Who influence the music tastes of adolescents? A study on interpersonal influence in social networks

Research on music information behavior demonstrates that people rely primarily on others to discover new music. This paper reports on a qualitative study aiming at exploring more in-depth how music information circulates within the social networks of late adolescents and the role the different people involved in the process play. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 adolescents (15-17 years old). The analysis revealed that music opinion leaders showed eagerness to share music information, tended to seek music information on an ongoing basis, and were perceived as being more knowledgeable than others in music. It was found that the ties that connected participants to opinion leaders were predominantly strong ties, which suggests that trustworthiness is an important component of credibility. These findings could potentially help identify new avenues for the improvement of music recommender systems.Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC) du Québe

Digitizing musical scores : challenges and opportunities for libraries

Musical scores and manuscripts are essential resources for music theory research. Although many libraries are such documents from their collections, these online resources are dispersed and the functionalities for exploiting their content remain limited. In this paper, we present a qualitative study based on interviews with librarians on the challenges libraries of all types face when they wish to digitize musical scores. In the light of a literature review on the role libraries can play in supporting digital humanities research, we conclude by briefly discussing the opportunities new technologies for optical music recognition and computer-aided music analysis could create for libraries

The utilitarian and hedonic outcomes of music information seeking in everyday life

This qualitative study focuses on what contributes to making a music information-seeking experience satisfying in the context of everyday life. Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted with 15 younger adults (18 to 29 years old). The analysis revealed that satisfaction could depend on both hedonic (i.e., experiencing pleasure) and utilitarian outcomes. It was found that two types of utilitarian outcomes contributed to satisfaction: (1) the acquisition of music, and (2) the acquisition of information about music. Information about music was gathered to (1) enrich the listening experience, (2) increase one's music knowledge, and/or (3) optimize future acquisition. This study contributes to a better understanding of music information-seeking behavior in recreational contexts. It also has implications for music information retrieval systems design: results suggest that these systems should be engaging, include a wealth of extra-musical information, allow users to navigate among music items, and encourage serendipitous encountering of music.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Andrew W. Mellon Foundatio

Oversexualisation, romantic attachment, and intimacy

Abstract : The present study examined romantic attachment and intimacy as correlates of oversexualized behaviours and attitudes among emerging adults. A sample of 587 participants (494 women, 93 men) aged between 18 and 29 completed a series of online questionnaires assessing oversexualisation, romantic attachment, and intimacy. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to explore the associations between these variables and examine the moderating role of sex. Results revealed that attachment-related anxiety was associated with overinvestment in sexual appearance, sexual objectification, and performance-based sexuality. This last association was stronger for men than for women. Attachment-related avoidance was associated with seduction and lower meaningfulness of sexuality. In addition, while sexualized language was related to a better perception of emotional, social, sexual, and recreational intimacy, meaningfulness of sexuality was positively related to all dimensions of intimacy. Conversely, sexual objectification was related to lower recreational intimacy, seductive attitude was related to lower emotional intimacy, and overinvestment in one’s sexualized appearance was related to lower sexual intimacy. For men only, overinvestment in sexualized appearance was also related to higher perceived social intimacy Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed

Illusions of a ‘Bond’: Tagging Cultural Products across Online Platforms

Structured Abstract Purpose Most studies pertaining to social tagging focus on one platform or platform type, thus limiting the scope of their findings. This study explores social tagging practices across four platforms in relation to cultural products associated with the book Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. Design/methodology/approach A layered and nested case study approach was used to analyze data from four online platforms: Goodreads, Last.fm, WordPress, and public library social discovery platforms. The top-level case study focuses on the book Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming, and its derivative products. The analysis of tagging practices in each of the four online platforms is nested within the top-level case study. ‘Casino Royale’ was conceptualized as a cultural product (the book), its derived products (e.g., movies, theme songs), as well as a keyword in blogs. A qualitative, inductive, and context-specific approach was chosen to identify commonalities in tagging practices across platforms whilst taking into account the uniqueness of each platform. Findings The four platforms comprise different communities of users, each platform with its own cultural norms and tagging practices. Traditional access points in the library catalogues focused on the subject, location, and fictitious characters of the book. User-generated content across the four platforms emphasized historical events and periods related to the book, and highlighted more subjective access points, such as recommendations, tone, mood, reaction, and reading experience. Revealing shifts occur in the tags between the original book and its cultural derivatives: Goodreads and library catalogues focus almost exclusively on the book, while Last.fm and WordPress make additional cross-references to a wider range of different cultural products, including books, movies, and music. The analyses also yield apparent similarities in certain platforms, such as recurring terms, phrasing and composite or multifaceted tags, as well as a strong presence of genre-related terms for the book and music. Originality/value The layered and nested case study approach presents a more comprehensive theoretical viewpoint and methodological framework by which to explore the study of user-generated metadata pertaining to a range of related cultural products across a variety of online platforms

Snow Buntings Maintain Winter-Level Cold Endurance While Migrating to the High Arctic

Arctic breeding songbirds migrate early in the spring and can face winter environments requiring cold endurance throughout their journey. One such species, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), is known for its significant thermogenic capacity. Empirical studies suggest that buntings can indeed maintain winter cold acclimatization into the migratory and breeding phenotypes when kept captive on their wintering grounds. This capacity could be advantageous not only for migrating in a cold environment, but also for facing unpredictable Arctic weather on arrival and during preparation for breeding. However, migration also typically leads to declines in the sizes of several body components linked to metabolic performance. As such, buntings could also experience some loss of cold endurance as they migrate. Here, we aimed to determine whether free-living snow buntings maintain a cold acclimatized phenotype during spring migration. Using a multi-year dataset, we compared body composition (body mass, fat stores, and pectoralis muscle thickness), oxygen carrying capacity (hematocrit) and metabolic performance (thermogenic capacity – Msum and maintenance energy expenditure – BMR) of birds captured on their wintering grounds (January–February, Rimouski, QC, 48°N) and during pre-breeding (April–May) in the Arctic (Alert, NU, 82°). Our results show that body mass, fat stores and Msum were similar between the two stages, while hematocrit and pectoralis muscle thickness were lower in pre-breeding birds than in wintering individuals. These results suggest that although tissue degradation during migration may affect flight muscle size, buntings are able to maintain cold endurance (i.e., Msum) up to their Arctic breeding grounds. However, BMR was higher during pre-breeding than during winter, suggesting higher maintenance costs in the Arctic

No. 7 - The Future of International Trade: An American Perspective

Organized and sponsored by the Dean Rusk Center for International Law and Policy and the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, along with the Business Law Society and Graduate Business Association, The Future of International Trade was a daylong conference exploring issues related to the business aspects of international trade, future challenges for trade, and the future of multilateral trade negotiations. Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, deputy U.S. trade representative, served as the keynote speaker for the event

Les jeunes adultes à la découverte de nouvelles musiques : quel rôle pour les bibliothèques publiques ?

Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude sur les stratégies qu’utilisent les jeunes adultes pour découvrir de nouvelles musiques. Des entrevues ont été réalisées avec 15 adultes de la région de Montréal, âgés de 18 à 29 ans. L’analyse a révélé que, pour faire des découvertes, les participants comptent principalement sur : 1) leur cercle social ; 2) les ressources du Web ; et 3) les magasins de disques. Ils font preuve d’une confiance limitée envers les experts et considèrent la recherche de musique comme une activité de loisir. Des suggestions sont données quant à la façon de tirer profit de ces résultats pour améliorer les services offerts en bibliothèque publique.This article presents the results of a study of the strategies used by young adults in their quest for new music. Interviews were conducted with 15 Montréal-area adults, aged 18 to 29 years. The analysis shows that, in order to find new music, the participants relied mainly on: 1) their social circle, 2) the resources available on the Web, and 3) record stores. Their confidence in the experts is limited and they consider the search for music as a leisure activity. With these results in hand, suggestions are made improve the services offered by the public library.Este artículo presenta los resultados de un estudio sobre las estrategias que utilizan los adultos jóvenes para descubrir nuevas expresiones musicales. Se han realizado entrevistas con 15 adultos de la región de Montreal, de entre 18 y 29 años de edad. El análisis ha revelado que, para realizar la búsqueda, los participantes cuentan principalmente con: 1) su círculo social; 2) los recursos de la Web; y 3) las tiendas de discos. Demuestran una confianza limitada frente a los expertos y consideran la búsqueda musical como una actividad recreativa. Se plantean sugerencias en cuanto a la manera de aprovechar estos resultados para mejorar los servicios que la biblioteca pública ofrece