BUSINESS
May 13, 2011 | By David Sarno, Los Angeles Times
Facebook Inc.'s efforts to portray itself as a trustworthy guardian of the Internet's town square are being undermined — once again — by accusations that the social network launched a covert smear campaign against rival Google Inc. The world's largest online network acknowledged Thursday that it had paid a high-powered public relations firm to push news organizations to report that a new Google feature was putting users' personal data in...
ENTERTAINMENT
May 13, 2011 | Holiday Mathis
Aries (March 21-April 19): You've wanted a chance to show someone how much he or she means to you. You'll now have the perfect opportunity to do so. Taurus (April 20-May 20): A certain project seems to be taking over your life in some ways, including financial. Don't emphasize how expensive it is. Gemini (May 21-June 21): You are paying attention and firing on all cylinders. You'll receive all the messages clearly the first time, including the nonverbal cues.
NEWS
April 26, 2011 | By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times
Social networking has been described as the contemporary way that people interact. While that may be true, an individual's social success in the virtual world doesn't appear to carry over into the real world, according to a new study. Previous studies on how the Internet affects relationships have produced mixed findings. Some research shows that lots of social networking activity has a negative effect on social life while others suggest it enhances one's social circle. The new study, led by Thomas V. Pollet of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, examined 117 people age 18 to 63. They filled out an extensive questionnaire about the time they spend on instant messaging and social network sites, the number of relationships they had overall and the closeness of those relationships.
BUSINESS
December 24, 2010 | Bloomberg News
With the rise of the Internet, people began looking for love on websites such as Match.com and EHarmony.com. With the growing popularity of social networks, they're turning to services like AreYouInterested.com. The dating application, available on Facebook and Apple Inc.'s iPhone, lets users see beyond the personal details of potential mates to their social circles, including friends and family. AreYouInterested.com is adding more than 50,000 users a day, according to parent company Snap Interactive Inc. Match.
NEWS
November 15, 2010 | By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times
Evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar has a famous theory that the number of people with whom one can maintain a close relationship is limited to 150 by the size of the neocortex, the part of the brain used for conscious thought and language. The Internet has made it quicker and easier to connect with far-flung acquaintances, but Dunbar says it's impossible to overcome that basic brain programming. With high rollers on Facebook boasting up to 5,000 "friends," digital friendship has become increasingly indiscriminate.
HEALTH
September 13, 2010 | By Eric Jaffe, Special to the Los Angeles Times
The old folk concept that our personal health behaviors rub off on those around us has received a staggering amount of scientific support of late. Over the last few years, study after study has shown that weight gain, drug and alcohol use, even loneliness and depression aren't islands unto themselves but are powerfully contagious — capable of spreading within our social networks just as germs scatter after a sneeze. If your friends are smokers, you tend to light up too, studies show.