Social Media

Why COVID misinformation continues to spread

Penn Medicine’s Anish Agarwal discusses why false claims about the virus and vaccines arise and persist, plus what he hopes will come from NIH-funded research he and Penn Engineering’s Sharath Chandra Guntuku have recently begun.

Michele W. Berger

Is social media good or bad for social unity?

Annenberg professors Sandra González-Bailón and Yphtach Lelkes reviewed all of the previous literature to determine what scholars have discovered to date.

From Annenberg School for Communication



In the News


Scientific American

People, not Google’s algorithm, create their own partisan ‘bubbles’ online

According to Homa Hosseinmardi of the Annenberg School for Communication, ensuring that search engine giants like Google operate with people’s best interest in mind requires knowing how people are using the algorithm, not just how the algorithm works.

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“Good Morning America,” ABC News

What age is right for kids to get smartphones? Parents debate after expert says to wait until high school

In a widely shared Instagram post, Adam Grant of the Wharton School explained why parents should wait until high school to give their child a smartphone.

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Denver Gazette

Colorado Rapids social media accounts paused

A 2018 study by Melissa Hunt of the School of Arts & Sciences found significant reductions in loneliness and depression among undergraduate students who limited their use of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to 10 minutes per day.

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Forbes

Content marketing tactics to skyrocket your e-commerce business in 2023

Research by Jonah Berger and Katy Milkman of the Wharton School finds that content evoking emotions like awe, amusement, anxiety, and anger tends to be shared online the most.

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CNBC

I’ve been hooked on social media for 15 years: How I’m finally breaking the habit

A 2018 study by Melissa Hunt of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues found that lessening social media use to 30 minutes a day can significantly decrease anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and fear of missing out.

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Technical.ly Philly

Penn’s SAFELab sits at the intersection of technology and social work

PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton, founder and director of the SAFELab, discusses the initiative’s research on grief, gun violence, and social media as well as its new space at the Pennovation Center.

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