American kids now influence an estimated $700 billion in annual spending, targeted virtually from birth with sophisticated commercial appeals designed to sell everything from Hollywood merchandise and junk foods to iPods, cell phones, the family car and vacations.

Why do people love Twitter?  More than 100 Twitterers responded to that very question via the social media/microblogging technology.  Their answers varied, but many mentioned the ability to feel socially connected to others, meet new people and have fun.  Why do you love (or hate) Twitter? 

Joyce Barnathan, an award-winning former journalist with BusinessWeek and Newsweek, discusses how the Internet has transformed the way news is reported across the globe, particularly in developing countries, while arguing that journalism today must uphold quality and integrity in a fragmented digital landscape.

Susan Blackmore studies memes: ideas that replicate themselves from brain to brain like a virus. She makes a new argument: Humanity has spawned a new kind of meme, the teme, which spreads itself via technology -- and invents ways to keep itself alive.

Once again, Radiohead is doing things differently. In their new video for "House of Cards," no cameras or lights were used. Instead, 3D plotting technologies collected information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. The video was created entirely with visualizations of that data. Don’t understand what that means, exactly? Well, if you do (or want to learn more) the band invites fans to make videos of their own and post them on the Radio Head “House of Cards” YouTube page.

American Apparel's CEO Dov Charney discusses his company's commitment to quality, fair labor and the "Made in America" label - as well as the controversies around the brand - with CBS Sunday Morning. 

For Earth Day 2008, Whole Foods created another outlet to express its social agenda with the Whole Earth Generation video contest for children. From a cute kid rapping about the environment to an awkward teenager giving an election-style speech about "the problem of today," these contest winners just might convince you  that you can make the world a little better (by shopping at Whole Foods).