If a Social Media Post Has Any of These Ten Features, It’s Probably Clickbait

New research identified 10 key features of clickbait journalism on social media and compared its use between digital-native news media and legacy news media outlets. The study confirmed that digital-native media outlets are much more likely to use clickbait, and that it really does drive engagement in the form of likes and reposts, but may accelerate a decline in media trust.

AI and Our Next Evolution

Social scientists across Letters and Science are studying AI to answer questions about people and society and to develop technologies that may drive our future. This work touches nearly every part of daily life, from health to education to the way we communicate with each other. Their work shows that at this point in history, AI and human society are inextricably intertwined.

Understanding How Students Learn Through Virtual Reality

A UC Davis research team in the Department of Communication is studying how children learn in a virtual reality environment. They recently opened this research to public participation at the Museum of Science and Curiosity, or MOSAC, in Sacramento, where undergraduate research assistants played a key role in making this research possible.