How Facebook Revived the Epistolary Friendship
Would today's online, social media-based friendships look familiar to the letter-writing friends of earlier centuries, when epistolary friendships were also common?
Converting Tobacco Fields into Solar Farms Can Save Half a Million Lives a Year
The cost of generating solar power has dropped so dramatically, it is now economically advantageous for tobacco farmers to replace tobacco with solar farms in many places.
What to Do When Social Media Inspires Envy
In the case of envy, social media works in three closely related ways: by increasing proximity, by eliminating encapsulation and by rejecting concealment.
The Danger of Public Shaming in the Internet Age
The ritual of public shaming is nothing new. But today's brand of mass humiliation is more public, more widespread, more scarring, and potentially more dangerous.
How WWI Made the Zipper a Success
A money belt with a zipper became an instant success among WWI U.S. sailors, whose uniforms did not have pockets. Almost all initial zipper sales were for the money belts.
How to Build the Netflix of Love
There's no shortage of online dating sites and apps. But there’s one common problem with these services: they’re all looking at the wrong data. Dating apps should take a hint from Netflix's algorithm.
Better Writing Begins with the Right Tools
Word processing software has not only changed the way we write; it's changed the way we read. It pays to think about what we want from our writing tools.
Why Facebook Can Be Good For Your Health
Is Facebook bad for your mental health? Researchers have been studying the profound impact social bonds can have on health since the 1970s.
Testing Americans’ Tolerance for Surveillance
What would have been considered a dystopian level of surveillance a mere twenty years ago has now become the norm. Why don't internet users care?
The Rise and Fall of the Blog
A quick Google search will yield suggested results, 'are blogs still relevant 2016', 'are blogs still relevant 2017'' 'is blogging dead'.