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Cascading Behavior of Networks of Smokers/Nonsmokers

Article: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1808446,00.html The act of smoking cigarettes has been a part of American culture since the early 1900s. In 1914, total tobacco consumption was 7 percent, but by the 1940s, that number drastically increased to 40 percent. Like most trends or fads in society, the network effect of cigarettes made it more attractive to smoke […]

Chegg: Trading Networks and Network Effects

Although it only really took off very recently (in 2007), Chegg is now a well-known name among college students. Initially started as a textbook rental site, it remains as the largest retailer for textbook rentals, but has now started moving into other areas. In both its start and rise to prominence, several class concepts apply […]

Information Cascades and Political Action

The concept of information cascades can be used to explain mass political movements. People make decisions about whether or not to protest or rebel based on observations of other people’s behavior. Not many people would want to be a the sole protestor  present because it is ineffectual and put you in a vulnerable position. However, […]

Pharmaceutical Representatives and Diffusion in Networks

In his book “How Doctor’s Think,” Dr. Jerome Groopman, M.D. describes the steps a pharmaceutical representative, Rick Duggan, allegedly took to convince internist and endocrinologist Dr. Karen Delgado to prescribe a new medication, and in doing so highlights many important aspects of how innovations are spread throughout networks.  Dr. Delgado is a desirable physician to […]

Negative Effects of Social Networks on Individual Responses to Heat Waves

Traditional research focusing on the relationship between social capital and health has generally indicated that these two variables are positively correlated.  That is, belonging to a strong social network contributes to good health.  However, in recent years research has served to identify instances where social networks have the potential to negatively affect health.  One such […]

Are Movie Review User Ratings Reliable?

This paper is about a study that was conducted to analyze online movie viewer ratings through an interrelationship between product information and social influences. The study found that on average, higher predecessors’ ratings increased the likelihood of a subsequent user providing a higher rating. Interestingly, the study found that when online movie reviewers would discuss […]

Game, Set, Match: Game Theory in Tennis

The game of tennis is one of the oldest sports in the world and considered one of the most mental games out there, considering that in a singles match, two players are pitted against each other through at least two grueling sets. Each player has the chance to serve, and therefore each player also has […]

Sidewalk Art Prevents Crime Cascades

Article: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2011/11/03/policing-through-art Background: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/4465/ http://www.broadwaymall.org/our-programs/public-art/ “Just say no.” “If Bobby jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge?” “Be true to yourself.” “Don’t give into peer-pressure.” These are all phrases parents and teachers often tell children in their attempts to steer them toward a future of individuality and independent decision-making. However, daily adult […]

My Plan on Tech: Listen to others

http://visual.ly/droid-vs-ios-battle-ops http://cube.ign.com/articles/086/086984p1.html Learning about information cascades and early adopters of technologies has made me think back to the various choices I have made.  I like to think that what I decide to purchase or do is for my best interest and is of value to me, but alas it seems I am slave to the […]

Information Cascades and Chain Letters

http://danzarrella.com/chain-letters.html We have all been victims of information cascades leading us astray.  For me, this happens mostly on the popular time wasting site Youtube.  When I visit the site looking for something specific, such as a song or music video, I tend to review the number of previous views as a gauge to determine if […]

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