Fear of Social Rejection Spurs Individuals to Disperse Fake News, Investigation Shows

As per a recent study, spreading false information is driven by peoples' fear of social exclusion. Researchers' study revealed that individuals prefer to disperse misleading information if they think it is in line with the opinions of their social gathering.

About 51,500 Twitter users in the US were surveyed for the investigation. Participants were asked to rate their likelihood of conveying news stories that either supported or opposed their political views, as well as whether they would be inclined to share articles that were right or wrong.

The discoveries revealed that individuals were more willing to outstretch misleading stories if they thought doing so would retain their standing among their peer group. Those who closely identified with their social gatherings were more vulnerable to this phenomenon.

The analysis also discovered that individuals who cared more about their social status had the additional potential to circulate inaccurate data, even when they were aware of their falsity. This shows that the drive to adhere to social standards and maintain social relationships might overcome the necessity of factual accuracy.

The experimenters next compared a sample of users who were spokespersons of all Twitter users with 10,000 individuals who had transmitted bogus news during the earlier experiment. According to the results of the 2nd research, people who shared phony info were more likely to ban consumers who did not follow up with the same range.

The discoveries have significant ramifications for comprehending how false information spreads in online networks. People might be exposed to a lot of fraudulent information due to the ease with which it can be disseminated on social media platforms, making it challenging to discriminate between truth and fiction.

The investigators hypothesized that encouraging people to consider the repercussions of leaking inaccurate news is one method to stop the leak of fraudulent news. People may be more inclined to think twice before spreading false information if the possible harm associated with doing so is made clear.

The study emphasizes the value of encouraging critical thinking and media literacy, particularly in an era where spreading incorrect news is now simpler than ever thanks to social media. It also emphasizes the necessity for people to be conscious of the psychological and social influences on their conduct and to take precautions to avoid unintentionally aiding in the spread of misinformation.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Analysis: The most frequently compromised websites are Facebook and Instagram

According to a recent analysis by VPNCentral, Facebook and Instagram are the websites that get hacked the most frequently online. According to the statistics, the three platforms that hackers most regularly target are Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook. These three platforms dominate the monthly searches for phrases linked to hacking.

A significant security incident involving 530 million Facebook accounts in 2021 shook the data infrastructures of top social media corporations. That was just one more instance in a long line of assaults that have changed in quantity and methods over the past few years.

If you have concerns about internet security and privacy, now is the moment to address them. According to a recent VPN Central analysis, Facebook is the most popular search keyword for concerns about hacking, with almost 68,000 monthly searches! That is more than twice as much as Instagram, which came in second with 36k monthly searches related to hacking attempts. Be careful out there and safeguard your password!

Live streaming service Twitch is fourth on the list of websites that are most frequently hacked despite providing two-factor verification. The first non-social media service to rank in the top ten is Spotify, which is in third place. It might be because the service prioritizes music streaming over chat or user interaction and has more complicated password requirements than other services.

With evidence of these mounting malicious campaigns, Instagram took decisive action to mitigate the risks they posed to their users. By late 2022, a specialized online tool was launched ― an interactive resource center that dedicated a webpage of digital resources available at people's disposal if they found themselves with a hacked account.

Because more people than ever are using the internet, hackers are exploiting holes in various websites and services. Businesses must ensure adequate measures to protect user data from malicious attacks, from social media platforms to streaming services.

Social media accounts are the most popular when it comes cyber security searches; Facebook ranks at a high of 67,940 searches. Instagram trails behind close after with 36,220 queries - although not as much as streaming giant Spotify, which had 25,920 people inquiring about its secrets! Twitch followed suit, pushing 10K inquiries regarding their platform, while other long-standing sites such as Amazon (6170), Snapchat (6100), Coinbase (5900), Twitter (5190), Gmail (4920), and Microsoft's 4k trailed, respectively.

The media and tech giants remain at the top of the list for cyber searches, but it is important not to forget about the smaller companies still subject to malicious attacks. Many of these companies may not have the same security measures as larger organizations, leaving them vulnerable to various forms of attack.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Here Are the Biggest Trends and Statistics for Entrepreneurs and Startups in 2023

Entrepreneurship is at an all time high, with an estimated 5.5 million businesses being registered by such individuals in 2022 alone. This means that there are around 31 million entrepreneurs in the US, which indicates that they represent a solid 16% of the overall workforce with all things having been considered and taken into account.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there are some trends that can be noted as far as entrepreneurs are concerned. Skynova conducted a study which revealed that around 58.5% of entrepreneurs are men, which means that around 41.5% are women

This shows that there is a significant discrepancy among who ends up becoming an entrepreneur from the perspective of gender. However, an even bigger divide can be seen if we widen the lens to take race and ethnicity into account.

For one thing, a whopping 71% of entrepreneurs who are operating in the US are white. 14% of them are Hispanic, 6% are African American, and a similar proportion are Asian or 6% to be precise. This ratio is disproportionate based on the population distribution between these various ethnicities, and it suggests that that playing field is less level than might have been the case otherwise.

Furthermore, a lot of discrepancies can be seen based on age. People who are over the age of 40 represent the majority of entrepreneurs, or 63% to be precise. 30% are between the ages of 30 and 40, and just 7% are between 20 and 30.

This concentration of entrepreneurs among older age groups is telling because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up indicating the advantage that older individuals might have. One potential reason for this is that older people might have had more time to save up, although it should also be mentioned that they grew up during better economic eras which likely gave them more opportunities to explore.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, there are still a lot of opportunities for people who want to become entrepreneurs these days. Startups in the travel sector have increased by a massive 201%, with media following close behind with a 198% increase.

Energy startups have also seen a tremendous growth rate of around 174%, with security startups growing at a healthy rate of 171% as well. Finally we have real estate, with 161% more entrepreneurs entering this field as compared to the previous year.

However, it is essential to avoid the many pitfalls that can make it difficult for startups to stay up and running. For example, 34% of startups that failed were not able to find the right product fit for their market. 22% of them failed due to issues with their marketing, and 18% faced problems with their teams that made it challenging for them to keep going.

All in all, the world of entrepreneurs is getting more and more entrants every year, but only a few of them manage to stay stable. People who want to enter the field must be wary of what could go wrong.

Take a look at below infographics for more insights:

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Workers Waste 58% of Their Day in Useless Meetings

We’ve all been in situations where we are asked to attend a meeting that adds next to no value to our work days. Many of these meetings seem like they could have easily been replaced by a quick email, but in spite of the fact that this is the case managers around the world seem to be obsessed with them. What sort of impact do these pointless meetings have on worker productivity? A productivity platform known as Asana has the answers.

It turns out that workers end up wasting as much as 58% of their day on meetings that are absolutely useless with all things having been considered and taken into account. This is not just something that is impacting low level workers either. Top level executives also said that these meetings are making them fall behind on the work that they have been tasked to complete.

30% of top ranking executives said that unnecessary meetings made it less likely that they would meet their deadlines than might have been the case otherwise. Physical meetings can be a nuisance, but meetings that are conducted over video calls were also deemed problematic by 32% of the workers who participated in this survey.

All in all, workers can gain an extra six weeks worth of working hours if they no longer had to attend these meetings. Upper management should consider this because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving their workers more time to get things done.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the number of apps that need to be used to stay in touch with coworkers has also increased to 9. This leads to around 15% of these messages getting overlooked since there is so much else that employees need to contend with.

Most industries need to streamline communication so that they can unlock productivity. It will be interesting to see if the findings of this study make any kind of difference on such meetings moving forward.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

More Than One Million Right-To-Be-Forgotten Requests Were Submitted To Google And Microsoft Bing

There are a leading number of marketers in the US who are working hard to figure out what is the impact of measures related to the ‘right to be forgotten’ in terms of state laws. And on that note, experts feel the best way to go about the situation is by glancing over results from Europe.

As per recent statistics, more than one million right-to-be-forgotten requests from consumers ended up getting submitted to leading search engines. Both Google and Microsoft Bing received them from the years 2015 to 2021. And around 95.8% of them went to Google.

GDPR failed to take that into account till the year 2016, as per a study conducted by Surfshark.

They revealed how the total volume of requests generated grew during the period of the pandemic from a staggering value of 124.5k during the period before the pandemic in 2019 to around 161.3 k in the likes of 2020 and then around 185k by 2021.

Now as far as which European nations led the pack, well, France was definitely the leader in this regard. Research showed how nearly one out of the four requests arose through the likes of the French nation, giving a staggering 255 requests.

Then came Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. After that, we had the likes of Poland and Sweden, followed up by Belgium and Switzerland.

In terms of request density, it was Estonia that was winning where 53 requests arose from 10,000 individuals while other nations had an average of just 20.

Now, the fastest growing nations in this manner were the likes of Cyprus and Portugal which ended up submitting around three times as many requests in the year 2020 than what was seen in the year 2019. Similarly, places like Iceland, Luxembourg, and even Greece ended up doubling the requests YoY.

But what could be the reason behind this in the first place? Well, it might have to do with the pandemic that arose, as mentioned by Surfshark’s privacy counsel.

They continued to reveal how so many daily activities were soon turning into a more virtual endeavor and that is what encouraged people to get super conscious of the world linked to digital hygiene. Moreover, people started to talk about privacy online and the features linked to it.

And in the same way, we saw the GDPR be enforced and that is what made sure more and more people were sticking to privacy measures as a human right that’s practiced until today.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

1 in 9 Americans 64 or older still don’t have their lives figured out yet

It is believed that older people are wiser and have their lives figured out; however, new research has revealed that 1 in 9 Americans who are sixty-four or older, are still trying to figure out their lives. The research was based on the responses collected from two thousand senior American citizens.

The results showed that 54 percent of the survey participants experienced constant pressure to take wise steps. Whereas seventeen percent of them said that the ability to make decisions gets more challenging as they grow older. Meanwhile, 1 in 7 of the participants admitted that they prefer to prioritize their wants over their needs. By doing this, they can get help from outside.

While 26 percent of them said that consulting others before taking a big step is risky and not an easy thing to do, 67 percent of the participants agreed on taking advice from others before making the final decision.

The survey was carried out by OnePoll at the request of ClearMatch Medicare. Based on the responses received from the poll, it was observed that initially, the participants used to feel positive while taking any step related to finances. Shortly followed by steps related to investment. However, due to certain conditions, it was observed that the participants had started to contact others for a second opinion.

When it comes to sharing, almost forty-four percent of the respondents chose their spouses, as thirty-one percent of them believed they don’t judge and thirty-two percent of them believe they help them with personal decisions. Thirty-seven percent of them took help from their children as well.

When it comes to the struggles they face, twenty percent of them have difficulties choosing workout plans, and similarly, twenty percent find it difficult to have the perfect healthcare plan. Nineteen percent of the participants added finding the right doctor to their list of struggles.

Ben Pajak, the Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Website, said that keeping others updated with the healthcare plan is important, and while it is not easy to form a plan, there are ways to help them make the right decisions.

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When it comes to facing the mistakes they made in their decisions, twenty-three percent of them prefer staying calm about it, twenty-eight percent prefer understanding what went wrong, and another twenty-eight percent identify what other options they could have taken to prevent it.

Jennifer Girdler, VP of sales of the healthcare website, highlighted the need for perfect decisions for senior citizens. According to Jennifer, fifty-five percent of them would try other healthcare plans that are best suited for them, as they are always searching for the perfect match in every aspect of life.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Women Represent a Growing Presence in the Cybercriminal Underground Economy

A new study by Trend Micro has revealed that women make up 30% of cybercriminals. It is a significant shift in the cybercriminal underground economy as it becomes more inclusive of all genders.

According to the research, while women make up around 30% of the population who participate in online communities for cybercriminals, gender appears to be less of an issue than in other online communities. It suggests that the stereotype that cybercriminals are primarily men may not be accurate.

The report also showed that while developers of gaming apps spent $27 billion on advertisements, in-app transactions fell 7%. It shows that even while businesses rely extensively on advertising to make money, the results may not be what they would like.

Data presented in this research is of immense value when it derives an understanding of who may be responsible for cyber and digital crime and how much priority companies and organizations should take on these matters. Criminals who perpetrate such offenses originate from all backgrounds, and there cannot be one single motivation for what sparks their negative intentions.

It precisely means that understanding the multitude of scenarios that harvest cybercriminal behavior is imperative so we can discourage, intercede and prevent as much wrongdoing as possible. The findings of this report give critical observations into the widespread problem of digital crime, thereby helps builds more effective strategies to prevent malicious activity.

TrendMicro's comprehensive study of the ten most popular online hacker forums revealed a striking statistic that female visitors made up significantly more than half of Sinister, with 61%, while other English-language sites reported 40%. On Russian cybercrime websites, 42.6% were women and 57.4% men - indicating that across cultures, an impressive number of females still engage in these digital communities! Notably, Stack Overflow had far fewer women participating at only 12%; this low figure serves as a stark reminder for increased representation within tech fields.

A fascinating study by the authors of a report revealed interesting insights about gender and cybercrime. Using AI tools, they found that 41% of users on XSS forums and 40% in Hackforums were women - far exceeding the prison population percentages of 4-8%. The data analysis was powered by Semrush, an engine marketing solution with machine learning algorithms to detect demographic information from various sources. It suggests that more females engage in online criminal activity than previously suspected!

Trend Micro is reminding us that it's important never to take gender into account when investigating cybercrime, as the digital underworld is open and welcoming of all folks with the right skills. Assumptions about a suspect's identity can lead investigators astray, so they recommend adopting "they/them" pronouns—ensuring neutrality while allowing for any possibility that multiple people may be involved in an incident.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World