A recent Associated Press and MTV poll of teenagers found that 56 percent of them have been the target of online taunting, harassment or bullying.  4 out of 10 of those polled who were in a relationship said their partners used computers or cellphones negatively in the relationship.

Catherine Devine experienced online bullying at a young age, according to Boston.com  “They were making things up about me, and I was the most innocent 12-year-old ever,” she said. “I hadn’t even kissed anybody yet.”

This “digital abuse” has become a problem amongst young people with the rise of the technology age.  Phoebe Prince and, more recently, Jamey Rodemeyer, were bullied over the Internet to the point that they took their own lives.  These cases have garnered national attention, right up to President Obama.

The President brought students, parents and experts to the White House in March to talk about and condemn cyber bullying, and last week Lady Gaga chatted with Obama about passing legislation making bullying illegal.

Boston.com asserts that the recent increase in online bullying may be due to the increase in time that young people spend on social networking sites.  They say 7 in 10 had logged into a social networking site in the previous week, and 8 in 10 had texted a friend.

Cyber bullying researcher Sameer Hinduja said that 20 to 25 percent more middle and high school students experience cyber bullying.  He also suggests that online bullying carries into real life.

“When I was bullied in middle school I could go home and slam my door and forget about it for a while,” said Hinduja. “These kids can be accessed around the clock through technology. There’s really no escape.”

Some surveyed that their romantic partners have pressured them into sending nude pictures via text or online.

Catherine Devine’s former boy friend pressured her into sending nude pictures, and then threatened her with them when they broke up.

“I didn’t realize the power he could have over me from that,” Devine said. “I thought he’d just see it once and then delete it, like I had deleted it.”

Fifteen percent of young people, including those in their early 20s, have shared a nude photo through technology, according to Boston.com.

Technology also plays a part in dating violence, including partners checking up on significant others constantly, and snooping in private online accounts.  Fourteen percent of those polled say they have been the victim of technological dating abuse.

The poll was conducted from August 18-31 and was comprised of online interviews with 1,355 people ages 14-24.

A recent study by California-based media research company Experian Simmons seems to prove what many already believe: Democrats and Republicans have different tastes. Their research reveals that Republicans are more likely to be enthusiastic about shows with big ratings while Democrats seem to gravitate towards shows that are less popular but more critically acclaimed.

“The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans but with higher concentrations of Republicans,” according to Experian Simmons senior marketing manager John Fetto, “Looking at the Democrats side, I don’t mean to make light of it, but they seem to like shows about damaged people. Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from.”

The degree to which Republicans gravitate to more popular shows is striking: nine out of ten top shows on the Neilson list appear on the Republican list as well. None appear in the Democrats’ top 10. Democrats tend to adore “Mad Men” while “American Chopper” and “Pawn Stars” are more popular with Republicans.

While at first glance it might seem that there’s a “high brow versus low brow” conflict at the heart of these differences, the reality is more complicated. Republicans favor reality shows based around competition but certain particularly unabashedly trashy reality shows — “Jersey Shore,” “Kourtney & Khloe” — are more favored by Republicans. Animated comedies such as “Family Guy” score higher with Democrats, as do most shows on the CW.

Democrats also tend to love NBC’s Thursday night comedy block. “30 Rock”, “Community”, and “Parks and Recreation” appear in the Democrats’ top 15. Republicans tend to rate those shows lowly while, maybe surprisingly, giving “The Office” even slightly higher marks than their Democrat counterparts.

“Modern Family,” a show featuring a gay couple with adopted kids, seems like an unlikely choice for the Republicans’ number three spot, yet there it is. This and similar details of the study make it difficult to wax analytical about how viewing habits relate the supposed “culture war” between the Left and the Right in the United States. But for anyone hoping for less partisanship in American politics anytime soon, the bad news seems more concrete: Glenn Beck’s show tops the Republican list while Keith Olbermann’s program is tops with Democrats.

Here are each group’s favorites:

Leasetrader.com conducted a survey polled over 2,500 men and women asking “what’s the honeymoon period on a car.” The survey revealed that the honeymoon stage lasts three-times longer for women than for men. Men only averaging 4 months before caution went out the window. I fall somewhere between the 4 month and 2 year mark. I can’t say if I could ever love a car longer than 2 years because I’ve never owned the same one for that long but it could happen. Maybe.

I am guilty of most occurrences mentioned in the survey:

Parking around other cars – at two weeks old my car was backed into while in a parking garage. After that, front row at the grocery store not even flinching when a cart was rammed against the car.

Transporting sporting equipment – or in my case boogie and skim boards, bikes, scooters, and sand covered beach toys not limited to shovels and buckets.

Less frequent car cleaning – Murphy’s law, it rains after I wash so why bother? If I recall, the last time my car was washed was back in January. I think…

High-payment starts to bother – I knew it sucked before I even left the dealership but when a C-Class commercial comes on and is offered for less then what I pay now, a feeling of disgust forms in my stomach.

No more fights over who drives on long trips – I take full advantage of the fact my boyfriend has a new vehicle which he loves to drive. You’ll never hear me complain pulling up to valet on the passenger side, I’m a sucker for having my door opened.

Letting spouse drive the car – With my last car, the timing of letting my then boyfriend drive the truck and my lack of love ironically did occur at the same time. Sadly, no one has drove the current car that I can recall nor would I even care if they did.

Starts car-pooling other kids – What is a faster way to destroy the interior of any car? Two kids under the age of 5 add to the mix another and you can forget ever driving a crumb free car. Not long after taking my car in for service the first time, started the car-pooling started. Hmmm.

Eating in the car – not ever realizing this was a sign of lack of love but not eating the car lasts just about as long as me telling my children they can only eat on the tile floors because they will ruin the carpet but as we know silence is golden and while eating at the dinner table, in their bedrooms or the backseat of the car, we appreciate it regardless of the mess that will without a doubt occur.

Putting make-up on while driving – I am not quite sure how this means I no longer like my car but I appreciate cars with visors that include lights that allow for last minute touch-ups. Are you listening Nissan?!

Leaves clothes in the car – currently there are at least three pairs of shoes, a couple shirtrior of the car not including whatever has overflowed into the trunk. Often the shoes get removed to drive (heels and manual transmissions are not really compatible) and depending on everything else I have to carry upstairs get left behind. Plus, who knows when I just might need to do a shoe switch. It’s not about being lazy and not cleaning my car out, it’s about staying prepared! Much like the center console full of peanut butter crackers and raisins…

Starts smoking in the car – I love the new car smell. Nothing will take that quicker then smoke. It permeates the headliner, the seats, the carpet, no matter how many windows are down and the roof open; it lingers. Let’s be honest, smoker or not, getting into a car that reeks is not appealing. I am guilty of the occasional obviously when I am not driving the gang around in the backseat but since that is next to never, I avoid doing it.

Other – My own personal honeymoon period always comes to an end the moment the car needs to go in for service. My current car no exception, less than a two months old it had been in twice for the same issue. The disgust then formed and now I regrettably hate being behind the wheel of the car at any point. Brand new should not equal frequent trips to the dealership within the first two years. FOR ANYTHING.

The people that drive the same car for 10+ years are strange breed to me that I am almost certain I could not possibly ever have anything in common with. "Generally drivers living a leasing lifestyle have a shorter honeymoon period with their car," said Sergio Stiberman, CEO and Founder of LeaseTrader.com.

Guess who will be leasing her next car? ‘Tis me!

For the fourth straight year, it looks like Nintendo’s Wii will be the hottest item during the Holiday shopping season.

A survey of over 1,000 random wishes, conducted by online gift-giving site Lottay, found that, for both dudes and ladies, the Wii topped the list of most popular holiday wishes.

Can’t say we’re too surprised about that. Now at $199, and with a helluva strong software lineup available today, we’d expecting nothing less, but we are a tad surprised by what Lottay also found.

According to their survey:

· The Wii is wished for twice as much as Sony and Xbox 360 combined.

· Top wished for consoles, in order of popularity: Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

· People are also wishing for more Wii accessories and games than for other consoles.

· The most wished for game that appeared along with a Wii console is Super Smash Bros.

· The hottest new game is Left for Dead 2.

· The most popular accessory is the Wii Fit.

· Top product wishes are the Nintendo Wii, Wii games and accessories.

· Top wishes for men include the Nintendo Wii, cash as a gift, travel, love and sky diving (tied), iPod, and a car.

· Top wishes for women include the Nintendo Wii, travel and vacations, cash as a gift, massage, iPod, and boots.

PlayStation 3 more wished for than Xbox 360. Now that’s interesting.

What do you make of this list? Reasonable? Not so much? Jackie?

Men may generally be considered more tech savvy than women, but a new study shows that these days, women know gadgets, and its the men who are behind the curve.

A new study conducted by Retrevo, a company that matches consumers with compatible electronics, found that although men are confident about the latest gizmos, women are actually more astute when it comes to deciphering tech lingo and devices.

“There’s a myth that men are more technical than women,” said Andrew Eisner, Retrevo director of content for Retrevo. “Now we’re finding in consumer electronics that more women are carrying the ball.”

Debunking the long believed myth, only 17 percent of women who were asked what “1080p” meant answered incorrectly, while 25 percent of men did so, according to the study.

1080p is the abbreviation for a high definition video mode.

Educational programs like the Women in Technology Project, at Vermont Technical College, are committed to encouraging young women in middle school and high school to study math, science and technology. (Media credit/Vermont Technical College)

The study revealed that only 55 percent of women consider themselves “extremely tech savvy”, while a whopping 79 percent of men believe they are.

More women than men in the study knew that “MB” stands for megabytes.

This new trend may affect who the industry targets, according to Vipin Jain, president and CEO of Retrevo.

“Every single component of the CE industry has been affected by the recession and is trying to figure out how to make money in the new economy. Our Gadgetology report suggests that women might be the answer,” he said in a statement about the study.

Indeed, the study also found that more women than man would give up caffeine over their computer.

Said Eisner, “Anecdotally we hear about women being the keepers of the camcorder and camera and the laptop.”

Although Retrevo found that more women than men think tech jargon makes it more difficult to shop, the data clearly show that those same women are buying and using gadgets at least as much as men are.

“Advertisers would be very wise to direct advertisements at women,” Eisner said. “So go get ‘em.”

Tina Fey just sticks to your mind, doesn’t she? Talented, beautiful, and politically motivating?

A recent survey shows, not necessarily surprisingly, that 10 percent of voters went to the polls Tuesday with the recent political parodies from Saturday Night Live on their minds.

A national survey released today by Roll Call, Strat@comm and Fleishman-Hillard Public Affairs also shows that two-thirds of voters viewed the SNL’s political parodies this election season.

“The ‘SNL effect’ absolutely impacted the election,” said Mike Dabadie, a FirstView researcher. “We saw that 10 percent of voters said they were influenced by the skits. At the same time, the data shows that 59 percent of those who saw the skits voted for Obama and 39 percent voted for McCain.”

The survey also found that 6 percent of respondents indicated the skits made them more likely to vote for Obama/Biden and 4 percent said the SNL skits made them more likely to vote for McCain/Palin.

The survey also shows that while voters listed the economy as a top concern, the biggest motivating factor — what drove them to vote — was the desire to restore trust in the government for future generations.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent