Author: TheConversation

By Tristan Bridges and Mignon R. Moore • Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara • Professor and Chair of Sociology, Barnard College Since 1972, social scientists have studied the General Social Survey to chart the complexities of social change in the United States. The survey, which is conducted every couple years, asks respondents their attitudes on topics ranging from race relations to drug use. In 2008, the survey started including a question on sexual identity. As sociologists who study sexuality, we’ve noticed how more and more women are reporting that they’re bisexual. But in the most recent...

By Jelena Kecmanovic, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Georgetown University More than one-third of American adults view social media as harmful to their mental health, according to a new survey from the American Psychiatric Association. Just 5% view social media as being positive for their mental health, the survey found. Another 45% say it has both positive and negative effects. Two-thirds of the survey’s respondents believe that social media usage is related to social isolation and loneliness. There is a strong body of research linking social media use with depression. Other studies have linked it to envy, lower self-esteem and...

By Drew Gronewold and Richard B. Rood • Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan • Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years. These events coincide with persistent precipitation and severe flooding across much of central North America. As recently as 2013, water levels on most of the Great...

By Tarik Dogru, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management, Florida State University Airbnb has grown exponentially since its founding in 2008 and is expected to soon go public in an initial public offering that would rank it among the world’s most valuable hotel companies. In fact, U.S. consumers spent more money on Airbnb last year than they did on Hilton and its subsidiaries, the second-biggest hotel chain in the world, which was founded a century ago. As an expert in hospitality management, I was curious to know precisely how all this growth has affected the hotel industry – and just...

By Kendall Hoyt, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth College War and disease have marched arm in arm for centuries. Wars magnify the spread and severity of disease by disrupting populations. As large groups of people move across borders, they introduce and encounter disease in new places. Often, they move into crowded, resource-poor environments that allow diseases to thrive. Before World War II, soldiers died more often of disease than of battle injuries. The ratio of disease-to-battle casualties was approximately 5-to-1 in the Spanish-American War and 2-to-1 in the Civil War. Improved sanitation reduced disease casualties in World War I,...

By Robert Kozinets, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Big Tobacco is increasingly using social media to find new ways to hook young people on smoking, circumventing decades of laws restricting the marketing of traditional cigarettes to minors. In major cities around the world, tobacco companies have been holding extravagant events that were designed to connect with young people. Often featuring alcohol, live music, and attractive hosts, these lavish events spare no expense as they seek find new buyers for their tobacco products. The problem? Those party-goers are carefully targeted young influencers, who are encouraged...