Internet Memes Are Making UK Children Fat, Say Researchers Who Don't Understand Memes

from the my-Imgur-account-gave-me-the-diabetes dept

Literally anything can be the basis of a moral panic. The internet's mere existence has prompted all sorts of panickers (professional and lay) to blame any number of things/concepts for destroying the youth of the world. If it's not teens getting high by huffing MP3s with their eyeballs and ears, it's Minecraft creating unrealistic home-building expectations or IoT devices creating a generation of automaton abusers.

For those that buy into this thinking, it seems plausible because it's happening in the present. With technology being indiscernible from magic, the academics behind these questionable assertions are no more than shamans guiding the faithful towards conclusions that cohere with their prejudices. If they didn't have X growing up, chances are X is what's ruining their kids. A little history would go a long way. I mean, at one point in time, chess -- the game of kings and gifted elementary school students -- was considered to be the Grand Theft Auto of its day, capable of turning players into cold-blooded killers.

Some UK "researchers," who have earned every bit of derision contained in those scare quotes, are claiming internet memes are ruining children. While they may have somewhat of a point about bullying and shaming, they lose it completely by claiming memes play a role in the UK's childhood obesity stats. (via PetaPixel)

Here's the part of the "written evidence" [PDF] that makes a little bit of sense:

Our provisional inquiries show that a substantial number of individuals on Twitter share health related Internet memes, with both positive and negative messages, through their public accounts. Such is the pervasiveness of Internet memes that the vast majority of sharers display little, if any, emotion when sharing these memes: many of which contain inappropriate material or ridicule others by race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, body shape, religion, diet etc. When viewed in this way, Internet memes have the potential to normalise undesirable behaviours such as trolling, body shaming and bullying, and a lack of emotion may be indicative of a larger apathy with regards to such practice.

Yes, the internet can be an awful place filled with awful people. So can real life. Internet decorum isn't on par with IRL decorum, but that doesn't mean the "emotionless" sharing of memes is indicative of widespread sociopathy. Lots of things, good and bad, are "normalized" through frequent exposure. But on the whole, the internet is net gain for humanity, and that includes today's youth.

Moving on from there, the "researchers" decide the same memes -- the ones normalizing body shaming and bullying -- are also (somehow!) normalizing something that tends to attract body shaming and bullying.

Whilst the sample for this preliminary research equates to about 5% of Sykora et al.’s (2014) sample, it does uncover a potential ‘hardening’ of social media users’ emotions towards memes. [...] Furthermore, in ridiculing body shape, diet and fitness there is a worry that we are also normalising obesity, poor diet and sedentary behaviour.

If you want to have it both ways, I guess you can. Ridicule = normalization. Why not? I mean, this is "research" that starts with a ridiculous theory and trolls the web for internet detritus to back it up. The "study" culled a bunch of tweets containing hashtags related to body image (#fitnessaddict, #flexibledieting, and… um… #meme[?]) and used the hashtag #tea for a "control." Unsurprisingly, these intrepid researchers found memes being shared without much use of "emotional" words -- at least according to the AI it fed the tweets to.

These results would have ended the "study" right then and there if the researchers were intellectually honest and/or had any idea how meme sharing works. To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, the meme is the message. They're generally served straight up, with no additional text from those sharing them. If there's any emotion present, it's a like or dislike of the meme itself. Unsurprisingly, there was almost no "emotionality" contained in the tweeted meme dataset.

This isn't so much a research project as it is a pitch for a tweet-hoovering project the researchers would like to see continue. This "research" is basically a roundabout way of asking the UK government for money. It goes under the name "MEMEotive," which should cause involuntary vomiting in any number of readers. (I apologize for not warning you in advance.) This project seeks to hitch its wagon to government-funded social media surveillance pioneered by the war-fighting arm of the UK government.

The project, MEMEotive - Analysing the Effects of Internet Memes on Young Teenagers’ Health and Health Behaviours – builds on the success of EMOTIVE, funded by the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL) following the London Riots, to detect and measure emotions on social media (Twitter).

MEMEotive aims to understand which memes become popular and how they influence and motivate the health and health behaviours of young people and teenagers.

Speaking of wagon metaphors, MEMEotive needs to gets its horse in front of its cart if it's ever going to understand anything. It may want to familiarize itself with the how and why of memes before it starts attributing a 30% childhood obesity rate to image macros.

Filed Under: memes, moral panics, obesity, uk

DailyDirt: Weight Loss Drugs That Might Work... Someday

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Obesity is a worldwide problem, affecting about 1.5 billion people. The World Health Organization estimates that about 10% of the world's adult population is obese. The cause of obesity isn't always clear, but the effects on health are significant. Diet and exercise are the first steps for addressing this health issue, but for some people, there's a need to go beyond that. Less than a handful of drugs are currently approved for long-term obesity treatment, but more might be on the way. Check out a few of these links, and maybe get up out of your chair and move a bit more....

• Genes that control how fat cells function have been identified and could lead to ways to fight obesity. The FTO gene seems to be able to control how energy is stored and used, and researchers think it's possible to come up with a gene therapy that might be beneficial to some obese patients. [url]
• An extract from the thunder god vine, called Celastrol, might become an obesity treatment. This medicine still needs rigorous controlled clinical trials, but it has had promising results for mice. [url]
• Why look to rodents for obesity studies? Grizzly bears might have solved part of the obesity problem. After hibernation, bears seem to recover quite well from the effects of kidney damage, induced diabetes, and a surplus of stored fat. The PTEN gene might point to an answer for us, if we can figure out the mechanisms for how this gene controls metabolism and other bodily functions. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: celastrol, drugs, fat cells, fto gene, gene therapy, genetics, health, hibernation, obesity, pten gene, thunder god vine, weight loss

DailyDirt: Big Bones Are A Myth, But Obesity Has Legit Causes

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Some people are naturally skinny and able to eat almost anything they want without gaining weight. Obviously, there are also plenty of folks who need to watch their diets very carefully and exercise regularly to prevent unhealthy weight gain. The causes for obesity are not well understood, and while many observers like to say it's obvious that people need to expend more calories than they consume, the challenge of doing so isn't as simple as it sounds for many. There aren't any miracle diets or drugs, but as we study obesity and understand it more, there could be more palatable treatments someday.

• Mitochondrial genetics could explain metabolic changes with age and with different environmental conditions. Large scale studies of mitochondrial changes in city populations are just beginning, and researchers will try to make sense of how cell genetics influence health. [url]
• A rare chromosomal abnormality can cause Prader-­Willi syndrome -- a condition that can be fatal and cruel because its victims can literally eat to death. People with this condition have no sensation of satiety, so they can eat until their stomachs rupture. [url]
• There's evidence to support the idea that intestinal microbes correlate with obesity. A fecal transplant from an overweight daughter to a mother suffering from an intestinal infection resulted in the infection going away -- but also a weight gain problem for the mother that previously didn't exist. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: diet, fecal transplant, flora, genetics, gut, health, microbes, mitochondria, obesity, overweight, prader-willi syndrome, satiety, weight

DailyDirt: Miracle Cures

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Scams trying to convince people that losing weight is easy are everywhere. Losing weight is not easy. Maybe it is for some lucky people who have incredibly awesome genetics and the metabolism to burn calories like a hummingbird, but for most folks, it's not. It sure would be nice if a doctor or scientist found a simple weight loss solution (that didn't involve exercise or watching what you eat). However, that isn't the case, and there are plenty of examples of remedies that don't work (eg. Hoodia, ephedra, green coffee extract, etc). Audiences would like to be told there's a miracle cure, and some quacks even oblige them. For example, Dr. Mehmet Oz ("Doctor Oz") was scolded by US Senators for promoting unsubstantiated "miracle" dietary supplements. Researchers are actively looking for convenient ways to beat obesity, but before anyone buys some sketchy pills on the internet, wait for the science to demonstrate some effectiveness and safety. Keep on eye on various research projects, but don't get your hopes up. (And exercise in the meantime....)

• Researchers at the University of Michigan are looking at an off-patent drug that appears to solve the problems of obesity, diabetes and fatty liver in mice. There haven't been any studies on humans for similar results, but amlexanox has been approved for use to treat asthma for decades. [url]
• Another drug that shows promise in mice is fexaramine (or Fex). However, the media has overblown its effects on mice and also implied effectiveness in humans when studies have not yet been done. [url]
• The FTC has some advice for people interested in various weight-loss fads and dietary supplements that claim to burn fat in short periods of time. Don't believe every headline you read! [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: amlexanox, diet, dietary supplements, dr oz, ephedra, fex, fexaramine, food, green coffee extract, health, hoodia, medicine, mehmet oz, miracle cures, obesity, remedies, scams

UK Town Starts Texting Residents To Remind Them They're Obese

from the put-down-that-doughnut-Dave dept

The Stoke-on-Trent City Council in the UK has decided that it's going to take aim at the obesity epidemic in the region -- by texting local obese residents to remind them that they're obese. The project includes daily texts reminding the residents of their biological shortcomings, as well as a weekly questionnaire and a follow-up questionnaire examining those shortcomings in more detail. According to ComputerWorld UK, the logic appears to be that the 10,000 pounds spent on the system might offset some of the 50 million pounds a year incurred from obesity-related deaths and health problems.

To receive the digital life advice you must be 18, have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or over, and you (fortunately) have to opt-in to be scolded by the government about your spare tire. The concept sounds a little bit like what Libertarian nightmares must be like, with a government robot sending you messages reminding you to put down that doughnut and go play outside:

Examples of the texts sent include: aim to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables each day; aim to eat regular meals and keep a check on snacks and drinks; and 'maybe walk to the shops or use the stairs more often';. The texts may also ask questions, such as ';are you pleased with the amount of exercise you've done in the last seven days, text yes or no';. If the respondents text yes, they get a reply like 'that's great, keep going';, or if the answer is negative, they get a text encouraging them to do more exercise.

It's not really clear that a text message is going to be the miracle missing link that cures someone's life-long motivational problems, and as governments get more comfortable with location data and text messages, the results aren't always good, such as the use of text messages in the Ukraine recently to warn protesters that they're being monitored and should probably go home. As with the UK's porn filters, you also have to wonder if there's a slippery slope involved in these kinds of good intentions, and it's probably not that far of a jump (at least under the Cameron government) toward systems that catalog and ridicule you for all your non-government sanctioned personal failings.

Though hey, if all it took for you to finally stop shoveling Cheeze-Its into your gullet and go outside was a text message, why ask why?

Filed Under: obesity, stoke-on-trent, texting, uk

DailyDirt: Drinking Healthy Stuff...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

If you look closely enough at anything, you're bound to find more complexity and unanswered questions than you'd imagine. Especially when it comes to health recommendations, it seems like the consensus for what's "bad" for you flips every few decades. That's not exactly true, but as we learn more of the details about how substances we eat are metabolized, we have to change the simple recommendations that are broadcast to everyone. Here are just a few links on what you might want to drink (or not drink) to stay healthy.

• Hydropathy started in the early 1800s promoting all kinds of health benefits from water. The lasting legacy of the hydropathy movement is the recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water per day -- even though there's no scientific evidence to support that specific amount of water for everyone to consume daily. [url]
• Orange juice used to be considered the standard healthy beverage for breakfast, able to cure ailments from scurvy to acidosis. Nowadays, though, OJ isn't viewed as favorably due to its high sugar content and its sometimes heavily-processed varieties. [url]
• The health benefits of skim milk versus whole milk aren't as clear cut as you might have thought. Some recent studies find that consuming whole-fat dairy correlates with lower rates of obesity, but adults with high cholesterol may still want to limit full-fat dairy in their diets. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: acidosis, beverages, dairy, drinks, fat, health, hydropathy, milk, obesity, oj, orange juice, scurvy, skim milk, water

DailyDirt: Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There is an endless stream of dieting advice out there, telling people what to eat or what not to eat -- making it sound like there are simple magic bullet solutions to losing weight and getting healthier. (The really simple solution is to eat less and exercise more, but that's usually easier said than done for most people.) There have been diets telling people to avoid all carbs or all fats, and sometimes those diets work for people, but that's just anecdotal evidence. Maybe someday we'll have more medically sound data to support/refute these trendy diet fads.

• Some serious obesity researchers are planning to study the biological causes of obesity over the next 5-6 years. Volunteers will be monitored in a controlled test facility with meticulously measured meals and exercise schedules, and hopefully, they'll be able to make sense of all the data. [url]
• Alexander and Chris Van Tulleken are twins and also medical doctors, and these two brothers tried an experiment in which one brother would go on an extremely low-fat diet and the other would eat no sugar. Both lost weight, and one lost more than the other, but their conclusion is both diets are extremely difficult to maintain for a lifetime. [url]
• A regimen of "intermittent fasting" -- where you eat very little every other day -- could be a more successful tactic for some dieters. The key to losing weight is changing your diet permanently (otherwise you gain it back when you fall back to old bad habits), and fasting every other day might be more effective than other diets. A more rigorous study of this technique is underway.... [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: alexander van tulleken, chris van tulleken, diets, fat, food, intermittent fasting, obesity, sugar, weight loss

DailyDirt: Salt, Sugar, Fat... Yum?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Certain things are almost guaranteed to taste good to us -- salt, sugar and fat are just a few examples of ingredients that most people enjoy and (sometimes) can't stop themselves from eating. Eating anything in excess can be bad for you (see the "truckload of vegetables" debating technique), but people seem to especially focus on salt, sugar and fat. Here are just a few links that provide some data points on the health effects of these three tasty food items.

• For decades, we've been told that our salt intake was probably too high, but a recent study -- spanning 50 years and over 45 countries -- concludes that dietary salt intake is normal at around 2,600 mg to 4,800 mg per day (versus the US recommendations of no more than 2,300 mg per day for a healthy person). This conclusion suggests that our salt intake is regulated by physiology and biological need, not by how much salt is in our food. [url]
• Various kinds of processed sugars seem to be an increasing part of the modern diet, and sugar intake correlates with obesity rates across many countries. Should we try to restrict sugar intake with taxes or allow more artificial sweeteners on the market? Or..? [url]
• It's a myth that eating fat will make you fat -- eating an excess of calories from any source (eg. carbohydrate, protein, alcohol) makes you fat. In fact, the percentage of calories from fat from our diets has actually gone down in the US over the last 30 years, but obesity rates are clearly much higher. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: calories, diet, dietary recommendations, fat, food, health, hfcs, moderation, myth, obesity, salt, sugar

DailyDirt: Playing Some Games With Hunger

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The problem with hunger isn't limited to not having enough to eat -- other hunger issues arise with over-active cravings that lead to obesity and other health problems. For many people, it's not so simple to just "eat less and exercise more" despite how simple that formula sounds. Here are just a few links on the topic of watching what you eat and trying to control caloric intake.

• Dietary research increasingly suggests that not all calories are equivalent, and there is some evidence that high-glycemic foods (from processed carbohydrates) can cause blood sugar spikes and stimulate hunger. It's not clear if the cravings caused by refined carbohydrates can be reduced to fight obesity, but avoiding high-glycemic foods could be part of a strategy (along with an exercise regime) to help people lose weight. [url]
• Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich tried to eat on a budget of $4.50 a day for a week -- to raise awareness for hunger. The average amount allocated to individuals in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is just $31.50 per week, and it's not an easy diet to live on without getting hungry. Good thing Panera has some 'Pay What You Want' locations.... [url]
• Some genetically modified mice developed brain cells that could respond to light -- one group had neurons that were activated by light and another group of mice had neurons that were de-activated with light. Using these mice, researchers were able to control how much the mice ate by shining light on particular areas of the brain -- making mice eat when they were beyond full and preventing mice from eating when the mice were hungry. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: carbs, diet, eating, food, gmo, hunger, obesity
Companies: panera

DailyDirt: Correlations Over Breakfast

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've pointed out dietary studies before that suggest calories from different foods aren't the same and that when you eat could be as important as what you eat. But how about focusing just on one meal: breakfast. Should you eat a big breakfast? Is it bad to skip breakfast? Here are just some partial answers.

• Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? But healthy adults can skip breakfast without fear of gaining weight. According to the researchers, "We need to revisit the assumption that we must always eat breakfast, and learn if we really need to eat breakfast all the time." [url]
• But wait, don't skip breakfast regularly if you're a middle aged man -- or else you're 27% more likely to die, probably of coronary heart disease. In the long run, we're all dead anyway? [url]
• If you like eating breakfast, a big breakfast could help you lose weight, according to a study of 93 obese women split into two groups (both eating 1,400 calories daily for 12 weeks). The "big breakfast" group ate 700 calories in the morning, 500 cals for lunch and 200 cals for dinner, and the "big dinner" group reversed the sizes of those meals. At the end, the both groups lost weight, but the big breakfast eaters lost an average of 17.8 pounds (versus just 7.3 pounds for the big dinner eaters). [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: breakfast, calories, correlation, diet, dinner, food, heart disease, meal, obesity, weight loss