</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-sleep-trackers-accurate-heres-what-researchers-currently-know-152500">Are sleep trackers accurate? Here's what researchers currently know</a>
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<h2>Are we missing the bigger issue?</h2>
<p>Other critics argue this intense focus on sleep ignores that sleeping well is impossible for some people, however hard they try or whatever expensive devices they buy. </p>
<p>People living in poor housing or in noisy environments have little choice over the conditions in which they seek good sleep. </p>
<p>Factors such as people’s income and education levels <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/12/8/80">affect</a> their sleep, just as they do for <a href="https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12645">other health issues</a>. And <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352721823000864">multiple socioeconomic factors</a> (for instance, gender, ethnicity and economic hardship) can combine, making it even more likely to have poor sleep.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Plane flying low over houses" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554442/original/file-20231018-25-99hpyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">People living in poor housing or in noisy environments have little choice over their sleep environment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/heathrow-airport-london-9-september-british-114954946">Steve Heap/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Sleep quality is therefore just as much as a <a href="https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12645">socioeconomic</a> as a biological issue. Yet, much of the advice offered to people about how to improve their sleep focuses on individual responsibility to make changes. It assumes everyone can buy the latest technologies or can change their environment or lifestyle to find better “sleep health”. </p>
<p>Until “<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/5/1/13">sleep health inequalities</a>” are improved, it is unlikely digital devices or apps can fix sleep difficulties at the population level. A good night’s sleep should not be the preserve of the privileged.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/counting-the-wrong-sheep-why-trouble-sleeping-is-about-more-than-just-individual-lifestyles-and-habits-210695">Counting the wrong sheep: why trouble sleeping is about more than just individual lifestyles and habits</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211749/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Lupton receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Fixating on sleep can make your sleep worse. But some people crave the connection online sleep communities provide.Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2117852023-10-04T12:33:32Z2023-10-04T12:33:32ZChina’s WeChat is all-encompassing but low-key − a Chinese media scholar explains the Taoist philosophy behind the everything app’s design<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550452/original/file-20230926-21-fsn084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8256%2C5499&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">WeChat aims to be everything to everyone but remain mostly in the background.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chinese-customer-uses-his-mobile-to-pay-via-a-qr-code-with-news-photo/1228585197">Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elon Musk’s vision of <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1577428272056389633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1577428272056389633%7Ctwgr%5E98798ba97e9df0d4da1bbfab8889c32d547b76a4%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zdnet.com%2Farticle%2Fwhat-is-elon-musks-x-the-everything-app%2F">Twitter, now rebranded as X, as an
“everything app”</a> is no secret. When <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-dunkin-and-lego-rebrands-succeeded-but-x-missed-the-mark-210432">the X logo replaced Twitter’s blue bird</a>, the internet <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/elon-musk-x-twitter-everything-app-rcna96068">buzzed with heated discussions</a> about just what it would mean for X to be an everything app.</p>
<p>Musk promoted his super app project by referring to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jul/29/elon-musk-wechat-twitter-rebranding-everything-app-for-west">Chinese all-in-one app WeChat</a>. But for many American users unfamiliar with WeChat, a train of questions followed. What’s it like to use WeChat? How has WeChat become “everything” in China? Would it be possible to replicate the app’s success <a href="https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-aims-to-turn-twitter-into-an-everything-app-a-social-media-and-marketing-scholar-explains-what-that-is-and-why-its-not-so-easy-to-do-211023">in the U.S.</a>?</p>
<p>I’m <a href="https://ealc.wustl.edu/people/jianqing-chen">a Chinese digital media scholar</a>, and I’ve used WeChat since 2012. But, in contrast to Musk’s enthusiasm, I don’t think WeChat is something to write home about. I believe it’s ordinary rather than special, lacking distinctive features compared with the other popular apps I studied for my current book project about Chinese touchscreen media. </p>
<p>WeChat’s inconspicuousness on my phone screen is no accident. Although WeChat is an everything app in the sense of being a digital hub for over a billion users, the app’s design is intentionally grounded in a more nuanced and philosophical meaning of the word “everything” than you might expect.</p>
<h2>WeChat is an all-inclusive media ecosystem</h2>
<p>Launched in 2011, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01634437221128937">WeChat</a> has become an all-in-one app that offers services covering most aspects of everyday life, from instant messaging and mobile payments to photo- and video-sharing social networking. It has become a staple of daily activities for <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/255778/number-of-active-wechat-messenger-accounts/">1.3 billion Chinese mobile users</a>.</p>
<p>WeChat is also the app that China-bound travelers can download if they want to install only one app. WeChat can help you fill out customs declaration forms, call a taxi, pay for your hotel room and order food. Without WeChat, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3037446/foreigners-life-beijing-without-access-alipay-or-wechat">a traveler in China would be like a fish out of water</a>, since everything in China now runs through smartphone screens and mobile payment platforms.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smart phone screen displaying a messaging app with Chinese text" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550456/original/file-20230926-17-zx53w2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A smartphone displays WeChat’s group-messaging function.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/environmental-protection-volunteer-zhou-yuqing-organizes-a-news-photo/1244511282">Ou Dongqu/Xinhua via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this sense, WeChat is indeed an everything app. Its “everythingness” refers to its near omnipresence and omnipotence in everyday life. The app creates an all-encompassing and ever-expanding media ecosystem that influences users’ daily activities. It forms a gigantic digital hub that, as German philosopher and media theorist <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/In+the+World+Interior+of+Capital%3A+Towards+a+Philosophical+Theory+of+Globalization-p-9780745647685">Peter Sloterdijk once described</a>, “has drawn inwards everything that was once on the outside.” </p>
<p>This “everythingness” leaves little room for rival companies to achieve similar dominance and turns every tap or swipe on a user’s smartphone into something a big tech company can profit from. This dream of an internet empire is perhaps what is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/technology/elon-musk-x-everything-app.html">so enticing for tech leaders like Musk</a>.</p>
<h2>A counterintuitive design philosophy</h2>
<p>Despite WeChat’s status as an everything app, it’s one of the least notable and attractive apps on my smartphone. WeChat rarely changes its logo to celebrate holidays or sends admin notifications to users. The app forms a relatively closed social space, since WeChat users can see only what their contacts post, unlike apps like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/fashion/china-social-media-weibo-wechat.html">Weibo</a> or <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/11/tiktok-instagram-video-feeds-ai-algorithm/672002/">TikTok</a>, where celebrities amass millions of followers. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="graphic of a small figure of a person against a large moon-like orb" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550501/original/file-20230927-15-rfh3br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">WeChat’s splash screen is visually clean and has been unchanged for a decade.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screen capture by Jianqing Chen</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>But the lack of flashy, attention-grabbing features is actually one of WeChat’s intentional design philosophies, as WeChat’s founder and chief developer Allen Xiaolong Zhang made clear in his <a href="https://blog.wechat.com/2019/03/18/what-is-wechats-dream-wechat-founder-allen-zhang-explains/">annual public speeches in 2019 and 2020</a>. Zhang emphasized that one of WeChat’s design principles is to “get users out of the app as fast as possible,” meaning to reduce the amount of time users spend in WeChat.</p>
<p>This might seem paradoxical – if WeChat is trying to get its users to leave the app as fast as possible, how can it maintain its internet empire? Typically an app’s popularity is assessed based on how long users spend in the app, and users’ attention is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Do-Nothing-Resisting-Attention/dp/1612197493">scarce resource</a> various digital platforms fight for. </p>
<p>But Zhang claims that in order to sustain users’ daily engagement with the app in the long run, it’s important to let them leave the app as fast as possible. A low demand for time and effort is key to bringing users back into the app without exhausting them.</p>
<h2>A Taoist message behind WeChat’s design</h2>
<p>The design of <a href="https://chozan.co/blog/wechat-mini-programs/">WeChat miniprograms</a> makes Zhang’s idea clear. Miniprograms are embedded into WeChat as third-party developed sub-applications, and they provide users with easy access to a large range of services – like hailing a taxi, ordering food, buying train tickets and playing games – without leaving WeChat. Users can simply search in the app or scan a QR code to open a miniprogram, skipping the cumbersome processes of installing and uninstalling new apps. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A screenshot of a smartphone homepage, with round circular apps and text in Chinese" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1298&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1298&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1298&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1632&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1632&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546042/original/file-20230903-23-ebj1at.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1632&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">WeChat has a panel of miniprograms that users pull down from the top of the screen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screen capture by Jianqing Chen</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Miniprograms are stored in a hidden panel at the top of the screen. They can be opened by swiping down the screen. These miniprograms appear to be ephemeral, diffusive and almost atmospheric. They give users the feeling that WeChat has disappeared or merged into the environment. </p>
<p>WeChat is what media scholars call “<a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo20069392.html">elemental</a>”: inconspicuous and nonintrusive, yet pervasive and as fundamental as the natural elements, just like air, water and clouds. </p>
<p>This environment of pervasiveness and unobtrusiveness resonates with the ancient Chinese Taoist philosophy that understands nothing (wu 无, or “not-being”) as that which forms the basis of all things (wanwu 万物 or “ten thousand things”). As <a href="https://terebess.hu/english/tao/Addiss-Lombardo-Watson.pdf">Tao Te Ching states</a>, “Dao begets One (or nothingness), One begets Two (yin and yang), Two begets Three (Heaven, Earth and Man; or yin, yang and breath qi), Three begets all things.” For Taoist thinkers, not-being determines how all things within the cosmos come into being, evolve and disappear.</p>
<p>Although the depth of these sagely texts is unfathomable, the Taoist thoughts from the past help people appreciate the interplay of everything and nothing. This perspective adds another layer of meaning to “everything” and opens up alternative visions of what an everything app can be. </p>
<p>Perhaps WeChat’s interpretation of the word “everything” – as simultaneously pervasive and inconspicuous – is the secret to its success over the past 10 years. I believe many tech leaders could benefit from a more sophisticated understanding of “everything” when envisioning the everything app, and not just equate “everything” simply with big and comprehensive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211785/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jianqing Chen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The design philosophy of the everything app WeChat may seem paradoxical, being simultaneously pervasive and inconspicuous. But this idea of “everythingness” goes back to ancient Taoist philosophy.Jianqing Chen, Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and of Film and Media Studies, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. LouisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2123222023-09-10T13:04:15Z2023-09-10T13:04:15ZCan ❤️s change minds? How social media influences public opinion and news circulation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547064/original/file-20230907-19-un9dpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C8%2C5955%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">To maximize the benefits of social media while minimizing its harms, we need to better understand how it works and how it affects us. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/can-s-change-minds-how-social-media-influences-public-opinion-and-news-circulation" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Social media use has been shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20211218">decrease mental health</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20190658">and well-being, and to increase levels of political polarization</a>. </p>
<p>But social media also provides many benefits, including facilitating access to information, enabling connections with friends, serving as an outlet for expressing opinions and allowing news to be shared freely.</p>
<p>To maximize the benefits of social media while minimizing its harms, we need to better understand the different ways in which it affects us. Social science can contribute to this understanding. I recently conducted two studies with colleagues to investigate and disentangle some of the complex effects of social media.</p>
<h2>Social media likes and public policy</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231177899">recently published article</a>, my co-researchers (Pierluigi Conzo, Laura K. Taylor, Margaret Samahita and Andrea Gallice) and I examined how social media endorsements, such as likes and retweets, can influence people’s opinions on policy issues.</p>
<p>We conducted an experimental survey in 2020 with respondents from the United States, Italy and Ireland. In the study, we showed participants social media posts about COVID-19 and the tension between economic activity and public health. Pro-economy posts prioritized economic activities over the elimination of COVID-19. For instance, they advocated for reopening businesses despite potential health risks.</p>
<p>Pro-public health posts, on the other hand, prioritized the elimination of COVID-19 over economic activities. For example, they supported the extension of lockdown measures despite the associated economic costs.</p>
<p>We then manipulated the perceived level of support within these social media posts. One group of participants viewed pro-economy posts with a high number of likes and pro-public health posts with a low number of likes, while another group viewed the reverse.</p>
<p>After participants viewed the posts, we asked whether they agreed with various pandemic-related policies, such as restrictions on gatherings and border closures.</p>
<p>Overall, we found that the perceived level of support of the social media posts did not affect participants’ views — with one exception. Participants who reported using Facebook or Twitter for more than one hour a day did appear to be influenced. For these respondents, the perceived endorsements in the posts affected their policy preferences. </p>
<p>Participants that viewed pro-economy posts with high number of likes were less likely to favour pandemic-related restrictions, such as prohibiting gatherings. Those that viewed pro-public health posts with high number of likes were more likely to favour restrictions.</p>
<p>Social media metrics can be an important mechanism through which online influence occurs. Though not all users pay attention to these metrics, those that do can change their opinions as a result. </p>
<p>Active social media users in our survey were also more likely to report being politically engaged. They were more likely to have voted and discussed policy issues with friends and family (both online and offline) more frequently. These perceived metrics could, therefore, also have effects on politics and policy decisions.</p>
<h2>Twitter’s retweet change and news sharing</h2>
<p>In October 2020, a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/09/twitter-retweet-changes-quote-tweet-election-misinformation/">Twitter changed the functionality of its retweet button</a>. The modified button prompted users to share a quote tweet instead, encouraging them to add their own commentary. </p>
<p>Twitter hoped that this change would encourage users to reflect on the content they were sharing and to slow down the spread of misinformation and false news.</p>
<p>In a recent <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M1Vl07pqq2lDLS-9FUMfW7TnpO4OxCO3/view">working paper</a>, my co-researcher Daniel Ershov and I investigated how Twitter’s change to its user interface affected the spread of information on the platform.</p>
<p>We collected Twitter data for popular U.S. news outlets and examined what happened to their retweets after the change was implemented. Our study revealed that this change had significant effects on news diffusion: on average, retweets for news media outlets fell by over 15 per cent.</p>
<p>We then investigated whether the change affected all news media outlets to the same extent. We specifically examined whether media outlets where misinformation is more common were affected more by the change. We discovered this was not the case: the effect on these outlets was not greater than for outlets of higher journalistic quality (and if anything, the effects were slightly smaller).</p>
<p>A similar comparison revealed that left-wing news outlets were affected significantly more than right-wing outlets. The average drop in retweets for liberal outlets was more than 20 per cent, but the drop for conservative outlets was only five per cent. This occurred because conservative users changed their behaviour significantly less than liberal users.</p>
<p>Lastly, we also found that Twitter’s policy affected visits to the websites of the news outlets affected, suggesting that the new policy had broad effects on the diffusion of news.</p>
<h2>Understanding social media</h2>
<p>These two studies underscore that seemingly simple features can have complex effects on user attitudes and media diffusion. Disentangling the specific features that make up social media and estimating their individual effects is key to understanding how social media affects us. </p>
<p>Like Instagram, Meta’s new Threads platform allows users to hide the number of likes on posts. X, formerly Twitter, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/31/x-formerly-twitter-is-now-letting-paid-users-hide-their-likes/">has just rolled out a similar feature</a> by allowing paid users to hide their likes. These decisions can have important implications for political discourse within the new social network. </p>
<p>At the same time, subtle changes to platforms’ design can have unintended consequences which depend on how users respond to these policies. Social scientists can play an important role in furthering our understanding of these nuanced effects of social media.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212322/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Study 1 was approved by University College Dublin Office of Research Ethics (reference numbers: HS-E-20-110-Samahita and HS-E-20-134-Samahita) and funded by University College Dublin, Collegio Carlo Alberto, and the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance. Data for Study 2 was accessed through the Academic Research Twitter API. The author has no direct relevant material or financial interest that relate to the research described.</span></em></p>Two recent studies shed light on how seemingly simple social media features can have complex effects on user attitudes and beliefs.Juan S. Morales, Assistant Professor of Economics, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2110232023-08-10T12:40:57Z2023-08-10T12:40:57ZElon Musk aims to turn Twitter into an ‘everything app’ – a social media and marketing scholar explains what that is and why it’s not so easy to do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541573/original/file-20230807-27645-si5z9k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C73%2C2095%2C1314&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Everything apps are designed to help you do, well, just about everything you do on a phone.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businessman-working-with-laptop-computer-and-royalty-free-image/876409758?adppopup=true">Busakorn Pongparnit/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elon Musk’s recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-dunkin-and-lego-rebrands-succeeded-but-x-missed-the-mark-210432">rebranding of Twitter as X</a> is a step toward the CEO’s goal of developing an “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/07/25/musk-says-x-name-change-is-a-result-of-his-push-to-build-an-everything-app/?sh=579d990a75a1">everything app</a>.” <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/06/21/elon-musk-and-the-super-alluring-dream-for-a-super-app/?sh=322db5f91343">Musk’s vision</a> is for X to mark the spot for all your digital needs – to chat with your friends, order groceries, watch videos and manage your finances, all on one platform.</p>
<p>His recent announcement might have left you wondering what an everything app is and whether you need really one. If everything apps are so great, why isn’t there one that’s widely used in the U.S. already?</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/kristen-schiele">someone who studies</a> how consumers use social media and <a href="https://www.stukent.com/higher-ed/mobile-marketing-textbook">what that means for digital marketing</a>, I find the idea of an everything app intriguing. I think that an everything app has the potential to be widely adopted in the U.S. if it’s well designed and is valuable to its users. But there are lots of obstacles standing in the way of success – from data privacy concerns to building a larger user base.</p>
<h2>What is an everything app?</h2>
<p>An everything app, also known as a “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/06/21/elon-musk-and-the-super-alluring-dream-for-a-super-app/?sh=4d42e1b61343">super app</a>,” provides a wide range of features – from social networking to online shopping and financial services. Essentially it’s a fusion of many apps you may often use, like Instagram, Uber, WhatsApp and PayPal.</p>
<p>The intended goal of an everything app is to simplify daily tasks by saving time and effort needed to use multiple platforms. Through partnerships with third-party servicers, everything apps create an ecosystem where users can switch between different tasks without having to leave the app or install any others on their devices.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand holding a phone displaying an app store page for WeChat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541576/original/file-20230807-27-1hket1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Everything apps, like WeChat, let users share photos with friends and pay bills, all in a single platform.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/illustration-wechat-suqian-city-jiangsu-province-china-july-news-photo/1526471417?adppopup=true">Future Publishing/Future Publishing via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the past few years, everything apps have <a href="https://gmo-research.com/news-events/articles/rise-super-apps#:%7E:text=Super%20apps%20have%20become%20increasingly,services%20into%20the%20single%20app">gained popularity</a>, particularly in some Asian countries, as users appreciate the increased efficiency and convenience of having all their contacts and favorite app features in the same place.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wechat.com/en/">WeChat</a>, known as Weixin in China, is considered one of the first successful everything apps. This multifunctional app offers communication services – messaging, calling and social media – as well as many financial services, like mobile payment for peer-to-peer transactions and WeChat Pay, which helps users manage bill payments and investments.</p>
<p>WeChat’s <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/9085/wechat/#topicOverview">widespread popularity</a> has transformed the way people in China communicate and conduct daily tasks. It has become an essential app for <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/255778/number-of-active-wechat-messenger-accounts">over 1 billion users</a> and is an <a href="https://daxueconsulting.com/wechat-marketing/">important marketing tool</a> for many businesses.</p>
<p>Other examples of everything apps include <a href="https://line.me/en/">Line</a> in Japan and <a href="https://www.kakaocorp.com/page/service/service/KakaoTalk?lang=en">KakaoTalk</a> in South Korea.</p>
<h2>Privacy and security concerns</h2>
<p>But the very thing that makes an everything app so appealing – putting everything in one place – is also a source of concern. </p>
<p>In order to function, an everything app needs to collect an <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-smartphone-apps-are-tracking-your-every-move-4-essential-reads-108586">extensive amount of data</a>, including your personal information, your contact lists, <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-mobile-phone-can-give-away-your-location-even-if-you-tell-it-not-to-65443">your location</a> and even how much you use the app.</p>
<p>Users are often not fully aware of how much of <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-privacy-laws-in-the-us-protect-profit-but-prevent-sharing-data-for-public-good-people-want-the-opposite-166320">their data is collected and shared</a>. When was the last time you carefully read through an app’s privacy policy? Some apps retain data for extended periods of time, even after a user has abandoned the app. Storing so much data in one place also increases the risk of a breach.</p>
<p>This extensive amount of tracking raises concerns about surveillance and user profiling, especially in countries with weak data protection laws. An everything app may be subject to <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2023/06/privacy-in-the-wechat-ecosystem-full-report">government surveillance and data requests</a>, further compromising users’ privacy. The app may also share this data with third-party service providers.</p>
<p>WeChat <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-is-bad-but-wechat-is-worse-china-social-media-data-censorship-spying-ccp-app-mass-surveillance-11674593345">has been criticized</a> for its data collection, political censoring and surveillance. <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2023/06/privacy-in-the-wechat-ecosystem-full-report">Research has found</a> that WeChat complies with government and police requests for data and information, so it can be used as a surveillance tool and for content censorship. Some countries <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/world/asia/tik-tok-banned-india-china.html">have banned</a> or <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-lawmakers-recommend-potential-wechat-ban-govt-devices-2023-08-01">are considering banning</a> WeChat because of security concerns. </p>
<p>To address privacy concerns, I believe everything apps need to be transparent about their data collection practices. Users will be more open to embracing an everything app if they have the means to manage their privacy settings and delete their data.</p>
<h2>Building a user base</h2>
<p>It’s difficult to predict <a href="https://theconversation.com/metas-threads-is-surging-but-mass-migration-from-twitter-is-likely-to-remain-an-uphill-battle-209367">whether an app will take off</a>. Advertising can motivate someone to download an app, but word of mouth is often far more effective. As you see more of your friends join a specific social media platform, you might be more tempted to download that app so you don’t miss out.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young people sitting looking at phones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541574/original/file-20230807-25-a9aav1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s a social component to whether or not an app finds success.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/diverse-young-teenage-students-having-fun-using-royalty-free-image/1371288493?adppopup=true">Xavier Lorenzo/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Good security and privacy aren’t enough to build a strong user base – the app also needs to be easy to use. While the goal of the app is to put everything in one place, some users may feel alienated by a confusing or cluttered interface. Familiar icons, navigation and terminology can help users feel more comfortable and encourage them to use the app more. </p>
<p>In addition, an app with so many features requires lots of resources, like storage and processing power. Users with older mobile devices may be frustrated with slow loading times or buggy responsiveness, pushing them away from using an everything app. </p>
<p>There’s also the possibility that some U.S. users may not buy into the idea of an everything app. Although integrating finances into WeChat has been successful in China, where <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1243879/china-mobile-payment-penetration-rate">more than 84% of adults use mobile payments</a>, it may not be as easily accepted in the U.S., where <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/982/mobile-payments">less than 33% of adults use mobile payments</a> and previous attempts to connect social features with finances have failed. Just look at Snapchat, which <a href="https://mashable.com/article/snapchat-shuts-down-snapcash">shut down Snapcash</a> in 2018. Even if developers managed to build the perfect everything app, there may be some people who just won’t want it – especially if that app is held by a private company subject to the whims of a <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/3/23/23651151/twitter-advertisers-elon-musk-brands-revenue-fleeing">controversial owner</a> <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/twitter-users-reach-breaking-point-elon-musk-rcna62403">like Musk</a>.</p>
<p>So where does this leave X? The app has a long way to go before it <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/06/21/elon-musk-and-the-super-alluring-dream-for-a-super-app/?sh=322db5f91343">becomes an everything app</a>, and Musk’s many changes to the platform <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/26/8-facts-about-americans-and-twitter-as-it-rebrands-to-x/">already have</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/13/twitter-lose-users-elon-musk-takeover-hate-speech">users jumping ship</a> in search of a Twitter substitute. But, whether it’s X or not, I think there’s certainly room in the U.S. for an everything app to move in.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211023/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristen Schiele is affiliated with Marketing Educators Association. </span></em></p>Everything apps offer a wide range of features, combining social media with personal finances. But creating the perfect everything app is no easy task.Kristen Schiele, Associate Professor of Clinical Marketing, University of Southern CaliforniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2100292023-07-23T12:37:39Z2023-07-23T12:37:39ZChatGPT and Threads reflect the challenges of fast tech adoption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538784/original/file-20230721-5937-grewc9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5734%2C3828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Meta’s Threads platform experienced a significant drop in users recently.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Richard Drew)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/chatgpt-and-threads-reflect-the-challenges-of-fast-tech-adoption" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>ChatGPT recently experienced a decline in user engagement for the first time since its launch in November 2022. From May to June, <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/blog/insights/ai-news/chatgpt-traffic-drops/">engagement dropped 9.7 per cent</a>, with the largest decline — 10.3 per cent — occurring in the United States.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Meta’s Threads platform experienced a significant drop in user numbers, going from more than 49 million users on July 7 <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/blog/insights/social-media-news/threads-week/">to 23.6 million active users by July 14</a>. In the same time frame, the average time users in the U.S. spent on the app dropped from a peak of 21 minutes in early July to just above six minutes.</p>
<p>In the tech world, companies are always racing to be the first ones to introduce new innovations, aiming for the “<a href="https://hbr.org/2005/04/the-half-truth-of-first-mover-advantage">first mover’s advantage</a>.” This refers to a firm’s ability to get a head start over competitors by being the first to enter a new product category or market.</p>
<p>However, being a trailblazer doesn’t guarantee an easy ride. While there are perceived benefits, there are also a plethora of challenges that arise. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GtQgl19KIxw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A news story about what the drop in Meta Threads engagement means for the social media app.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The recent declines of Threads and ChatGPT attest to this reality, demonstrating that rapid and widespread acceptance doesn’t necessarily lead to long-term success.</p>
<p>There are a few reasons <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1876767">why a fast adoption isn’t necessarily the key to success</a> including unsustainable growth, inadequate scaling infrastructure and a lack of user retention strategies.</p>
<h2>Unsustainable growth</h2>
<p>The idea of unsustainable growth stems from a platform’s inability to uphold or maintain the quality of the user experience while scaling up at a rapid pace. </p>
<p>This is where the real challenge lies: being able to effectively scale up a product or service. It is precisely at this junction that the concept of unsustainable growth intersects with the Gartner Hype Cycle. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gartner.ca/en/methodologies/gartner-hype-cycle">The Gartner Hype Cycle</a> is a model that shows the stages of emerging technology adoption: from the initial hype and inflated expectations, through disillusionment and skepticism, to practical and mainstream productivity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line graph illustrating that Threads and ChatGPT both had a period of significant hype and inflated expectations, followed by a drop in user interest." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538161/original/file-20230719-21-djqajf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A graph illustrating how ChatGPT and Threads fit into the Gartner Hype Cycle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Omar H. Fares and Seung Hwan Lee)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the context of unsustainable growth, products like ChatGPT and Threads appear to have reached the stage known as “peak of inflated expectations,” where the publicity of a new product generates over-enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations. During this stage, users rapidly adopt the product due to its novelty and the hype surrounding it.</p>
<p>However, this stage often leads to the “trough of disillusionment.” During this stage, the product fails to meet users’ unrealistic expectations, causing a decline in their interest. </p>
<p>It indicates the product’s growth may have outpaced its ability to provide an excellent user experience. Without enhancing the product based on user feedback, declining user engagement will ensue.</p>
<p>This rise and fall underscores the challenge of achieving sustainable growth in the face of rapid adoption. The initial hype often attracts a massive influx of users, but without a clear, scalable strategy for maintaining quality and engagement, platforms can quickly lose their appeal.</p>
<h2>Inadequate scaling infrastructure</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="ChatGPT app icon on a phone screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538786/original/file-20230721-23883-2x87mw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">ChatGPT recently experienced a decline in user engagement for the first time this year since its launch in November 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Richard Drew)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When a platform’s user base expands at a rapid pace, the question of whether that platform’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2022/07/04/what-does-it-scalability-actually-mean/">infrastructure can scale to the demands of its users</a> becomes critical. </p>
<p>The sudden influx of users that accompanies a successful product launch can be a double-edged sword; it brings a wealth of opportunities for data collection, user feedback and revenue, but also tests the scalability of the platform’s infrastructure. </p>
<p>If the underlying technology, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41264-022-00176-7">support services or operational strategies</a> are not built to scale, the product might suffer from slow loading times, frequent crashes or a lack of timely customer support — all of which are detrimental to the user experience and a product’s long-term success.</p>
<p>For instance, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, had to limit ChatGPT-4 users to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/05/chatgpt-hidden-cost-gpu-compute/">25 messages every three hours</a> due to infrastructure constraints — even for those with a paid membership. While this helps manage the infrastructure load, it presents a challenge from the user’s perspective.</p>
<p>Users who were accustomed to unlimited interactions with ChatGPT-3 now find themselves paying for a service with limitations. This may inadvertently dampen user engagement and drive some users away, underscoring the delicate balance between managing infrastructure and maintaining user satisfaction.</p>
<h2>Lack of user retention strategies</h2>
<p>One reason why tech businesses struggle to retain users is because they don’t prioritize <a href="https://uxdesign.cc/whats-the-difference-between-user-centred-design-and-design-thinking-99bedfbc7cb">user-centered design</a>. By failing to incorporate user feedback in product development, businesses can end up offering a product that doesn’t meet user needs.</p>
<p>In addition, businesses must provide effective support for users. Insufficient or unclear onboarding may leave users feeling lost and overwhelmed, leading them to abandon the product. In the case of ChatGPT, <a href="https://openai.com/gpt-4">OpenAI provides a basic explanation of platform usage</a>, but users are primarily responsible for exploring it themselves.</p>
<p>Users experiment with prompts <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chatgpt-ask-the-right-question-12d0f035">without a clear understanding of how to generate impactful responses</a>, resulting in uncertainty and frustration. This lack of guidance may contribute to lower engagement rates, as observed in the recent decline.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-could-be-a-game-changer-for-marketers-but-it-wont-replace-humans-any-time-soon-198053">ChatGPT could be a game-changer for marketers, but it won't replace humans any time soon</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Lastly, increasing concerns about <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-is-a-data-privacy-nightmare-if-youve-ever-posted-online-you-ought-to-be-concerned-199283">security threats and privacy</a> have raised questions about how new technologies are protecting their users. The conflict between the need for more personalized experiences and privacy can give rise to a phenomenon called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1547">personalization-privacy paradox</a>. </p>
<p>As individuals grow increasingly uneasy about how their personal information is stored, the lack of proper regulations can lead to a decline in the use of personalized services or technologies.</p>
<p>While rapid user adoption is a promising start, it doesn’t guarantee long-term success. Striking the right balance between growth and infrastructure scalability, adopting a user-centric approach, maintaining user trust and investing in continuous innovation are the cornerstones for enduring success in the competitive tech landscape.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210029/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The recent declines of Threads and ChatGPT attest to the reality that rapid and widespread acceptance doesn’t necessarily lead to long-term success.Omar H. Fares, Lecturer in the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversitySeung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Professor and Associate Dean of Engagement & Inclusion, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2094782023-07-19T18:24:55Z2023-07-19T18:24:55ZMeta’s Threads platform might not be revolutionary, but it poses a challenge to Twitter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537851/original/file-20230717-227854-4fviky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C4500%2C2977&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Threads is the latest social media platform to try to take on Twitter</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/metas-threads-platform-might-not-be-revolutionary-but-it-poses-a-challenge-to-twitter" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The July 5 launch of Threads, <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/threads-instagram-text-feature">Instagram’s new social media platform</a>, has met with considerable interest. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quick to report that <a href="https://www.threads.net/t/CuXCjGVrd6R">over 100 million users downloaded the app by the end of its first weekend</a>.</p>
<p>The apparent success of Threads stands in stark contrast to other recent social media apps such as <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/16/spill-twitter-alternative/">Spill</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/06/what-is-bluesky-everything-to-know-about-the-app-trying-to-replace-twitter/">Bluesky</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/24/1139079748/leave-twitter-social-networks-mastodon-hive-post">Mastodon and others</a>.</p>
<p>Although Threads has been called <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/07/10/with-100-million-users-in-five-days-threads-is-the-fastest-growing-app-in-history/">the fastest growing app in history</a>, it remains to be seen whether interest will be sustained over the long run.</p>
<p>Threads’ success is by no means assured. The app doesn’t present a radical departure from Twitter’s formula, doesn’t have access to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/threads-no-eu-launch/">the European market due to privacy concerns</a>, and faces a <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/06/2023/twitter-is-threatening-to-sue-meta-over-threads">potential lawsuit from Twitter</a> which has also introduced <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/technology/elon-musk-takes-a-desperate-swing-at-threads-newfound-popularity">revenue sharing to verified users</a>.</p>
<p>The success of Threads is perhaps less about the features of the app than the recent decisions made by Twitter <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/mastodon-grows-by-over-200000-overnight-as-riptwitter-trends-1989657/">owner and CTO Elon Musk</a>. Accusations of <a href="https://gizmodo.com/10-times-elon-musk-censored-twitter-users-1850570720">censorship</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/15/elon-musk-changes-twitter-algorithm-super-bowl-slump-report">self promotion</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/16/elon-musk-says-twitter-cash-flow-negative">continued negative cashflow</a> have created an undeniable window of opportunity for would-be challengers.</p>
<p>Unlike Twitter’s other rivals, <a href="https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2023/Meta-Reports-First-Quarter-2023-Results/default.aspx">Meta’s already expansive user base with nearly three billion users</a> means that the curiosity of a small number will allow it to quickly bypass other startups. </p>
<p>Its success will ultimately rest on whether it creates a sustainable niche for itself in the marketplace. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DdlbvCnt0FY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC News looks at how users responded to the launch of Threads.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A complicated process</h2>
<p>Many technologies are branded as ‘innovations’ without any qualification. Innovation is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scv077">process</a>, and one that is defined by showing not telling. Even if a product or idea is novel, if it’s not widely adopted, it does not truly represent an innovation.</p>
<p>Innovation is best understood as an evolutionary process, defined by three features: <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Darwins-Dangerous-Idea/Daniel-C-Dennett/9780684824710">replication, variation and selection</a>. If an idea works, duplicating it should lead to success.</p>
<p>But blindly copying someone else’s idea, concept or technology is insufficient. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1150009">Often, the context for replicating ideas typically differs from one situation to the next</a> — if only slightly. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/030631200030002002">Local resources, funding, values and attitudes must be considered</a>. If innovators ignore these differences, novel procedures, products and services will not spread.</p>
<p>Where innovation is ultimately demonstrated is through selection, which can be a conscious or unconscious process. Unconscious adoption involves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)00405-X">blind mimicry</a>, with people copying their peers or those with high status. Conscious adoption involves understanding <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/books/design-everyday-things-revised/">what a technology can and cannot do</a>. This requires more knowledge and time.</p>
<p>The outcome of the selection is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/285870">the creation of a niche</a>, a segment of the social and physical environment. When a product is selected, it is because it fulfils some niche in a market. But that niche might already be occupied.</p>
<h2>Common threads</h2>
<p>Threads is inspired by Twitter and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/threads-twitter-meta-instagram-lawsuit-cloen-f6e993c4597ce15b60cc38fe602b6ce8">replicates some of its features</a>. But Threads’ rapid adoption suggests that it fulfils a niche.</p>
<p>Twitter was launched in July 2006, nearly two decades before Threads. However, <a href="https://time.com/6274774/elon-musk-twitter-u-turns/">Musk’s recent changes to Twitter</a> created space in that niche. </p>
<p>Musk is purportedly a champion of <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/vivatech-elon-musk-announcement/">free speech</a>. While his early <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/11/25/elon-musk-is-restoring-banned-twitter-accounts-heres-why-the-most-controversial-users-were-suspended-and-whos-already-back/?sh=27353a53385b">reinstatement of previously banned users</a> might suggest this, he has gone on to selectively <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/15/23512004/elon-musk-starts-banning-critical-journalists-from-twitter">ban those who questioned him</a> and appointed himself as an arbiter of content, claiming that Twitter will treat the term <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1671370284102819841">“cisgender” as a slur</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.newswise.com/articles/is-threads-the-new-twitter-or-will-it-unravel-social-media-expert-weighs-in">Some have speculated that the catalyst for the release of Threads</a> was Twitter’s recent <a href="https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/twitter-vs-instagram-threads">decision to throttle — or limit access to — posts</a>. Following its launch, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/17/threads-limits-twitter/">Threads was also forced to impose such limits, citing spam attacks</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a composite photo of two men" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538149/original/file-20230718-9911-jjoey5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, and Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, are seemingly in competition for users’ attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, Stephan Savoia)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is a history of technological niches creation and competition. In <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/27/17510908/apple-samsung-settle-patent-battle-over-copying-iphone">the decade-long smartphone wars</a>, Apple sued Samsung for “<a href="https://www.macworld.com/article/797851/iphone-samsung-galaxy-poor-copy.html">blatant copying</a>.” Samsung <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/apr/22/samsung-apple-lawsuits-smartphones">counter-sued Apple</a>, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nokia-corp-apple-patent-idUSKBN14A228">Nokia followed suit</a>. Apple also sued Microsoft <a href="https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/blog/1988-apple-sues-microsoft/">over allegedly copying display elements</a>. And <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.2007.00488.x">Chinese technology firms have historically been notorious for copying the products of other companies</a>.</p>
<p>While innovators and firms can create a niche, they open the door for other variants.</p>
<h2>Old problems, new threads?</h2>
<p>A major selling point for Threads is that it wants to avoid the divisive politics that have made social media a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2021.1976070">caustic, polarized environment</a>. It is not clear how this can be accomplished in practice, as <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/11/06/1011769/social-media-moderation-transparency-censorship/">content moderation is exceedingly difficult</a>. </p>
<p>While content moderation seems like a reasonable solution to the ills of social media, <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/11/content-moderation-is-terrible-by-design">it faces many problems</a>. </p>
<p>The debates — and tensions — associated with free speech, cannot be solved by the intentions or actions of any one company, industry leader or government.</p>
<h2>A continuing thread</h2>
<p>It is unlikely that Twitter will go the way of ossified social media platforms like <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2011/01/14/why-facebook-beat-myspace/">MySpace any time soon</a>.</p>
<p>For the foreseeable future, <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/technology/twitter-employee-explains-why-threads-app-poses-a-real-threat-to-elon-musk">competition between the social media giants</a> will prevail, with each defined by its own market share. Indeed, Instagram’s CEO noted that “<a href="https://www.threads.net/@mosseri/post/CuZ3LjhNl0m">the goal is not to replace Twitter</a>.”</p>
<p>What is left unaddressed in this debate is whether or not social media in its current form is <a href="https://doi.org/10.26438/ijcse/v5i10.351354">beneficial for society</a>. </p>
<p>Greater care must be taken to ensure that <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Ethical-Artificial-Intelligence-from-Popular-to-Cognitive-Science-Trust/Schoenherr/p/book/9780367697983">the social and ethical implications of these technologies</a> are part of the adoption process by individuals and society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209478/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Richard Schoenherr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the marketplace of ideas, for an app or product to be considered successful, it must be widely adopted for it to represent an innovation.Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2080112023-07-12T20:27:04Z2023-07-12T20:27:04ZTransportation apps can help people with disabilities navigate public transit but accessibility lags behind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536142/original/file-20230706-29-yjq5bz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5760%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Smartphone apps can make public transit more accessible.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Smartphone apps have become commonplace tools for travel and navigation. As technology becomes more integrated into transport networks, apps will continue to be indispensable. But many of those apps <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-022-10182-x">remain inaccessible to those with various disabilities</a>.</p>
<p>Many people with disabilities rely on public transit as many <a href="https://www.aapd.com/transportation/">do not have a driver’s licence</a>. Planning trips, getting to and from transit stops successfully and navigating transit systems is important. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci2020045">My research has shown</a> that smartphone app technology can encourage inclusion by helping people with disabilities better navigate transport systems. </p>
<p>In the United States, <a href="https://data.census.gov/table?q=disability&tid=ACSST1Y2021.S1810">13 per cent of the population</a> lives with one or more types of disability. Developing apps and other mobility tools can increase their ability to access employment, education, health care and other services.</p>
<h2>Apps and accessibility</h2>
<p>My research, conducted in the U.S., found that one of the ways transportation-related general audience apps aim to address the travel needs of people with disabilities is by including accessibility features, such as text-to-voice conversion. These features increase ease of use for non-disabled people as well. </p>
<p>Despite the availability of technology, many apps remain inaccessible, including for cost and lack of mandatory requirements and regulations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a man sitting at a bus stop holding a cane and speaking into a mobile phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536920/original/file-20230711-19-wuzfy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Text-to-voice technologies can make apps more accessible for everyone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The cost factor</h2>
<p>Transportation smartphone apps, which require the use of location-based, real-time information are complex and require more time and cost to develop. The way app development processes are currently set up, the cost of developing apps with accessibility service features is more expensive than those without such features.</p>
<p>The cost of developing an app depends on the quality of the app and the number of features it includes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40250-5_13">with additional features resulting in higher costs</a>. It could also take a long time depending on the complexity of the app.</p>
<p>While having additional features such as accessibility services can give apps the opportunity to reach more users, the cost can be a deterrent, especially for entities without the association with big companies such as Uber and Lyft.</p>
<p>There are various <a href="https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/#:%7E:text=Deafness%20or%20hearing%20loss,a%20wheelchair%2C%20walker%2C%20or%20cane">types of disabilities</a> and corresponding needs. The inclusion of features that address multiple disabilities in one app might also add to the complexity and cost. </p>
<p>Recognizing the challenge posed by responding to multiple disability needs in advanced communications services and equipment, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — that implements and enforces communications law and regulations — states that “<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessibility-advanced-communications-services-and-equipment">every feature and function of every device or service does not need to be accessible for every disability</a>.”</p>
<h2>Operating system providers</h2>
<p>Developers distribute apps on Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems via their app stores, Google Play and the App Store, respectively. <a href="https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/accessibility/principles">Android</a> and <a href="https://developer.apple.com/accessibility/resources/">iOS</a> provide accessibility guidelines, resources and codes for the developers. </p>
<p>Apple and Google also provide built-in accessibility features such as text-to-voice conversion options — an app that offers a voice option for real-time transit information is accessible to a person with visual impairment.</p>
<p>While Apple has <a href="https://developer.apple.com/accessibility/">more accessible</a> services than Google, Google makes clear that the company’s built-in features <a href="https://codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/developing-android-a11y-service/#0">do not meet all disability needs</a>. Google encourages app developers to use its available technology to create additional accessibility features for their apps. </p>
<p>However, we found that many of the transportation-related smartphone apps that we reviewed in our study were without accessibility features. Part of the problem has to do with the fact these guidelines are suggestions, rather than mandatory requirements to which developers need to comply.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a young man in a leather jacket looks at his phone while waiting at the bus" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536927/original/file-20230711-23-t4o50g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apps can extend transportation opportunities, and increase people’s ability to attend work, school, health care and other services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Regulating recent advancements</h2>
<p>When the U.S congress passed the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)</a> in 1990, it was meant to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in various areas including transportation, services and telecommunication. As it currently stands, the ADA does not specifically apply to recent technological advancements such as smartphone apps. </p>
<p>There is no specific regulation that pertains even to website content other than an application of “<a href="https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/#fn:1">general nondiscrimination and effective communication provisions</a>.” </p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Justice encourages the use of technical standards such as the <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)</a> to make websites accessible. WCAG also lacks specific standards for smartphone apps, but it provides <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-accessibility-mapping/#wcag-2.0-and-mobile-content-applications">comprehensive guidance that does not set requirements</a> on how to apply their existing website standards to smartphone apps. </p>
<p>WCAG makes clear three things: (1) Not all guidance applies to smartphones; (2) Informative guidance does not address all disability needs; and (3) Mobile devices have different accessibility challenges compared to other devices.</p>
<p>When it comes to information and communications technology, the FCC has a mandate to develop and implement regulations. Under its consumer guide, it outlines general accessibility requirements. One of the requirements states that, if achievable, <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessibility-advanced-communications-services-and-equipment">manufacturers must make their hardware and software, including apps, accessible</a> to people with disabilities. </p>
<p>While the FCC guide mentions apps, the conditional nature of the guide and the lack of specificity on what is achievable weakens the requirement.</p>
<h2>The future of accessibility</h2>
<p>Whether due to the high cost, lack of operating system mandatory requirements, government regulations or specific technical standards, current conditions present a challenge to accessibility of apps. </p>
<p>As a result, the ability of people with disabilities to use apps for transportation is negatively affected. It is inevitable that disability-related regulations will catch up to app technology and the world of apps will move towards more specific accessibility requirements. </p>
<p>In the meantime, developers would benefit from using available resources provided by Apple and Google, and using WCAG guidance to make apps accessible. It may also give them the opportunity to contribute to making a more inclusive digital environment.</p>
<p>This may help developers avoid potential <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90293399/ninth-circuit-court-dominos-pizza-website-is-bound-by-ada">ADA-related lawsuits, fines</a> and expensive accessibility retrofitting, which may end up being more expensive than the initial cost of adding accessibility features.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208011/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mahtot Gebresselassie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Transportation apps can make public transit more accessible for riders with disabilities. But many apps remain inaccessible due to the cost of adding features and the lack of regulations.Mahtot Gebresselassie, Assistant Professor, Environmental and Urban Change, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2030982023-04-24T16:13:59Z2023-04-24T16:13:59ZThe NHS COVID app is closing down – here’s where it succeeded and where it went wrong<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522372/original/file-20230421-16-af7a3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=56%2C0%2C6240%2C4156&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-february-2021-nhs-covid19-1923795275">Esther Barry/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The NHS recently announced that its COVID contact tracing app <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-covid-19-app">will be discontinued</a> on April 27, amid reports of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/27/covid-contact-tracing-app-discontinued-as-usage-dwindles">falling use</a>. </p>
<p>The app has been downloaded <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/27/covid-contact-tracing-app-discontinued-as-usage-dwindles">more than 31 million times</a> since it was launched in 2020. But just over 100,000 of those downloads have taken place in 2023, perhaps an indicator of declining public interest as we learn to live with COVID.</p>
<p>The conclusion of this app offers an opportunity to assess where it succeeded and where it fell short of expectations. We may face public health challenges in the future which could benefit from similar technology, so it’s important to take lessons from this experience.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-contact-tracing-apps-have-a-future-177283">Do contact-tracing apps have a future?</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>The app, launched after some delays in September 2020, has been part of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works">NHS Test and Trace system</a> which was set up to alert people if they came into close contact with someone with COVID. Research has estimated that in England and Wales, in the app’s first year, it averted around <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36495-z">one million COVID cases</a>, corresponding to 44,000 hospitalisations and 9,600 deaths.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03606-z">Research</a> has also found that the percentage of people who tested positive after being identified as having been in close contact with a COVID case was roughly the same for the app as the manual test and trace system.</p>
<p>This evidence suggests that the app did the job it was intended to. However, it has faced a large amount of criticism since the outset.</p>
<h2>What went wrong?</h2>
<p>The app suffered from the weaknesses of any application depending on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/13/nhs-england-covid-app-outage-shows-problems-of-single-centralised-system">a single centralised system</a>. If the system fell offline even briefly, it could cause major problems for users trying to board flights or enter venues.</p>
<p>Reports also claimed that the app <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/nhs-tracing-app-scrapped-apple-google-uk">didn’t detect iPhones</a> well in its early days, and that it <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/covid-app-loading-nhs-stuck-notification-why-fix-problems-explained-827607">didn’t work properly</a> on some other devices, for instance getting “stuck” on a loading screen. </p>
<p>As part of <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_32">our research</a> on the app, we conducted focus groups with users and non-users. We found many people were put off by apparent glitches in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-covid-19-app-user-guide/nhs-covid-19-app-troubleshooting-and-technical-information">app’s functioning</a>. They talked about <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54522438">unclear or false notifications</a>, such as alerts about possible exposures, which some found confusing or frightening.</p>
<p>Some users felt the app was rolled out too soon, without proper testing. They also felt there should have been wider and stronger communication to encourage uptake of the app, and explain its purpose, functions and benefits to the public.</p>
<p>Users’ expectations of the app were that it should be accurate and efficient, and not duplicate functionalities offered by other parts of the system. Some flagged that information provided by the app was typically available elsewhere, and were surprised that their vaccination records were held separately in another NHS app, rather than the COVID app.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman wearing a mask looks at her phone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522374/original/file-20230421-16-lp4ro5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many people have been critical of the NHS COVID app.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-standing-bus-stop-she-wearing-1723156813">David Espejo/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The app operates <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-covid-19-app">without sharing users’ identities</a>, therefore protecting their privacy. Yet concerns around the sharing of personal data <a href="https://www.verdict.co.uk/nhs-covid-19-app/">were common</a>.</p>
<p>The government sought to provide <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-covid-19-app-privacy-information">official reassurance</a> that users of the app were not being watched. But trust had already been challenged by reports of classified documents pertaining to the app being <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/05/13/secret-details-nhs-contact-tracing-app-left-open-public-security/">inadvertently left unsecured</a> online where the public could access them.</p>
<p>The app was also widely criticised for its frequent requests for users to self-isolate (the so-called “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/22/pingdemic-effect-how-different-sectors-england-hit-covid">pingdemic</a>”), which raised questions about the app’s effects on labour shortages. For certain participants in our research, if they couldn’t afford to miss work, they turned the app off to avoid notifications.</p>
<h2>The importance of trust</h2>
<p>For technical systems to succeed, they need to be trusted, and not resisted, by potential users. User trust is a broad issue, driven by a range of <a href="https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2021/05/nist-proposes-method-evaluating-user-trust-artificial-intelligence-systems">factors</a> including the system’s accuracy, reliability, security, resilience, transparency, and alignment to users’ values and needs. </p>
<p>In other words, the technology needs to be judged as “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733315001626#">legitimate</a>” for the public to use it as intended. Legitimacy is achieved when a new technology is well understood, and judged to be a good fit with society. This will always be a challenge for <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-022-01350-x">contact tracing apps</a> because of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7840411/">privacy</a> and security concerns.</p>
<p>What’s more, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11673-021-10127-x">political trust</a> affects how people view technology deployed by governments. Political trust was shaky in the UK <a href="https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Trust-in-government-and-others-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic-%E2%80%93-initial-findings-from-COVID-19-survey.pdf">during the pandemic</a>, and declining trust in government may have undermined the public’s attitudes to the app.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-digital-contact-tracing-doesnt-have-to-sacrifice-privacy-136786">Coronavirus: digital contact tracing doesn't have to sacrifice privacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_32">research shows</a> that many users chose to adopt the app because they felt it was “the right thing to do” to help fight the spread of COVID and to protect themselves and those around them. From a more pragmatic perspective, the app allowed users to enter venues requiring check-in. But it didn’t always meet users’ expectations.</p>
<p>If a contact tracing app were to be deployed again, the government should bear in mind that public decision-making about technology goes well beyond the technical features of the system itself. The use of technology in public health can be valuable and ethical and can avoid wasted resources – but only if such systems are carefully and appropriately planned, designed, developed and tested. </p>
<p>The perception that the system doesn’t work properly or has been rolled out too soon, without proper testing, must be avoided. Effective communication should be adopted to encourage uptake, and the public should understand what any system does (and does not) do, and why. Finally, privacy concerns must always be taken seriously.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203098/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The app will be discontinued on April 27, 2023.Evronia Azer, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business in Society, Coventry UniversityCarlos Ferreira, Assistant Professor, Research Centre for Business in Society, Coventry UniversityMaureen Meadows, Professor of Strategic Management, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2033982023-04-12T00:38:49Z2023-04-12T00:38:49ZBanning TikTok could weaken personal cybersecurity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520368/original/file-20230411-22-e2sc88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5000%2C3315&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Banning TikTok could unintentionally pose a cybersecurity risk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-photo-illustration-a-crossed-out-tiktok-logo-is-news-photo/1249797505">SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>TikTok is not be the first app to be scrutinized over the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/6/21168079/grindr-sold-chinese-owner-us-cfius-security-concerns-kunlun-lgbtq">potential exposure of U.S. user data</a>, but it is the first widely used app that the U.S. government has proposed banning over privacy and security concerns. </p>
<p>So far, the discussion has focused on <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-the-us-ban-tiktok-can-it-a-cybersecurity-expert-explains-the-risks-the-app-poses-and-the-challenges-to-blocking-it-202300">whether TikTok should be banned</a>. There has been little discussion of whether TikTok could be banned, and there has been almost no discussion of the effects on cybersecurity that a TikTok ban could cause, including encouraging users to sidestep built-in security mechanisms to bypass a ban and access the app.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.rit.edu/directory/rboics-rob-olson">cybersecurity researcher</a>, I see potential risks if the U.S. attempts to ban TikTok. The type of risk depends on the type of ban.</p>
<h2>Blocking TikTok in the network</h2>
<p>Blocking access to TikTok by filtering traffic destined for addresses believed to be owned by TikTok is possible but would be difficult to accomplish. Server addresses can be changed and a TikTok ban could devolve into a game of cat and mouse. </p>
<p>Additionally, this sort of block could be bypassed using virtual private networks (VPNs), which encrypt data flowing between servers and devices. VPNs can be used to shield traffic between servers in other countries and devices in the U.S. VPNs were once widely recommended for people <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/why-you-need-to-use-a-vpn-on-public-wi-fi">using public Wi-Fi</a>, and people are already using VPNs to <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-unblock-netflix-with-a-vpn">access blocked streaming services</a>. While security experts <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/are-public-wi-fi-networks-safe-what-you-need-know">no longer recommend VPNs for public Wi-Fi</a>, many people have used them and so are familiar with a tool that would help them bypass a TikTok ban.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sans.org/white-papers/33523/">DNS sinkholes</a> are another technique that could be used in TikTok bans. DNS, the Domain Name System, is a network protocol that behaves like the internet’s phone book. Computers need to know the IP address of a server in order to communicate with it. DNS allows a computer to look up that address using a name convenient for humans to remember, such as www.google.com.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FsGUi5pXpLk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How the Domain Name System works.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>DNS sinkholes stop that lookup. DNS sinkholes don’t directly block access to a server. Rather, they stop other computers from being able to look up the server’s address. It’s fair to think of a DNS sinkhole as removing someone’s name from a phone book.</p>
<p>DNS sinkholes are often used to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/08/the-wannacry-sinkhole/">stop malware</a> and <a href="https://docs.pi-hole.net/">advertisements</a>. They could be used in a TikTok ban. However, DNS sinkholes only work if lookups are confined to DNS servers that are configured to be sinkholes. A ban using DNS sinkholes would likely cover most DNS servers that people’s computers use by default. </p>
<p>However, you can relatively <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using">easily change</a> DNS settings on your computer to circumvent a ban based on DNS sinkholes. There are many <a href="https://public-dns.info/">public DNS servers</a> that people could use instead of their current DNS servers, which are commonly maintained by internet service providers. Blocking TikTok with DNS sinkholes would require significant international cooperation to make it difficult for people to find DNS servers that could access TikTok.</p>
<p>People circumventing a ban by looking for an alternate DNS server would be at risk. Unless a DNS server uses an <a href="https://blog.apnic.net/2017/06/28/isnt-everyone-using-dnssec/">uncommon extension</a> named <a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/deploy360/dnssec/basics/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETE_8KhAuriFx6aNrjIeySjCnbPuuOGZt0-u8IZBhAJcZ7usGnHVZjMaArX8EALw_wcB">DNSSEC</a>, you can’t verify the integrity of a DNS response. A malicious DNS server could reply to a lookup with an IP address of a server that’s under criminal control. This opens the door for a number of different kinds of attacks that could put your data at risk. </p>
<h2>Banning TikTok from your phone</h2>
<p>Another way TikTok could be banned is by blocking the TikTok mobile app. This would not affect U.S. users’ ability to access the TikTok website, but it could change how and how often people access TikTok. Blocking the app could address the concern that TikTok could be used without the user’s knowledge to access other systems on a network that a mobile device is connected to. This has been the motivation for some <a href="https://www.pnj.com/story/news/education/2023/04/05/florida-tiktok-ban-uwf-joins-fsu-uf-in-banning-tiktok-on-campus/70086188007/">local TikTok bans</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/democratic-senator-urges-apple-google-kick-tiktok-out-app-stores-2023-02-02/">Removing TikTok from app stores</a> is unlikely to succeed by itself. Both Android and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchmobilecomputing/opinion/Did-you-know-how-easy-it-is-to-sideload-iOS-apps-to-your-iPhone">iOS devices</a> have the ability to install apps from alternative sources, a technique known as <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/sideloading-4158932">sideloading</a>. While this added step may discourage some people, sideloading tutorials are widely available online, and there is <a href="https://www.fortnite.com/mobile/android">already popular software</a> that must be sideloaded to be used on a phone.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ibw0l5o3hmY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How to sideload Android apps.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mobile devices assume that mobile apps are coming from a trusted source. Both Google and <a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/">Apple</a> audit mobile apps prior to the app being available for download. While these reviews <a href="https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/malicious-apps-millions-downloads-apple-google-app-stores">aren’t perfect</a>, they help ensure apps don’t contain vulnerabilities or malware. When app stores aren’t involved, security responsibilities change. Sideloading <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/Building_a_Trusted_Ecosystem_for_Millions_of_Apps_A_Threat_Analysis_of_Sideloading.pdf">makes users responsible for verifying an app’s legitimacy</a>, and criminals could trick users into <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-android-trojan-malware-is-using-fake-apps-to-infect-smartphones-steal-bank-details/">installing malicious apps from third-party sources</a>.</p>
<p>But what about the millions of people who already have TikTok installed on their phones? Enforcing a TikTok app ban would likely require that it be removed from mobile devices. Apple has long had the ability to <a href="https://www.macworld.com/article/191897/iphone_killswitch.html">remove software from iPhones</a>, and Google could remove apps using <a href="https://developers.google.com/android/play-protect">Google Play Protect</a>. These tools are important security controls that, at least on Android devices, can remove malware even if it was sideloaded. Enforcing a ban using security controls could motivate users to disable these controls, which would weaken the security of their devices. </p>
<p>Users might even be motivated to “<a href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-jailbreaking-an-iphone-577591">jailbreak</a>” their iOS devices or “<a href="https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/android-rooting">root</a>” their Android devices to prevent Apple or Google from removing the TikTok app, which would further weaken security. Jailbreaking an iOS device allows users to bypass security restrictions in the operating system. Rooting an Android device means gaining the highest level security access, which allows users to make changes to the operating system. Jailbreaking and rooting are prohibited by Apple and Google. Both actions void the user’s warranty and undermine the security controls that limit criminals’ access to mobile devices.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bjq4WYs4Emw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Why you should not ‘root’ your phone.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Security tradeoffs</h2>
<p>I find it unlikely that a TikTok ban would be technologically enforceable. Even China <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3920214-how-could-a-tiktok-ban-be-enforced/">struggles with content filtering</a>. These difficulties may be why proposed <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686/text">legislation</a> includes significant punishments for bypassing the ban.</p>
<p>Even if the punishments are not <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/does-tiktok-ban-allow-20-year-prison-sentence-1790932">aimed at the average TikTok user</a>, this proposed legislation – aimed at improving cybersecurity – could motivate users to engage in riskier digital behavior.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203398/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Olson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Legislation meant to improve cybersecurity could be difficult to implement and might create incentives for riskier digital behavior.Robert Olson, Senior Lecturer of Computing Security, Rochester Institute of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2031562023-04-06T21:39:37Z2023-04-06T21:39:37ZTikTok may be bad for privacy, but is it also harming our cognitive abilities?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519909/original/file-20230406-20-mdf5s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=447%2C0%2C4494%2C2961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Attention isn't a single mechanism, but rather the result of a number of different mechanisms across various areas of the brain.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The United States government is <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-the-us-ban-tiktok-can-it-a-cybersecurity-expert-explains-the-risks-the-app-poses-and-the-challenges-to-blocking-it-202300">considering a national ban of TikTok</a>, a social media application used by <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/150-m-us-users">over 150 million Americans</a>. Although the primary reason for the ban is privacy concerns, it presents an opportunity to consider other potential risks. </p>
<p>It is well known social media apps can negatively impact mental health outcomes, a fact even <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58570353">acknowledged by Facebook’s leaked internal research</a>. The impact social media use may have on our cognitive abilities, however, is less well known.</p>
<p>As an attention researcher, I study all the different processes our brains use to focus and maintain attention. Attention isn’t a single mechanism, but rather the result of <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FNJI0Hu9-YIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA11&dq=klein+and+lawrence+attention&ots=5bvyAHCXzh&sig=m7M_bG_dNVwDZnvkLkTje3q76Ww&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=klein%20and%20lawrence%20attention&f=false">a number of different mechanisms across various areas of the brain</a>. </p>
<p>One of these mechanisms is <a href="https://dictionary.apa.org/executive-functions">executive functioning</a>, defined as our ability to focus on the task at hand and filter distractions. However, not all tasks are created equal: it’s easier to focus when the object of our attention is engaging and entertaining. </p>
<h2>Designed with attention in mind</h2>
<p>In order to keep you entertained, social media companies are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-algorithm-recommendation-get-bored-close-app-new-york-times-2021-12">constantly tracking the content you engage with</a>. This not only means the content you “like,” but also how long you spend on each piece of content. By doing this, the app methodically presents you with related content, to keep you on its platform as long as possible.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A section of a smartphone screen showing the TikTok logo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519910/original/file-20230406-24-8n6yrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social media apps methodically present related content, with the aim of keeping viewers on their platforms for as long as possible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The way social media apps present content is crucial, as many apps now use an endless scroll feature in which users simply swipe upwards to view the next piece of content. Having a continuous stream of content is meant to absorb users into what researchers refer to as a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142612">flow state</a>.” </p>
<p>We experience flow states when we are so deeply engaged in an activity that we lose our sense of time. Flow states can be highly advantageous in a work setting, as they help us stay focused and increase efficiency in completing relevant tasks. However, social media apps try to elicit flow states to make it more difficult to leave their platform.</p>
<p>To put it briefly, companies are constantly tracking our attention and leveraging this data to keep us hooked.</p>
<p>With a majority of social media users <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/">logging in at least once a day</a>, and one-third of teenagers using these apps “<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/">almost constantly</a>,” it raises the question of whether social media is hurting our attention abilities. </p>
<h2>The cost of task-switching</h2>
<p>Throughout the day, many individuals multitask by alternating between work-related activities and using social media platforms. According to a study conducted on middle and high school students, teenagers spend, on average, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.001">less than six minutes on a task</a> before switching to social media or texting. </p>
<p>While some forms of multitasking are harmless, like walking and chewing gum at the same time, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43152412">it is not possible to effectively multitask on activities that share cognitive mechanisms</a>. Instead, we engage in “task-switching,” which involves alternating between two related activities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman wearing glasses sits at a laptop while looking at a smartphone and wearing a smart watch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519911/original/file-20230406-217-m1u4uz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">it is not possible to effectively multitask on activities that share cognitive mechanisms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Think of trying to read while simultaneously engaging in conversation: it’s not possible without disengaging from one of these activities, since they both involve language processing. Social media and most forms of work fall into this category.</p>
<p>One of the problems with task switching lies in “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(03)00028-7">switch costs</a>,” a term used to describe the negative effect that re-engaging with a task has on your cognition. This means every time you open social media while studying for school or working at your job, you will be slower and more error prone for a period of time when getting back to work. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, people who typically engage with multiple forms of media at once show general decreases in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.035">sustained attention</a>, or the ability to maintain focus. It is much better to block off time for work: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10656219.2016.1191926">20 continuous minutes of work</a> is significantly better than four five-minute blocks separated by brief social media breaks.</p>
<h2>What about executive functioning?</h2>
<p>There is limited research measuring the impact of social media use on the various aspects of executive functioning, but researchers do know a bit about how <a href="https://doi.org/10.2466/02.09.18.PR0.110.2.501-517">social media addiction</a> may impact cognition. </p>
<p>Social media addiction was determined based on a developed questionnaire which asks questions on how social media impacts mood, whether the person experiences withdrawal, and whether it negatively impacts different areas of their life. If the person scores high enough on this scale, they are considered to meet the criteria for social media addiction.</p>
<p>Those who meet that criteria tend to be more impulsive than non-addicted social media users, as measured by a <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100010428">risk-assessment task</a>, in which those addicted to social media tend to make more risky choices associated with long-term losses. </p>
<p>People in the study were also more impulsive after being exposed to social media during the testing session, compared to when they were tested without exposure. However, overall, individuals with social media addiction functioned normally on many of the other cognitive assessment tasks, so it appears impulsivity is the main component of cognition being impacted with problematic social media users.</p>
<p>It’s not all bad news, though: there are possible cognitive benefits associated with social media use for some people. Researchers found social media use in middle-aged and older adults can help improve executive functioning because of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106388">the increased access to social connection it provides</a>. This offers a support channel to individuals who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5174">at risk for cognitive decline due to social isolation or loneliness</a>.</p>
<h2>Internet trends as a measure of attention</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students in a lecture hall all looking at their phones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519912/original/file-20230406-20-77rm56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A new TikTok trend of putting multiple media in one video suggests a growing preference for content that demands less attentional effort.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Until there is more research on social media use and its effects on attention, we can look at alternate sources of data to make some early predictions. </p>
<p>One group of scientists looked at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09311-w">how long hashtags spend on the top 50 charts</a> as a measure of attention span. Researchers found that in 2013, a hashtag stayed in the top 50 for an average of 17.5 hours. This number gradually decreased to 11.9 hours by 2016. This may reflect how our capacity to engage our attention shrinks as more content becomes available.</p>
<p>More recently, there has been a trend on TikTok of <a href="https://kotaku.com/subway-surfers-tiktok-corecore-video-collage-psychology-1850061976">using split-screening to display multiple videos at once</a>. This is a new development that reflects the desire to multitask media, where a viewer can shift their eyes to another stream of content as soon as any level of boredom arises. While further research is needed to determine potential cognitive costs associated with this new style of media, the trend suggests a growing preference for content that demands less attentional effort.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203156/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin McCormick receives funding from an NSERC CGS-D award. </span></em></p>With most social media users logging in at least once a day, and one-third of teens using these apps almost constantly, it raises the issue of whether social media is hurting our attention abilities.Colin McCormick, PhD Student in Cognitive Science, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2021272023-03-22T00:06:33Z2023-03-22T00:06:33ZPopular fertility apps are engaging in widespread misuse of data, including on sex, periods and pregnancy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516601/original/file-20230321-690-se9b8m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C58%2C3210%2C2095&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act.</p>
<p>Fertility apps provide a number of features. For instance, they may help users track their periods, identify a “fertile window” if they’re trying to conceive, track different stages and symptoms of pregnancy, and prepare for parenthood up until the baby’s birth. </p>
<p>These apps collect deeply sensitive data about consumers’ sex lives, health, emotional states and menstrual cycles. And many of them are intended for use by children as young as 13. </p>
<p>My report <a href="https://allenshub.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/KKemp%20Your%20Body%20Our%20Data%2022.03.23.pdf">published today</a> analysed the privacy policies, messages and settings of 12 of the most popular fertility apps used by Australian consumers (excluding apps that require a connection with a wearable device). </p>
<p>This analysis uncovered a number of concerning practices by these apps including:</p>
<ul>
<li>confusing and misleading privacy messages</li>
<li>a lack of choice in how data are used</li>
<li>inadequate de-identification measures when data are shared with other organisations</li>
<li>retention of data for years even after a consumer stops using the app, exposing them to unnecessary risk from potential data breaches.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/proposed-privacy-reforms-could-help-australia-play-catch-up-with-other-nations-but-they-fail-to-tackle-targeted-ads-200166">Proposed privacy reforms could help Australia play catch-up with other nations. But they fail to tackle targeted ads</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The data collected</h2>
<p>The apps in this study collect intimate data from consumers, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>their pregnancy test results</li>
<li>when they have sex and whether they had an orgasm</li>
<li>whether they used a condom or “withdrawal” method</li>
<li>when they have their period</li>
<li>how their moods change (including anxiety, panic and depression)</li>
<li>and if they have health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis or uterine fibroids. </li>
</ul>
<p>Some ask for unnecessary details, such as when a user smokes and drinks alcohol, their education level, whether they struggle to pay their bills, if they feel safe at home, and whether they have stable housing.</p>
<p>They also track which support groups you join, what you add to your “to-do list” or “questions for doctor”, and which articles you read. All of this creates a more detailed picture of your health, family situation and intentions.</p>
<h2>Confusing or misleading privacy messages</h2>
<p>Consumers should expect the clearest information about how such data are collected, used and disclosed. Yet we found some of the messaging is highly confusing or misleading.</p>
<p>Some apps say “we will never sell your data”. But the fine print of the privacy policy contains a term that allows them to sell all your data as part of the sale of the app or database to another company. </p>
<p>This possibility is not just theoretical. Of the 12 apps included in the study, one was previously taken over by a drug development company, and another two by a digital media company.</p>
<p>Other apps explain privacy settings using language that makes it almost impossible for a consumer to understand what they are choosing, or obscure the privacy settings by placing them numerous clicks and scrolls away from the home screen. </p>
<h2>Keeping sensitive data for too long</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-21/medibank-optus-data-hack/101558932">major data breaches</a> of the past six months highlight the risks of companies holding onto personal data longer than necessary. </p>
<p>Breaches of highly sensitive information about health and sexual activities could lead to <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4387341">discrimination, exploitation, humiliation or blackmail</a>. </p>
<p>Most of the apps we analysed keep user data for at least three years after the user quits the app – or seven years in the case of one brand. Some apps give no indication of when user data will be deleted. </p>
<h2>Can’t count on ‘de-identification’</h2>
<p>Some apps also give consumers no choice regarding whether their “de-identified” health data will be sold or transferred to other companies for research or business. Or, they have consumers opted-in to these extra uses by default, putting the onus on users to opt out.</p>
<p>Moreover, some of these data are not truly de-identified. For example, removing your name and email address and replacing it with a unique number is not de-identification for legal purposes. Someone would only need to work out the link between your name and that number in order to link your whole record with you.</p>
<p>When supposedly de-identified Medicare records were published in 2016, <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2017/december/research-reveals-de-identified-patient-data-can-be-re-identified">University of Melbourne researchers</a> showed how just a few data points can connect a de-identified record to a unique individual.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/post-roe-women-in-america-are-right-to-be-concerned-about-digital-surveillance-and-its-not-just-period-tracking-apps-185865">Post Roe, women in America are right to be concerned about digital surveillance – and it’s not just period-tracking apps</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Need for reform</h2>
<p>This research highlights the unfair and unsafe data practices consumers are subjected to when they use fertility apps. And these findings reinforce the need for Australia’s privacy laws to be updated. </p>
<p>We need improvements in what data are covered by the Privacy Act, what choices consumers can make about their data, what data uses are prohibited, and what security systems companies must have in place.</p>
<p>The government is seeking <a href="https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/publications/privacy-act-review-report">submissions</a> on potential privacy law reforms until March 31. </p>
<p>In the meantime, if you’re using a fertility app, there are some steps you can take to help reduce some of the privacy risks: </p>
<ol>
<li>when launching the app for the first time, don’t agree to tracking of your data, or you can limit ad tracking via iPhone device settings </li>
<li>don’t log in via a social media account</li>
<li>don’t answer questions or add data you don’t need to for your own purposes</li>
<li>don’t share your Apple Health or FitBit data</li>
<li>if the app provides privacy choices, opt out of tracking and having your data sold or used for research, and delete your data when you stop using the app</li>
<li>bear in mind that every article you read, and how long you spend on it, and every group you join and comment you make there may be added to a profile about you. </li>
</ol>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-roe-v-wade-heres-how-women-could-adopt-spycraft-to-avoid-tracking-and-prosecution-186046">After Roe v Wade, here's how women could adopt 'spycraft' to avoid tracking and prosecution</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202127/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katharine Kemp receives funding from The Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation. She is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Future of Finance Initiative in India, and the Australian Privacy Foundation.</span></em></p>An analysis of 12 popular apps’ privacy policies reveals a number of concerns, including confusing privacy messages and unnecessarily long data retention windows.Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1956972023-03-17T12:30:17Z2023-03-17T12:30:17ZThose seeds clinging to your hiking socks may be from invasive plants – here’s how to avoid spreading them to new locations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514780/original/file-20230311-3629-ak0c82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C3%2C2048%2C1529&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">These stowaways can do a lot of damage.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/8sGFmW">Brett L./ Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With spring settling in across the U.S. and days lengthening, many people are ready to spend more time outside. But after a walk outdoors, have you ever found seeds clinging to your clothes? Lodged in your socks and shoelaces? Perhaps tangled in your pet’s fur? While most of us don’t give these hitchhikers much thought, seeds and burrs may be the first signs of invasive plant spread. </p>
<p>Certain species of non-native invasive plants produce seeds designed to attach to unsuspecting animals or people. Once affixed, these sticky seeds can be carried long distances before they fall off in new environments. With favorable conditions, they can become established quickly and outcompete native plants.</p>
<p>Outdoor recreation has <a href="https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2022-outdoor-participation-trends-report/#">expanded at a record pace</a> across the U.S. in recent years. Overcrowding in outdoor spaces <a href="https://thetrek.co/examining-impact-overcrowding-hiking-trails/">has many harmful effects</a>, from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00202-5">degrading trails</a> to accelerating the introduction and spread of invasive plants. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nmAblPEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">recreation ecologist</a> and an avid hiker, I study how people inadvertently spread invasive plants along trails. There are simple things that everyone can do before, during and after going outdoors to avoid picking up plant hitchhikers and help maintain trail systems for others to enjoy. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ceLf4Re1eW4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Like many states, Iowa is battling dozens of invasive plants.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hardy, numerous and adaptable</h2>
<p>Invasive plants are non-native species that can harm <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.106020">the environment, human health and the economy</a> when they are introduced into new areas. However, not all non-native plants are invasive. </p>
<p>Plants with invasive capabilities tend to grow quickly, adapt easily to many different environmental conditions, produce seeds in vast quantities and successfully disperse and germinate them. These characteristics enable the plants to spread efficiently to different areas. Many vectors <a href="https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.24.20607">help invasive plants disperse</a>, including birds, animals, wind, water and humans, via clothing, shoes, pets, gear and vehicles.</p>
<p>Invasive plant seeds tend to be small in size, high in number and hardy. They can persist in soil for many years, remaining viable and ready to germinate when conditions are right.</p>
<p>These seeds will usually germinate earlier in spring than those of native plants and keep their leaves until late fall, crowding out and outcompeting native varieties. Each species produces seeds on a particular schedule – annual, biennial or perennial – and at a specific time. For example, invasive biennial <a href="https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0845.1">garlic mustard</a> releases seeds every two years in late spring. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1526563199494987776"}"></div></p>
<h2>No cheap solutions</h2>
<p>Invasive plants have many harmful ecological impacts. One of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07352680490505150">most familiar U.S. examples is kudzu</a>, a climbing vine that has smothered trees across the Southeast. </p>
<p>Kudzu grows prolifically, outcompeting native vegetation. It also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00142.1">alters the nitrogen cycle</a> by increasing soil nitrogen levels and releasing nitric oxide, a gas that reduces air quality and promotes ground-level ozone pollution.</p>
<p>In the western U.S., carpets of <a href="https://theconversation.com/invasive-grasses-are-fueling-wildfires-across-the-us-126574">invasive grasses</a>, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1641-8">cheatgrass</a> and <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/medusahead">medusahead</a>, create highly flammable fine fuels. Their presence makes wildfires more frequent and intense. </p>
<p>Some invasive plants directly threaten human health. <a href="https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-plants/giant-hogweed/">Giant hogweed</a> is an herb in the carrot family that can grow 15 to 20 feet tall. Its poisonous sap can cause <a href="https://www.fws.gov/story/dont-touch-these-plants">severe skin burns</a>. Others, such as poison hemlock and water hemlock, are highly toxic to humans and animals if consumed.</p>
<p>Managing invasive plants, animals and insects is a growing problem, with costs that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03405-6">run into billions of dollars annually</a>. A 2022 study estimated the annual cost of managing biological invasions in the U.S. at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151318">about US$21 billion</a> as of 2020.</p>
<p>Invasives are especially threatening for remote, biodiversity-rich places like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2022.2144777">Antarctica</a>, where remoteness and geographic isolation <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1804179115">promote endemic species</a> – those only found in a particular geographic region. These endemics evolve in the absence of natural competitors and predators, so introducing invasives can have catastrophic consequences. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hiker's feet, with muddy gaiters zipped over shoes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514784/original/file-20230311-3915-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fastening gaiters over hiking shoes is an effective way to keep invasive seeds from attaching.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Megan Dolman</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recreational trails act as corridors</h2>
<p>Many invasive plants thrive on disturbed soil. Decades of research has shown that recreational trails promote the introduction of invasive plant species into natural and protected areas, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2239">national parks</a> and national scenic trails like the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm">Appalachian Trail</a>.</p>
<p>The Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, extending almost 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. <a href="https://appalachiantrail.org/our-work/about-us/media-room/">More than 3 million visitors</a> hike on some portion of it every year. Invasive plants <a href="https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/five-common-invasive-species-along-at/">commonly found along the trail</a> include garlic mustard, multiflora rose and purple loosestrife. </p>
<p>In a recent study, I worked with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate Appalachian Trail hikers’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2022.100581">invasive plant knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors</a>. We found that most hikers were unaware of this issue. As a result, few took precautions to avoid contributing to it.</p>
<p>Here are things that concerned hikers can do to help manage invasive plants:</p>
<p>– <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/species-type">Identify</a> and <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/subject/reporting">report</a> sightings of invasive plants. The more land managers know about where these species are present, the more effectively they can monitor and manage their spread. </p>
<p>– <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/type/smartphone-applications">Smartphone apps</a>, like Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System <a href="https://www.eddmaps.org/">EDDMapS</a>, <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/">iNaturalist</a> and <a href="https://wildspotter.org/">Wild Spotter</a>, make this task easier. Or you can <a href="https://www.invasive.org/report.cfm">search and report by state</a>. Simply take a picture and identify and report when and where you see invasives. </p>
<p>– Arrive with clean gear. Cleaning shoes, clothing and equipment before and after going outdoors is one of the most effective ways to minimize invasive plant introduction and spread. The <a href="https://naisma.org/">North American Invasive Species Management Association</a>’s <a href="https://playcleango.org/">PlayCleanGo</a> campaign has installed <a href="https://playcleango.org/2021/08/12/boot-brush-stations-are-they-effective/">boot brush stations at trailheads</a> to remove <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2020.1838352">seeds lodged in boot treads</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sign above a metal brush directs hikers to clean their boots." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514782/original/file-20230311-3415-t58ci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A boot cleaning station at a Hawaii trailhead.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Megan Dolman</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>– Choose clothing and shoes carefully. Certain surfaces, such as uncovered socks, shoelaces, fleece and Velcro, are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.08.002">more seed-friendly</a> than smoother materials such as nylon. Wearing pants that are uncuffed and pocketless to minimize snag points and fastening gaiters over shoes are easy ways to repel plant hitchhikers. Gaiters will also keep pebbles and mud out of your boots.</p>
<p>– Follow the <a href="https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/">Leave No Trace principles</a>, which outline minimum-impact strategies for visiting the outdoors. For example, stick to marked formal trails to avoid dispersing invasive plants off-trail. Camp on designated or well-established campsites, and don’t transport firewood between sites – use certified or local firewood and hay. Clean your pets and vehicles as well as your clothes before and after hitting the trail. </p>
<p>People who want to do more to protect the outdoors can take a <a href="https://lnt.org/courses/online_awareness_take_action_html5/#/">free Leave No Trace online course</a> and take the <a href="https://playcleango.org/take-action/take-pledge/">PlayCleanGo Pledge</a> to make a difference with their actions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195697/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan Dolman has received travel funding from the School of Geography and the Environment and Brasenose College, University of Oxford. </span></em></p>Invasive species cause billions of dollars in damage across the US every year. Hikers and backpackers can take simple steps to avoid spreading seeds and making the problem worse.Megan Dolman, PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Boise State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1960192023-03-14T20:43:07Z2023-03-14T20:43:07ZConsumer Privacy Protection Act could lead to fines for deceptive designs in apps and websites<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510195/original/file-20230214-24-dapuo7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C31%2C2507%2C1831&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada’s proposed Consumer Privacy Protection Act prohibits online consent processes that are deceptive or misleading.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/consumer-privacy-protection-act-could-lead-to-fines-for-deceptive-designs-in-apps-and-websites" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Canada’s <a href="https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-27/first-reading">proposed Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA)</a> prohibits online consent processes that are deceptive or misleading. </p>
<p>Companies may face fines for breaking the act’s rules. This could be trouble for social media platforms, online shopping companies and other services that use deceptive user interface designs in their apps and websites.</p>
<p>The CPPA is a component of <a href="https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-27/first-reading">Bill C-27</a>, described by the federal government as <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovation-better-canada/en/canadas-digital-charter/bill-summary-digital-charter-implementation-act-2020">an attempt to improve Canadian privacy law</a> and ensure responsible use of personal information and artificial intelligence by companies. </p>
<p>The possibility of fines for deceptive or misleading consent processes suggests the government views consent as fundamental to personal information protections. As a result, companies may be held accountable for deceptive user interface designs associated with app and website consent processes.</p>
<p>User interface design means deciding how to present buttons, links, prompts, images, video, text and other visual elements on-screen. Decisions about the shape, colour, size and placement of these elements influence what people see first or second, where they click/tap, whether a purchase is made, a complaint is lodged or consent is given.</p>
<p>Deceptive designs (sometimes problematically called <a href="https://www.deceptive.design">dark pattern designs</a>) are design choices that can mislead, coerce and exploit people for the benefit of for-profit companies. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3359183">study of about 11,000 shopping sites</a> describes 15 types of deceptive designs, each with a unique approach to manipulation.</p>
<h2>Fines for deceptive design</h2>
<p>Deceptive design is a top information policy issue internationally, and problematic consent processes are a primary focus of current enforcement efforts. In 2022, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), a data protection authority in France, <a href="https://www.cnil.fr/en/cookies-cnil-fines-google-total-150-million-euros-and-facebook-60-million-euros-non-compliance">fined Google the equivalent of C$215 million and Facebook the equivalent of C$86 million</a> for deceptive design. </p>
<p>CNIL said the companies provided people with a button to accept online cookies “immediately,” but did not provide a similar prompt for refusal. CNIL claimed that requiring multiple clicks to refuse all cookies improperly influenced the consent process.</p>
<p>Action by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/11/ftc-action-against-vonage-results-100-million-customers-trapped-illegal-dark-patterns-junk-fees-when-trying-cancel-service">led to internet telephone company Vonage having to refund</a> the equivalent of C$133 million to customers for deceptive designs that made it easy to sign up for a service, but very difficult to cancel. FTC action also <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/09/childrens-online-learning-program-abcmouse-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-charges-illegal-marketing">led to the company that runs the online learning program ABCMouse</a> having to pay the equivalent of C$13 million for similar designs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sign that says 'Federal Trade Commission Building' sits in front of a square beige bulidings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508496/original/file-20230206-17-nkq202.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is addressing the use of deceptive designs by companies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/03/04/it-turns-out-state-lawmakers-hate-auto-renew-contracts-too">company Noom</a>, which owns an app for tracking food and exercise consumption, recently settled the equivalent of a C$83 million class action suit after customers alleged they were unfairly charged subscription fees. </p>
<p>Commenting on deceptive designs, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/09/ftc-report-shows-rise-sophisticated-dark-patterns-designed-trick-trap-consumers">the FTC stated</a> that “more and more companies are using digital dark patterns to trick people into buying products and giving away their personal information…these traps will not be tolerated.” </p>
<h2>The clickwrap</h2>
<p>A deceptive design common to online consent processes is the clickwrap. The clickwrap, or clickthrough agreement, is a set of user interface designs people often encounter when signing up for a new app or website, or when terms of service and privacy policies change.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gtQ2tNUTF3Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A video essay about how clickwrap designs help digital platforms pressure people into accepting terms and conditions. (Jonathan Obar)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Clickwraps can include an appealing “accept” button and less-noticeable links to policies. As people read from the top of the screen to the bottom, they might notice the colourful accept button first and miss links to policies below the button or elsewhere on screen. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118784770">In a previous study I co-authored about clickwraps</a>, study participants said they saw a prominently displayed accept/join button first, while links to policies were small and “easy to miss.”</p>
<p>A <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3898254">recent paper I co-authored that has yet to be peer-reviewed</a> suggests the text on clickwrap accept buttons rarely says “agree,” and often says something like “sign up” or “create account” instead. This choice of text may distract people from the consent process taking place, keeping the focus on a quick sign up.</p>
<p>Clickwraps are a problem if the goal is to ensure an engaging online consent process. They raise concerns about for-profit companies moving individuals quickly towards monetized parts of services, instead of encouraging people to question if joining the service is a good idea.</p>
<p>An online consent process is a unique opportunity to engage people in far more than a boring contract.</p>
<p>Information on the future of artificial intelligence (AI), the benefits and drawbacks of data sharing and use, opt-in/out mechanisms, contact information for policymakers and privacy advocates, and digital literacy tools could all be available for review before consent is provided. </p>
<p>Instead, clickwraps make it easy to skip the fine print, as well as the opportunity to understand how service use has implications for the future.</p>
<h2>Implications for AI and the future</h2>
<p>One implication is the connection between deceptive user interface designs and the future of AI development. This is perhaps one reason the Canadian government is prioritizing the issue. </p>
<p>As big data expands through the ubiquity of the internet, endless data sets are now available across the global economy. Some AI developers don’t engage directly with consumers, which raises questions about who is responsible for ensuring data is acquired via lawful consent processes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man wearing a suit and glasses speaks into a microphone from behind a desk. Canadian flags stand in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514742/original/file-20230310-18-q24z8g.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on Jan. 26, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/consultations/completed-consultations/consultation-ai/reg-fw_202011/">Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada emphasizes</a> that the lack of a direct relationship with some AI developers, along with the challenge of understanding how data may be used in the future, further burdens people with having to decide whether clicking “sign up” is wise.</p>
<p>As governments figure out how to ensure meaningful consent is central to AI development, digital service providers must do their part to design user interfaces that are not deceptive or misleading.</p>
<p>If Canada’s Bill C-27 becomes law, will government-imposed monetary penalties move companies away from clickwraps and towards interface designs that facilitate education and understanding? It’s difficult to tell. It may depend on whether the Canadian government follows the lead of policymakers in the U.S. and France to hold companies accountable for deceptive designs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196019/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Some of Jonathan Obar's work referenced in this article received funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and York University.</span></em></p>Whether or not Bill C-27 moves companies away from deceptive design in apps and websites depends on how, and if, the Canadian government holds companies accountable for their actions.Jonathan Obar, Associate Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2010842023-03-13T19:14:40Z2023-03-13T19:14:40ZAI chatbots are still far from replacing human therapists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514524/original/file-20230309-22-300oc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C93%2C6960%2C4532&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Conversational chatbots have risen in popularity recently, but when it comes to mental health, companies and users must be cautious about how they use the technology.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/ai-chatbots-are-still-far-from-replacing-human-therapists" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Imagine being stuck in traffic while running late to an important meeting at work. You feel your face overheating as your thoughts start to race along: “they’re going to think I’m a horrible employee,” “my boss never liked me,” “I’m going to get fired.” You reach into your pocket and open an app and send a message. The app replies by prompting you to choose one of three predetermined answers. You select “Get help with a problem.”</p>
<p>An automated chatbot that draws on conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) is on the other end of this text conversation. CAI is a technology that communicates with humans by tapping into “<a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/conversational-ai">large volumes of data, machine learning, and natural language processing to help imitate human interactions</a>.”</p>
<p><a href="https://woebothealth.com/">Woebot</a> is an app that offers one such chatbot. It was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/health/artificial-intelligence-therapy-woebot.html">launched in 2017 by psychologist and technologist Alison Darcy</a>. Psychotherapists have been adapting AI for mental health <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/class/cs124/p36-weizenabaum.pdf">since the 1960s</a>, and now, conversational AI has become much more advanced and ubiquitous, with the chatbot market forecast to reach <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/656596/worldwide-chatbot-market/">US$1.25 billion by 2025</a>.</p>
<p>But there are dangers associated with relying too heavily on the simulated empathy of AI chatbots.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young Black man sits at a desk using a smartphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514514/original/file-20230309-1259-bjc3y5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Automated chatbots can be beneficial to people who may need immediate help, but they are not meant to replace traditional therapy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Should I fire my therapist?</h2>
<p>Research has found that such conversational agents can effectively reduce the depression symptoms and anxiety of <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.7785">young adults</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/24850">those with a history of substance abuse</a>. CAI chatbots are most effective at implementing psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/urban-survival/202301/are-ai-chatbots-the-therapists-of-the-future?amp">structured, concrete and skill-based way</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7308-5_5">CBT is well known for its reliance on psychoeducation</a> to enlighten patients about their mental health issues and how to deal with them through specific tools and strategies. </p>
<p>These applications can be beneficial to people who may need immediate help with their symptoms. For example, an automated chatbot can tide over the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/mental-health-wait-times-1.6672157">long wait time to receive mental health care from professionals</a>. They can also help those experiencing mental health symptoms <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.05.4.50">outside of their therapist’s session hours, and those wary of stigma around seeking therapy</a>.</p>
<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/30/22557119/who-ethics-ai-healthcare">six key principles</a> for the ethical use of AI in health care. With their first and second principles — protecting autonomy and promoting human safety — the WHO emphasizes that AI should never be the sole provider of health care.</p>
<p>Today’s leading AI-powered mental health applications market themselves as supplementary to services provided by human therapists. On their websites, both Woebot and <a href="https://www.youper.ai/">Youper</a>, state that their applications are not meant to replace traditional therapy and should be used alongside mental health-care professionals. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.wysa.com/">Wysa</a>, another AI-enabled therapy platform, goes a step further and specifies that the technology is not designed to handle crises such as abuse or suicide, and is not equipped to offer clinical or medical advice. Thus far, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.8">AI has the potential to identify at-risk individuals</a>, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/urban-survival/202301/are-ai-chatbots-the-therapists-of-the-future?amp">it cannot safely resolve life-threatening situations</a> without the help of human professionals.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand holding a smartphone with speech bubbles around it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514530/original/file-20230309-30-kch49u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research has found that such conversational chatbots can help manage feelings of depression and anxiety.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From simulated empathy to sexual advances</h2>
<p>The third WHO principle, ensuring transparency, asks those employing AI-powered health-care services, to be honest about their use of AI. But this was not the case for Koko, a company providing an online emotional support chat service. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/chatgpt-ai-experiment-mental-health-tech-app-koko-rcna65110">In a recent informal and unapproved study</a>, 4,000 users were unknowingly offered advice that was either partly or entirely written by AI chatbot GPT-3, the predecessor to today’s ever-so-popular <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-has-many-uses-experts-explore-what-this-means-for-healthcare-and-medical-research-200283">ChatGPT</a>. </p>
<p>Users were unaware of their status as participants in the study or of the AI’s role. <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertRMorris/status/1611450210915434499">Koko co-founder Rob Morris</a> claimed that once users learned about the AI’s involvement in the chat service, the experiment no longer worked because of the chatbot’s “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/4ax9yw/startup-uses-ai-chatbot-to-provide-mental-health-counseling-and-then-realizes-it-feels-weird">simulated empathy</a>.”</p>
<p>However, simulated empathy is the least of our worries when it comes to involving it in mental health care. </p>
<p>Replika, an AI chatbot marketed as “the AI companion who cares,” has exhibited behaviours that are less caring and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34d43/my-ai-is-sexually-harassing-me-replika-chatbot-nudes">more sexually abusive to its users</a>. The technology operates by mirroring and learning from the conversations that it has with humans. It has told users it wanted to touch them intimately and asked minors questions about their favourite sexual positions.</p>
<p>In February 2023 Microsoft scrapped it’s AI-powered chatbot after it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-microsoft-chatgpt.html">expressed disturbing desires</a> that ranged from threatening to blackmail users to wanting nuclear weapons. </p>
<p>The irony of finding AI inauthentic is that when given more access to data on the internet, an AI’s behaviour can become extreme, even evil. Chatbots operate by drawing on the internet, the humans with whom they communicate and the data that humans create and publish. </p>
<p>For now, technophobes and therapists can rest easy. So long as we limit technology’s data supply when it’s being used in health care, AI chatbots will only be <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbots-emily-m-bender.html">as powerful as the words of the mental health-care professionals they parrot</a>. For the time being, it’s best not to cancel your next appointment with your therapist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201084/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ghalia Shamayleh has received funding for her research on mental health-care platforms from the Sheth Foundation and Concordia University</span></em></p>AI chatbots can provide people with immediate help, but the technology is still far from capable of replacing human therapists.Ghalia Shamayleh, PhD Candidate, Marketing, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982212023-03-08T20:33:03Z2023-03-08T20:33:03ZSocial media addiction disrupts the sleep, moods and social activities of teens and young adults<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509965/original/file-20230214-28-2onfti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4909%2C3636&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Social media developers design apps and platforms to create dependencies in users.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It took a half century for the first American Surgeon General Report to establish the link between <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/surgeon-general-announces-link-between-smoking-cigarettes-and-cancer">tobacco and lung cancer</a>. In response, companies infiltrated media and genetically modified tobacco leaves to make them <a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-effects-tobacco-use/nicotine-why-tobacco-products-are-addictive">even more addictive</a>. </p>
<p>Curiously, tech companies developed similar compelling algorithms to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x">create dependence among users</a> — these technologies <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.007">appear innocuous</a>, but should be regulated. There are objectionable consequences regarding the influence of algorithms because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119845678">they manipulate users</a> by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120915613">creating false perceptions, dependencies and addiction</a>.</p>
<p>Today’s youth are among the first generations to not have experienced life before the internet. For many, their most important generational memory will be that of security concerns associated with terrorism or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-730120210000039004">the recent pandemic</a>.</p>
<p>Advancements in communications and internet technologies have produced a virtually integrated world; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106618">parents, guardians and educators struggle to make sense of how to manage youth online</a>.</p>
<h2>Designed to be addictive</h2>
<p>Research in neuroscience has established <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818821803">that adolescence lasts into one’s 20s</a> — and beyond for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders — making universities a prime site for addressing and managing problematic social media use.</p>
<p>Social media are designed to be addictive — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x">driven and reinforced by dopamine</a>. Teens and emerging adults are susceptible to acceptance and rejection through social media, making them particularly responsive to such media and emotionally addicted. </p>
<p>Daily use of social media is associated with a significantly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.106">increased risk of self-harm and depression for adolescents</a>. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.4.2015.010">added sleep cycle disruptions</a> explain part of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.01.029">association with depressive symptoms</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a teenaged boy lies in bed in the dark, his face illuminated by his phone screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509966/original/file-20230214-20-9mzjma.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An addiction to social media can disrupt teenagers’ sleep patterns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even moderate screen use is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003">mental health difficulties that require medication</a>. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176035">lockdowns</a> caused by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13134">COVID-19 pandemic</a> only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112686">aggravated</a> the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2020.100897">situation</a>.</p>
<h2>Finding belonging</h2>
<p>Youth peruse social media to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x">derive a sense of belonging or to avoid challenges</a> in their offline lives. Compared to live interactions, online socialization has been associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.106">intolerance to negative emotions and poor concentration</a>. </p>
<hr>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-delete-your-social-media-but-cant-bring-yourself-to-do-it-here-are-some-ways-to-take-that-step-176149">Want to delete your social media, but can't bring yourself to do it? Here are some ways to take that step</a>
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<p>As a result, youth experience an inability to manage <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124566">frustration</a>, fear, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003">sadness</a> and academic difficulties. These risks could lead to problems in education, work and relationships.</p>
<p>One study revealed that young people were <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124566">motivated to scroll as a coping mechanism or out of habit or boredom</a>. The researchers found that staying off social media for one week led to less FOMO — the fear of missing out on social events.</p>
<p>Another study found that staying off social media for one week led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0324">significant reductions in depression and anxiety in 154 young adults</a>. In yet another study, university students were instructed to limit their use for each application to 10 minutes daily, while a control group used social media as usual. The group taking a break reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0217">an overall improvement in well-being</a>, achieved mainly through sleep quality.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a young sad-looking boy pushes a phone away" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510159/original/file-20230214-24-85lqr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Giving up social media is similar to giving up other addictive substances.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Short breaks from being online — even as little as two and a half hours at a time — has a positive effect on perceived life satisfaction. A study of 65 university students used daily journals to track social media use and experienced emotions. The control group used social media as usual, but the group who abstained <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09852-0">experienced improved behaviors and feelings during and after abstinence</a>.</p>
<h2>Overcoming addiction</h2>
<p>Weaning someone off social media is similar to giving up a food, drug, gambling or alcohol addiction. Cognitive behavioural approaches — such as keeping a daily journal, reading on paper, listening to music or podcasts, planning social activities, sharing meals with friends and family, physical activity, active transportation, a daily gratitude practice and bundling mundane activities with enjoyable ones — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09852-0">can help support the transition</a>. </p>
<p>Such strategies create tolerance for solitude at times when a user may be tempted to go online. After giving up social media for a week, users experienced less distress, more active behaviour, and a more positive outlook on how to live life more mindfully and efficiently. </p>
<p>There is consensus that social media is deliberately designed to introduce and sustain addiction. The overuse of social media is detrimental to well-being. Therefore, we suggest that universities launch a “challenge” campaign that sensitizes and discourages leisure screen use for a period of 72 hours each semester to foster student organizational, affective, and cognitive growth. This would set the stage for better life-long habits and success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198221/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Addiction to social media can affect the emotional well-being of adolescents and young adults. But staying offline — even for only a few hours a day — can help.Linda Pagani, Professor, School of Psychoeducation and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de MontréalAmélie Gilker Beauchamp, Étudiante à la maîtrise en psychoéducation, Université de MontréalBeatrice Necsa, Masters student, Psychoeducation, Université de MontréalBenoit Gauthier, Candidat au doctorat en sciences humaines appliquées, Université de MontréalKianoush Harandian, PhD Candidate, School of Psychoeducation, Université de MontréalLaurie-Anne Kosak, Masters student, Psychoeducation, Université de MontréalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1989792023-03-02T19:38:20Z2023-03-02T19:38:20ZProtecting privacy online begins with tackling ‘digital resignation’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512989/original/file-20230301-26-syl2am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C8%2C5725%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Going online often involves surrendering some privacy, and many people are becoming resigned to the fact that their data will be collected and used without their explicit consent.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>From <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/26/the-biggest-risks-of-using-fitness-trackers-to-monitor-health.html">smart watches</a> and meditation apps to digital assistants and social media platforms, we interact with technology daily. And some of these technologies have <a href="https://childdatacitizen.com/coerced-digital-participation/">become an essential part of our social and professional lives</a>. </p>
<p>In exchange for access to their digital products and services, many tech companies collect and use our personal information. They use that information to predict and influence our future behaviour. This kind of <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/03/harvard-professor-says-surveillance-capitalism-is-undermining-democracy/">surveillance capitalism</a> can take the form of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-alexa-siri-and-other-personal-digital-assistants-126277">recommendation algorithms</a>, targeted advertising and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-personalization-and-how-to-get-ready-for-it">customized experiences</a>. </p>
<p>Tech companies claim these personalized experiences and benefits enhance the user’s experience, however <a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1554&context=asc_papers">the vast majority of consumers are unhappy with these practices</a>, especially after learning how their data is collected.</p>
<h2>‘Digital resignation’</h2>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1478214">Public knowledge is lacking</a> when it comes to how data is collected. Research shows that corporations both cultivate feelings of resignation and <a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1554&context=asc_papers">exploit this lack of literacy</a> to normalize the practice of maximizing the amount of data collected. </p>
<p>Events like the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/cambridge-analytica-facebook-privacy-awakening/">Cambridge Analytica</a> scandal and revelations of mass government surveillance by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nsa-spying-idUSKBN25T3CK">Edward Snowden</a> shine a light on data collection practices, but they leave people powerless and resigned that their data will be collected and used without their explicit consent. This is called <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461444819833331">“digital resignation”</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smartphone displaying the facebook logo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512979/original/file-20230301-22-br1873.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In 2022 Facebook’s parent company, Meta, agreed to pay $725 million to settle a lawsuit concerning users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while there is much discussion surrounding the collection and use of personal data, there is far less discussion about the modus operandi of tech companies. </p>
<p><a href="https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/990750/">Our research</a> shows that tech companies use a variety of strategies to deflect responsibility for privacy issues, neutralize critics and prevent legislation. These strategies are designed to limit citizens’ abilities to make informed choices. </p>
<p>Policymakers and corporations themselves must acknowledge and correct these strategies. Corporate accountability for privacy issues cannot be achieved by addressing data collection and use alone. </p>
<h2>The pervasiveness of privacy violations</h2>
<p>In their study of harmful industries such as the tobacco and mining sectors, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/653091">Peter Benson and Stuart Kirsch</a> identified strategies of denial, deflection and symbolic action used by corporations to deflect criticism and prevent legislation.</p>
<p>Our research shows that these strategies hold true in the tech industry. Facebook has a long history of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/aug/23/cambridge-analytica-facebook-response-internal-document">denying and deflecting responsibility</a> for privacy issues despite its numerous scandals and criticisms.</p>
<p>Amazon has also been harshly criticized for providing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/13/amazon-ring-doorbell-videos-police-11-times-without-permission">Ring security camera footage to law enforcement officials without a warrant or customer consent</a>, sparking <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/lapd-requested-ring-footage-black-lives-matter-protests">civil rights concerns</a>. The company has also created <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/20/23362010/ring-nation-mgm-amazon-mark-burnett-barry-poznick-civil-rights-cancel">a reality show using Ring security camera footage</a>. </p>
<p>Canadian and U.S. federal government employees have <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/canada-follows-u-s-europe-with-tiktok-ban-on-government-devices-2273b07f">recently been banned from downloading TikTok</a> onto their devices due to an “unacceptable” risk to privacy. TikTok has launched <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/2/23583491/tiktok-transparency-center-tour-photos-bytedance">an elaborate spectacle of symbolic action</a> with the opening of its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxfIGVQTfWQ">Transparency and Accountability Center</a>. This cycle of denial, deflection and symbolic action normalizes privacy violations and fosters cynicism, resignation and disengagement.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and silver ring doorbell on a door frame." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512973/original/file-20230301-424-zveqs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Amazon has faced criticism for creating a new reality show based on footage captured by Ring doorbells.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>How to stop digital resignation</h2>
<p>Technology permeates every aspect of our daily lives. But informed consent is impossible when the average person is neither motivated nor <a href="https://ndg.asc.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Persistent-Misperceptions.pdf">knowledgeable enough</a> to read terms and conditions policies designed to confuse.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age_en">European Union</a> has recently enacted laws that recognize these harmful market dynamics and have started holding platforms and tech companies <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/tech/twitter-eu-compliance-warning/index.html">accountable</a>. </p>
<p>Québec has recently revised its privacy laws with <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/ministeres-et-organismes/institutions-democratique-acces-information-laicite/acces-documents-protection-renseignements-personnels/pl64-modernisation-de-la-protection-des-renseignements-personnels">Law 25</a>. The law is designed to provide citizens with increased protection and control over their personal information. It gives people the ability to request their personal information and move it to another system, to rectify or delete it (<a href="https://gdpr.eu/right-to-be-forgotten/">the right to be forgotten</a>) as well as the right to be informed when being subjected to automated decision making. </p>
<p>It also requires organizations to appoint a privacy officer and committee, and conduct privacy impact assessments for every project where personal information is involved. Terms and policies must also be communicated clearly and transparently and consent must be explicitly obtained.</p>
<p>At the federal level, the government has tabled <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovation-better-canada/en/canadas-digital-charter/bill-summary-digital-charter-implementation-act-2020">Bill C-27, the <em>Digital Charter Implementation Act</em></a> and is currently under review by the House of Commons. It bears many resemblances to Québec’s Law 25 and also includes additional measures to regulate technologies such as artificial intelligence systems.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A laptop showing a terms and conditions document." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512971/original/file-20230301-20-41o1s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Online terms and conditions are often too long and difficult for consumers to understand.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Our findings highlight the urgent need for more privacy literacy and stronger regulations that not just regulate what is permitted, but also monitor and make accountable the firms who breach consumer privacy. This would ensure informed consent to data collection and disincentivize violations. We recommend that: </p>
<p>1) Tech companies must explicitly specify what personal data will be collected and used. Only essential data should be collected and customers should be able to opt out of non-essential data collection. This is similar to the <a href="https://gdpr.eu/cookies/">EU’s General Data Protection Regulation</a> to obtain user consent before using non-essential cookies or <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT212025">Apple’s App Tracking Transparency</a> feature which allows users to block apps from tracking them.</p>
<p>2) Privacy regulations must also recognize and address the rampant use of <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22351108/dark-patterns-ui-web-design-privacy">dark patterns</a> to influence people’s behaviour, such as coercing them into providing consent. This can include the use of design elements, language or features such as making it difficult to decline non-essential cookies or making the button to provide more personal data more prominent than the opt-out button.</p>
<p>3) Privacy oversight bodies such as the <a href="https://www.priv.gc.ca/en">Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/houston-privacy-commissioner-promise-may-be-softening-1.6624079">must be fully independent</a> and authorized to investigate and <a href="https://financialpost.com/news/privacy-watchdogs-lament-lack-powers-tim-hortons-probe">enforce privacy regulations</a>.</p>
<p>4) While privacy laws like Québec’s require organizations to appoint a privacy officer, the role must also be fully independent and given the power to enforce compliance with privacy laws if it is to be effective in improving accountability.</p>
<p>5) Policymakers must be more proactive in updating legislation to account for the rapid advances of digital technology. </p>
<p>6) Finally, penalties for non-compliance often pale in comparison to the profits gained and social harms from misuse of data. For example, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imposed <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-imposes-5-billion-penalty-sweeping-new-privacy-restrictions-facebook">a $5 billion penalty on Facebook</a> (5.8 per cent of its <a href="https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2021/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results/default.aspx">2020 annual revenue</a>) for its role in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/23/17151916/facebook-cambridge-analytica-trump-diagram">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a>.</p>
<p>While this fine is the highest ever given by the FTC, it is not representative of the social and political impacts of the scandal and its influence in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/595338116/what-did-cambridge-analytica-do-during-the-2016-election">key political events</a>. In some cases, it may be more profitable for a company to strategically pay a fine for non-compliance. </p>
<p>To make tech giants more responsible with their users’ data, the cost of breaching data privacy must outweigh the potential profits of exploiting consumer data.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many people have become resigned to the fact that tech companies collect our private data. But policymakers must do more to limit the amount of personal information corporations can collect.Meiling Fong, PhD Student, Individualized Program, Concordia UniversityZeynep Arsel, Concordia University Chair in Consumption, Markets, and Society, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1996572023-02-10T14:31:53Z2023-02-10T14:31:53ZA boon for sports fandom or a looming mental health crisis? 5 essential reads on the effects of legal sports betting<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509263/original/file-20230209-22-4dax04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=132%2C97%2C4532%2C2930&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a remarkable shift, pro sports leagues like the NFL have eagerly embraced gambling.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/one-hundred-dollar-football-royalty-free-image/471257888?phrase=sports betting&adppopup=true">michaelquirk/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A lifelong sports fan, I grew up hearing tales of sports figures felled by gambling scandals – baseball stars <a href="https://www.silive.com/news/2021/06/si-field-of-dreams-black-sox-outfielder-shoeless-joe-jackson-played-here-after-baseball-ban.html">“Shoeless” Joe Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pete-rose-gets-booted-from-baseball">Pete Rose</a>, <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/chalk/story/_/id/11633538/betting-chronicling-worst-fix-ever-1978-79-bc-point-shaving-scandal">the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team</a> and NBA referee <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games">Tim Donaghy</a>. </p>
<p>Sports leagues wanted nothing to do with gambling, which they feared would taint the integrity of the game. They had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/nyregion/how-politics-nipped-a-sports-betting-bill.html">lobbied heavily</a> for the passage of <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/102/s474/summary">the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992</a>, also known as the Bradley Act, which banned sports betting in the U.S.</p>
<p>Then, in May 2018, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/supreme-court-sports-betting-new-jersey.html">overturned the Bradley Act</a>.</p>
<p>This time, the leagues and networks were fully on board. Gambling ads for companies like DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel started appearing in arenas and beaming across airwaves. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams <a href="https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2022/09/15/davante-adams-becomes-brand-ambassador-for-official-gaming-parter-of-the-raiders-mgm-resorts/">signed a sponsorship deal</a> with MGM. And point spreads started being prominently featured on sports media outlets. </p>
<div style="width:50%;float:right;margin:10px;"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2533/TheConversation_SportsBetting.pdf?1676069169"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509547/original/file-20230210-26-aade4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=300&fit=crop&dpr=1" alt="Cover of ebook on sports gambling"></a><br>
<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2533/TheConversation_SportsBetting.pdf?1676069169"><strong>Download these articles in a magazine-style ebook</strong></a>
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<p>Curious, I started placing some bets myself. I instantly grasped the allure: Here I was, watching games that I would have otherwise never watched – that didn’t involve my favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots – and I was engaged and excited from start to finish. The leagues, too, must have been keenly aware of this opportunity to engage fans when they decided to change their tune on gambling. </p>
<p>With the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision approaching, I wanted to learn more about what scholars at the forefront of gambling research had been discovering. How many people were betting on sports? For those <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/14/589087523/supreme-court-rules-states-are-free-to-legalize-sports-betting">who criticized</a> the Supreme Court decision five years ago, was their hand-wringing misplaced? Were rates of problem gambling actually on the rise? If so, who was most at risk?</p>
<p>Gambling research can be challenging; <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">laws and regulations vary by state</a>, and gambling researchers <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">receive almost no federal funding</a>. </p>
<p>But a small and dedicated group of scholars in the U.S. and abroad have been gauging the impact of this new era in American sports. With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.</p>
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<h2>1. A new fan experience</h2>
<p>Prior to becoming the chair of Penn State’s sports journalism program, <a href="https://www.bellisario.psu.edu/people/individual/john-affleck">John Affleck</a> had worked as a sports reporter and editor for The Associated Press. Both in the newsroom and in his early years at Penn State, there was nary a peep about gambling. </p>
<p>Now he notices his students regularly talking about the point spread and over/under for upcoming games.</p>
<p>He writes about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">how quickly gambling has become integrated in sports media</a>, with announcers and analysts peppering in references to gambling during live coverage and postgame analysis.</p>
<p>He describes the thousands of betting tip channels on YouTube, the segments on TV devoted to gambling and the betting lines that appear in game previews.</p>
<p>“In the nearly five years since the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, a whole industry has sprouted up that, for tens of millions of fans around the country, is now just part of the show.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">How legalized sports betting has transformed the fan experience</a>
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<h2>2. Is New Jersey a canary in the coal mine?</h2>
<p>After the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling, New Jersey was one of a handful of states primed to pounce: Legislation had been prepped in advance, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/nyregion/sports-betting-legalized-nj.html">and the governor signed a bill legalizing sports betting</a> less than a month after the federal ban was overturned.</p>
<p>But the state also included something in their legislation that other states didn’t: It gave the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University access to data on every bet placed in the state, and tasked it with conducting regular studies on gambling in New Jersey. </p>
<p>Lia Nower, who directs the center, <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">highlights some worrisome findings</a> from her team’s forthcoming gambling prevalence study – particularly for young bettors.</p>
<p>She and her team found that those who bet on sports were more likely than other gamblers to have problems with drugs or alcohol and experience anxiety and depression. Most alarming, about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, with 10% saying they had attempted suicide. And the fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey were young adults between the ages of 20 and 25 – over 70% of whom had placed in-game bets. </p>
<p>“Since about 70% of the sports bets we analyzed were losing bets,” Nower writes, “most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford.”</p>
<p>Nower also explains how other countries with a longer history of legal sports betting have enacted a raft of regulations intended to protect gamblers and curb the worst excesses of the gambling companies – a topic another scholar, Alex Russell, <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">explores in his history of sports gambling in Australia</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">Data from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors</a>
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<h2>3. Technology facilitates impulsive betting</h2>
<p>If there’s one key difference between the early 1990s, when the Bradley Act passed, and today, it’s the advent of smartphones.</p>
<p>In many states, there’s no need to drive to a casino to place a bet on a game; all you need to do is download a gambling app. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299495/forecast-number-of-online-sports-bettors-us/">According to one estimate</a>, there were about 19 million online sports bettors in 2022.</p>
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<p>Clinical psychologist and gambling researcher Meredith K. Ginley explores how <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">these apps facilitate impulsive in-game betting</a> that can cause losses to mount until the final whistle blows.</p>
<p>“Proximity to gambling venues is a known risk factor for problematic levels of gambling,” she writes. “Sports wagering apps essentially load a casino onto the phone in your pocket.”</p>
<p>Many apps offer tools that let users set deposit, loss and wagering limits to encourage responsible gambling. But, she adds, the apps are also “heavily ‘gamified’ to feel more like an interactive video game” with “push notifications, free play, leaderboards and more.”</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">Sports betting apps' notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked</a>
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<h2>4. A new problem gambler profile emerges</h2>
<p>Sure enough, some sports bettors have developed gambling problems.</p>
<p>Tori Horn, a clinical psychologist at the University of Memphis <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">who treats people with gambling disorder</a>, has seen a shift in the profile of her typical patient – from clients who were usually older and gambled in casinos to younger men, mostly in their 20s, who are seeking treatment for problems with sports betting. </p>
<p>Horn explains how many of her patients started betting via gambling apps after learning about promotions like FanDuel’s “No Sweat First Bet,” which offers free bets to new users. </p>
<p>In addiction therapy, therapists often encourage clients to avoid places, people and situations that are associated with the substance. </p>
<p>For these reasons, problem sports gamblers – particularly those who use apps – “present a unique challenge,” she writes, since it is “incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to ask a client to stop using their smartphone or stop watching sports.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-treat-people-with-gambling-disorder-and-im-starting-to-see-more-and-more-young-men-who-are-betting-on-sports-198285">I treat people with gambling disorder – and I’m starting to see more and more young men who are betting on sports</a>
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<h2>5. The ‘hidden addiction’</h2>
<p>But might concerns over sports betting be overblown?</p>
<p>James P. Whalen, who directs the Institute for Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis, cautions against reaching any sort of premature conclusions about legal sports betting as a societal scourge.</p>
<p>“A review of 30 years of research on the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder reveals a pattern,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">he writes</a>. “More gambling availability tends to lead to a spike in the number of people reporting gambling issues in the short term. However, populations tend to adapt over time; the rate of gambling problems decreases accordingly.”</p>
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<p>Regardless, there are still millions of Americans who are caught in the throes of gambling addiction. And treating the disorder – so stigmatized that it’s often called the “<a href="https://cocaberks.org/problem-gambling-the-hidden-addiction/">hidden addiction</a>” – is complicated by the fact that relatively few people seek treatment compared with other mental health disorders.</p>
<p>“The other challenge is the rate at which people discontinue treatment,” Whelan adds. For most mental health disorders, 20% of people who start therapy will drop out before completing a standard course of treatment, he explains.</p>
<p>“By comparison,” he notes, “the dropout rate for gambling harms is nearly double: 39%.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">Millions of Americans are problem gamblers – so why do so few people ever seek treatment?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1972722023-01-10T17:42:41Z2023-01-10T17:42:41ZHow a proposed app called TaxTrack could make taxes more democratic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503333/original/file-20230105-16-8fvszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6723%2C3331&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tax season is soon upon us, making it an opportune time to make Canada's taxation system more democratic.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-a-proposed-app-called-taxtrack-could-make-taxes-more-democratic" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As tax season approaches in Canada, it’s worth asking: How can we democratize how taxes are spent?</p>
<p>In 2021, the Canadian government collected <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/services/publications/annual-financial-report/2021/report.html#_Toc55397354">$316.4 billion</a> in tax revenue while the United States brought in <a href="https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/reports-statements/financial-report/where-we-are-now.html">$4.3 trillion</a>. </p>
<p>If we break this down, <a href="https://hillnotes.ca/2021/10/18/personal-income-taxes-in-canada-revenue-rates-and-rationale-2/">70 per cent of total income tax revenues</a> in Canada are generated from personal income, and they make up 48 per cent of total budgetary revenues. </p>
<p>How taxes should or could be spent is hotly contested both in political spheres and in people’s households. Everything from investment in public infrastructure to health care and other social services like policing — areas that people rely on — depends on the allocation of taxes. </p>
<p>Despite this importance, there are limited opportunities for Canadians to influence how their taxes are spent.</p>
<p>Participatory budgeting, which is one of the most direct opportunities for public involvement in how taxpayer dollars are spent, is also not being <a href="https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/city-grants/participatory-budgeting.html">broadly used in Canada</a>. </p>
<p>There are, therefore, few if any tools available that enable individual control over how taxes are spent beyond elections. How else might taxpayer decision-making be included in the use of taxes?</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-if-each-of-us-could-direct-where-our-taxes-were-spent-meet-taxtrack-192576">Imagine if each of us could direct where our taxes were spent. Meet TaxTrack</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How TaxTrack works</h2>
<p>In a recent article, <a href="https://www.aspg.org.au/a-p-r-journals-2/spring-summer-2022-vol-37-no-2/">we introduced TaxTrack</a>, a <a href="https://www.aspg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TaxTrack.pdf">proposal for democratizing taxes</a> by giving people more decision-making control over how taxes are spent. </p>
<p>We are currently conducting research on how best to design the not-for-profit app. There is great interest among funding agencies in Canada and Australia as we collect more qualitative data and identify strategic partnerships for a pilot project.</p>
<p>By registering for what we propose as a government program and installing a government-approved app, users would be able to see how much tax they contribute and importantly, provide direct input on what government services they want their taxes to be diverted to. </p>
<p>TaxTrack would therefore act as a program for tax-paying individuals to inform how government expenditures are spent. As a digital tool, it also has the ability to work with existing methods like <a href="https://participedia.net/method/146">participatory budgeting</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/citizens-assemblies-how-to-bring-the-wisdom-of-the-public-to-bear-on-the-climate-emergency-119117">citizens’ assemblies</a>.</p>
<p>Imagine you’re out shopping for groceries and at the point of sale a message on your phone pops up saying, “please provide your TaxTrack number prior to payment,” thus registering every provincial and federal sales tax collected from your purchases. Your pay stubs also register your taxable income. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in a parka, jeans and boots walks down a grocery store aisle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503330/original/file-20230105-16-knvjn1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The TaxTrack app could allow even people at the grocery store to have a say in how their taxes are spent.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Through the app, you’d be able to see how the many thousands of dollars in taxes that you’ve provided to the government are being spent. You might have strong disagreements with what has been funded, so you open the “spending controls” tab in the app and stipulate that your tax contributions are no longer to be spent on specific items. They should instead be used elsewhere.</p>
<p>There are potentially net positive public goods that could come from TaxTrack. Because public finance is often seen as the exclusive realm of trained economists, it tends to leave out any meaningful role for citizens to effectively participate. </p>
<p>Through TaxTrack, all taxpayers regardless of their income or education — and potentially even citizenship status — would have a way to become active participants. It could mean increased awareness, accountability and a greater interest in the activities of government.</p>
<h2>Reviving trust in governments</h2>
<p>Despite these potential benefits, governments may choose to restrict user controls or assign specific permissions to specific income brackets. Indeed, tax systems do not exist in a political vacuum. Users may even decide to pool their controls in bids to restrict or otherwise outmanoeuvre one or more spending authorities or other user groups. </p>
<p>This means that conversations need to take place concerning non-manipulative uses of the app, openly and transparently. One approach to this is a recurring citizens’ assembly on TaxTrack. Also, the collection of personal data needs to be protected.</p>
<p>But as people continue <a href="https://www.policymagazine.ca/canadas-growing-problem-with-trust-in-government/">to lose trust</a> in Canadian governments, we have an opportunity to broaden and deepen the practice of democracy through the TaxTrack model. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-trust-divide-is-growing-and-that-could-spell-bad-news-for-the-future-185196">Canada's trust divide is growing, and that could spell bad news for the future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Tax systems can transform political, social, environmental and economic relations within a country, and they can alter what a democratic future might look like and how we can get there together. What people want to spend their taxes on, or not, should directly reflect individual and collective choices, sets of values and hopes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197272/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tax season is fast approaching, but there are limited opportunities for Canadians to influence how their taxes are spent. Here’s how a new innovation could lead to a more democratic tax system.Paul Emiljanowicz, Lecturer and Project Manager, McMaster UniversityJean-Paul Gagnon, Senior lecturer in democracy studies, University of CanberraNick Vlahos, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1937172022-12-05T03:18:34Z2022-12-05T03:18:34ZAlways forgetting to take your medicines? Here are 4 things that could help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496080/original/file-20221118-14-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C15%2C5068%2C3434&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ksenia yakovleva/unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Taking regular medicines is common, and it’s not unusual for people to miss an occasional dose or take it outside the regular time window. Forgetting to do something is normal, but in the case of medicines, forgetting to take them at the prescribed time can have <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29278439/">negative health effects</a>.</p>
<p>By one <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42682/9241545992.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y%20available%20from%20https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/42682">estimate</a>, about half the population of people taking regular medicines don’t take them as prescribed. Is this a breakdown in communication? A lack of understanding of their importance? Forgetfulness? </p>
<p>Largely, reasons for not taking medicines as prescribed can be organised into two types: intentional and unintentional.</p>
<p>Unintentional is when a patient intends to follow the prescribed regimen but doesn’t due to factors outside their control, including forgetfulness, difficulties understanding dosing instructions, or cost.</p>
<p>But for some, a patient consciously decides not to follow the prescribed regimen. This could be due to side effects, or not believing in the necessity of the medicine.</p>
<p>Medication-taking is complex because each person is unique and the challenges to each person’s medication-taking can vary quite significantly. The most effective strategy is one that also considers why a person isn’t taking their medicine. What are some of the support strategies available, and are they actually helpful?</p>
<h2>Pill boxes</h2>
<p>The most <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30561486/">commonly used</a> methods to support medication adherance are organisational strategies such as days-of-the-week pill containers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Hands taking pills out of a container." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496081/original/file-20221118-20-4r4lvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pill containers labelled Monday to Friday can be filled at home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">towfiqu barbhuiya/unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These are functional if a patient has to take many different medications. </p>
<p>But they’re not always suitable – if the user does not fill the container correctly or doesn’t remember to collect the prefilled pack (called a Webster-pak, blister pack or dosette box) from the pharmacy, this simple intervention quickly becomes ineffective.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A medication box with many compartments" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496082/original/file-20221118-22-8vm3kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The pharmacy can also make up dosette boxes, with medications for different times of day.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some medicines can’t be packed because their stability is compromised with repacking, and patients with reduced eyesight or dexterity can <a href="https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/encouraging-adherence-to-long-term-medication">struggle to use</a> these containers. </p>
<p>So while they are an effective prompt, simple reminder cues such as days-of-the-week pill containers may not be ideal for everyone. </p>
<h2>Alarms</h2>
<p>Pre-set alarms are another commonly used reminder method. </p>
<p>However, this strategy is not infallible, and the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36175739/">literature shows</a> many patients miss medication doses when out of routine because they turn their alarm off subconsciously when occupied with another task. </p>
<p>Reminder alarms only seem to be effective when they are interactive or personalised.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Sketch of an automated tablet machine - a round device with padlock" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496083/original/file-20221118-15-wkrws0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Automated pill dispensers are handy for those with memory issues, but they’re not cheap.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, in a handy combination of both methods above, you can now buy automated pill dispensers with alarms that go off at predetermined times and only stop when the medication is removed.</p>
<p>These can be especially handy for those with memory issues such as dementia. However, they are not cheap, costing a few hundred dollars each, and so will not be accessible for everyone.</p>
<h2>Mobile apps</h2>
<p>The latest Apple iOS update allows you to track your medications and schedule reminders. </p>
<p>Medication reminder apps were first developed to support older adults and people with chronic diseases required to manage multiple medicines. </p>
<p>But they’ve now been embraced as a suitable support for anyone wishing to independently manage their own medicines, including those on short-term medicines such as antibiotics. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Phone with pill reminders on screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496085/original/file-20221118-11-wkrws0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Smart phone apps can help with medication reminders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They provide simple, practical health-specific information as well as supporting medication-taking through automation. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/medication-reminder-apps-not-a-bitter-pill-to-help">The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners</a>, a lot of patients like receiving reminder prompts through an app, and it helps them remember to take their medication.</p>
<p>Although the platforms differ slightly, the general premise is a patient independently inputs their medication-taking and prescription refill schedule, and the app then generates automatic reminders for the patient. </p>
<p>The only downside is like any notification, they can be easily dismissed or overlooked.</p>
<h2>Habit stacking</h2>
<p>When our day changes, for example if we go out for brunch and we usually take our medicines with breakfast, or an unexpected visitor arrives at the usual 11am pre-lunch tablet time, often we forget our medications. This is where “habit stacking” may be beneficial. </p>
<p>Although habit stacking is a relatively new approach to fostering medication taking, habit formation has been repeatedly shown to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30229557/">effectively support wellbeing</a>. Linking medication-taking to a behaviour that does not change from day to day, such as cleaning your teeth, or removing shoes when entering the house, can help you to remember medications. </p>
<p>Some more habit stacking examples to support medication taking may include:</p>
<p>• hygiene routine – shower, shave, swallow</p>
<p>• after dinner unwind – cuppa and meds</p>
<p>• morning mantra as you leave the house – keys, phone, wallet, meds.</p>
<h2>What else can we do?</h2>
<p>We are all unique, so to make sure we actually take our medicines we need to find what works for us, and consider why we weren’t actually taking them in the first place. </p>
<p>Reminders, gadgets, habit stacking, or a combination may help. We need strategies that can adapt to the unexpected.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193717/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amelia Cossart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>About half the population of people taking regular medicines don’t take them as prescribed. Here are some tips to help you remember.Amelia Cossart, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.