If a new study carried out by the Journal of Psychological Science is to be believed, then logging into Facebook and Twitter might be just about the most addictive thing in the world.

Researchers provided 205 people between the ages of 18 and 85 in the city of Wurtzburg, Germany, with BlackBerry phones and monitored them for seven straight days. Seven times a day, all of the researchers were asked to send a message asking what sort of urges they’d experienced in the previous thirty minutes – and how they reacted to them.

The results showed that while people do like a beer, a crafty cigarette or the odd sexual encounter, it’s the draw of Twitter and Facebook that they find truly irresistible. Especially as their reserves of willpower start to dwindle throughout the day.

However, Head Researcher Wilhelm Hofmann does have a theory that doesn’t equate to 140 character messages being internet heroin. Instead, he’s fairly sure that this is down to the fact that in a workplace environment, it’s difficult to get a gin and tonic, ten cigarettes and a quick fumble with someone attractive. But it is incredibly easy to log into Twitter when some kind researcher has given you a free smartphone packed to the gills with social media apps.

But that simple explanation hasn’t stopped some people from claiming that social media might be just as harmful as other addictions such as gambling and smoking:

“There’s also the argument to be made that social media is just as harmful, forcing someone to recede from the world and into a safe little bubble of status updates and tweets, where human beings aren’t troublesome animals but easily compartmentalized profiles.

But it’s a little easier to make the harm argument with cigarettes.”

David Thier – Forbes Magazine

If the research findings aren’t influenced by giving people easy access to the web, and social media is incredibly addictive, then why can’t Google+ get users to stick around?

Feed your social addictions:
Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

The 21 defendants, including Google, Facebook, Orkut, Youtube, Blogspot, Yahoo and Microsoft have all been dragged over hot coals after a private case accused them of offending the religious sensibilities Hindus, Muslims and Christians. The content in question is a series of images of an “obscene” nature that have appeared in adverts across the various sites – images that haven’t been deemed offensive in any other country Google et al operate in.

While all the companies involved have agreed to take down the objectionable content, the courts in India are still not satisfied, ordering them to provide written proof of the steps taken to stop offensive content appearing in the subcontinent.

Google have declined to comment on what they’ve removed and how, although they have explained that their review team have taken content down from local searches, Youtube and Blogger. Facebook have declined to comment at all, while Microsoft have taken a more belligerent stance:

“Microsoft has filed an application for rejection of the suit on the grounds that it disclosed no cause of action against Microsoft. The matter is sub judice and no further comments can be given.”

Microsoft Statment

Twitter, despite not being named in the suit, have unveiled a new filter that will allow governments to filter out specific types of content in country-specific searches. Unsurprisingly, they’ve been called out for supporting censorship – which they’re used to after bottling out of the SOPA protest. And we assume that Google and Facebook are calling them splitters behind their backs.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

Because it looks like Yahoo have spotted a gap in the search market that the other two major search engines haven’t. While Google and Bing have scrapped over their ability to index the billions of websites available on the internet, Yahoo have dropped out of online search and adopted Bing’s own algorithm. Because they’ve been working out how to search mobile phone apps.

Rough estimates state that there are around 350,000 apps (short for applications) in Apple’s iStore and upwards of 200,000 apps in the Android market. And no way of searching for the application you want without using the sometimes unreliable in-built search functions.

Until now.

Yahoo App Search combines Droid and iPhone apps into one easily searchable database, allowing you to find app descriptions, price details and a screenshot – filtered by platform, price and genre. While this dual-platform feature seems like it will only be of use to people with both Android and Apple handsets (so, nobody), it will help developers spot gaps in the market, leading to even more useful, intuitive applications.

And, in true social internet style, the search also lets you know which applications are trending and popular. Which is a far less intrusive way of bringing social data into search…

This isn’t the first time Yahoo have brought in a groundbreaking new search product to the market under the noses of the competition. The company released (and promptly scrapped) a real-time search years before everyone was excited by Google’s ‘game-changing’ Google Instant release.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

Good news everyone! According to Ofcom, we’re nearly getting the broadband speeds that we pay for!

According to recently released figures, in November 2011, average broadband speeds had risen from 6.8Mbps to 7.6Mbps in a little under six months. And, somewhat amazingly, Virgin Media and BT Infinity were reaching speeds that nearly, just about (but not quite) matched the speeds and performance advertised.

Despite the fact that the UK is still lagging far behind technological powerhouses Latvia and Moldova, Ofcom’s Chief Executive was upbeat at the news:

“We can look forward to further increases in UK broadband speeds over the next few years. Most households in the UK can now access superfast broadband services, and these services are set to get faster still.”

Ed Richards – Ofcom Chief Executive

But despite the blistering broadband speeds available (just over one fifth the speed of South Korean internet connections). Ofcom still aren’t happy about the discrepancy between the speeds that UK consumers are sold, and the speeds that they actually receive.

However, the long awaited new codes jointly suggested by the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice are due to come into effect in April 2012. This that internet service providers will be forced to tell you the speeds you’ll actually receive. So outlandish “up to 24 Mbps” claims could be a thing of the past.

Unless broadband providers actually provide us with a decent service, and one that’ll allow Britain’s online economy to grow even further…

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

According to a recent report, almost half of under 12s in the UK would feel “sad” if they were denied access to the internet.

The Digital Future report is the fist major report which shows that children are just as invested in the online world as adults, and they’re just as likely to be upset when their internet connection drops for the umpteenth time that day.

Over 1,000 eight to eighteen year olds were interviewed about their online habits, including their use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. And it looks like even eight to eleven year olds spend more time doing more things online than their adult counterparts.

The Findings

• 49% of under 12s would feel “sad” if you couldn’t access the web
• 1/10 parents think that their children know more about the net than they do
• 74% of under 12s play online games (as any Xbox Live user who’s been subjected to a barrage of high pitched abuse can attest)
• 1/5 under 18s are savvy enough to give false details to firms online
• 7/10 teens use Facebook messenger to keep up with friends (only 50% prefer to talk face-to-face)
• 1/3 under 18s buy or sell products using the web

But the report’s claim that tablets such as iPads are monopolised by toddlers might not be what parents want to hear, given that UK kids are using smartphones and tablets to access age-restricted illicit content…

YouGov research shows that 2.8 million children between the ages of eight and fifteen own a smartphone, and 21% of them have used them to access illicit content. This is aided by the fact that over 87% of adults haven’t bothered to install parental restrictions on the handsets they bought for their offspring.

In order to combat this, Carphone Warehouse have released a booklet to advise families about available security measures.

So if you want your kids to be happy but safe, you’ll need to let them go online, but ramp up the parental security features.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

Buoyed by the recent takedown of MegaUpload, the entertainment industry in the UK have set their sights on the biggest suppliers of pirated material in the world. The search engines Google and Bing.

A confidential document, leaked by The Guardian and a free speech campaign group shows that a number of copyright holders view the search engines as culpable in the rise of online piracy because they direct users away from legitimate outlets and towards pirate websites:

“Consumers rely on search engines to find and access entertainment content and they play a vital role in the UK digital economy. At present, consumers searching for digital copies of copyright entertainment content are directed overwhelmingly to illegal sites and services.”

Report on “Responsible Practices for Search Engines in Reducing Online Infringement”

The report then goes on to suggest a number of solutions to this problem, none of which the search engines will be particularly happy with:

• De-ranking sites that breach copyright – The report claims that Google and Bing must “exert control” over what is shown
• Prioritising legal sites - Search algorithms must be changed to favour legality over relevancy
• Improve current complaints procedures – Apparently Google aren’t good at responding to complaints. Who knew?
• Stricter advertising rules – No more pay per click for pirates

It’s unlikely that Google and Bing will willingly adopt these solutions, and we imagine that they’ll take offense at the report’s insistence that search engines favour illegal sites.

The music industry may have a point though. A search for downloads of the UK’s top selling album – Ed Sheeran’s +, gives the following results on Google:

“Download Ed Sheeran +”

1. Pirate
2. Pirate
3. Pirate
4. Pirate
5. iTunes
6. Amazon
7. Pirate
8. Pirate
9. YouTube
10. Pirate

Bing displays the following:

1. Myspace
2. Pirate
3. Amazon
4. Wikipedia
5. iTunes
6. EdSheeran.com
7. EdSheeran.com
8. Last FM
9. Capital FM
10. Amazon

If this trend is repeated for searches for other albums and songs, then it looks like the music industry has a point when it comes to Google, but perhaps not as much of a point with Bing. But other than instigating yet another investigation into search engine practices, we’re not sure what they can do.

Oh, and if you’re looking to get a legitimate copy of an album, you’re probably better off using Bing, instead of Google.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

As you can see, the intent behind the new policy is to move towards Google’s aim of a single, unified Google product encompassing the browser you use, your preferred search engine and social network, your email client and everything else you can do with your Google account.

In short, Google are saying that they’re adopting a unified policy to make it easier for you to have a lovely, wonderful online experience.

They’re not adopting a unified policy to make it easier for you to have a lovely, wonderful online experience.

According to pretty much everyone who isn’t Google, they’re doing this for the ad revenue.

What the New Google Privacy Policy Means

All Google products can now share data. That means that Chrome has access to your gmail account, Calendar knows what you’ve promised to do on Google+ and that the AdSense network has access to everything.

And that means one thing. In the interests of relevancy, AdSense is going to trawl through everything you do on Google to find out what you’re most likely to buy. Search history, email content, appointments – all of these and more will inform the ads that you see on Google and the AdSense network.

Unsurprisingly, there’s another backlash looming.

Google’s new policy doesn’t let you decide which services can see what data – and that’s upset privacy campaigners. After March 1st 2012, you either accept Google’s new policy and give the whole product range access to everything you do online, or you need to find an alternative to those Google products you think you can’t live without.

Somehow, we think this might be mentioned in the next anti-trust case…

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

He might be the first Pontiff to embrace social media, but it looks like Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t yet decided whether using Twitter is a vice or a virtue.

The leader of the Catholic Church took out time from checking the trending topics on the official Vatican Twitter account to provide a statement for the “World Day of Communications”. And his focus, like that of protesters, commentators and governments the world over was on social networking and search engines.

The Pope started by comparing Twitter to the Bible, which seems like a compliment from a man who’s job description is “God’s representative on Earth”:

“In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated.”

Pope Benedict, Twitter fan?

But unfortunately for the immortal souls of Twitter users everywhere, The Pope isn’t too happy with us all spending time tweeting, even if he recognises our penchant for ‘profound thoughts’ on subjects such as last night’s tea, the inexplicable popularity of One Direction and what we’ve just posted on our blog.

In fact, he’d much rather we stopped Tweeting quite so much and all just shut up:

“Joy, anxiety and suffering can all be communicated in silence — indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression.”

The Pope, not a Twitter fan?

But, The Pope wouldn’t be The Pope if he didn’t take time out from wondering just what he thought about Twitter to explain that our penchant for using Google is a sign that we all need a bit more religion in our lives:

“Search engines… have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers. Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives.”

Pope Benedict, again.

So, there you have it. Twitter can be profound, but you should use it less, and your use of Google is a sign that you need some meaning in your life. Either meaning or, if last year’s Google Zeitgeist is to be believed, scampi. One of the two.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

Working together, engineers from the world’s top social networks (and Myspace) have come up with a countermeasure that will negate the dark forces used by Google to infect their search results with social data.

The “Don’t Be Evil” browser add-on ensures that Google’s algorithm doesn’t give undue importance to Google+ results, which have started to outrank far more regularly updated social profiles from Twitter and Facebook, and can be downloaded from focusontheuser.org. The site gives this example to show how it redresses the balance and swings Google’s results away from Evil and back towards Relevant:

When you search for “cooking” today, Google decides that renowned chef Jamie Oliver is a relevant social result. That makes sense. But rather than linking to Jamie’s Twitter profile, which is updated daily, Google links to his Google+ profile, which was last updated nearly two months ago. Is Google’s relevance algorithm simply misguided?

Our “bookmarklet”… looks at the three places where Google only shows Google+ results and then automatically googles to see if Google finds a result more relevant than Google+.

The plugin adds in social results from Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Tumblr, Flickr and more to ensure that when you decide to make a social search, you see the results that belong there. Not the results Google need you to click to ensure that Google+ looks more active than it is.

And if you don’t want to use social search at all, then there’s always the toggle button on every Google search page. We recommend you make friends with it. We already have.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

While Facebook and Twitter view anyone who logs into their website to use the social networks specifically as a user, Google have decided that anyone who takes an action while logged into a Google account is a Google+ user.

So while you need to read or send a Tweet to be a Twitter user, you only need to check your Gmail account or edit a Google Doc to become a fully-fledged Google+ convert. Despite the fact you’ve not logged into Plus, or used any social networking tools.

This all stems from Google’s recent decision to integrate Google+ into search results, along with just about anything else they can think of. And it’s a clear signal that very soon it won’t matter whether you want to use Plus or not. If you want to use any Google products, you’ll have to +1 yourself.

Unless of course you want to use Google Picnik or Skymap, because Google are dropping them in the latest set of “spring cleaning” product clearouts.

Google have announced that the following products will all be cut by the end of April 2012, leading to widespread shrugs:

• Picnik – A photo editing service (being integrated with Google Picasa)
• Google Message Community -A backup service for Microsoft emails
• Urchin – The analytics software cannibalised for Google Analytics
• Sky Map – A map of the night sky, which is being made open source as all Google support will be dropped

Google have claimed that these services will be dropped so that more effort can be placed on improving core Google apps and services. And in making sure that you can’t access the internet without automatically becoming a Google+ user…

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+