Handling of online information by users: evidence from TED talks

an article by M. Utku Özmen (Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, Ankara, Turkey) and  Eray Yucel (Ihsan Dogramaci Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey) published in Behaviour and Information Technology Volume 38 Issue 12 (2019)

Abstract

This paper studies how people search for, choose, process and evaluate information provided online. In this context, the study analyses how the content and context of online information are related to the length of information and to user ratings.

Employing naturalistic data that cover the titles, durations and viewer-assigned ratings/tags of more than two-thousand TED talks, the paper investigates whether

1. the talk duration is related to viewer-assigned ratings,
2. there is a link between the talk duration and attention driving factors (title words), and
3. the ex-ante wording of talks’ titles and ex-post user-assigned ratings are connected.

The findings show that talks with certain end-user ratings have significantly different length, most strikingly, talks first rated as persuasive are on average 35% longer than talks first rated as ingenious. Also the inclusion of certain words in the talk title significantly affects both the talk duration and end-user ratings.

For instance, talks whose title include ‘child’ are on average 27% longer than other talks; or talks whose title include ‘brain’ are 57% more likely to be rated as fascinating than others.

Overall, the paper reveals regularities regarding information processing attitudes, attention and subjective evaluations of online information users.

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How the mindful brain copes with rejection

a post by Alexandra Martelli and David Chester (Virginia Commonwealth University) published on the OUP blog

Person on mountain by Milan Popovic. CC0 viaUnsplash.

Whether it’s being left out of happy hour plans or being broken up with by a significant other, we can all relate to the pain of social rejection. Such “social pain” is consequential, undermining our physical and mental health. But how can we effectively cope with the distressing experience of being left out or ignored? Mindfulness may be an answer.

Mindfulness can be described as being “in the moment”—a tendency to direct our attention and awareness to our currently-felt internal and external sensations. Mindfulness couples such a focus on the present with an accepting, non-judgmental lens of these feelings. Instead of racing from one errand to the next, thinking only of how to complete the next task, mindful individuals stay focused on the here-and-now. They allow feelings like the stress of getting everything done to wax and wane, without interpreting them as “good” or “bad.”

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