The Behavior Chain for Online Participation: How Successful Web Services Structure Persuasion

The negative effects of new screens on the cognitive functions of young children require new recommendations

Television studies have shown that some negative effects of screens could depend on exposure time, but more importantly on the characteristics of the child, the type of content viewed, and the context in which it is viewed. Studies on newer screens show that these factors are still valid but new ones now play a negative role: portable screens increase the duration of exposure and lowered the age at which exposure begins. More worryingly, new screen persuasive designs and dark patterns largely used incite more frequent use, attracting the attention of children and parents, resultantly interfering deeply in parent/child relationships. In this text we suggest that current academic recommendations have to be more broadly shared but also that new recommendations are needed: especially to advise parents not to let their screen interactions compete with real interactions with their child which are the core of learnings (especially language) and emotional regulations but also of their security.

Facebook’s Rise to the Top

In this article, the authors examine Facebook’s rise as an emerging standard for Internet-based social networking. Within the past four years Facebook has evolved from being the third or fourth most popular social networking site in many counties to the top position in much of the world. An exploration of Facebook registrations by country reveals an expected strong correlation with broadband availability, but also a relationship with Internet-capable mobile telephones in countries with limited broadband access. The analysis also reveals Facebook’s difficulty expanding in some countries including BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) where it faces non-Western cultural mores regarding personal privacy, state challenges to freedom of expression, and competition from well-established international and indigenous sites.