Sample lease termination notice

I am preparing to work with some HD Visium samples by practicing with available datasets, and I noticed on the 10x Genomics Loupe browser feature there are two ways of clustering each barcode, K Means and Graph-Based. What are the advantages of one over the other? Additionally, there is the option of picking from 1-10 clusters for K means. What is the advantage of using fewer clusters? How do I know whether to pick between 7 or 9 or any other number? Finally, for K Means, are there always between 1-10 clusters or does it depend on the specific data set and the variability between barcodes in a sample?

I entered into a 6 month Short Assured Tenancy in 2008. I'm now trying to work out how much notice I would need to give my landlord to move out.
Clause 1 states "For the avoidance of doubt this Offer for Lease or any agreed continuation thereof will be terminated by either part giving two months written notice for termination to take place on or after the expiry of the six month period mentioned herein."
That seems straightforward but I'm confused by Clause 35 "The tenant shall give written notice to the Landlord no later than two calendar months prior to the end date. In the event that the Tenant fails to give such written notice, the tenancy will continue for a further period equal in length to the original period."
Does that mean that every 6 months my tenancy automatically renews for another 6 months? Can I only give 2 months notice when the 6 month period is coming to an end? Or can I just give 2 months notice at any time?
I've never signed anything since this original 6 month short assured in 2008.
If you can decipher it and give me any advice I'd be extremely grateful. Thanks

Please forgive my rambles, looking for some advice or solidarity.
My dad passed away in December. We were very close and it was out of the blue, it was very rough. Still dealing with the aftermath with my stepmom. I work as a finance professional and have for 20 years. My current job is basically my dream job and sector, finally making the salary I deserve and everyone is great, and I feel like I'm failing. I don't feel like myself - I'm not nearly as sharp so I miss mistakes or I make them, I'm more scatterbrained, major imposter syndrome which never was a big issue for me. This has been noticed by my manager and the exec that oversees our department - mistakes, attention to detail lacking. I work from home most of the time and they made a comment about how it doesn't seem like I'm working full days because there have been times where I shut off my notifications by accident and didn't respond to them until a couple of hours later. Even though I was told at hiring that they don't micromanage and expect me to manage my time. And one of those times I genuinely didn't feel well and laid down early (4pm). They're dissatisfaction is palpable, but it's also not the kind of place where they give you praise. I'm not on a PIP but I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
And they have every right MOSTLY to be dissatisifed, except for the fact that when I started I basically received no training and the outgoing person stayed on freelance to train me due to an executive shakeup. It turns out that in some things she trained me in the incorrect way. I found out later that she had performance issues. Then shortly after my boss moved up and a peer took her place. Because of the transition still ongoing I have very little direction or guidance and their response is "just ask for it". I have to chase after them and they are in back to back meetings every day. We have a very complex structure so the learning curve has been huge. One of the main reasons I took this job was to work under someone with more experience and to learn, I've always been kind of solo at smaller businesses.
Anyone have this experience? Will it ever end? Is it the grief or something else? I'm trying so hard and I just keep missing something. I have acknowledged the issues with my managers and committed to doing better. I just found out that one of my lifelong friends is terminal, will I ever work normally again?

Sorry for the massive amount of text, If you don't want to read any background I wrote a TLDR below that just contains my thoughts on what I think I have and some pictures of my scalp.
Hello, I've been balding for about 9 years now, when it first started happening my doctor told me it was probably MPB so I shaved my head down when about my life, I noticed I often had a lot of redness on my scalp but thought it was just my skin (I do have a natural redish tone to my skin). Recently I decided I wanted to see what it would look like if I grew out my hair since my head is shaped like E.T, I started using ketoconazole 2% for a few weeks and noticed my hair got much darker and fuller after a few weeks, I added on 1mg/day (it's been a month now) to see what kind of gains and I have been having some decent regrowth even in places where I was previously completely bald. While I've been regrowing my hair I paid more attention to the redness on my scalp and how it was located near the thicker areas of my scalp, it seemed like the skin on my scalp started 'thinning' if that makes sense, it almost looked like like the redness is almost eating up the areas of my scalp that have hair, and in the areas that no longer have thicker scalp the hair is still there but it doesn't seem to grow at all, it will stay a follical with a little black dot in it or a tiny white hair growing out (recently some of these turned into full terminal hairs).
There's also areas that look like that are "scarred" like this but it seems like the follicals inside the 'scar' are not scarred over or completely dead, the hair just doesn't grow in it. I've been getting some hair regrowth and it seems like it comes back in a 'wave' where the scalp will thicken, and the hair will start to grow, and then the hair beside it will start to grow and so on, but this regrown stops completelly when it gets to an area with redness.
I'm obviously going to see a dermatologist in a week (takes a while to get appointments here) but my dermatologist is very quick and doesn't seem to like actually getting to the bottom of things and will often dismiss things quickly, for example when I first asked him if anything looked off on my scalp he just looked at it quickly (from 2 ft away) and said "seems like male pattern balding, nothing else unusual", but I learned that typically this is something you'd diagnose with tools not from 2 ft away, so I'm hoping I can get some help figuring out what I might have ans what the right questions might be.
TLDR;
I personally am almost completely convinced I have tinea capitis, reason being:

1. The redness has gone down as I've used ketoconazole 2% in combination with selsun blue, prior to using them my entire crown had a red ring around it (near the areas where the scalp skin stops being thin)
2. I have odd regrowth that does not seem to be standard MPB regrowth, the hairs seem to come back thick (as opposed to thin regrowth expected with MPB after years of being bald in that spot) but some of the hairs look really weird and will spiral or have a shape like a question mark, or just stay a black dot within the follical and not come out (which seems typical of tinea capitis).
3. I've had ring worm in the past on other parts of my body but did thing it was related, it's been a while so I forget what I was prescribed but I did have a cream that seemed to help it go away.
4. Some of the hairs come out looking like they have some whiteish coat (see pictures below) which seems typical of tinea capitis.

I have some pictures below, please let me know if you think I might be way off on it being tinea capitis, and let me know if there are any questions you think I should ask my dermatologist (and what kind of tests I should take) because he is very unwilling to do anything outside the bare minimum unless I push.
Some ideas I have thought of that it could be :

• Discoid lupus Erythematosus.
• Dermatomyositis
• Demodex Folliculorum
• Psoriasis

Pictures
Redness all over scalp from 3 weeks ago prior to starting using ketoconazole 2% regularily (every other day)
Top view: https://i.imgur.com/ZIVzGUO.png
Front view: https://i.imgur.com/vpmX0o9.png
'Scarred' areas where the hair doesn't grow (or the hair there is very faint)
Example 1: pic 1
Example 2: pic 2
Example 3: pic 3
Example 4: pic 4
Scales coating the hairs (yellow arrow) with cigarette ash-shaped hairs
Example I found online**:** https://i.imgur.com/TiKBRtO.png
How my hairs look: https://i.imgur.com/xS6Acg4.jpeg
How my hairs look 2: https://i.imgur.com/Dut175R.jpeg
Closeup view: https://i.imgur.com/5j31Tkx.png
Comma hairs (purple arrow), corkscrew hairs (blue arrow), black dots (red arrow), zigzag hairs, and bar code or morse code hairs
Example I found online: https://i.imgur.com/KFaRvWh.png
Examples of how some of my hairs look like this 1: https://i.imgur.com/8CmrmLZ.jpeg
Examples of how some of my hairs look like this 2: https://i.imgur.com/9thacMc.jpeg
Examples of how some of my hairs look like this close up: https://i.imgur.com/hvnBSoY.png
Fungal melanonychia: Black dots may be due to dermatophytoma. In example pic (yellow arrow), orange-yellow color due to colonies of fungi (purple arrow)
Example I found online: https://i.imgur.com/OQr3Xs9.png
How my scalp looks: https://i.imgur.com/acZPruh.png
I also have some red bumps that I notice that either look like follicilitis or ingrown hairs, as well as a peristant redness on the bottom of where my hairs is on the back of my neck, I have tried antibacterial cream (benzoyl peroxide 5%) for 2 days and it did not seem to have any effect at all (I only used it here, no where else on my scalp, just to test it).
Back of neck redness closeup: https://i.imgur.com/WripV4b.png
Red bumps near follicals 1: https://i.imgur.com/bUGAdLq.jpeg
Red bumps near follicals 2: https://i.imgur.com/GxxuISp.jpeg
Red bumps near follicles 3: https://i.imgur.com/AA67WBr.jpeg

In 2009 I fell 5.5 vertical metres through a roof, landing in the centre of a run of timber stairs and then rolling down the stairs to the next landing. I spent 4 days in hospital and was then released having done damage to both my hips and crushing my L2, L3, L4 and C3, C4 vertebrae. I had my accident on Monday 22/12 and came out on 24/12, a Christmas miracle, walking as if nothing had happened. Late December, early January (not a good time for me, I fell off the slippery tracks of a digger on the back of a truck, about 1.7 metres flat on my back onto a road. I got back up and carried on working. A week later I started getting an aching in my right leg and foot. I also had a burning sensation in my right calf muscle.A week later and I was getting the same pains in my left leg, same burning sensation in the left leg. I also found it hard doing certain things, like lifting my legs to get into bed. I would have to lift each leg with my arms. Also, getting into a car. I would have to sit down and lift each leg with my hands and bring them into the car. Driving a truck was worse, like climbing the steps to get into my house. I would stand at the bottom of the steps, staring at the stairs/steps, trying to figure out how I was going to get up them. I went to my doctors clinic, seeing Dr #1. He sent me to have X-rays/mri and forwarded my name to a ‘specialist’. Specialist told me he didn’t really need to see me and going off my mri/X-ray I needed both hips replaced, my left one being the worse. He said I had osteo-arthritis. He apparently put me on the waiting list for hip replacement, recommending 1 hip, left hip first, at a time. While waiting, but still working (I have a small business with up to 6 employees scaffolding, supplying swing stages on the outside of hi-rise buildings, supplying access machines and the transport of same items. All symptoms continued but I also started getting a tingling sensation in both hands. Dr#2 asked me which fingers and I said I thought it was the whole hand. Dr#1 said it must be carpel tunnel and I must be getting it in the ring and little fingers only. Meanwhile Dr#2 does an examination and while having me, laying on my back, raising my legs, says that my weakness in ability to raise the legs did not support hip replacement send me off to see another specialist, his cousin. This specialist tells me that by the way I walked into his office he could tell I needed a hip replacement. Still on the waiting list, I carried on working. I notice now, whilst at rest or laying in my bed, I started getting spasms, these were mainly in my legs but could go so far as right up to my neck. Frustrated with this going no where and my loosing my ability to go for long walks with my wife, I book a double appointment, at the end of their day, with Dr#3, the senior doctor of the practise. He examined me and tells me ‘referred pain’ doesn’t normally go below the knee of the opposite leg, ie right leg if left hip is the problem hip. He checks out some books/journals and starts talking about pressure points in my neck and other places but winds up saying ‘if I want him to follow up on that, I’ll have to book another appointment. Mean time I get an appointment to see the anesthesiologist for the hip replacement, she tells me operation won’t proceed till I have my blood pressure down to the 140 range, it was 195. I go back to Dr#1 who puts me on a tablet to reduce my blood pressure. I should mention, I have also been on since pain started Morning - 2 panadol, 2 gabapentine, 1 celecoxib Lunchtime - 2 panadol, 2 gabapentin Night - 2 panadol, 2 gabapentine, 1 celecoxib, 1 magnesium. B/p still fluctuates between 148 and 190 and I seem to be on a treadmill to no-where. I went and visited my elderly mother in hospital yesterday but the walk to her room was extremely hard. I contacted my dr’s clinic and they told me the earliest I could be seen was ‘next Tuesday’. But, since I was at a hospital’ I decided to try for a difference of opinion there. I booked in to the a&e at 11:00am and waited. Blood pressure (195) was taken and blood samples. A doctor saw me at about 6:30pm and I spoke with him about my leg pains. I also mentioned hand and foot spasms and also the fact that I also had dizzy spells. He told me that I had osteo arthritis in my hips. I asked if this could be due to the fall I had in 2009 which he didn’t know about. He scrolled back through my records and instantly told me that my left hip had gotten worse. He said I should have discussions with my osteopath. I asked ‘which one’ and he said the one I have most confidence with. As they’re all trying to send me in for hip replacements, I don’t have confidence in any of them. I feel I have a pinched nerve that is giving me the majority of my complaints. I believe the damage they’re seeing to my hips is what happened in 2009 and they want to deal to that. I do no believe I have osteo arthritis (but I could be wrong). Please, is there anyone out there that can help me????

Navigating The Privacy Tightrope: User Concerns on Social Media Engagement

Name
Department
University
Email

Abstract
This study analyses consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, the factors influencing these concerns, and provides strategies for handling them. To achieve this objective, this paper provides feedback on two vital questions (What are the primary concerns of social media users regarding privacy? And What factors contribute to these concerns?) that guide this research. The paper uses qualitative analysis to obtain analyze data. Lastly, the paper provides suggestions for future research and solution
I. INTRODUCTION
In the current digitized world, many people are increasingly sharing their information with the public through social media. However, this act of sharing their details through electronic gadgets such as smartphones has and still increases the risk of privacy violations as people engage through social media. One of the events that significantly deepened consumer privacy concerns in the United States was the Cambridge Analytica data breach on Facebook half a decade ago, which affected many user accounts in the land. This data breach initiated the #deletefacebook movement across social networking sites culminating in many users reconsidering their connections with social media platforms about their trustworthiness, and potential for confidential issues. For one section of users, this meant signing out of these sites while the other section considered it as a chance to reset their confidential settings. According to Bright et al, user privacy concerns differ across sites in the user journey, and only a few sites are developed equally when it comes to user concerns as well as disclosures specifically in connection to social networking sites (1). Throughout this duration of redefining their connections with social networking sites, users find themselves coping with the "privacy paradox" and despite having privacy concerns, online users persist in disclosing their private details for distinct reasons, rather than safeguarding their details online. Therefore, this paper investigates [consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, and factors influencing these concerns, and provides strategies for handling them]().
A. Research problem
Social media plays a significant role in promoting interaction and sharing of information among users from all over the world. However, sharing of information over social media sites has and still increases the risk of privacy violations as people engage through social media. It's from this, that this paper settled on evaluating the consumer concerns about privacy in social media engagement, factors influencing these concerns, and providing strategies for tackling them.
B. Aim and Objectives
This study is determined to analyze the user concerns about privacy in social media engagement, highlight the primary factors influencing these concerns, and provide recommendations on desired approaches for handling them.
C. Research question
[1. What are the primary concerns of social media users regarding privacy?]()
2. What factors contribute to these concerns?
II. EXTENDED BACKGROUND
Social media has grown to become the modern-day routine. Currently, many social networking sites are continuing to integrate to offer distinct digital affordances as well as chances to enlarge individual networks, interactions, and information sharing. The availability of these sites has significantly culminated in to rise in user engagement. For instance, TikTok is among the most used sites with a massive following of more than 750 million accounts. Currently, people are becoming more open to sharing individual data and with the aid of the modern digital culture, this has been made possible by utilizing the availability of internet service. Although social media is considered to be of great significance in facilitating communication and entertainment among users, it also stores noticeable repositories of individual details that culminate to privacy concerns. This threat of privacy breaches has continuously increased as social media are frequently accessed through applications on cell phones, where a substantial number of identifiable data is stored, aggregated, and linked across various social networking sites.
Even as the issue of privacy threat has attained massive attention and recognition, especially among people who use these platforms, many studies have reported the concept of privacy paradox, which implies discrepancies involving persons' habits of disclosing individual details and their concern concerning privacy threat. Even though social media users have an increasing concern concerning privacy on media platforms, they are willing to proceed to disclose their data for various gratifications. According to Chen et al, some social media users always show or rather demonstrate reduced effort to offer safety on their confidentiality despite showing significant concern associated with social media (2). On the contrary, there is also a section of social media consumers who are not naive in their revel actions (2). This brings us to an analysis of the historical evolution of social media platforms, the emergence of privacy concerns, and important theoretical frameworks particularly privacy calculus.
Typically, the rise of privacy is significantly connected to the fast growth of technologies and the growing nature of the modern digital space. History shows that privacy was mainly linked with physical and individual interactions. During this time, people were interacting at their homes and with immediate families. However, this was significantly changed by the massive evolution in the digital world. The development of social media sites, and the level of connectivity they provide initiated a new era of unprecedented access to individual information. The new developments have made it simple for people to share their stories and even sensitive information with just one click significantly subjecting one to underlying privacy perils. The world is experiencing significant growth or cases in several data breaches leading to massive breaches of private data to the public. Hackers always target unsuspecting firms or companies to access important details such as the profile of clients or company records which could result in various forms of exploitations. When such a breach happens, it severely affects both the company and the individuals because while the person's data is compromised so is the deterioration of trust in the organization by the public.
Privacy calculus (shown in Figure 1 in the appendix section) refers to the comprehension of privacy as well as safety trade-offs of a certain innovation or firm. It assumes that individuals will divulge individual details whenever the perceived rewards or advantages outweigh the potential cost. Kehr et al. ascertain that the choice of sharing information is associated with privacy calculus as the equilibrium between the rewards and the hazards of revealing individual details or data. A person's privacy calculus can be impacted by several factors including but not limited to the perceived value of the details being revealed and the repercussions of the disclosure. Additionally, the cultures and factors within the society might considerably influence privacy caliculus These factors include but are not limited to societal norms associated with privacy in specific locations. Research has indicated that the threshold of diversity which is always accompanied by the growing society has some considerable effect on the withdrawal from the globe making people even more sensitive to what they share with the public.
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study used a qualitative approach in analyzing the user concerns on social networking site engagement. Primarily, this method was applied in this study because it offers a significant opportunity for the researcher to devolve deeply into but not limited to nuances of consumer experiences, viewpoints as well as emotions. Compared to a quantitative approach which only focuses on numerical as well as statistical evaluations, the selected approach here delves deeply into the underlying inspirations, feelings, and means that drive consumer connections online. Approaches such as but not limited to interviews and focus groups provided a substantial opportunity for the researcher to unveil the intricate web of norms and values that significantly impact how consumers interact and their perception of social media sites.
Additionally, the qualitative approach substantially enabled the researcher to attain different consumer concerns. According to Van der Vlist, and Helmond, social networking sites are characterized by a sophisticated structure that comprises different cultures and subcultures with distinct practices as well as concerns (3). By applying a qualitative approach, an investigator can therefore attain immediate information precisely on the experiences of consumers over different populations, and locations. This great understating is significant because it helps to design comprehensive as well as consumer-centric sites that cater to the different requirements as well as tests of the audiences across the world.
Moreover, the qualitative approach offered the researcher a flexible and adaptable experience especially when analyzing emerging issues within social media and user engagement. As indicated by, Reynolds, and Bennett, the qualitative approach allows the use of their analytical paradigms to suit the certain features of emerging issues encompassed in social media as well as consumer involvement (4).
When collecting data, the research applied the following types of qualitative methods:
A. Interviews
Interviews offered a significant platform for participants to articulate their concerns using their own words thus providing the researcher with the desired information on the experiences and viewpoints of people using the complex domain of social media. By applying the open-ended questions, the researcher was able to analyze the profound inspirations that significantly provided limelight to the intricacies of social media. Besides, interviews helped in contextualizing the user concerns in the wider brackets of social and cultural settings in which they take place. By involving the respondents in the study through discussion, the researcher was able to identify factors that significantly influence consumers'' viewpoints and habits including but not limited to peer pressure and cultural ideals. The contextual comprehension offered great support especially in deciphering the motive behind consumer concerns and coming up with solutions or rather strategies that perfectly resonate with the distinct array of consumers globally. Lastly, the interview helped to foster significant discourse that involved the researcher and respondents. This helped in cementing trust and the needed help that improved the credibility of the research.
B. Questionnaires
This study also used questionnaires to obtain relevant data that assisted in the completion of this research. Typically, questionnaires are valuable equipment issued when collecting data because they can gather a significant number of standardized information effectively. This study started by clarifying the objective of the questionnaires to participants. The researcher applied an open-ended type of questionnaire and crafted questions that aided in the collection of data from the respondents. The questionnaires were delivered to participants through email surveys that significantly aligned with the features of the sample group as well as the study aims. The clarity of the communication in the email and privacy substantially fostered participant involvement in the study. Besides, the researcher ensured that the information provided through this tool was secured and systematically organized to foster the analysis of information. In a nutshell, the study implemented effective usage of questionnaires in collecting vital data in the study. The researcher adhered to the best practices and embraced the spirit of iterative refinement thus harnessing the complete ability of the questionnaires and advanced knowledge concerning user concerns on social media engagement.
The sampling technique applied in this study was purposeful approach. This approach is broadly applied in qualitative studies to identify data-rich scenarios for the most efficient usage of scarce resources (5). The sampling techniques comprise of coming up and choosing people or groups that possess knowledge concerning or have experience with the topic under study (5). Through the use of emails, the researcher chose respondents who met certain qualifications and offered valuable information concerning consumer concerns on social media. Based on the participants’ selection criteria, a purposeful sample of (n=60) was selected to participate in the survey.
The research used thematic analysis (TA) in analyzing data. TA has enabled the research to unveil the profound concerns that prevail more across social media consumers. Through a systematic analysis specifically of the content that is common among consumers, the research was able to pinpoint reappearing subjects that show shared concerns, and frustrations. For example, factors including but not limited to privacy issues, and cyberbullying frequently arise in literature addressing the concept of consumer concerns within the context of social media. Nevertheless, TA offered a structured framework that greatly helped in organizing as well as interpreting qualitative information. Through conducting a thorough grouping of information or rather data into topics and sub-topics, the research was able to attain a fundamental insight into the diverse range of issues from the consumers. As argued by Thompson, TA promotes the rigor as well as reliability of the study outcomes, making sure that conclusions are based on empirical proof (6).
Additionally, TA offered significant support in facilitating comparisons as well as synthesis over distinct studies. Considering the idea that the use of social media keeps on growing, investigators always face various pieces of publications addressing the same subjects. TA gives these investigators to highlight the similarities and differences across datasets thus facilitating the enrichment of their comprehension concerning consumer concerns. Despite the above merits of TA in this study, this approach also significantly fails in various areas especially when applied to data analysis (7). For instance, the TA does not have strict directives for completing an analysis. This might easily culminate in variability, particularly in the manner in which this approach is used in different studies, thus rendering it difficult to draw a comparison in findings or replicate studies.
IV. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The consideration of ethics within studies is paramount since it ensures that the studies are completed by observing integrity, respect as well as fairness specifically on respondents involved. It's vital to uphold ethical consideration because morally right and also helps to maintain the credibility of the research. This research upheld the ethical standards before, during, and after the study in various ways. Firstly, the researcher ensured that the idea of informed consent was considered by significantly providing vivid information to respondents so that they could come up with independent choices about their involvement in the study. The researcher also ensured that there was room for withdrawal from the research by any respondent if they felt to do so. The research also ensured the concepts of confidentiality and privacy were considered during the interview process. Research has shown that it is vital to offer respect to the privacy of respondents to enhance or build confidence and trust (8). Enria et al. Emphasizes the need to maintain privacy during the study process from information gathering up to publication to lock out unauthorized personnel or disclosure of personal details (8). In this study, the researcher adopted the necessary measures to offer the needed protection or security for sensitive data or details gathered during the interview and the study at large.
Furthermore, the researcher also took the responsibility of reducing harm and at the same time raising the benefits for respondents. The researcher achieved this carefully by offering potential safety and eliminating threats associated with the research such as but not limited to physical harm. The researcher ensured that the relevant measures were executed to provide safety to vulnerable groups. In addition, the researcher ensured that there was respect for the respondent's independence as well as dignity. This was achieved by significantly treating respondents with respect and dignity. This entirely involved, honoring their choices concerning but not limited to their inclusion in the research.
Nonetheless, the researcher also ensured that fairness and equity were upheld during the study. The researcher observed the concept of diversity in recruiting participants and at the same time eliminating the prejudices grounded on aspects including but not limited to race or religion. Besides, the researcher took the necessary steps by considering the potential outcomes of the study for the most vulnerable respondents specifically people living with a disability. Lastly, the researcher guaranteed that ethical oversight, as well as responsibility, is observed throughout the research procedure. The researcher took the primary function of ensuring that the study adheres to the ethical standards designed by Institutional review boards.
V. RESULTS
The analysis focused on demographic examination by exploring aspects such as age, gender, education, job status, and social media platforms used. Based on gender, there 27 were female while 33 participants were men. The youngest participant was aged 21 years while the oldest was 57 years. The average age of the participants was 35.4 years, indicating that most were men. The minimum education level of the participant is a high school graduate and all participants were actively in employment or self-employed.
All the participants had registered an account with at least two social media platforms, although a majority (48), had multiple accounts. Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok were the most common social media platforms. However, most of the participants had registered an account with professional platforms like Linkedin, although most were not active participants on these platforms. Facebook emerged as the most popular for general networking while X was preferred for emerging news and trending online topics.
TA was adopted to explore the concerns of the users regarding privacy. Following the analytical approach proposed, there were five emerging themes on the most pressing privacy issues by users of social media networks; namely the scale and scope of data collection, potential misuse of user data, third-party app portability, behavioral tracking, and potential data breaches.
VI. ANALYSIS DISCUSSION
A. Discussion
To achieve the objective of the study, it was vital to provide substantial feedback on the two research questions that guided this study. The first question focused on understanding the primary concerns of social media about privacy. Social media networks have revolutionized and transformed communication, social networking, and bridging people's relationships. These mediums offer crucial benefits but also introduce noteworthy privacy concerns. The interviews revealed that the concerns delve around the process of data collection, use of information collected, security, control over private data, tracking behavioral patterns, and the association of third-party stakeholders. The interviews provided a comprehensive understanding by highlighting relevant concerns in detail, which will be explored further by applying the TA framework to ensure that each factor is understood well.
Scope and scale of Data Collection
The interviewees showed concerns about the scale and scope of data collection by social media networks. It emerged as one of the most pressing issues among social media users because of the intricacy of remaining private. Social media platforms obtain an enormous volume of information, including aspects like name, age, and residence and intimate details such as internet activities, hobbies, and text messages. The respondents indicated that the platforms can collect Personal Identifiable Information (PII) because account holders it is one of the requirements at the point of registration [10]. Crucial information like personal email addresses, contact numbers, and date of birth. The participants showed concerns because they suspected fraudulent actors could access the data and use it for malicious purposes.
The participants also showed concern for the ability of social media platforms to study behavioral patterns using the data collected. Participants argued that privacy is a crucial aspect of human dignity and should be guaranteed by social media platforms [11]. One participant noted that Facebook can track their interment activities, sites visited visit, content, preferences, and communication patterns. Therefore, it demonstrates that the use of collected data by social media is an issue that could pose privacy risks.
Misuse of Personal Data
The participants showed concerns about the use of information collected and stored in social media databases. Social media platforms can leverage the data collected to understand how to improve the experiences of users and other aspects that improve the quality. Based on the participants' responses, targeted advertising can be a vulnerability to users. Social media platforms can use the data to facilitate Ad Personalization [11]. The algorithms can be trained to analyze user data to enable personalized advertisements, which is an invasive antic. The platforms can be involved in the monetization of user data by selling the analyzed ta to third-party organizations.
The participants of the survey observed that social media platforms used the data beyond advertising purposes. The algorithms can be refined to understand social media consumption patterns to influence their purchase decisions. This is a form of manipulation by feeding users targeted information to influence their attitudes, behaviors, and choices [12]. Third-party organizations can leverage modern advances in AI and analytics to study the behavior of social media users and enable the system to make product recommendations and even product development.
Data Breaches
Data security emerged as a leading theme in during the interviews as recent news of frequent cyberattacks and monumental data breaches led to the exposure of personal information. Most participants noted that the high-profile incidents of data breaches by social media platforms like the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal led to the manipulation of voters' decisions in the US election and the Brexit vote. Millions of personal information data were mined without the users' consent. The exposure of the data led to adverse consequences including identity theft, financial fraud, and online vulnerabilities.
Similarly, users noted that user accounts frequently face security vulnerabilities. The accounts have weak password protocols. Some participants indicated that they have been victims of social media account hacks due to the weak security protocols. However, the participants were encouraged to indicate the password, implying that they used a common password including date of birth, name, and city [10]. Some users understood the two-factor authentication, which is crucial in minimizing hacking. The two-factor authentication protocols lead to problems by adding layers. Making it unpopular among most social media users.
Poor account security reduces the ability of users to control their personal information. However, most social media platforms recognize that there is a need to enhance the security of users' accounts. The security setting is complex and confusing to many ordinary social media users. A significant proportion of participants did not understand the process of setting the advanced security protocols [13]. Most users rely on the default security setting, which encourages sharing of personal information and social media activities. The users are expected to maneuver the complex process to ensure the security of their data. Shifting such an obligation to users with limited knowledge about the technicality of social media account security raises ethical and moral concerns.
Behavioral Tracking
Most users noted that social media platforms can perform behavioral tracking by analyzing social media activities, patterns, and content. Cookies Technologies provide the platforms with a tool to perform continuous tracking across different websites, retaining in-depth profiles of user's behavior [13]. The platforms can conduct behavioral tracking with informed consent: The Cambridge-Analytica incident reveals the vulnerability of social media platforms on individuals and society. The profiles created were used not only for marketing and advertising purposes but also to influence political campaigns.
Participants of the study indicated that the ability of social media platforms to collect data limitlessly can expose users to surveillance vulnerabilities. Collecting private and intimate data, such as personal health information and PII can enable third-party actors to perform surveillance since each aspect of social media interaction is documented. The Power held by social media companies leads to the loss of anonymity over personal information to some extent. The structure of social media communication makes it impossible to maintain anonymity because the data is augmented into a singular platform.
Third-Party Apps Data Portability
Portability and the right to delete information is also a concern among users. This stems from the concept of the "right to be forgotten." Users may opt for some content from their social media platforms. Users have limited control over the spread and distribution of the content they post. Deleting the content does not limit other account owners to post similar information [14]. This is a significant concern highlighted by the participants of the survey. deleting their data or controlling its spread once shared.
The growth of social media has coincided with an era of integration of online systems and solutions. Most social media platforms allow third-party apps and integrations. Third-party applications operate based on their practices, policies, and unique terms and conditions for service. There are more privacy issues when social media networks integrate third-party apps and services. Integration of third-party Apps into the social media application can facilitate the collection of data and potential for misuse [12]. There is a lack of clarity over the party responsible for the security of data. Besides, the more the data is available to employees of both organizations, it can be at risk of breaches.
The second question focused on examining the mediating factors contributing to the social media user’s privacy concerns. Based on the TA, the merging factors included inadequate regulatory protection, ineffective social media platform privacy policies, and ignorance of users on appropriate security settings.
Accessibility and Permission
Accessing the data held may require permission from the user or the social media platform. Some apps may be granted broad permissions that allow them unlimited access to the information. Third-party apps often request access to a wide range of user data, which may not be necessary for their functionality. There is a lack of appropriate oversight over data and usage by third-party organizations and apps. The platforms do not provide sufficient oversight and guidelines on how the third parties use and protect the data they access.
Therefore, there is potential for misuse and manipulation of user data by social media platforms and third parties who access the data. Social media platforms may have strict privacy but third-party organizations may have inconsistent privacy concerns. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is an illustration of such an incident, where Facebook data was accessed with crucial privacy breaches. Social media platforms pose a significant threat because they can lead to trust issues among users. Some of the participants noted that they had deleted their accounts because of fear of privacy breaches [14]. The constant privacy issues influence the attitudes and behaviors on social media and their level of trust in these platforms. Hence, the participants have adopted self-censorship due to the awareness of potential online tracking and data collection. This involves avoiding sharing some details or expressing views freely.
The risk of privacy breaches can minimize the levels of social engagement to conceal one's true personality and character. Privacy concerns can lead to reduced engagement, with users less likely to participate in activities that require personal information sharing. Users have also shown concerns for better data and information security practices by social media platforms. The participants of the survey indicated that transparency over the use of the data collected is necessary to protect their confidentiality [12][13]. The growth in awareness and understanding of the right to privacy has been a significant factor that has influenced the demand for better information security protocols.
Inadequate Regulatory and Policy Concerns
Privacy is a right recognized by the laws of different countries including the United States. There are specific legislations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU block or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), enacted to protect the privacy and confidentiality of users' data. However, it does not provide sufficient protection to users since there are several hurdles in its implementation. The lack of effectiveness and compliance with the law has contributed to the loopholes that are constantly utilized by the platforms to collect personal data [12]. The legislations impose legal and criminal liabilities on social media platforms, which can be a crucial method of deterring platforms from engaging in unauthorized sharing of users' data.
Ineffective Social Media Site Policies
Social media platforms have policies that guide the usage of data collected from account holders. Most of these terms are often complex and it is difficult for the users to comprehend. Users sometimes agree to conditions without fully understanding service and privacy rules since they are lengthy and complex [11]. The participants contented that they had never read through all the policies, terms, and conditions of using the site. These challenges lead to the acceptance of policies that allow the collection and usage of data.
Besides, social media platforms are constantly enhancing policy changes that could affect the security of users' data. Platforms regularly change their terms of service, sometimes making major adjustments to privacy provisions that users might not always see or comprehend [13]. The ignorance of users creates vulnerabilities in users and places social media platforms in a superior position. This enables the platforms to include policies that are pro-data collection.
B. Conclusion
Social media companies need to improve privacy controls, strengthen security, simplify privacy settings, and follow strict regulations to strike a balance between user interaction and privacy. Platforms can provide a safer and more reliable environment and encourage users to interact without jeopardizing their personal information by fully addressing these main concerns. This fine balance, where the advantages of connection and sharing are evaluated against the fundamental right to privacy, will determine the future of social media.
Dealing with a wide range of intricate issues is necessary when navigating the social media privacy tightrope. It makes sense that users are concerned about the scope of data gathering, the uses to which it is put, the security of their data, and their control over it. These issues become even more complicated when third-party apps are involved and behavioral tracking is used. These privacy concerns provide serious legal and policy hurdles in addition to affecting user behavior and confidence.
C. Future Research
Social media platforms need to reconsider the concept of user privacy to protect the confidentiality of user data. It is necessary to communicate clearly about the purpose for which the data collected is to be used. The current system is opaque and the users have limited knowledge about the terms and conditions of service. Organizations must protect the integrity of user data. Failure to comply with the regulatory requirement can lead to substantial financial and reputational damage to a social media platform. Facebook has been heavily fined for data breaches and scandals.
Policymakers and legislator should also understand the risk that social media platforms expose to their users and introduce stricter regulations and guidelines on how these platforms can use data collected. Currently, social media platforms are powerful and can influence users to accept terms that would allow the collection of personal information. The legislation should focus on introducing guidelines that compel the platforms to be transparent and use terms that are easily understandable to all users. The study focused on users that are educated but they were also not familiar with the terms on the use of personal data by the platforms. The government can provide better protection by introducing liabilities on platforms that mislead users to accept opaque terms and conditions with a loophole that will allow the collection of PII. Government involvement will be necessary as information and communication technologies continue to transform how organizations collect, analyze, and utilize online users and activities.






References

(1) Bright, Laura F., Hayoung Sally Lim, and Kelty Logan. "“Should I Post or Ghost?”: Examining how privacy concerns impact social media engagement in US consumers." Psychology & Marketing 38, no. 10 (2021): 1712-1722.
(2) Chen, Hsuan-Ting. "Revisiting the privacy paradox on social media with an extended privacy calculus model: The effect of privacy concerns, privacy self-efficacy, and social capital on privacy management." American behavioral scientist 62, no. 10 (2018): 1392-1412.
[(3) Kehr,]() Flavius, Tobias Kowatsch, Daniel Wentzel, and Elgar Fleisch. "Blissfully ignorant: the effects of general privacy concerns, general institutional trust, and affect in the privacy calculus." Information Systems Journal 25, no. 6 (2015): 607-635.
(4) Van der Vlist, Fernando N., and Anne Helmond. "How partners mediate platform power: Mapping business and data partnerships in the social media ecosystem." Big Data & Society 8, no. 1 (2021): 20539517211025061.
(5) Reynolds, Samantha, and Noah Bennett. "Dynamic Insights: Qualitative Explorations Across Diverse Sectors in the Evolving Socioeconomic Landscape." (2024).
(6) Palinkas, Lawrence A., Sarah M. Horwitz, Carla A. Green, Jennifer P. Wisdom, Naihua Duan, and Kimberly Hoagwood. "Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research." Administration and policy in mental health and mental health services research 42 (2015): 533-544.
(7) Thompson, Jamie. "A guide to abductive thematic analysis." (2022
(8) Peel, Karen L. "A beginner's guide to applied educational research using thematic analysis." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 25, no. 1 (2020): 2.
[(9) Enria, ]()Luisa, Naomi Waterlow, Nina Trivedy Rogers, Hannah Brindle, Sham Lal, Rosalind M. Eggo, Shelley Lees, and Chrissy H. Roberts. "Trust and transparency in times of crisis: Results from an online survey during the first wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK." PloS one 16, no. 2 (2021): e0239247.
(10) L. Baker-Eveleth, R. Stone, and D. Eveleth, “Understanding social media users’ privacy-protection behaviors,” ICS, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 324–345, May 2022, doi: 10.1108/ICS-07-2021-0099.
(11) Z. Rózsa, L. Ferenčáková, D. Zámek, and J. Firstová, “Generation Z’s perception of privacy on social media: Examining the impact of personalized advertising, interpersonal relationships, reference group dynamics, social isolation, and anxiety on self-disclosure willingness,” oc, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 229–266, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.24136/oc.2956.
(12) N. Barrett-Maitland and J. Lynch, “Social Media, Ethics and the Privacy Paradox,” in Security and Privacy From a Legal, Ethical, and Technical Perspective, C. Kalloniatis and C. Travieso-Gonzalez, Eds., IntechOpen, 2020. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.90906.
(13) J. Suter, A. Irvine, and C. Howorth, “Juggling on a tightrope: Experiences of small and micro business managers responding to employees with mental health difficulties,” International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 3–34, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1177/02662426221084252.
(14) K. D. Martin and R. W. Palmatier, “Data Privacy in Retail: Navigating Tensions and Directing Future Research,” Journal of Retailing, vol. 96, no. 4, pp. 449–457, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2020.10.002.





































Appendix

Figure1: The conceptual model of extended privacy calculus

It's your favorite guidance!
I need some help. If an operating lease is terminated early, with no early termination clause in the contract, do I remeasure the ROU asset and liability down to 0 and then expense the remaining lease obligation? If the landlord decides that we owe the remaining 5 years on the lease, do I expense that or should I keep the ROU liability until the landlord decides on a settlement but put the asset to 0?

Edit: messed up my post and don't know how to embed a picture now, here is a link.
https://i.ibb.co/XFbgwkH/sunne-scaling-gtx1070-1848x2052.png
Context

• PC: Ryzen 5 3600X, 16GB RAM, GTX 1070
• VR: Valve Index at 90Hz, with default render target 1848x2052 per eye (set by Steam VR for my GPU, 84% of ideal sampling)
• Sweden 12 Sunne : this track is short and have a load increase with the village at the end, great to check if I hit the roof but not important here as I use median render time

Notes
I hit a hard 9ms floor, so a stable 90FPS (11ms) is out of the picture because of load variability.
In DR2 I forced reprojection to 45FPS, so the game have 22ms to render a frame. Steam VR Motion Smoothing generates the other 45FPS so I get a frame every 11ms with latest tracking data.
In WRC, even with ultra low preset I have to lower my render target to 80% to keep enough headroom. For most tracks and good conditions it's enough, but in rough times I end up at 30FPS (33ms) + 60FPS generated. So I ended up lowering it again to 60% (1428x1588 per eye).
I'm still happy to play the game like this, but I should upgrade my GPU.
Detail about scaling
Don't know if I messed up something, but I was surprised UE Temporal and FSR scaling presets don't use the same render target with the same name… And I would better like a slider by area ratio (total pixel count), like Steam VR scaling. Tried messing with dynamic resolution min/max, but it doesn't seem to really work.
Overall I didn't notice a meaningful difference in perf or render quality at this low pixel density with those scaling algorithms. Steam VR scaling is more tunable and understandable, so I end up using it instead of in-game ones, even if it also degrades the UI (still readable).
Here are the presets:

Area ratio	Line ratio	FSR	UE Temporal
11.09%	3x 33.3%	Ultra Performance	N/A
25%	2x 50%	Performance	Ultra Performance
34.81%	1.7x 59%	Balanced	Performance
44.44%	1.5x 66.67%	Quality	Balanced
60%	1.3x 77%	N/A	Quality

Based on https://gpuopen.com/fidelityfx-superresolution/#quality, seems to match what I see and GPU load.

Hey guys, I was one of the chosen ones for an electronics campaign and I just found out what it is. This is a very high end priced product. Retail is $450 I believe. I’m a bit confused at these emails if anybody can help me out if you have this campaign as well.

I live in a Howard County apartment and I've been here for 3 years. A few months ago I started noticing roaches here and there in my kitchen. I put out traps and things and it seemed to help. However, there reached a point where the traps were not working and there were so many and I started seeing them in the bathroom as well. I contacted the leasing company and they would have someone come to treat. They would do this every week or so but the roaches would always return. They even came once last month after sending an angry email about the situation to do a more "extensive" treatment but they still come back every time. I even live on the second floor. I'm not sure if other apartments in my building are having the same issue, but I assume so. It has become such a stressor and hassle on my life and frankly it's embarrassing to still have this problem. Is there anything more I can do? Do I have any legal standing, or is it just going to be put all on me as my fault? Who else can I reach out to about the situation? Can I file a complaint? Moving isn't an option in this case.

I live in Alabama. In January my mother passed away. This has taken a big toll on my mental health. I am an only child and no father in the picture. I took my bereavement leave, but she died on the start of my work week and it was sudden as she had no health issues. So my entire time off was planning the service and funeral. I never had time to grieve and I just put my head down and went back to work. Her birthday was mid February and on March 1st I had a breakdown and needed some help. I told my supervisor I needed to leave for the day and gave a brief explanation as to why. She was already aware of what happened and what kind of an impact it had and said she was waiting for this. Our company provides services for employees and she gave me a number to call. It's a third party company that finds people in network for assistance. I started seeing a therapist and medication manager and was told to fill out the documents for short term disability. So I got the paperwork from sedgwick and gave the portion required by her to her and submitted the portion I needed to fill out seperatly on my own. She can't give them back to me as it has to go through this other company to go through the docusign process and then they submit to sedgwick on my behalf. Well, a few weeks before mothers day I got an email and phone message my claim has been denied. Mind you, I haven't been paid at all during this time other than the 2 weeks sedgwick gives up front, and still have not. I'm missing over 8 weeks of pay at this point. I called my therapist and asked her about it and she told me on a followup call that her contact there admitted to just forgetting to submit the documents. We have 30 dollars in the bank currently. My wife works, but I'm the primary breadwinner and we have 2 kids, so needless to say it's been extremely difficult. I called sedgwick and explained what happened. They know about that company so they allowed me to resubmit the claim. After that I sent the documents back to my therapist and the process started again. I also sent her a workplace accommodation form my supervisor had given me as well. I gave them a few days and sedgwick still had not received anything. So I called this third party company and spoke with a supervisor and was sent confirmation emails it was submitted and that everything was good. I made very clear to her on the phone what was going on and that I needed those std forms submitted. They are also sending me notices about not paying for the services, but like I told her I can't pay anything because they haven't done their end. The day after mothers day it just became too much and I attempted, and wound up hospitalized for 3 days. When I got out I had missed messages from sedgwick so I reached out to them again and the lady told me they never received anything other than a workplace accommodation form which doesn't even go to them it goes to my employer. The due date was the day before I was released from the hospital. I asked and she told me I could have my primary care Dr fill it out which I just got completed today and I've uploaded to them. It'll be almost 3 months I've not worked. 2 and a half of which was from my therapist recommendation and the rest, well I just couldn't bring myself to go and wound up in the hospital. I'm afraid if the claim gets denied again for whatever reason I will certainly lose my job, and I will owe this company money and have to pay back the 2 weeks I got paid up front from sedgwick.
This company is supposed to be there to assist with my mental health and instead the stress caused on top of what I was already dealing with landed me in the hospital. I know it's my own actions. I'm fully aware of that, but I'm wondering what, if any, recourse I might have. Especially if I wind up being terminated over this. I'm at my wits end. Any assistance or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I received a job offer that I am very interested in, but I have already signed a contract with a future employer. This contract requires a 120-day notice period before termination, and my start date for the this job is in about 90 days. Is there any way to break the contract under these circumstances? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

This was handed to me on the dates the paper says. However, it is addressed to somebody that does not live and has never lived at my residence. I am the only resident and as far as I know none of the previous tenants for the past at least 10 years, has that name. Also, it says that it is a five day notice and says I had five days to pay. But then it also says I have until the 30th to pay? They sent a copy certified mail. I get notifications via text when I have packages or letters with tracking coming to my address. But it got turned away obviously because proper name. I was not even home to turn it away and never got a pink slip so I don’t know if the postman even try to deliver to the proper house. But even if I could legally sign for it. My name is not the name on the letter.

Hey everyone. I just graduated college and money was tight so I decided I'd call some local bars and ask if they were hiring. I ended up getting a gig at one that was a relatively quick hire. Management was kind of eccentric but seemed nice enough. It's my second week in, I haven't noticed anything strange, most of our customers are bikers. When I mentioned to my friend that they make me check my phone at the door, all photography is prohibited inside the bar (especially in the billiards hall. Owner said it would be immediate termination) and we aren't allowed to ID anyone at the bar or ask for their names because they all get ID'd at the door, she told me this was really not normal and may even be illegal. I didn't think anything of it, albeit, it's my first bar tending gig ever, and everyone has been super nice to me/I have not had ANY issues with any patrons. For reference this is a really small bar, it's not nice by any means, and we see a lot of the same customers that come in groups on a weekly, bi weekly basis.

Recently moved to a new trust and am currently on probation. I plan to resign before the 6-month probationary period ends. My notice period is 12-weeks. One clause of the contract states the following, specific to the probationary period but doesn’t say “on either side.” Does it mean either of us can give one week’s prior notice, or must I still give 12 weeks?
The first six months of your employment shall be a probationary period and your employment may be terminated during this period at any time on one week's prior notice [or payment in lieu of notice]. We may, at our discretion, extend the probationary period for up to a further three months. During the probationary period your performance and suitability for continued employment will be monitored. If you are absent from work due to incapacity during your probationary period for a period which exceeds one week, your probationary period will be extended by the period of your absence to allow adequate monitoring of performance.

Hii, i hope you're here in reddit
I saw this cute chinita girl yesterday (May 23 2024 early morning flight) at NAIA terminal 2 while waiting for her flight, she was wearing a brown vest like garment, with her white headphones, and she was really cute. Couldnt stop thinking about her (i noticed that we kept looking at each other) I thought she was waiting for the same flight as me (since she was sitting at gate 10) but she was waiting for her flight at gate 9 (PAL flight to Butuan) if anyone knows her, please do tell me who she is 😭 i was about to approach her but unfortunately i was about to board the plane
Thank youuuu and hoping for good news

Q: It’s not related to S10 balance changes but I’m gonna ask anyway. Were we secretly testing any new upcoming heroes with the Mirrorwatch event?
Blizz_Alec: No secret testing of anything upcoming in the immediate! We do look at how some changes play out though when they become more real and get lots of games, I think the Bastion Ultimate in particular was quite fun even if very loud and on the border technically. Reinhardt's Frenzy passive was also something we played around with internally but it was quite hard to communicate effectively. It's always good to see what players get excited about when there are more wacky ideas such as Mirrorwatch or April Fool's, some of those could become real down the line.
Q: Who is the hardest character to balance and tweak out of the three roles?
Blizz_JNoh: Probably Sombra due to permanent invisibility restricting how deadly we can make her but also because she is a hero that excels with strong team coordination. There are a handful of other heroes with performance stats that differ greatly from the broader community perception of them and that can create difficulty in how we approach balancing them as well.
Q: I know you guys mentioned two upcoming DPS hero reworks. Is there any news about how those reworks are progressing, who they'll be for (I think people have a pretty decent idea, but official confirmation would be nice), and/or when they might be arriving? Also, are there any other heroes under consideration for potential reworks?
Blizz_Alec: The two upcoming updates that were mentioned were for Cassidy and Reaper.
For Cassidy, we started some exploration pre-Season 9 for his update. Due to where he was at that time, this update was originally looking at multiple pieces of his kit but we saw the Season 9 changes largely benefit him so the update has gotten more focused on Magnetic Grenade and other Quality of Life updates (specifically to his Ultimate). In Season 11 we are updating Magnetic Grenade. It will behave closer to old Flashbang (no magnetic homing to the target, used in the short range) and will slow/hinder the target. We think that plays a lot better with his kit and removes some of the larger frustrations around Magnetic Grenade. More specifics on all that soon.
For Reaper, we went fairly wide as well in the beginning and then started to focus closely on updating Shadow Step. At the moment, we have something we quite like but it's actually a large technical challenge and we are in the process of planning out the work/seeing what's possible. In the meantime, we may buff Reaper in some non-Tank Buster ways as he lost a lot in the most recent update.
Q: What is the average rank of your play testers and what level of input do they have in deciding what changes are made in each balance patch?
Blizz_Hudson: A huge part of our team culture revolves around playtesting. From Designers, to QA and community management, everyone has the opportunity to play what we're working on and give open honest feedback. One of the advantages of this model is we get perspective from a wide range of player ranks from GM 1 to Bronze 5. It's been a while since we've taken an official poll on average rank, but having a wide sample helps prevent tunnel visioning on feedback from specific ranks.
Q: 2 part question here: Why the inconsistency with dev comments/explanations for balance changes? There have been many changes that have been questionable (biggest offender was buffing Sojourn in January when she was widely considered the best DPS) that were shipped with 0 explanation. Justifying these changes would help a lot with player perception so we could understand these discrepancies. I have to ask - what is going on with Symmetra? She was weak, then buffed, then immediately reverted, now silence. Is she getting reworked? What data shows she needed a nerf? She is super weak and hard to use on ladder (uncoordinated environment by nature) and was only played in OWCS for Mauga - shouldn't nerfing Mauga have been enough?
Blizz_Alec: We should do a better job about this, especially when it comes to getting the community's visibility on what we are seeing vs. what the playerbase may seem to think is the best hero at any given one time. These can differ regularly as certain heroes get power reputations (weaker or stronger than their reality at a given rank) that are hard to shake off. Thanks for the feedback there, will make sure we have something here even if it's a simple change.
Symmetra kept some of the buffs in that patch but yes we hear the feedback of where her current power level is. We may have been a bit overreactive to the Mauga compositions popping up during that timeframe (he was certainly overtuned), but we wanted to be sure of it. For right now, we are in discussions about Symmetra and especially her frontline presence. Believe that's a piece of the kit we'd like to promote further, whether through her survivability or beam damage.
Q: Why was smurf detection essentially removed from MMR adjustment, especially for new accounts? GM-level players taking 60+ games to reach their proper rank ruins so many more games. It feels like climbing in general is artificially slowed down so people will play more even if they should have reached a higher rank many games ago.
Blizz_Alec: I tapped in our own Gavin Winter for this first part, he's what he had to say: "There haven't been any changes to these systems, but there are edge cases like the example of Guxue that was recently posted in this subreddit where our systems don't perform in the way we'd like. Most players will still be placed appropriately as they transition from Quick Play to Competitive Play, but unfortunately cases like this have always been possible. Explaining exactly how this happens would make it easier to reproduce, so you'll have to excuse me from not going into intricate detail here."
For the second part of your question, we believe we made it slightly too difficult to climb at the highest ranks and are looking at making some adjustments soon.
Q: Will you ever make pick rates and win rates public, even a couple of weeks after the fact? I feel like it would do a lot to help people understand why changes are made. Is there a win rate range you want to keep all heroes to stay within?
Blizz_JNoh: There aren't any plans currently to shift resources toward supporting something like that. Sites like Overbuff don't have the complete picture, but the data there for win rates and such is generally fairly close.
There is some argument against being too transparent with those stats in that it can create a bit of a feedback loop where you might see player behavior driven by what appears to be the meta in the stats, but that kind of happens already with just the general discussion and sentiment around heroes without stats as well.
Our target range for hero viability by win rate is between 45-55% unmirrored win rate at Masters rank and above. Those individual win rates often can fluctuate 2-3% by day, mostly because heroes tend to have a wider range of win rates per map and we're looking at the global average of those, but also individual player performance isn't consistent.
Lower pick rate heroes fluctuate more and there is less confidence in their win rate being indicative of actual strength. Extremely high pick rate heroes have a similar problem when looking at unmirrored stats.
In the end, stats require interpretation to understand their context and that is why they are not the only basis for balance changes but are a useful tool to measure the impact of changes patch-over-patch.
Q: What is Hanzo's new job? Is he supposed to take over Pharah's place as the new go-to permanently pocketed hero? To explain more in depth: Hanzo used to be a sniper, but the recent changes caused most heroes to require 1 extra shot to eliminate a target. Considering Hanzo is the slowest shooting primary fire focused DPS, he was impacted the most. Making him the only primary fire focused DPS who relies on cooldowns to finish off targets due to the very long time to kill: Assuming full charging the arrows (to be able to hit targets past melee range): 3 bodyshots = ~2.5 seconds TTK (~3.25 seconds if bow not preloaded) Or best case scenario: 1 headshot + 1 bodyshot = ~1.25 seconds TTK (~2 seconds if bow was not preloaded) Compared to for example Cassidy: 4 bodyshots = 1.5 seconds TTK Or best case scenario: 2 headshots = ~0.5 seconds TTK Hanzo's only advantage here is that he deals full damage past 35 meters, but trying to hit someone 2-3 times in a row even at 35 meters is next to impossible (considering physical cover + the long time to kill + projectile travel time) At the same time Mercy pocketed Hanzo can still one shot, with the added benefit of now having a 2x bigger arrow hitbox (and buffed storm arrows).
Blizz_JNoh: Hanzo is still an effective mid-range burst damage hero even without the one-shot kills. Post season 9 with the projectile size changes actually saw an increase in Hanzo's performance on the stat side. I do hear you on the loss of how good the one shot kills felt, but an overarching goal of season 9 was to reduce a lot of those burst damage frustrations for players on the receiving end of it. Armor changes in season 10 have also been a benefit to his damage. Still very early but we've been experimenting with adjusting health pools for some of the more evasive or high damage heroes which would also put them back into the range of lethal Hanzo headshots and some other hero combos at 225 HP, but while it would bring some interesting texture to hero interactions overall there are also a bunch of other problems to solve if we want to go through with it.
Q: A month later, and considering he's displayed proudly on the Twitter post for the AMA, I got my question: How have you guys felt about the past reworks on Roadhog and the new one, Wrecking Ball? Like what the goals were exactly, your personal thoughts, the community response, and what you want to fine-tune with them post rework. Those things. I think most people would be interested on how you guys have felt now that it's been a bit.
Blizz_Alec: For the most part, we are relatively happy with the new bases both have been given but there is still some fine-tuning to be done.
I'll start with Wrecking Ball. Our goals were to give him more flexibility with his movement/engage options, heighten the benefits he gives to his team, and give him some quality of life updates. I think our changes all attempt to address those goals but one I think we can hit harder in the future is heightening the benefits he gives to his team. We were a little conservative with the Adaptive Shields change (overhealth is hyper scary in coordinated environments), so perhaps there's room for that to be more pronounced through tuning and actual feedback received in game (working on some updates there). Overall though, Wrecking Ball is doing much better after his recent updates and we believe we have a great base to work with going forward.
For Roadhog, aside from the conversations about his current survivability (we plan to hit that soon) there are some things for us to look at concerning the frequency of his combo. For example, his Pig Pen begins to go on cooldown when you throw it. So you can pre-place one, it gets destroyed, and then Roadhog already has it ready again (even though the enemy may think there's a window where Hook is less deadly). That's one discussion we've recently had. Still some work here for us to do in terms of the value Pig Pen brings outside of the combo as well and how we can make those windows of combo potential less frequent.
Q: Are there any nerfs being discussed for Hog, specifically his survivability? Times where multiple people are shooting a Hog and he just walks away while using his breather seemingly gaining more health than losing health makes the damage you’re doing to him feel pointless and is very unfun to play against, especially now that headshots do less damage to him.
Blizz_Alec: Yes, we plan on nerfing his survivability very soon. We are touching Take a Breather and Whole Hog in an upcoming patch. Hoping that can go live tomorrow.
Q: Hello, with the major tank changes (e.g. armor changes, knockback changes, headshot change, and individual balance changes) that released last week, I am very curious: have there been any noticeable, immediate shifts in the win rates and pick rates amongst tanks? Has there been any collateral shifts within the DPS and support role because of the recent tank changes? I know that, for instance, after the recent armor changes, some heroes have become weaker against armored tanks (i.e. Tracer and Reaper) while others have become significantly stronger (i.e. Cass and Hanzo). I'm interested in knowing how the team's behind-the-scenes statistics have measured lately as a result of the recent tank changes—that is, if it is possible for you guys to share it. If not, understandable.
Blizz_Alec: Some of this is related to meta happenings or balance changes but also related to armor changes/headshot reduction for Tanks. From what we can see the biggest winners (in terms of their performance delta) of the patch are: Ana, Junkrat, Pharah, Roadhog, Sigma, Wrecking Ball, and Zarya.
Many heroes stayed relatively similar while a handful saw a decrease in performance (Bastion, D.Va, Mauga, Orisa, and Reaper).
Q: Ok, I'll try to ask some general questions. Free to choose which one to answer: ^_" In February I noticed that you had received great feedback on the maps after the first hacked mode. But I was wondering when those ideas would be implemented (especially for flashpoints). Personally, I liked Clash Mode. But I also wanted to know what kind of results you received that require modification in your opinion, or if you have noticed any optimal results to maintain, or imitate for other game modes.
Blizz_Alec: These fall outside of hero design but can talk briefly about the first two questions.
Think you are referencing the speed boosts that would potentially come to Flashpoint. Took us some time to get these in a good place but they have been promising in playtests and are on track for a later season. It's important to us that when we add elements like that to a mode that it not only brings quality gameplay but is also communicated well through Sound and VFX. Feel good here now.
We got a lot of great feedback but there are some things the team wished we did better with the Clash Preview. Firstly, it should have showed up more in Quick Play so y'all got more reps on it and can get a better feel for the flow of the game mode. Secondly, we don't think it was best suited for Open Queue in Arcade. If we do something like this again, we'll clean that up. With the feedback we received, we've been investigating how to make the final point more appealing to capture for the attacking team. Many games could result in the attacking team not actually wanting to push onto the last point because it wasn't worth the reward (harder to capture, give up a lot of positioning if you lose). Plenty of iteration happening here now to address that particular issue.
Q: Hi there, I think one of the most obvious questions people here will have is what are the plans to balance out Roadhog. With the midseason tank adjustments I’m sure the general sentiment is that Hog is an outlier for survivability and damage amongst the tanks, especially since Orisa isn’t there to keep him in check now. The headshot damage reduction and his soft rework from before means his survivability is through the roof, and his damage is as high as ever. What are the plans to reign him back in? I will also personally say I don’t think the solution is to buff Orisa, rather nerf Hog to keep him in line. Aside from Hog I think the tank balance is pretty great right now otherwise. Also is there going to be something done about the overbearing passiveness of heroes like LW, that will simultaneously not interact with the enemy team at all whilst also not providing any offensive utility for his own team? I think for all other 9 players in the lobby it’s a pretty miserable experience to have a LW. Thanks for your time.
Blizz_Alec: Answered the Roadhog question in a different place, but yes changes coming soon.
For Lifeweaver, one of the discussions we are having right now (actually this week) and have been having for a while is around the friction that comes with switching between his healing and damage. Giving him more flexibility here would be a great boon to his capability within team fights. Additionally, we've experimented a lot with his Petal Platform. Personally would love for that to be a more attractive area to stand on as a teammate (whether that be through a buff the platform gives you or something else) but there's a lot of learned behavior to work through as allies hop off the platform quite often.
Q: Hey! I have 2 Mercy questions:
1. Is the team looking at Mercy at all for any changes/small buffs? 2. What is Mercy's pick and win rate now compared to Season 3?
Back in Mid Season 9, the DPS passive was reduced and a dev blog stated Mercy wouldn't see changes as she should 'be more reliable moving forward' with the reduction. That nerf was reverted and Mercy stayed the same.
The community has been ranking Mercy as a D Tier support for a few Seasons now and she's in this weird spot where people don't like playing against her, with her, or as her anymore. I and many others still enjoy her most out of all the other heroes but she doesn't play nearly as fun as she used to after the changes that've been made to her (mainly nerfs) and the game over the last year. Thanks!
Blizz_Alec: 1. I think we are more happy in the 20% DPS Passive world than the 15% (it cuts through a lot better, helps mitigate the healing more effectively) so Mercy is more worth a look when that world is permanent. There are some questions of how far we can push her movement and know that is one of the most requested changes.

1. Mercy is still a top-picked 3/4 Support and even higher on console until you hit GM/Top 500. Her performance follows a similar trend, where she's in the top grouping for most ranks and remains above average at the highest ranks. Doesn't mean that she wont receive changes but that is where she is at currently.

Q:I'm not really sure how I am supposed to ask this, but?,
Is the current Balance Team confident about being able to dix the biggest problems the Tank role has been suffering since the OW2 release?
I'm specifically talking about the Counterswap Meta and unhealthy Tank designs being "allowed" to exist, like Tank busters and unkillable tanks (Roadhog, Mauga, and Orisa).
Are we confident that making Tanks able to do almost everything is the right thing to do? Are we confident that we can make Tank fun again for the majority of the player base without straight buffs?
The headshot reduction and knockback reduction changes are especially interesting to me because I really don't think that simple number changes will fix how Tanks feel to play.
I don't want to counterswap. I don't want to face unkillable and easy-to-play Tanks.I don't want Tank Busters.
I really LOVE this game but it currently feels like as if we were going into the wrong direction while ignoring the BIGGEST Problems :c
Blizz_jNoh: At its core, Overwatch is a game designed around being able to swap heroes to gain a tactical advantage or help solve a challenge you might be encountering. This contributes to keeping the moment-to-moment gameplay experience dynamic, drives hero diversity and offers a wider range of both strategic gameplay and skill expression in learning when/where/how to play multiple heroes.
There is a question of how much of an advantage is too much compared to the cost of switching. Ideally we want counters to be clear and understandable, but soft enough that it's still possible to outplay a disadvantaged matchup. It is a team game though and 1v1 matchups are not the highest priority when assessing the heroes.
Tanks do feel this the most with only one of them per team in 5v5 role queue, but all roles do experience the pressure to counter and be countered to an extent.
We're striving to find a balance between swapping heroes every death, (which certainly feels too often), and rarely swapping heroes or getting trapped in mirror matches every game, which quickly leads to fatigue. We've seen a lot of improvements here compared to earlier seasons, but it could always be better.
"Unhealthy" and unpopular designs are not necessarily the same thing. When designing heroes, we aim to provide a wide range of playstyles, mechanics, and aesthetics for players to enjoy. It's okay if they don't all resonate with everyone broadly. We'll do our best to make the game as fun as it can be for a wide audience.

I am currently subletting the den in a 2bed 2bath condo on a month to month basis. I don't have a written agreement except for a few texts exchanged with the 3 leaseholders on rent amount and modalities. I paid one month's rent as a security deposit and am required to give a 30 day notice before leaving.
Cut to 2 months later, the problems between me and 1 specific leaseholder blew up and the landlord got involved. Turns out the landlord was never informed about the sublet and the lease agreement has a clause that states that no sublet is permitted. Also, the landlord had specifications regarding the dietary requirements and was livid when he found out that we ate eggs (only!) on the premises (he is a vegan).
The landlord and the realtor said that since the lease is voided due to the breach, a new agreement had to be signed. But this particular leaseholder categorically stated that she doesn't want to continue living with me (for no fault of mine). The two other leaseholders don't want to live with this other person and so gave a 30 day notice to the landlord. The intention is me and these 2 people will sign a new lease at a different house together.
Now the landlord has given me 7 days time to vacate the premises. I think it is too short a notice. Can I refuse? What happens to me if the cops are called or the landlord tries to initiate eviction proceedings at the Ontario LTB? I am pretty sure since it is only a matter of 1 month, I will be gone before the matter comes to a hearing even. But will that affect my personal record in the country and my ability to rent in the future?

My lease expires in one month and I had a friend move in with me near the beginning of the year since I wanted to help him out and I didn’t think it would be a big deal since I was leaving anyway and we were going to find a place together with another friend after my lease was up.
My friend set his address to my apartment to get his mail and his new ID now also has the same address to match.
My life ruining problem is this: my friend is not on the lease now this is the first place I have ever lived without my parents and the first time I have ever rented with just my dad as a co-signer. I was unaware I was breaking a huge rule about unauthorized occupants in the apartment I didn’t even think about it and I won’t lie I didn’t really read the lease very carefully.
I realized this when I finally did read the lease carefully that after two weeks it’s a violation. So now I have given notice that I will be leaving and my lease will be over in 30 days and I will gone with all rent paid and everything else done cleaning wise and anything else I can do to make sure my deposit covers anything else.
I have been having anxiety attacks now that I have realized that I broke the terms of my lease and I am lost on what to do. If they don’t know before I leave and turn in the keys, they will find out when my friend gets his rental history checked when we apply for places.
I am utterly lost on what to do, rent was paid every month on time for almost 5 years, never had any noise complaints, very few repairs, we both have 700+ credit scores and perfectly clean backgrounds and besides this mistake no issues what so ever. I just am lost with what to do.
Will I ever be able to rent anything ever again once they find out? I know that if I am gone I can’t get evicted if everything is paid and the lease term is over but when they contact the previous landlord I know I will no longer have a good rental history . I literally feel like my life is over and I cannot see a light at the end of this tunnel.
Is there way to salvage this? Do I need to go through for rent by owners and just explain my massive life altering mistake and hope they give me and my roommate a chance? Sorry to ramble I just haven’t been in a good headspace because of this I thought I was a good tenant but it seems like I am not.

Hi everyone,
My husband and I have been renting a house since 2021 and have recently bought our forever home. I plan on mailing my landlord a letter letting them know we are terminating our month to month lease next month when I mail Julys rent. I will be paying for tracking on the letter to let me know when they receive my notice. I will be proving them with over 60 days notice and will be terminating the lease August 31st. I’m looking for advice on how to make sure my move out and lease termination is smooth and we stand a chance at getting some of our deposit back, any positive advice is welcome. We plan on keeping the utilities in our names and maintaining the lawn until Aug 31st. 🥰 Thank you in advance.

Just trying help study and better understand the buddy’s, Idk what would be so controversial about samples and tests in regard to these physical buddies. I truly think it’s worth looking into and carrying out for the sake of us, them and our record of prehistorical history.,
~https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZniES6yE8yThXsTY7
i’ll just make a video and share it. Gotta explain everything in kindergarten lamen terms. (For the closed minded unobjective drama queens; whom seemingly dispise progress or findings despite credits, peer objection, biblio or background)
;//notice the reptilian. Skin. The dots. The three fingers. the anthropomorphic qualities and human characteristics. the age the area the size https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zc6ARWzqDN7GGkvQ9
whats wrong with digging up these buddies pasts or conducting such scientific study on these guys in their current state. ;To match such historical recolections/dipictions and help understand these beings ancient ways of life.
my only suggestion was to spread the word on the possibility of conducting 'gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis tests
op - https://www.reddit.com/AlienBodies/comments/1cypzvfellow_anthropologistsresearchers_spread_the_word/
as I said though, “too bad they dont have hair..”
More similarities ~ https://photos.app.goo.gl/DVPav94ChpvSGpwE6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZniES6yE8yThXsTY7
I dont think this is baseless nor that far of a stretch. especially reguarding what our museams and history books recollect depict and prophesize for such times
…’again just so happens to also be the oldest religious icons ever found or depicted in the americas as well