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From: TEDtalksDirector
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  • Genius

  • When individuals, political bodies, corporate entities, and society itself starts correcting & tending 2 the interpersonal network instead of being at the mercy of it, we'll finally tend to current affairs properly. Generally, we're insensitive to anything we can't link to personal benefit, societal values don't require more of us, so here we sit in the meantime, getting our asses handed to us. Were we to wise up & unite more, we wouldn't be in this mess staking our lives on political salvation

  • 14:50 Leave it to a nerd to use the molecular structure of minerals as an analogy for how the structure of social networking effects the properties of social groups.

    DFTBA

  • Is this a commercial for facebook? :)

  • Nooo, I am the 666th person to like this... Meh

  • I've watched this all the way through and I've just realised he's talking about conformity, a well-documented phenomenon. But because he doesn't participate in communities that do study conformity, the phenomenon is new to him and he's inventing a new model unnecessarily. Inventing terms such as 'confounding' and 'interconnections' cloud comprehension.

  • maybe all of this is a `cause` of mirror neurons

  • One would ask if you could identify certain hosts that the world actually revolves around. Then kill them and hopefully the mass of humanity will die. Sigh... one can only wish.

  • This is how true collaborations work, the connection between collaborative groups are fundamentally different to the connections between co-operative groups,

    There's a lot of merit in the argument that what the world needs is more connections, and it definitely needs a more collaborative spirit.

  • A good explanation for why most of the wealth in the US is concentrated in such a tiny percentage of the population.

  • I don't think the idea is completely new, however the way of presenting the idea is well supported by the data.

  • How fascinating and exciting.

    These discoveries feel both deeply familiar and yet unknown and underexplored -- with the potential for understanding and creating new, better, more effective connections.

    I love TED talks. :-)

  • BMI is a piece of shit. What if you have a lot of muscle?

  • i dont think you NEED to be connected to social networks its bullshit an individual can be on his own

  • @imanuel2012 That's not true.

  • @Nogard229 You're a weak minded person than.

  • @imanuel2012 Actually there has been numerous psychological studies on this topic. I have them a lot of the pdf files on a flash drive.

  • @imanuel2012

    You're wrong here. Everyone is connected to the social networks, and everyone will be affected when a phenomenon waves through it.

  • i agree... it's called memes

  • Jeez,.., this guy is a real idiot. he really didn't know this before...LOL.

  • Consider the governments that mandate religion and/or nationalism. Think about the clusters that emerge independent of other clusters.

  • Thank you Nicholas...You display an excellent power of observation of the obvious. Is this guy really trying to pass off this idea of social stratification as his own by simply renaming it? Wow...he's got balls.

  • obesity, 1st Visible sign of the general breakdown of our health. as acid rain had trees die back in the '80's. Trees that lived to 500 years when we first came to this land now are lucky to survive for a hundred years in the city. Most die from a disease, fungus carried by saws and clogged pores. We are as sick as the distance we live from nature's green belts, compounded by the trail of our toxic exhaust

    Like wise I

  • Bowling alone...

  • Funny how quick people think about Facebook when the talk is about friends.

  • Does it mean that if get fat Facebook friends you will get fat too?

    How about other diseases and addictions? Do they spread by text messages?

    How positive qualitys spread relatively to negative?

  • @vraciudude Take into account, the use of electronic communication, especially the use of texting as a substitute for personal interaction. The use of emoticons suddenly serves as a direct link to our emotions and how we feel about certain situations. It is as if we have neglected the need of personal communication and found a way to replace it by electronic communication. Facebook, texting, twitter, email etc all fall under this.

  • The intensity with which he speaks works against comprehension.

  • I have serious doubts about the example of people smiling in the NY subway. At least in Chile, where I live -hardly I could talk about other places-, if someone smiles you, you probably will return him a kind of WTF-expression. I tend to think that in the "modern society" that's the natural behaviour of a normal human being, not to smile.

  • @Ikar1  I agree. The more densely populated an area is, the less smiling and other courtesies occur. If you lived in New York and followed the policy of smiling at everyone you make eye contact with, you would be grinning all day like an idiot.

  • @trentschirmer  instead you have people sqrewing each other over like it was some kind of sport.....10 years and no-one can agree on what to build on the twin towers site....meanwhile Dubai has built a whole City.....i digress

  • @Ikar1 and if you see a clown on the street? like an art or acting student? It is supposed that there are some mirror-neurons (neuronas espejo) that throw the smile like a reflex.

  • @neoflyboy In that case I smile because he looks funny or the show is actually good, not for a kind of neuronal reflex from his own laugh. Is not the same if an unknown guy smiles you in the subway.

  • @Ikar1 perhaps the barrier of feeling personal threaten should be solved before all the mirror neurons enter the game. If you smile in front of a baby it smiles as far as I tested. It detects eyes+your teeth and reflects. There is a video in youtube called "monkey see monkey do" that explains it. If I say in my office, family or friends "I want to tell you something... " while smiling and self interrupting me they do return a smile. Of course that the stress inhibits that.

  • @Ikar1 It's also natural for us to try to kill each other too. Try smiling. then you won't get bits of bone and brain on you.....

  • @chuckinator13 You are talking about "how sould it be", not "what it is". My point is that Christakis took an example that doesn't look to be very... realistic? I guess that the fact is that, in most countries today, nobody replies with a smile.

  • @Invaishir : omarly666 He does have a point though.

    I'd disagree that aggression and violence cuts ties especially where politics, religion and business are involved but I'm not trying to twist his words. You could replace the word "obesity" with any word, say "bigot", and the results, I reckon, would be very similar. His argument is positive if not a bit simplistic. Maybe he should have had more time. He seems a bit rushed.

  • @bavwill He's right though in one sense about getting connected. It creates more options, helps to expand people's awareness of things and softens some people's fear of different lifestyles.

  • SCREAM AT A CROWD FOR 18 MINUTES

  • @roidroid

    Scream about things I thought everyone allrdy  was consious about.

  • @freshhug actually, there's a difference whether you think you know something, or you made a study and know something to the extent the study covers)

  • @besionishe

    Yeah.., you can proove it to others. But in the word "think" as YOU put it here I incorporate having proof for your own self.

  • @roidroid What an ignorant comment. He may not be the best presenter, but he's talking about something important and interesting. Thanks TED talks.

  • great conclusions, I thought it was going to be some bs talk about social networks on the internet, but was very surprised. good stuff

  • Horse piss doctor? :-(

  • So when I get a boner, do all my friends get proxy boners?

  • @robotpanda77 what friends?

  • @robotpanda77 depends what kinda friends they are

  • Is it me or does this guy talk/sound like Bill Gates?

  • u r what u eat + some history. about time the us citizens get this basic facts. it's a wonder 2 me that this guy get aha-experience when thinking we r all connected???????

    too big ego's + religious nonsense makes ppl in same class as coke-addicted.

    get real and wake up

  • @omarly666 It helps to type in a coherent way, especially when you want people to "get real and wake up."

  • ha ha, everything you do affects others, so how can we not be connected?

  • @cryptoprocta finally something that actually makes sense

  • This guy's right. More social connections are a good thing. I saw a study that said people with more close friends live longer and happier. I used to live in the US and its difficult to meet people there: people look at you like you're crazy if you dont know them and start talking to them. I live in Europe now and its a lot easier to make new friends here.

  • very good lecture thumbs up

  • Very insightful...love it. It kind of relates to what Dr. Wayne Dyer says about people and their relationships with others...viewing oneself as part of a whole...or "higher network" if you will.

  • Very insightful...love it. It kind of relates to what Dr. Wayne Dyer says about people and their relationships with others...viewing oneself as part of a whole...or "higher network" if you will.

  • I've always regarded fat people with a degree of contempt

  • hey, anyone else fear that this brilliant and sincere and eloquent man is far too credulous?

    ---social networks are not for the betterment of butterflies. even arsebook is TOTALLY out of control already.

    ---networks *should* foster the values that govern the choices within it, being

    the values of the designers of the networks, which are not butterflycentric, they're data-as-coinage centric.

    --- social networks are primarily data-gathering games with cute interfaces to amuse the chimps.

  • The strength of each connection I feel is something that was not covered in these models and in this methodology. I feel this is essentially important.

  • excellent video! great speech. the world does need more connections, and unless some global catastrophe happens, global interconnection will inevitably proceed.

  • This guy is doing interesting work, but he thinks categorically,not mechanistically or creatively and is not that insightful. He must be an MD.

  • This whole thing thing seems like bullshit. Although i hold to his conclusions he can't seem to justify them, the closest he gets is by odd analogies. But analogies don't justify.

  • That time limit that they're bound to sucks. I would always like to hear more from these ppl and it looks like they're willing to tell more, but due to the time constraints, wrap it up in a hurry.

  • @kickit246 I wish there were question and answer periods,

  • what is it with this guy? or worse what's is it with the audience not standing up and leaving. Its all about the bucks. People with money hang out with people with money. That's it.

  • this man makes me hate white people.  and I'm 100% white!

  • he was how old before he realised the interconnectess of things? oh dear

  • "muffins and beer" xD

  • @ponygutz I literally just had that yesterday and the day before lol. I got a good laugh when he said that

  • He's describing the infrastructure of memes.

  • @kokopelli314 fucking retards think "memes" are a new concept.

  • @victor1eremita lol, what's your problem?

  • Hehe...., amazing stuff...

    worth thinking about.

  • Stating the obvious while speaking in abstractions.

  • thats a nice orgy of balls those connections show. sweet.

  • See Rupert Sheldrake's Morphogenetic Fields. They behave very much like these social networks Nicholas describes.

  • What's best?, have friends that all know each other or friends that dont?, i envy people with friends that know each other but i think that just 'the grass is greener' thing.

  • Great talk except for the conclusion.

    Networks are definately extremely powerful but it should be obvious they are a mixed blessing.

  • I don't like these talks that just give you a bunch of useless information. "If your friends are fat you're more likely to be fat." Well, if you don't care about your body and eat a load of shit then you'll be fat.

  • @shynic I think he was speaking a little loud because he was nervous to present but excited about the ideas he was presenting. Nothing wrong with that. Do you rather have people with good ideas that aren't the best speakers not speak at all? Surely you don't.

  • @Da1NOnlyTrueDaniel

    Actually, thats how he lectures in class...

  • Everyone should watch this video!

  • A wicked game of follow the leader

  • This was by a Persian poet back in 12 Century: Human beings are members of a whole, In creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, Other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, The name of human you cannot retain

  • @mohamino that is a brilliant poem that sums this lecture up!

  • @mohamino i believe the poet's name is jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī :D

  • @DoNAKA420 Rumi is also great, this poem is by Saadi. Another translation of it is:

    "Of one Essence is the human race,

    thus has Creation put the Base;

    One Limb impacted is sufficient,

    For all Others to feel the Mace."

  • @mohamino thats really nice; do you know the name of the poet?

  • @alSation81 His name is Saadi

  • Well, despite all the people talking shit about this video, I kinda liked it. And I'm definitely the guy that doesn't like his friends to know each other..

  • yes... connections are important... and yes, smoking is unhealthy..

  • Lets all hug and sing kumbayah.

  • not the best ted talk...

  • couldnt watch it on ted, searched it up on youtube, BAM, here it is

  • I usually listen to these while I'm checking facebook

  • @iAMsoBEAST1 Facebook is a parody of a social network, a friend on facebook compared to one in real life is what masturbating is to sex.

  • @vraciudude Lol I posted that before I had even listened to the video. Very misleading title. I though it was going to be about online social networks. My bad

  • @iAMsoBEAST1 sorry for the sass, most people i know are blue dots ;)

  • @vraciudude then a friend in facebook is better than a friend in real life?

  • @Shalek I failed with my message, but i think ppl, will get the point. I noticed it after you pointed it out. Damn you alcohol !

  • @vraciudude

    What if your partner is rubbish in bed?!!

  • @vraciudude

    It is unfortunate that I cannot fully appreciate that analogy.

  • @vraciudude my family is a masturbation? :(

  • @vraciudude So, much better then :)?

  • @vraciudude If you use facebook right... nearly all your friends on FB should be friends you actually have in real life.

  • @vraciudude going to make a shirt, facebook is to life as masturbating is to sex.

  • @vraciudude funny, most of the people in my facebook were or still are REAL friends

    in a real life. thats why there is 200 not 2000

  • Jim Carrey would do a great parody of this

  • For those interested in more entertaining forms of this philosophy abd theory I recomend The Religion War, and God's Debris by Scott Adams.

  • @TheLogicJunkie

    wow you might want to be a little less histerical about this.

    nobody is pointing a gun at your head to sign up on a social network. you can still use a phone, or write a letter. but since you have that kind of paranoia, you should better stop socializing.

    even youtube says on costumer support page: DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET.

  • I think he left out a VERY IMPORTANT VARIABLE:

    Social Network ACTIVITY and PARTICIPATION

    I have hundreds of friends and I am never on there so my data would be a false flag

  • I keep my friends separate.

    Maintaining friendships takes effort and people within a single group provide the same benefits, people from different groups can provide a grater range of benefits.

  • this is a cluster fuck... haha jk jk...

  • he yells alot =,(

  • nothing new here, really. 'It's the network, stupid', that's the message of the decade.

  • I didn't think he ended that very well. It was interesting though, but nothing new really. Either way, I don't think we will ever really understand all these connections because there are just too many. You might meet someone once or see someone on the tv and they could influence you more than your friends.

  • even more connections? holy shit

  • we r the borg :D

  • omg wow this video is awesome :)

  • Social networks are "good"??? Bullshit.

    Pick up a copy of Russ Baker's "Family of Secrets", and find out just how the Bush-Yale-CIA uberclique has used its social network system as a covert doomsday weapon over the past century, to completely ravage the USA and the world.

    Social networks are WEAPONS, and nothing more.

  • @TheLogicJunkie I advise you to pick up a copy of any Alan Watts book to reduce the apparent paranoia. You could be into conspiracies and not be paranoid, which would be fine...I would recommend Robert Anton Wilson if that's the case.  Peace

  • @armenianweirdo @TheLogicJunkie go with Watt.

  • @armenianweirdo Why must one be paranoid when they question rather than openly accepting what they've been told. It's okay to question and to think differently.

  • @staindstreams I guess I should have said anxiety instead of paranoia. Alan Watts definitely questions what I've been told though. He gives us "Westerners" an easy to understand version of Eastern philosophy if you're interested. Sorry if I sounded negative before.

  • Comment removed

  • OK, on the induction argument, Nicholas here mentions a person's diet being affected by being around fat people (making more fat people)... what makes it work in one direction only (if that's the case), in which only fat people influence other body types? Couldn't a fit person influence the fat person if the inverse is true, and if not why? This just seems strange to me to blame people getting fat for being around other fat people but not people getting fit for being around other fit people...

  • [Continued] Also, considering the technological boom from the industrial revolution replacing many forms of old physical work (like walking for travel..) as well as increased production of food... isn't a fat society in which work is done by something else and we just sit back and enjoy our technology (thinking Wall-E ^.^) what we're building towards? Just seems sorta inevitable.

  • @Truthiness231

    If you are around more fat people you are more likely to pick up their habits. If you are around fit people you will pick up those peoples habits.

  • Social networks are for people who aren't cool enough to entertain themselves.

  • Da ,, how about " Food Quality " ?

  • I prefer lecturers who don't need to shout to reinforce their ideas.

    I think he has just spread tons of anxiety throughout the TED social network!

  • @shyic He sounds like he wanted to finish the speech as fast as he could.

  • @doedicurus

    the speakers see really big red digits showing the remaining time in a countown. looks a bit like a bomb from a really cheap movie implanted in the floor.

  • @shyic he's from new york. they shout all the time, without realising it.

  • @pimpolinka69 or without thinking.

  • I think people are getting fatter cause they are getting more and more depressed.

  • @WickedMo13 I think it's sugar.

  • @BaileysBeads And i think it's mainly abundance of food without necessity for the individual to hunt/farm it. The people who grow fat nowadays based on their metabolism (genes) could conceivably have had an advantage in the times of scarce food supply.

  • @BaileysBeads

    While sugar sure is a contributing factor, it's not really a weight gainer. Plain simple fat is the most contributing factor. Or, actually, it's not that simple. But discoveries made some hundreds years ago resulted in the invention of trans fat, it's the worst type of fat, and it is used in almost all types of foods because of its durability and low cost. It's used in amounts of 5-50%, it variates even within packages because it is used to reach a desired consistency.

  • @fuunguus Actually, increases in sugar and processed simple carbohydrates are higly correlated with the surge in obesity.

  • @fuunguus well I mean any basic anatomy class will tell you that sugars + inactivity = fat. That's just how glucose storing works. But I will agree that trans fat is super nasty stuff.

  • @WickedMo13 I think it's the growth of processed, fattening and unhealthy food.

  • @WickedMo13 or maybe they are getting more depressed cause they are getting fatter?

  • People seem to be connected quite a bit already. People with ideas however. That's a scarcity.

  • Correlation does not necessarily imply causality.

  • @liberationn15

    I caught that mistake as well, particularly when discussing the correlations regarding obesity. The weight of a friend can have absolutely no bearing upon a relationship, let alone the weight of a second-tier friend of theirs. Social relationships can exist on the internet wherein two or more parties can have no idea what the others' physical status is, or even what they look like.

  • @harleynanda Obesity comes into play in the social realm of appearances. All animals that rely on eyes are visual learners, humans are no exception. Main thing is beings tend to group likewise characteristics together. Does not mean the beings with likewise character is not entirely the same person as the other. It's like looking at an orange and a rubber ball (orange as well.) Just because they look the same does not mean they have the same qualities and characteristics as another.

  • @XaneCrazy Forgive me Zane, but I am not quite following what you are saying. Perhaps you could restate your point, and whether it is in relation to my comment to liberationn15, wherein we were both citing the speaker's use of correlates regarding his data on obesity. Am I correct in interpreting your statement to be outside of that context?

  • @harleynanda It's spelled Xane, if you weren't aware. The rambling point I was referring to is the correlation between one another face to face. And fat/obese are not naturally as healthy in the main perception people tend to group with (or comparing to the norms of their society.) So there is variances in relationships with those bigger people then an average type person. As well as affecting their attitudes on how they converse with others. As attitudes are rationality and thought process.

  • @XaneCrazy (1/2) I agree that social norms can tend to impose some selective criteria for associations, particularly within certain groups (such as age groups), but such information is only relative to influence upon data distribution within a given sample. You may determine where obesity tends to occur within the population from this data, but the presenter is instead concluding a general axiom that 'because a friend of a friend is obese, it therefore increases your ...

  • (2/2 cont'd) ...risk of obesity by a given percentage', which is conjecture. His data indicates an observed distribution trend based upon associations, not a causal relation. He is therefore inferring a conclusion from implication, a misinterpretation of what the data actually measures. However, he is trying to (enthusiastically) present five years of research in twenty minutes, and presentation errors can occur. (My apologies for misspelling your name, by the way).

  • ...and further...

    The above should read 'misrepresentation', not 'misinterpretation'. (...and so I provide my own example of errors committed. lol )

  • @harleynanda Well I as far as I'm aware the environment they're exposed to greatly affects how their pattern of thinking and/or analytical skills function. (environment in whom and what perspective)

    Also I appreciate you being one of few to actually converse on such topics to engross ourselves on.