Patton Oswalt’s Inspiring Message Goes Viral
Kevin Winter/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In the aftermath of the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday, people everywhere have been trying to wrap their minds around how someone – or a group of people – could commit such a senseless act o…
How Social Media Could Impact 2016 Presidential Election
SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — If only Mitt Romney had had a few thousand more Twitter followers and Facebook friends, the 2012 election might have turned out differently.So say Bret Jacobson and Ian Spencer, millennial techies and co-founder…
Academy Releases ‘Social Media Cheat Sheet’ for Oscar Nominations
ABC(LOS ANGELES) — The Academy Awards Social Media Team has released its “cheat sheet” for following official Oscar buzz this awards season, with some surprising suggestions for where to keep your eyes peeled.Along with suggesting that #Os…
Flu Outbreak: Fighting the Virus with Social Media
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The flu season has arrived — and it’s weeks early.In one week, 16 states and New York City reported high levels of the flu. By the following week, that number was up to 29.Each day for the past week, more t…
California First to Endorse Comprehensive Social Media Privacy Law
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Starting Jan. 1, 2013, California will be the first state to enact comprehensive social media privacy legislation, officials say.As he signed the measure known as the Social Media Privacy Act on Sept. 27, C…
Facebook, Email More Irresistible Than Sex
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — You may want to ask your date to turn off his or her phone. A new study suggests Facebook and email trump sex in terms of sheer irresistibility.The German study used smartphone-based surveys to probe the daily …
Internet Takes Off with Mitt Romney’s ‘Binders Full of Women’
Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Despite all the fireworks over taxes, oil and Libya, the most buzzworthy social media moment of Tuesday night’s presidential debate was Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s comment about &ldqu…
New York’s Kelly Plans ‘Crew Cut’ for Gang Members
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly, a former Marine, plans to use social media to give the city’s emerging street gangs a buzz cut with an aggressive new anti-gang initiative called Operation Crew Cut.Kelly will …
NYPD to Subpoena Twitter for ‘Just Like in Aurora’ Tweet
Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The New York Police Department has demanded that Twitter release the name of a user who threatened an attack “just like in Aurora” on the Broadway theater where Mike Tyson’s one-man show is playing. The NYPD plans to su…
How Social Media Is Spurring Plastic Surgery
Courtesy Dr. Richard Ellenbogen(LOS ANGELES) — Triana Lavey was about to undergo a radical transformation. And she was doing it for a radical reason. She wanted to look better online.With the help of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Ellenboge…
Hospital to Live Tweet Brain Surgery
Keith Brofsky/Thinkstock(HOUSTON) — In February, surgeons at Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston live tweeted during heart surgery. And Wednesday, the hospital is moving on up — to the brain.Starting at 8:30 a.m. ET, Dr. Dong Kim, a neurosurgeo…
Company Approves Drug for Dying Mother
Photodisc/Thinkstock(TAMPA BAY, Florida) — Social media proved to be one powerful tool for a mother dying of breast cancer and desperate to get a drug that has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a self-made video, Darle…
Can Social Media Get More Pot Users to Admit They’re Lighting Up?
LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images(SAN FRANCSICO) — The number of young adults who smoke both tobacco and marijuana may actually be higher than some recent surveys have suggested, according to a new study.Researchers from the University of California, San …
Facebook Taking Proactive Stance Against Suicides
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In the wake of the suicide of a 31-year-old Taiwanese woman who told friends on Facebook she was planning to kill herself, Facebook’s managers tell ABC News they have plans to work with other leading websites t…
Demanding Facebook Passwords May Break Law, Say Senators
Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It’s become standard practice for employers and schools to peruse potential applicants’ Facebook profiles. But in some cases, they are going even further: Some have demanded applicants hand over their…
Church of England Looks to Twitter for Leader
KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images(LONDON) — The Church of England has been around since the 1530s, but leaders are turning to a modern means of communication to choose its new leader. The UK Telegraph reports the church is using the social networking …
Study Links Narcissism and Facebook Activity
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(MACOMB, Ill.) — For the average narcissist, Facebook is a tool that may promote anti-social behavior.Facebook “offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication,” acc…
Facebook Shuts Down ‘Most Beautiful Teen’ Page
Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A Facebook page that solicited sexy pictures from teenagers hoping to be named the “The Most Beautiful Teen in the World” has been taken down after it sparked outrage from concerned parent…
Facebook Posts Can Signal Risky Behavior, Researchers Say
Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty(MADISON, Wis.) — Up to 98 percent of U.S. college students use social networks such as Facebook — a fact some health experts hope to use. “I think Facebook is a new window on an old problem,” said Dr. Megan Moreno, a p…
Women More ‘Unfriendly’ Than Men, Study Says
Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Women and young adults are more unfriendly than men — on social networks, that is. At least that’s what a new study released on Friday by the Pew Research Center reveals.According to the repo…