users

Facebook is to tell users why a particular post has appeared in their news feed. However, it won't be telling the full story. One of the most controversial elements of Facebook is its news feed algorithm, which is responsible for showing 'news' from ... friends when a user logs into Facebook. At one point, this simply consisted of everything the user's friends had posted or shared in chronological order. This arguably became impractical, as both the number of users and the range of content users could share or otherwise interact with had rocketed. The argument is that the sheer amount of content ... (view more)

One of the earliest investors in Facebook and Google has likened the effects of major Internet companies on users to the effects of addictive drugs. Roger McNamee accused the companies of "aggressive brain hacking" to make their ad business more ... profitable. Writing for USA Today before discussing the topic on NBC, McNamee also likened the companies' behavior to that of the gambling industry. He said they "exploit human nature, creating addictive behaviors that compel consumers to check for new messages, respond to notifications, and seek validation from technologies whose ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'miannone' writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently purchased a new [Windows 8.1] desktop computer (or so I thought) from a big box electronic store. It should be noted that I did not utilize the 'pay-for-setup' process that the sales ... people attempted to convince me was the only way to go. I took the machine home ... [and booted it up] first time. It went through all the necessary updates; ... [once complete, I started] the customization. It was then I noticed that [my hard drive already had a user named 'Sam' defined on it. For example, even though I am the only user on this ... (view more)