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How location sharing apps change the ways we communicate

Phys · · 855 words · By Marianne Stein

The article discusses a study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign regarding the motivations and implications of using location-sharing apps. It categorizes usage into safety, practicality, casual use, and relationship processes, while noting potential impacts on interpersonal communication and privacy.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-apps-ways-communicate.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 8
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
“That's the topic of a study appearing in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, led by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign exists (Wikipedia), the specific study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships is only mentioned in the Mirage News article provided in the evidence for other claims. The evidence for claim 0 itself contains irrelevant results about Conan O'Brien.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University Library is the library system of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It comprises a network of physical and digital libraries. It provides resources and services to the univers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Library_(University…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_Urbana-…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a research park located in the southwest part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus in Champaign, Illinois. Research Par…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Park_at_the_Universit…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“lead author Brian Ogolsky, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at U. of I.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim is irrelevant (general names and a movie). However, the Mirage News article (found in evidence for other claims) mentions the study's findings, implying the author's identity, but no independent authoritative source confirms Brian Ogolsky's specific title and department.
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web search NEUTRAL — The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the Celtic personal name shown above.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian
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web search NEUTRAL — Brian: Directed by Will Ropp. With Joshua Colley, Sam Song Li, William H. Macy, Natalie Morales. An acerbic high school student prone to panic attacks runs for class president to get closer to the tea…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34093882/
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web search NEUTRAL — Brian is now a retired federal agent and has fought crime here with both the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Brian is excited to give back to a city that gave him so many rich life oppor…
https://www.sierravistaaz.gov/Home/Components/StaffDirectory…
info
“Ogolsky and his colleagues conducted an online survey with individuals across the U.S. and the U.K., asking them to describe their location sharing practices.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The details of the online survey in the US and UK are reported in the Mirage News article, but no other independent source corroborates the specific methodology of this study.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and can include feelings of romantic or platonic love and sexual intimacy. Intima…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimate_relationship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Paul Johnson (Ph.D., University of Michigan) is Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Women’s Studies, and African and African American Studies at Penn State, where he taught sociology and women’s …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Johnson
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the Celtic personal name shown above.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
“Respondents on average shared their location with 3.86 people, with a span ranging from 1 to 83.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific statistic (average 3.86 people, range 1 to 83) is explicitly stated in the Mirage News article. No other independent sources provide these specific numbers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The dress was a 2015 online viral phenomenon centred on a photograph of a dress. Viewers disagreed on whether the dress was blue and black or white and gold. The phenomenon revealed differences in hum…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The majority reported using the Find My app for iPhone, followed by Google Maps, Life360, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The ranking of apps (Find My, Google Maps, Life360, Snapchat, WhatsApp) is explicitly reported in the Mirage News article. While the apps themselves are verified via Wikipedia, the specific usage ranking from the study is only found in one source.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Map Maker was a map editing service launched by Google in June 2008. In geographies where it is hard to find providers of good map data, user contributions were used to increase map quality. Ch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Map_Maker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application developed by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street Vi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Find Hub, formerly known as Find My Device, is an asset tracking service provided by Google to remotely trace, locate and wipe devices that are compatible with the Find My Device network. It was initi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Find_Hub
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“People most often shared their location with their romantic partner, then friends, siblings, parents, children, other family members, and roommates.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The hierarchy of sharing recipients is explicitly detailed in the Mirage News article. No other independent source corroborates this specific list of priorities.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — People most often shared their location with their romantic partner, then friends, siblings, parents, children, other family members, and roommates.
https://www.miragenews.com/location-sharing-apps-transform-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Yandex Translate is a free online translation tool that allows you to translate text, documents, and images in over 90 languages. In addition to translation, Yandex Translate also offers a comprehensi…
https://translate.yandex.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Since Apple’s location-sharing app Find My debuted more than a decade ago, it has become widely used as a way not only to keep tabs on your devices, children or luggage, but also to check in on your r…
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/style/find-my-location-sh…
info
“The researchers organized the reasons people were sharing their location into four main categories: safety, practicality, casual use, and relationship processes.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The four categories (safety, practicality, casual use, and relationship processes) are explicitly listed in the Mirage News article. No other source confirms this categorization.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The researchers organized the reasons people were sharing their location into four main categories: safety, practicality, casual use, and relationship processes. Safety was the main reason for sharing…
https://www.miragenews.com/location-sharing-apps-transform-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — But can location sharing be an invasion of privacy? If you're in a committed romantic relationship, should you always share your location with your partner, and is it a major red flag if you don't?
https://www.verywellmind.com/sharing-location-with-your-part…
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web search NEUTRAL — If you need to location-share to feel at peace, that’s a bad sign. “That always indicates a level of insecurity that I’m bringing into the relationship,” says Nasir, who advocates for turning the feat…
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/location-sharing-find-m…
info
“Safety was the main reason for sharing location with immediate family, parents, and children.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The finding that safety was the main reason for sharing with immediate family/parents/children is reported in the Mirage News article. Other evidence for 'safety' is general and not specific to this study.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It can be defined as the absence of risk and adverse incidents, or as the presence of a capability to defend against adverse events and mitigate their effects.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages provide regulatory and enforcement information, hazard identification and controls as well as best practices and other resources to assist employers, workers and …
https://www.osha.gov/topics
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web search NEUTRAL — Find the latest and greatest safety events of the year. See what the Council is up to or request an interview with a team member. Provides timely perspectives on safety trends and solutions. View occu…
https://www.nsc.org/
help
“For romantic partners and friends, practicality was the most common reason for sharing.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this specific claim regarding romantic partners and friends.
help
“Brian G. Ogolsky et al, Near, Far, Wherever You Are: With Whom and Why Do People Use Location Sharing in Relationships, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (2026). DOI: 10.1177/02654075261446344”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific publication title, date (2026), or DOI.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.