The claim: after a single study (which we reported on back in May), computer scientists now know how people with depression spend time online.
From that knowledge, the researchers suggest we could design some sort of intrusive, spying app on your computer, iPad or smartphone to let you (or Big Brother, in whatever form — college administrators, your parents, or big data mining companies working for advertisers) know when you’re surfing in a “depressive” pattern.
Are the researchers over-generalizing from their data, or do we really know how people use the Internet when they’re depressed?
Let’s find out…
On Saturday, the New York Times’ Alan Schwarz told us about the rising tide of teens and young adults who turn to stimulants — specifically medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — to help their school performance. The next day, Matthew Herper over at Forbes