5MZ037

The Guardian , by  Chris Johnston 'The algorithms used by  Facebook  to filter news posts have an effect on the information seen by users – but not nearly as much as the choices made by users themselves. That is the finding of a study published on Thursday titled “Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook” in  Science  Express  by researchers working for the social network. Lazer describes the finding as important, and one that required “continued vigilance”.  “A small effect today might become a large effect tomorrow, depending on changes in the algorithms and human behaviour. Ironically, these findings suggest that if Facebook incorporated ideology into the features that the algorithms pay attention to, it would improve engagement with content by removing dissonant ideological content.” '

The Guardian , by William Davies 'A great deal of neuroscientific research into the roots of sympathy and reciprocity supports this. Optimists might view this as the basis for a new political hope, of a society in which sharing and gift-giving offer a serious challenge to the power of monetary accumulation and privatisation. But there is also a more disturbing possibility: that the critique of individualism and monetary calculation is now being incorporated into the armoury of utilitarian policy and management. One of the key insights of behavioural economics is that, if one wants to control other human beings, it is often far more effective to appeal to their sense of morality and social identity than to their self-interest.' 'The most valuable trick, from a marketing perspective, is how to induce individuals to share positive brand messages and adverts with each other, almost as if there were no public advertising campaign at all. The business practice known as “fr...

Source: The Guardian  (for the full article). As Oxford’s  Simon Wren-Lewis  noted, on the very same day that the Centre for Macroeconomics revealed that the great majority of British economists disagree with the proposition that austerity is good for growth, the Telegraph published on its front page a letter from 100 business leaders declaring the opposite. Why does big business love austerity and hate Keynesian economics? After all, you might expect corporate leaders to want policies that produce strong sales and hence strong profits. I’ve already suggested one answer: scare talk about debt and deficits is often used as a cover for a very different agenda, namely an attempt to reduce the overall size of government and especially spending on social insurance. This has been transparently obvious in the United States, where many supposed deficit-reduction plans just happen to include sharp cuts in tax rates on corporations and the wealthy even as they take away health...

Source:  Rupert Neate  ( @RupertNeate)   in New York: For the Observer Financial analysts and restaurant consultants reckon that McDonald’s main problem is that it has largely ignored the changing tastes and ideals of its core American customers – and thus backed itself into the stickiest of corners. Easterbrook will find it hard, they argue, to catch up with the new wave of hipper, rival fast-food chains such as Shake Shack, Panera Bread and Chipotle, while at the same time staying cheap and fast enough to satisfy its remaining loyal customers. ohnson said McDonald’s’ biggest challenge is winning over the most fought-over demographic: millennials (people who became teenagers around the year 2000). “These are the people having kids right now. They have a whole different value equation, it’s not just about price and quality.  “It’s about morality and ethics and wanting a healthy lifestyle,” she said.  “They’re not dieting, they’re making lifestyle ...

Source: Channel 4 News American photojournalist Stanley Greene has documented conflict, violence and human disasters across the world for over 25 years. Channel 4 News asked him to capture the battle for Number 10.XXX Report and photographs: Stanley Greene Assistant Producer: Katie Arnold Producer/Director: Girish Juneja Photographs of Stanley Greene in Aleppo: Alessio Romenzi From Chechnya and Afghanistan, Rwanda and Somalia, Stanley Greene has consistently captured the realities of war with a unique editorial style that has earned him many accolades, including five World Press Photo awards. So during this tightly fought election campaign here in the UK,  Channel 4 News  embedded him with the four main English parties to document the battle for Number 10. His black and white photo essay airs on tonight's programme at 7pm. We caught up with Stanley to see what he made of the British elections.