Social media was supposed to make us feel more connected with family and friends. Instead, it is causing depression and anxiety. In this episode of Consumer Tech Update, Kim looks at new research showing that social media is driving more people to depression and anxiety than ever before due to “the fear of missing out.”
Find nearly anyone online
Do you want to connect with old friends? Perhaps a long-lost classmate from your childhood or a former neighbor or co-worker who moved on years ago.
Whatever the reason you wish to track down an old acquaintance, searching on Google or Facebook might not always bring up the best results you want. But I found a cool website that could be a better way for you to find people online.
This site scours more than 60 sites like from social media, news sites and blogs. It then indexes all the links associated with that person, so all the information from your search is in one place.
PeekYou
PeekYou is like Google for people. Instead of locking in on keywords like the popular search engine, it looks for links likely to be associated with people you’re looking for. PeekYou has a very expansive network. It’s already analyzed over 1 billion links!
The site lets you search for your friends, or for yourself, by full name or username. You’ll be surprised at what you find! PeekYou can help you find long-lost family members, old classmates and friends you’ve lost contact with.
You aren’t limited to searching by name or username, either. PeekYou actually has a whole range of search categories like Interests, Work, School, City, Phone and Email.
PeekYou does a great job of cataloging well-known people, too. It finds tons of resources on newsmakers and celebrities and assigns them a “peek score,” which tells you how notable they are.
When you search for somebody (or look up somebody famous), you’ll get a long list of matches for names, public records, emails, Facebook profiles, social media accounts and even arrest records.
You can click results to see the social media profiles, but if you want to see something more in-depth like Public Records and Background Checks you may encounter paywalls. That means that you need to pay a third-party site for more information.
I searched myself and found a pretty accurate list of former addresses, jobs and social media accounts.
By the way, if you don’t want your information gathered through PeekYou, there is a page where you can request an opt-out. Beyond PeekYou, there’s a way to delete any online account or profile. Tap or click here to find out how to wipe old accounts.
Should the Feds be able to regulate Google searches?
Are Google, Facebook, and other social media suppressing conservative viewpoints? In this episode of Consumer Tech Update, Kim explores the recent claims that tech companies are hindering free speech and how the government is trying to fight back.
How Facebook and Instagram keep you hooked and clicking
Social media is at the center of everyone’s day. We seem to gravitate towards checking our Facebook account or posting that picture on Instagram, reading the news or shopping online. Do you ever stop to think: How are these websites keeping us hooked? In this episode of Komando On Demand, we look at how programmers keep us coming back time and time again. Hear from experts who share insight on what goes on behind the scenes.
Social media levels the playing field with air travel
If you’re being treated rudely by a crewmember of a major airline, you can’t confront them directly or you could be arrested. But the good news is, you can use consumer tech!
The first city to scan residents' social media posts
California becomes the first city to monitor its residents’ social media posts. Artificial Intelligence will scan Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram daily. Click on this Consumer Tech Update for more on this innovative idea and why it may not be a bad one!
The trouble with trying to boycott Big Tech and social media
You don’t need me to tell you that Americans are angry. Whether they’re Liberal or Conservative, there’s one place where they all come together: They’re angry with Big Tech – especially Facebook. Millions would love to launch a boycott. Except, there’s one tiny problem.
Can, or should, social media be saved?
The closest analogy that describes all of social media right now is this: Looking out across the social media horizon, there’s nothing but warehouse fires: So many blazing so hot that the firefighters don’t know where to begin. And whatever they try, nothing works.
Deleting your Facebook account
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Words of warning from Apples CEO Time Cook
The most important message about social media is the most difficult for parents to accept.
Facebook's drug dealers
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms alarming results
Should social media be liable for terrorism?
The Family of a terror attack victim is files a lawsuit against Google, Facebook and Twitter
Is social media doing more harm than good?
In the aftermath of the horrific Las Vegas massacre, is social media helping at all?
Snapchat steps up
Will Snapchat lead the way toward social media responsibility?
Secret ways to make money on social media
Social media and websites have not only changed the way we promote ourselves and our business, but it’s also changed the way we make money. In this podcast we’ll tell you about some young people who have used social media to earn more money than their parents, and how social media helped take a fitness nutrition company from making thousands of dollars in its first year to millions in the second year. Plus, get tips on how to use social media to make money on the side or even grow your new business.