Social Modes

The impact of hyperrealistic virtual humans on cultural heritage dissemination

In this study, the transformative potential of hyperrealistic virtual humans in cultural heritage dissemination has been investigated through an empirical examination of five key design elements (character, styling, dynamic, sound, scene) grounded in affordance and situated cognition theories. Using a two-stage experimental approach that combined user testing and surveys on Douyin (China’s TikTok), the research reveals significant disparities in user satisfaction. Specifically, while styling, scene, and sound design exhibited strong performances, character and dynamic design revealed notable deficiencies, particularly in demographic trait accuracy and mouth synchronization. These findings demonstrate that optimizing dynamic realism and character depth, while maintaining existing strengths in visual and auditory fidelity, can significantly enhance hyperrealistic virtual humans’ effectiveness as cultural mediators. The study provides actionable design strategies for achieving this balance, advancing both theoretical frameworks and practical applications in digital heritage preservation by addressing critical gaps between technological innovation and cultural authenticity requirements.

Virtual social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic: the effect of interpersonal motor synchrony on social interactions in the virtual space

Although the link between motor synchrony and emotional alignment has been extensively studied during face-to-face interaction, the question of whether this association also exists in virtual settings has remained unanswered. Here, we examined whether this link exists during virtual social interactions and whether pro-social effects will be induced during those interactions. To this end, two strangers shared difficulties they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual social interaction that included both audio and video. The findings revealed that motor synchrony and emotional alignment can arise spontaneously during a virtual social interaction between two strangers. Moreover, this interaction yielded a decrease in negative affect and an increase in positive affect, as well as an increase in feelings of trust, liking, cohesion, self-other overlap, and similarity between the strangers. Finally, a higher level of synchrony during the virtual interaction was specifically associated with increased positive emotional alignment and liking. It can thus be presumed that virtual social interactions may share similar characteristics and social effects as face-to-face interactions. Considering the tremendous changes the COVID-19 pandemic has caused regarding social communication, these findings may provide grounds for developing new intervention protocols aimed at dealing with the consequences of social distancing.

NYC works with civic engagement groups to refine public meetings

New York City is working to improve public meetings through a new effort aimed at making community board meetings more ...

Community-engaged digital safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage: a review of methods and challenges

This review, guided by the Technology-Community Synergy Framework (TCSF), synthesizes 79 studies (2010–2025) on digital intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding. Effective preservation requires synergizing digital methods with community participation to enhance ICH’s liveness; technology-focused but community-shallow projects risk digital fossilization. Key challenges like the digital divide are examined. The TCSF operationalizes UNESCO’s people-centered ethos for equitable, sustainable ICH safeguarding in the digital age.

Breaking the silence: leveraging social interaction data to identify high-risk suicide users online using network analysis and machine learning

Suicidal thought and behavior (STB) is highly stigmatized and taboo. Prone to censorship, yet pervasive online, STB risk detection may be improved through development of uniquely insightful digital markers. Focusing on Sanctioned Suicide, an online pro-choice suicide forum, this work derived 17 egocentric network features to capture dynamics of social interaction and engagement within this uniquely uncensored community. Using network data generated from over 3.2 million unique interactions of N = 192 individuals, n = 48 of which were determined to be highest risk users (HRUs), a machine learning classification model was trained, validated, and tested to predict HRU status. Model prediction dynamics were analyzed using introspection techniques to uncover patterns in feature influence and highlight social phenomena. The model achieved a test AUC = 0.73 ([0.61, 0.85], 95% CI), suggesting that network-based socio-behavioral patterns of online interaction can signal for heightened suicide risk. Transitivity, density, and in-degree centrality were among the most important features driving this performance. Moreover, predicted HRUs tended to be targets of social exchanges with lesser frequency and possessed egocentric networks with “small world” network properties. Through the implementation of an underutilized method on an unlikely data source, findings support future incorporation of network-based social interaction features in descriptive, predictive, and preventative STB research.

What works best to support virtual teamwork? Study shows two sides

For virtual teamwork to be effective, workplaces need to foster interdependence in some areas and avoid it in others, according to a newly published study of virtual teams. Researcher Dr. Florian ...

UK considers forcing social media firms to prioritize trusted news

LONDON, United Kingdom - Britain is considering forcing social media companies to prioritize what the government called ...

Starmer to force social media giants to prioritise BBC and other public service content

Sir Keir Starmer wants to force social networks and video platforms to make BBC content more prominent. Under plans to ...

In the Social Ban Era, Where Will Gen Alpha Spend Time Online?

Australia, the UK, and the UAE have now all banned social media access for under-16s. But experts say the ban’s impact is likely overstated. Gen Alpha is finding new ways to socialize online and making culture conversational again.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy answers YOUR questions on social media ban

Jenny quizzes UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy on the PM's resignation and a social media ban. Find out what she said here.

UK considers forcing social media firms to prioritise trusted news

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Britain is considering forcing social media companies to prioritise what the government called ...

Pickleball, tennis, soccer: How social sports keep you mentally and physically young

Social activities like pickleball, tennis, and swimming can improve mental health and help people live longer.Playing sports ...

Why Do Parasocial Relationships Feel So Good?

Parasocial relationships can fulfill human needs for recognition and feeling "seen." A news anchor looks directly into the ...

Social networking agency and prosociality are inextricably linked in economic games

The awareness of individuals regarding their social network surroundings and their capacity to use social connections to their advantage are well-established human characteristics. Economic games, incorporated with network science, are frequently used to examine social behaviour. Traditionally, such game models and experiments artificially limit players’ abilities to take varied actions towards distinct social neighbours, thereby constraining their social networking agency. Here we designed an experimental paradigm that alters this agency and applied it to the prisoner’s dilemma (N = 735), trust game (N = 735) and ultimatum game (N = 735) to investigate cooperation, trust and fairness. Granting participants greater network agency led to more prosocial behaviour across all three economic games, resulting in higher wealth and lower inequality compared with control groups. These findings suggest that incorporating social networking agency into experimental designs better captures the prosocial potential of human behaviour. Jia et al. experimentally show that when individuals can tailor their actions to each neighbour—a freedom termed social networking agency—they display higher levels of cooperation, trust and fairness in economic games.

Versatility of social networking sites in meeting the acculturation needs of migrant populations between 2019 and 2023

With the growing number of individuals seeking to improve their living conditions abroad, social networking sites are becoming indispensable to their daily existence for acculturation. However, the nature of the contribution of social networking sites in fulfilling migrants’ acculturation needs remains unclear and inadequately addressed in literature. This scoping review aims to synthesise the current literature examining the role of social networking sites in meeting migrants’ acculturation needs. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Methodological Guidelines and the most recent modifications to the PRISMA-ScR framework, this study synthesised 48 empirical articles published between 2019 and 2023. An automated search was conducted using multiple database platforms (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar and ABDC’s Journal Ranking) with sorted results using a variety of search term combinations. The synthesis of the past studies found five common acculturation needs, namely, the cognitive, social integration, personal integration, affective and tension release needs that migrants have sought and obtained from social networking sites. All of these needs are included in the uses and gratifications theory as media consumption needs. Among the identified needs, social integration and cognitive ones are the most crucial for international students, migrant workers, immigrants, refugees and other categories of migrants to overcome the difficulties that they face in the host society and to maintain connections with the ethnic community. Nevertheless, the utilisation of social networking sites to fulfil those needs differs because of various socio-demographic and psychological determinants. Many of the studies focused on identifying needs associated with integration, thus neglecting those associated with other acculturation strategies, such as separation, marginalisation and assimilation. Mismatches and inconsistencies in the acculturation requirements that migrants obtain or seek from social network sites have also not been investigated in empirical studies. Therefore, this area is potentially viable and is likely to be the subject of subsequent research. The results of the current study are useful for formulating government policies and for recruiting agencies, rights activists, social workers and administrators who are working for migrant populations.

Quantifying social avoidance: Game-based choices reflect real-world relationship patterns and network size

The relationships between different people can change over time, as the result of their life choices, internal or external experiences and various other factors. Some people develop a greater tendency ...

Sister Tells Her To “Talk To ChatGPT Instead,” Then Wonders Why The Instant Replies From Her Childhood Best Friend Stop Coming

A woman recently shared her ongoing frustrations with her partner’s family dynamics on social media, revealing a deeper struggle with boundaries and support in her new role as a mother. The post has resonated with many who can relate to the challenges of family involvement in parenting. She explained that since the birth of their […]

Woman Envies Close Families While Her Own Relatives Offer More Distance, Criticism, And Silence Than Strangers On The Internet

A woman in her mid-thirties recently shared her emotional struggles with her family dynamics on social media, revealing a deep-seated longing for connection that has gone unfulfilled. In her post, she detailed her experiences growing up in a family that she describes as distant and cold, leaving her feeling more isolated than ever. She opened […]

Generational dynamics driving changes in news consumption

From television to TikTok, a global shift in news consumption is redefining journalism, ...

Your brain starts making social decisions before you do

Researchers found that social behavior begins in the brain before it becomes visible as movement. In zebrafish, a coordinated pattern of activity spread across the brain several seconds before the animals approached another fish. A higher brain region called the pallium played a key role, and fish with stronger neural signals were generally more social.