Insight | Page 10 of 15 | Pierce Mattie

21st Century Technology That Fashionably Strains the Brain

Forty years after the invention of the cellular telephone, technological advances continue to allow people to do things that, these days, strain the brains of their older siblings, not to mention those of parents or grandparents. And many of the newest high-tech developments include wearable items, some promising the capability of being directly applied to one’s body. Which leaves practically no form of technological breakthrough beyond the realm of possibility.

Coming to Your Skincare Regimen…Probiotics?

Relatively recent research suggests the strain of bacterium could abet acne flareups or other breakouts too. Great news for those with erratic skin.

Niche Food Marketing Is More About the Message than the Menu

With more and more people determined to keep to dietary restrictions, it makes business sense for stores and restaurants to do whatever it takes to meet those needs. Restaurants, in particular, can’t simply rely on atmosphere or speed of service to keep their customers. Now more than ever, it’s critically important for foodies to pay attention to the message they’re sending as much as to the products they’re selling.

Digital Mavericks Using Social Media to Change Our Lives

The leaps and bounds taking place in social media amount to more than graduated upgrades. And the people driving the changes are no longer referred to as movers and shakers. According to Details magazine, the new social players are known as “digital mavericks” because what they bring to the technological table promises to change the way we live and interact on a daily basis.

Color It Marketable

It’s not brand new information that colors easily stir up subconscious feelings, some troubling, others completely pleasant. Savvy retailers bank on this emotional correlation along the spectrum of Roy G. Biv to attract shoppers and encourage the opening of pockets and swiping of credit cards.

Are More and More People Turning Away from Pharmaceuticals?

Most people have been through enough cycles of common illnesses to know which remedies should ease their symptoms. And the amount of available medical knowledge online makes treatments like home remedies seem a better alternative to prescription or even over-the-counter drugs. Except when they aren’t. Have more and more people lost faith in using pharmaceuticals? Or is the home remedy movement destined to die out?

Do Celebrities Want to Change Your Morés, or Line Their Pockets?

Are rule-breaking celebrities – like those defiantly under-clad women at the 2013 Grammys — just drumming up publicity by upholding the entertainer’s privilege of behaving badly? Or is there a deeper motive at play, like hoping to influence a significant shift in ordinary Americans’ morés? If so, how will celebrities’ actions affect their overall standing with the public?

African Textiles Make Their Way onto the Fashion Runway

African textiles have long demonstrated a unique artisanship and not-easily-replicated patterns, varying throughout the years in reflection of the continent’s rich but vacillating history of turmoil and peace.

Will the EU’s Ban on Animal Testing Affect the U.S. Market?

The recent European Union decision to ban imports of all animal tested cosmetics has the rest of the world wondering whether other major players – including the U.S. – will follow suit. Is it only a matter of time before the ban catches on in those countries? Or will it take a serious impact on sales to convince the pair of economic heavyweights to see the light?

Celebrities Use the Old Song-and-Dance to Pitch Cleaner Products

Products that “sell themselves” rarely need anyone to know that a famous person likes them, too. Can celebrity endorsements of products help to mitigate a lack of scientific evidence? Or are there other factors at work that have the effect of popularizing products of little or questionable value?