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In this era of "incite outrage-at-the-moment-to-get-that-click" clickbait news and postings pushed to us by mainstream media and social networks, is it a wonder that society is in the current state that its in..?
This article at NPR states that even if you're not aware of it, it's likely that your emotions will influence someone around you today. This can happen during our most basic exchanges, say on your commute to work. "If someone smiles at you, you smile back at them," says sociologist Nicholas Christakis of Yale University. "That's a very fleeting contagion of emotion from one person to another."
But it doesn't stop there. Emotions can spread through social networks almost like the flu or a cold. And, the extent to which emotions can cascade is eye-opening.
For instance, Christakis' research has shown that if you start to become happier with your life, a friend living close by has a 25 percent higher chance of becoming happy too. And your partner is more likely to feel better as well. The happiness can even spread to people to whom you're indirectly connected.
To document this, Christakis and his colleagues mapped out the face-to-face interactions of about 5,000 people living in one town, over the course of 32 years. Their emotional ups and downs were documented with periodic surveys. "We were able to show that as one person became happy or sad, it rippled through the network," Christakis says.
It's not just happiness that spreads, unhappiness and anger can be contagious, too. Should negative-clickbait be banned as a social threat?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday February 25 2019, @09:39PM (7 children)
You say that like it's a bad thing.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 25 2019, @11:28PM (4 children)
Because that is how you end up with the digital lynchings that are going on.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday February 25 2019, @11:55PM (3 children)
That's not going anyway anytime soon. Or ever. Best case scenario you can bring a successful lawsuit against people who have a real name behind their words, or a company that fires you, etc. I say "best case" knowing that it's not likely to go that well.
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday February 25 2019, @11:56PM
*going away
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(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 26 2019, @12:13AM
Of course it is not going away. That does not mean I am going to support it.
I used to throw myself upon the floor to get my way with my parents. It did not work. Being outraged and lynching people is the digital equivalent of a 4 year old throwing themselves on the floor and making a spectacle of themselves. Much like you do not feed the trolls. Do not let the baby control you.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday February 26 2019, @04:08PM
Best case scenario is neither you nor your boss giving a fuck what a bunch of nutjobs have to say. They're the only ones who actually care about their hysterical bullshit and they have no money to impact anyone's business unless you're a coffee shop or some such.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday February 26 2019, @12:04AM (1 child)
Ok, takyon, time for disclosure: what good does promoting anger does for you?
You know?... the soylenters may be interested to learn about potential interests influencing your editorship with S/N.
(large grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday February 26 2019, @12:45AM
I didn't promote anger, but I do like to look at it from time to time.
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