Experts Matter. Find Yours.

Connect for media, speaking, professional opportunities & more.

New iPhone X Announcement Sparks Talk of Smartphone Use and Addiction - Baylor Experts Can Weigh In featured image

New iPhone X Announcement Sparks Talk of Smartphone Use and Addiction - Baylor Experts Can Weigh In

James A. Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing, and Meredith David, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, in Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business, actively research the effects of smartphones on consumers. Their findings regarding "phubbing" -- phone snubbing -- and how that practice can damage relationship and lead to depression have garnered national and international attention. Building on their "phubbing" research and the damage it does to relationship, they more recently found that the circle nearly completes itself as the offended parties frequently jump online to find affirmation in the likes and shares and positive comments of social media. “Although the stated purpose of technology like smartphones is to help us connect with others, in this particular instance, it does not,” David said. “Ironically, the very technology that was designed to bring humans closer together has isolated us from these very same people.” Roberts authored the book “Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?” Source:

Meredith David, Ph.D. profile photoJames A. Roberts, Ph.D. profile photo
1 min. read
People who are “phone snubbed” by others often turn to their own phones, social media for acceptance, Baylor study finds featured image

People who are “phone snubbed” by others often turn to their own phones, social media for acceptance, Baylor study finds

People who are phone snubbed – or “phubbed” – by others are, themselves, often turning to their smartphones and social media to find acceptance, according to new research from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Building on their earlier study that phubbing can damage relationships and lead to depression, researchers Meredith David, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, and James A. Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing, have found that the circle nearly completes itself as the offended parties frequently jump online to find affirmation in the likes and shares and positive comments of social media. Their study, “Phubbed and Alone: Phone Snubbing, Social Exclusion, and Attachment to Social Media,” is published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. The research investigates the relationship between phubbing, social media attachment, depression, anxiety and stress. “When an individual is phubbed, he/she feels socially excluded, which leads to an increased need for attention. Instead of turning to face-to-face interaction to restore a sense of inclusion, study participants turned to social media to regain a sense of belonging,” said David, lead author of the study. “Being phubbed was also found to undermine an individual’s psychological well-being. Phubbed individuals reported higher levels of stress and depression.” “We’re looking online for what we’re not getting offline,” Roberts said. “It’s a vicious cycle.” As part of their research, David and Roberts surveyed more than 330 people across two studies. They found: * Nearly half of those who were phubbed reported spending more than 1.5 hours on their phone each day. In addition, one-quarter of those phubbed reported spending more than 90 minutes per day on social media sites. * More than one-third of phubbed individuals indicated that they turn to social media to interact with new people. * More than half of individuals who said they were phubbed indicated that social media enhances their life and makes their life better. The majority reported that people’s comments on their social media posts makes them feel affirmed and more accepted. “Although the stated purpose of technology like smartphones is to help us connect with others, in this particular instance, it does not,” David said. “Ironically, the very technology that was designed to bring humans closer together has isolated us from these very same people.” Source:

Meredith David, Ph.D. profile photoJames A. Roberts, Ph.D. profile photo
2 min. read
Q&A: Baylor Professor and Author Talks about ‘Living with the Living Dead’ featured image

Q&A: Baylor Professor and Author Talks about ‘Living with the Living Dead’

Quick, before it’s too late! May is Zombie Awareness Month — so it’s high time for people to prepare for a zombie pandemic. But that’s more than a heads-up for those who are passionate about zombies. Those who yawn at the notion of zombies also have reason to take notice, suggests pop culture critic Greg Garrett, Ph.D., of Baylor University. To answer the question of “Why should we care?” when it comes to zombies, he advises looking deep inside ourselves. Garrett is author of the new book “Living with the Living Dead: The Wisdom of the Zombie Apocalypse” — one of three trade books featured in the United States for 2017 by Oxford University Press, one of the world’s largest academic publishers. Garrett, professor of English in Baylor’s College of Arts & Science, shared some of his thoughts about zombies past, present and future in this Q&A Source:

Greg Garrett, Ph.D. profile photo
1 min. read
It's up to us to make America healthy again featured image

It's up to us to make America healthy again

Health care costs continue to rise in the U.S. despite a number of approaches in government policy and the marketplace to control them during the last decade. One of the main reasons is due to the increase in unhealthy trends among our population such as chronic diseases. As the saying goes, 'Prevention is better than cure.' Instead of trying to figure out how we pay for "sick care," we should focus more on preventing it in the first place by making a conscious effort to take care of our own health and trying to achieve the six "normals.” Coined by Cleveland Clinic, this involves having normal measures in these six areas: (1) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol at Source:

1 min. read
Is Verizon just playing catch-up to Canada with it's Yahoo acquisition? IDC's Lawrence Surtees available for comment featured image

Is Verizon just playing catch-up to Canada with it's Yahoo acquisition? IDC's Lawrence Surtees available for comment

Yahoo’s latest acquisition is all about digital content, but is unlikely to affect Canada anytime soon, says IDC Canada telecom analyst Lawrence Surtees. “When I looked at the deal that Verizon did a year ago with AOL, and the executive rationale, I kind of smiled to myself and said, ‘it’s almost like Verizon is taking a page out of BCE’s playbook in Canada,'” Surtees says. “We’ve been doing this for two decades… and they’re just starting to go down this route now... “It’s the tail wagging the dog,” Surtees says. “I would argue that Verizon’s following us." Click the photo above, or check out Lawrence's profile for more information and to contact him for a quote: http://expertfile.com/experts/lawrence.surtees Source:

1 min. read
Humber Experts Available to Comment on Future of the National Anthem featured image

Humber Experts Available to Comment on Future of the National Anthem

Professors Bingham and Buote are available to discuss the history and future of Canada's National Anthem. Source:

Richard Bingham, M.A. profile photoWanda Buote, M.B.A. profile photo
1 min. read