https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In a world where misinformation spreads faster than fact, a new study is offering insight into why so many people fall for fake news, even when they suspect it's false. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-people-fall-fake-news.html Social Sciences Mon, 08 Dec 2025 09:47:27 EST news684409621 The dark web—a hidden corner of the internet accessed through privacy-preserving tools like the Tor browser—operates beyond the reach of traditional search engines and public platforms. Unlike the surface web, its architecture is deliberately designed to shield identities and activities from view, prioritizing anonymity over transparency. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-poor-mental-health-linked-dark.html Social Sciences Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:20:27 EST news683976002 Digital technology and social media have revolutionized communication, making people more connected than ever. Yet many developed nations are struggling with loneliness and data has shown that while we have more ways to connect with others, the quantity and quality of our connections may be declining, especially among young people. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-struggling-relationships-materialistic.html Social Sciences Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:47:04 EST news650119621 Researchers from University of Alabama and Vanderbilt University published a Journal of Marketing study that examines the negative consequences that celebrities and influences incur when they disable social media comments. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-celebrities-persuasivelikable-social-media-comments.html Economics & Business Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:03:13 EDT news637408987 Generation Y, Gen Y, is commonly referred to as the millennial generation. It usually includes individuals born between the early 1980s and the mid-to-late 1990s or early 2000s. This generation follows Generation X and precedes Generation Z. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-vague-viral-gen.html Social Sciences Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:18:03 EDT news636812281 Selfies have become the modern day equivalent of postcards, a way to share our travel experiences with family and friends on social media. It's one thing to strike a goofy pose and snap a photo for Instagram on a beach or town square, but what if you are visiting a Holocaust memorial site? https://phys.org/news/2024-03-problem-shaming-people-auschwitz-selfies.html Social Sciences Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:00:02 EDT news630158401 It's difficult to tell if the recent https://phys.org/news/2023-08-plant-based-meat-sales-stagnating-playing.html Economics & Business Fri, 25 Aug 2023 11:48:04 EDT news612182881 The third series of BBC police drama "Happy Valley" marked the end of a beloved program, and the end of Sergeant Catherine Cawood's career navigating Yorkshire's criminal underworld. Cawood's age and gender is not ignored in the show. Throughout, she faces misogyny from criminals she encounters on the job, as well as her own colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-rarely-abuse-men-sexist-women.html Social Sciences Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:03:03 EST news597675781 Being rude to everyone can hide sexism, according to a recent analysis from a researcher at The University of Texas at Dallas. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-rude-behavior-mask-sexism.html Social Sciences Mon, 25 Apr 2022 11:19:45 EDT news570104379 A supermarket starts stocking hot-cross buns straight after Christmas. A cling-wrap brand shifts its serrated cutter bar from the base of the box to inside the lid. The maker of M&M's chocolates changes its marketing. Each time people take to social media to complain. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-negative-comments-consumer-gripes-social.html Social Sciences Tue, 12 Apr 2022 09:30:01 EDT news568974365 As vaccination rates continue to rise and government border policies change, the need for hotel quarantine is fading. https://phys.org/news/2022-01-reveals-impacts-hotel-brands-covid.html Social Sciences Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:15:02 EST news561982497 Half of women questioned in a survey said that taking maternity leave had hurt their careers, new research says. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-pregnant-women-victims-microaggressions-workplace.html Social Sciences Wed, 01 Sep 2021 09:12:14 EDT news549706332 Women gave more than half of TED talks in the first half of 2017, up from less than one-third in 2006, according to a new study published in Political Research Exchange. But the German research team also found that ethnic minorities remain under-represented as TED speakers, giving just one in five talks over the same time period. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-women-ted-ethnic-minorities.html Social Sciences Mon, 02 Sep 2019 19:00:01 EDT news486634816 Given the current atmosphere of political polarization, conventional wisdom suggests that conversations about politics—especially those taking place online—are both unpleasant and unproductive. However, a new study finds the opposite: average citizens are participating in rich and engaging political conversations online that have the potential to bridge divides and push people beyond their information bubble. This study, "Why Keep Arguing? Predicting Participation in Political Conversations Online," was recently published in SAGE Open. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-people-twitter-bridge-political.html Social Sciences Tue, 14 May 2019 10:15:10 EDT news477047699 Quebec's criticism of Justin Trudeau's French serves to position him as an "outsider" to Quebecois identity, according to a professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-expert-justin-trudeau-french-isnt.html Social Sciences Tue, 30 Apr 2019 03:35:22 EDT news475814110 There are a few things that will result in poor customer reviews of a restaurant: bad service, bad food—and bad weather. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-restaurant-bador.html Social Sciences Mon, 22 Apr 2019 10:51:21 EDT news475149074 We are in the midst of an outpouring of feminist activism kicked off by the pink pussy hat movement in the United States and propelled by #MeToo, which has spread to Australia where a range of luminaries have been named as harassers. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-backlash-gender-fatigue-equality.html Social Sciences Fri, 08 Mar 2019 08:30:03 EST news471255161 It's January – a time when students are looking for that extra bit of oomph. For some, time spent on social media might provide the necessary inspiration to get up and exercising – but that time can come with consequences, according to a recent Western-led study. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-social-media-sways.html Social Sciences Thu, 17 Jan 2019 05:35:24 EST news466925713 A recent study found that online responses to female presenters in TEDx and TED-Ed videos were more polarized than responses to male presenters. https://phys.org/news/2018-06-women-tedx-speakers-polarized-comments.html Social Sciences Tue, 26 Jun 2018 07:47:39 EDT news449218051 Negative social media comments about a television show tend to lower enjoyment for other viewers, while positive comments may not significantly boost their enjoyment, according to researchers. https://phys.org/news/2017-06-negative-tweets-trash-tv-viewers.html Internet Thu, 22 Jun 2017 10:30:38 EDT news417346229 An experiment to determine the effects of positive and negative user comments to items posted by media organizations on Facebook news channels showed, surprisingly, that the influence of user comments varied depending on the type and number of user comments. Negative comments influenced the persuasiveness of a news article, while positive comments did not, and a high number of likes did not have the expected bandwagon effect, as reported in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-influential-peer-reactions-facebook-news.html Social Sciences Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:18:09 EDT news359047079 Many people have experienced harassment or bullying online. However, the victims of such harassment are disproportionately women. https://phys.org/news/2015-07-opinion-sexism-video-gaming-bullying.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Jul 2015 07:20:03 EDT news356248519 Comment sections on websites continue to be an environment for trolls to spew racist opinions. The impact of these hateful words shouldn't have an impact on how one views the news or others, but that may not be the case. A recent study published in the journal Human Communication Research, by researchers at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, found exposure to prejudiced online comments can increase people's own prejudice, and increase the likelihood that they leave prejudiced comments themselves. https://phys.org/news/2015-06-commenters-exposed-prejudiced-comments-prejudice.html Social Sciences Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:57:18 EDT news354466630 When a company's service falls short of expectations, consumers can react harshly, spreading negative comments or changing companies. But a new study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing shows that consumers practice surprising forgiveness when the underserving company also happens to be donating to a favorite charity. https://phys.org/news/2015-01-corporate-social-responsibility-negative-bad.html Economics & Business Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:07:07 EST news341060818 Sweden's TV licensing body said Monday all owners of computers and smartphones had to pay the country's mandatory fee for owning a television, as more people use digital devices to watch TV programmes. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-sweden-tv-fee.html Telecom Tue, 05 Mar 2013 04:40:01 EST news281679425 Around the world, more than 850 million people use Facebook regularly to communicate. More and more employers also are using Facebook as a way to examine potential employees before making hires. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that comments left by users on Facebook profile pictures strongly affect the level of perceived attractiveness of the profile owner physically, socially, and professionally. https://phys.org/news/2012-09-facebook-profile-pictures.html Social Sciences Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:42:45 EDT news266676145 A South Florida doctor wanted to bury a bad online rating of his services. https://phys.org/news/2012-08-companies-online-images-reputations.html Internet Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:10:01 EDT news264265372 (AP) -- Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman says that the radio company will keep part of its iHeart Radio online service ad-free for at least a few more months, explaining that a consumer backlash against ads on Pandora Media Inc.'s competing service serves as a "cautionary tale." https://phys.org/news/2012-03-channel-inserting-ads-iheart.html Business Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:31:29 EDT news252171078 A University of Missouri study of recent political blogs indicates politics are getting nastier due to digital media, which are segmenting people into polarized interest groups. The researcher recommends a balanced approach to finding information in order to return civility to political discourse, which is at the heart of democracy. https://phys.org/news/2011-11-digital-media-factor-ferocity-political.html Social Sciences Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:35:45 EDT news239448893 Tens of thousands of frustrated small Chinese vendors are "online rioting" in protest at a decision by the nation's top web retailer Taobao to raise service fees, state media said on Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2011-10-china-vendors-riot-online-taobao.html Internet Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:24:26 EDT news237713056