Pressing the “Sympathize” Button?

Facebook, reportedly, is mulling the addition of a "sympathize" button to promote interaction with content that would be inappropriate to "like." That's part of a broader trend toward the categorization of content according to the moods and emotions it triggers, Brian Feldman writes in an article on The Wire. Of course, when you get right down to it, this means, basically, that people aren’t sociopaths and can recognize basic social cues. What do your kids think of the “Like” button? Do they think it works? Should people make a bigger effort to reply to postings than just pressing a single button?

What Would Freud Say About Our Social Media Slip Ups?

Ever wondered what Freud would say about the volume of gaffes on social media these days? So did the folks at Buzz Feed, so they interviewed a psychologist about it. Dr. William Braun says that underlying wishes and desires tend to burst out when they're least welcome or expected and that we often send dirty pictures and derogatory comments to the people we often wish we had the courage to confront in real life. Perhaps, these are some interesting revelations that we all need to think about and may explain some of the things your children do online.

Facebook Brings Direct Messaging To Instagram

Facebook has updated Instagram to allow users to send videos and photos directly to up to 15 friends through a service called Instagram Direct. The move was likely inspired by increasing competition from Snapchat and free messaging applications such as WhatsApp, and comes after reports that Facebook's attempts to buy Snapchat were rebuffed. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said the feature is "like gathering people around a photo, a moment, and being able to have a conversation about them." It also means the dangers of accidentally sending out indiscreet material to more people with the push of a button has gone up, yet again.

Lessons on Concentration

Do your children have trouble staying on task when they have a homework assignment that requires them to go online? Research shows they are not alone and that if students don’t learn how to concentrate and shut out distractions, they’ll have a much harder time succeeding in almost every area. To that end, schools should include lessons on how to concentrate to help students stay on track amid numerous digital distractions, says psychologist Daniel Goleman, who has written books about social and emotional learning. Goleman calls for digital-free work periods during the day and lessons on mindfulness practices. "It's about using the devices smartly but having the capacity to concentrate as you need to, when you want to," he said.

The Constitution Protects What You “Like” Something on Facebook

If you “Like” something politically controversial on Facebook and get in trouble for it at work or at school you need to remind the powers that be that you are just engaging in constitutionally protected speech, according to a ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “Likes are the Internet equivalent of displaying a political sign in one's front yard, which the Supreme Court has held is substantive speech," Chief Judge William Traxler wrote in the unanimous opinion. Both Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union issued statements praising the ruling. The case is the result of some employees being fired for showing support for a candidate online while in the employ of his opponent.

Apps and Your Health

Is there an app for that? When it comes to monitoring your health the answer to that question seems to be a resounding affirmative. USA TODAY had a whole article recently on the many monitoring apps available now, as well as those coming down the pipeline. While never a substitute for a visit to the doctor, these apps, including one that will let parents snap a picture of their children’s eardrums to send to a doctor to check for an ear infection, add a whole new dimension to the idea of being digitally smart.

Smashing Devices?

Before recycling a Windows XP laptop, netbook or Android smartphone you might want to consider that you might need to blow the thing to smithereens first if you really want to wipe it of all your sensitive data, says McAfee identity theft expert Robert Siciliano, in USA TODAY. Siciliano bought 30 random used devices off Craigslist and tested them and found that while half were wiped clean, the other half revealed all kinds of sensitive data including bank account numbers and records, work documents and Social Security numbers. Apple's iPad and iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry don't represent the same risk, he says. But you should reset your used Apple or RIM device to the original factory settings before it leaves your possession.

Covering Your Tracks on the Internet

“There are no secrets online,” writes Kate Murphy, in the Personal Tech section of The New York Times and she is right. Whatever email you sent in a fit of pique, those vulture videos you watched to help out a friend’s daughter who is a field biologist and that illness you checked out online – they are all part of an online profile of you that can be easily gathered. That information can then be stored, analyzed, categorized and synthesized and then sold as a package deal to data brokers who in turn can sell it without a “by your leave” to advertisers, employers, health insurers, or credit rating agencies. So what can you do to help cover your tracks on the Internet? Murphy outlines several ideas in her article, “How to Muddy your Tracks on the Internet”, to help readers try to figure out the best balance between cost, convenience, and privacy.

Demand Your Personal Data Back?

Tim Berners-Lee, one of the pioneers of the Internet, recently gave an interview urging Internet users to demand their personal data back from Facebook and Google and to further insist on the means to use that data to make their personal life easier. There is some common sense to that. It would be great to have your computer help you manage what you eat, your exercise level, and more. Berners-Lee also cites that it would be great to have your computer tell you what you should read in the morning based on past preferences. (The latter I find a bit dangerous to democracy as I am not really interested necessarily in just what Google thinks I should read, but it would be helpful if my computer could help keep me up with issues of interest.) Berners-Lee also recognizes that online privacy is a balancing act, and thinks the “do not track” feature, being debated by the Federal Trade Commission, would increase web users' confidence that data about them was not being abused. The “do not track” feature would mean you could "flip a switch" on your browser (like Safari, Chrome, or FireFox) which would prevent the tracking of your online activity.

Is He Talking About Parents?

Blogger Shelly Palmer went on vacation to Florida for a family event and he came back to write an article entitled “The Attack of the Pridefully Ignorant” about how there are no more excuses for not being connected that I think all parents should read. If you still think that “digital is for kids,” as Shelly claims is the war cry of the “Pridefully Ignorant,” you need to read what he says about how you need to inject yourself into the process. To lead a connected life with your kids, you need to be digitally connected. Discussions of digital literacy or digital citizenship need to start at home, with both sides having some semblance of what they are talking about because they have at least tried it.