TheConversation, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Algorithms Love Outrage: How social media sustains the self-righteous activism of “Cancel Culture”

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 23, 2020 |

By Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University “Cancel culture” has become a pervasive phenomenon, giving rise it as an overly judgmental approach to activism that does little to bring about change. For the uninitiated, here’s a quick primer on the phenomenon: An individual or an organization says, supports or promotes something that other people find offensive. They swarm, piling on the criticism via social media channels. Then that person or company is largely shunned, or “canceled.” It happened to Chick-fil-A when its ties to organizations such as Focus on the Family invited backlash from LGBTQ...

The disappointment that comes when a pandemic cancels the freedom to party

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 22, 2020 |

By Christine Van Winkle, Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba Around the world, festivals, sporting events, conferences and community celebrations are being cancelled or postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Event organizers have had to make difficult decisions about how to proceed, and would-be attendees question whether they should plan to go. In many communities, mass gatherings are banned as social distancing becomes the norm. Technology may allow some organizations to offer event experiences online, and some organizers already have plans underway. This pandemic has already led to high-profile event cancellations. With new...

Vulnerable Populations: Infection rates and mortality from COVID-19 expected to hit the homeless hard

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 22, 2020 |

By Michael Cousineau, Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California As the number of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, continues to grow, the nation is on edge. Doctors and scientists do not know what percentage of the general population has been infected and what percentage of the infected develops symptoms. State and local governments and the federal public health system are deploying strategies to contain the spread of the virus and consider ways to mitigate the effects of the disease on vulnerable groups, the health care system and the economy. But amid all...

A Sick System: Insurance providers are exacerbating rural health care disparities

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 22, 2020 |

By Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits. There is less crime, access to the outdoors, and lower costs of living. Yet, not everything is rosy outside the city limits. Rural communities face growing infrastructure problems like decaying water systems. And they have more limited access to amenities ranging from grocery stores to movie theaters, lower quality schools, and less access to high-speed internet. Yet perhaps most daunting are the tremendous health disparities rural Americans face, in terms of both their own health and...

Connecting without the human touch: How to cope with the side effects of social distancing

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 21, 2020 |

By Jonathan Kanter, Director of the Center for the Science of Social Connection, University of Washington; and Adam Kuczynski, PhD Student, Department of Psychology, University of Washington To fight the spread of coronavirus, government officials have asked Americans to swallow a hard pill: Stay away from each other. In times of societal stress, such a demand runs counter to what evolution has hard-wired people to do: Seek out and support each other as families, friends and communities. We yearn to huddle together. The warmth of our breath and bodies, of holding hands and hugging, of talking and listening, is...

Flattening the Curve: How to slow fear from spreading faster than COVID-19

Posted by TheConversation | Mar 21, 2020 |

By Jacek Debiec, Assistant Professor / Department of Psychiatry; Assistant Research Professor / Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan As cases of COVID-19 proliferate, there is a pandemic of fear unfolding alongside the pandemic of the coronavirus. Media announce mass cancellations of public events “over coronavirus fears.” TV stations show images of “coronavirus panic shopping.” Magazines discuss attacks against Asians sparked by “racist coronavirus fears.” Due to the global reach and instantaneous nature of modern media, fear contagion spreads faster than the dangerous yet invisible virus. Watching or hearing someone else who’s scared causes you to be...