Radicalization pipelines: How targeted advertising on social media drives people to extremes

Social media isn’t simply awash in conspiracy theories and extremism. It contains pathways designed to lead people to ever more extreme material.

Jeanna Matthews, Professor of Computer Science, Clarkson University • conversation
Jan. 12, 2022 • ~6 min

Companies are pushing sweetened drinks to children through advertising and misleading labels – and families are buying

A new study looked at advertising and purchase data for children’s drinks and suggests that ads and pricing strategies contribute to sweetened children’s drink purchases.

Fran Fleming-Milici, Director of Marketing Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut • conversation
Nov. 16, 2021 • ~9 min

Music in sports ads boosts emotional response

Background music in sports advertising may make ads more effective, according to new research that looked at the brain waves of ad viewers.

Texas A&M University • futurity
Aug. 17, 2021 • ~5 min

Music in sports ads boosts emotional response

Background music in sports advertising may make ads more effective, according to new research that looked at the brain waves of ad viewers.

Texas A&M University • futurity
Aug. 17, 2021 • ~5 min

Lab–grown and plant–based meat: the science, psychology and future of meat alternatives – podcast

Plus, new research from Indonesia on the relationship between cigarette advertising near schools and children smoking.

Daniel Merino, Assistant Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast • conversation
July 15, 2021 • ~4 min

Targeted ads isolate and divide us even when they're not political – new research

We know targeted political adverts contribute to polarisation, but commerical ones leave us fragmented too.

Sandra Wachter, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford • conversation
July 13, 2021 • ~9 min

Shhhh, they're listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution

Marketers will soon be able to use AI-assisted vocal analysis to gain insights into shoppers' inclinations – without people knowing what they're revealing or how that information is being interpreted.

Joseph Turow, Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Media Systems & Industries, University of Pennsylvania • conversation
April 28, 2021 • ~13 min

Google’s scrapping third-party cookies – but invasive targeted advertising will live on

Google's shift to 'profiling' is being billed as a privacy boon – but it's also a strategic pivot.

Eerke Boiten, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computer Science and Informatics, De Montfort University • conversation
March 8, 2021 • ~7 min

Instagram's redesign shifts toward shopping – here's how that can be harmful

Instagram's Shop button signals the growing commodification of human interactions on social media.

Nazanin Andalibi, Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of Michigan • conversation
Dec. 28, 2020 • ~9 min

Parents: More TV for kids can amp up your stress

The more TV that kids watch, the more ads they see, and that can make life more stressful for parents, according to new research.

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona • futurity
Nov. 10, 2020 • ~8 min

/

6