The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Drunk on Facebook? That could be a problem Posted: 06 Oct 2011 12:53 AM PDT NEW YORK, Oct 6 — College students' Facebook pages might hold clues to which of them are at risk of alcohol dependence and abuse, according to a study. Researchers found that students who had pictures or posts about getting drunk or blacking out were more likely to be at risk of drinking problems, based on a screening test. That was not necessarily the case for students who mentioned alcohol or drinking on their pages, but not in a way that showed that they drank too much or in unhealthy situations.
The question was whether "what's being found on these sites . . . is actually predictive of clinical conditions", said Dr James Niels Rosenquist, a social media researcher and psychiatrist from Massachusetts General Hospital, who was not involved in the study. The findings suggest that messages on Facebook sites did seem to be linked to what happened in the "real world", he told Reuters Health. Dr Megan Moreno from the University of Wisconsin-Madison led a team of researchers from her university and the University of Washington in Seattle who surveyed the Facebook pages, including photos and posts, of 224 undergrads with publicly available profiles. About two-thirds of those students had no references to alcohol or drinking on their pages. The rest of the pages mentioned or had pictures of social, non-problematic drinking or more serious and risky alcohol use, including riding in a car while drunk or getting in trouble related to drinking. The researchers brought all the students in for a 10-question screening test used to determine who is at risk of problem drinking. That test assesses the frequency of drinking and binge drinking as well as negative consequences from alcohol use. Close to six in 10 of the students whose Facebook pages had references to drunkenness and other dangerous drinking scored above the cutoff showing a risk of alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as other drinking-related problems. That compared with 38 per cent of students who had more minor references to alcohol and 23 per cent of those who did not mention alcohol or drinking at all, according to findings published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. In addition, close to one in five Facebook-implicated risky drinkers said they had an alcohol-related injury in the previous year. Moreno and her colleagues proposed that peer leaders such as residential assistants could be trained to use Facebook to see who was at risk of problem drinking, and refer those students to get screening. Or, parents and administrators could talk to school counsellors if they were worried about alcohol-related content on a student's page. "You might have someone who, if they write in a Facebook posting about being drunk . . . that might be a red flag," Rosenquist told Reuters Health. But, he added, with social media "you get very small snapshots into people's lives", so perusing Facebook pages alone might not be enough to see who needed to be screened for alcohol problems. And there were other concerns as well, he said, including how appropriate it was to go scouting on students' pages for certain information. Moreno said that a college RA already had a connection with students and was there to look out for them — and this study was showing that "there is some legitimacy in approaching students that you're worried about", including if that worry was coming from Facebook posts. But, she added, "paying attention to people's privacy concerns is really big". Moreno suggested that universities could have links to the health centre or to online screening tests that show up as Facebook advertisements for students who use terms such as "blacked out" on their pages. "With the targeted messaging, there's not that (feeling) that someone you don't know is creeping on your profile," she told Reuters Health. — Reuters |
| Beatlemania revived ahead of auction in Argentina Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:30 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Oct 6 — An original drawing by John Lennon is part of the more than 120 lots of Beatles memorabilia that will be auctioned in Argentina by South America's largest collector of the Fab Four.  Lennon original among the more than 120 lots of Beatles memorabilia up for auction. — Reuters pic The trove that will be auctioned on October 13 by Banco Ciudad is owned by Argentine Raul Blisniuk, who entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as South America's greatest collector of Beatles mementos. It also features pristine black-and-white photographs, a bass autographed by Paul McCartney, signed cheques, LPs and even real dollar bills with pictures of the world's most influential rock group placed over George Washington's face. "My passion for The Beatles comes from childhood," said Blisniuk, who began collecting photos of the group's records at age 13. "I grew up with Beatlemania and I'm a Beatles fanatic. "I came from a poor family so my dad couldn't afford the records, but over time, I started saving newspaper clippings, magazines, and my collection grew," he said. At an event to present the items in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, members of a Beatles tribute band called Danger Four arrived in a London Black Cab wearing dark suits and sporting Beatles hairstyles. They played some of the group's best-known tunes to commemorate the Beatles' last live performance: an impromptu concert on January 30, 1969, on the roof of their Savile Row Apple headquarters before surprised Londoners on their lunch break. Danger Four performed instead on the top of the Banco Ciudad building in downtown Buenos Aires. Below, screaming fans in 1960s garb, played by actors, and curious onlookers snapping pictures with cell phone cameras clogged traffic. "The Beatles are energy and that's why we know they're always attention-grabbers," said Blisniuk. "They're unique and I don't think there will be anyone like them again. "I've always said that the most important things in my life are my family, and then, the Beatles," he said. — Reuters |
It's possible that Facebook pages could help schools find out who needs to be assessed for alcohol-related problems — although privacy and ethical concerns might make that complicated, researchers said.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Features To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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