Entrepreneurial doctors and consumerist patients: #plasticsurgery on Instagram

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Youngnyo Joa ◽  
Sung-Yeon Park

Purpose There is an increasing need for a better understanding of healthcare service marketing in social media. This paper aims to examine Under the framework of positioning theory, popular Instagram posts related to #plasticsurgery and their accounts were analyzed and the relationships between the posts’ attributes and the number of user comments and likes were examined. Design/methodology/approach A total of 272 posts associated with #plasticsurgery and their account profiles were analyzed. Findings Plastic surgery procedures were positioned on Instagram primarily by doctors and celebrity patients who were motivated by self-promotion. Doctors often omitted their medical credential information from their account profile and posts while featuring their vanity photos, emojis and consultation solicitations. They showed patients as the objects of surgery. On the other hand, patients positioned themselves as individuals with the agency by showing their faces rather than focusing on their body parts. Instagram users responded better to the doctors who positioned themselves more as business owners than medical professionals by soliciting consultations, offering discounts, displaying surgery photos and using emojis. In responding to patient posts, Instagram users liked under-dressed images more than fully clothed images and commented more on before-and-after photos than others. Social implications In Instagram, doctors positioned themselves as self-interested providers of plastic surgery services, whereas patients positioned themselves as active consumers. Medical professionals’ social media activities should be more closely monitored to protect patient safety and the trust between patients and doctors. Originality/value This study shed light on how doctors and patients position themselves on social media and how they are received by social media users in the context of #plasticsurgery on Instagram.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-167
Author(s):  
Susana Costa Silva ◽  
Wilian Feitosa ◽  
Paulo Duarte ◽  
Marta Vasconcelos

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how a company could improve public engagement on social media (SM) analysing the case of Alento, which is a human resources and consulting company located in Portugal. The company’s presence on Facebook was analysed by using the honeycomb model for SM functionality, by Kietzmann et al. (2011), as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach The authors implemented some actions to change procedures on SM management. Monitoring five months of data, the authors could compare the SM engagement before and after changes on SM management. Then, a convenience sample of 205 useable questionnaires was collected. The population of the study comprised Portuguese Facebook users who liked the Alento Facebook Fan Page. An analysis of honeycomb dimensions was performed. Findings The engagement level on Alento’s SM was increased by changing procedures identified on survey. In five months, Alento’s number of followers was increased by just 4.5 per cent, interactions were increased by 35 per cent, views were more than twice (+122 per cent) and fans who clicked on Alento’s Facebook page’s links were increased by 146 per cent. Research limitations/implications There were also some limitations related to the sample, since the authors only obtained 205 responses. Therefore, the second suggestion for future investigations would be to conduct the survey on a larger number of people. This study just considers five months after changing procedures. A longer range of time could produce different results. Practical implications The most relevant contribution of the current study is the offer of some insights into the use of a simple tool such as the honeycomb model of Kietzmann et al. (2011) for the analysis of the social engagement from a firm’s perspective, regardless of their nature. Social implications The importance of SM to spread good content and to reduce media costs is reinforced in this study. Originality/value This study is innovative, as it identifies a need of change on SM management, proposes and implements new procedures, checking its results. SM marketing is a new wagon of study, and the problem of how to increase engagement on professional SM is on top priorities of the field.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doralyn Rossmann ◽  
Scott W.H. Young

Purpose – Social Media Optimization (SMO) offers guidelines by which libraries can design content for social shareability through social networking services (SNSs). The purpose of this paper is to introduce SMO and discuss its effects and benefits for libraries. Design/methodology/approach – Researchers identified and applied five principles of SMO. Web analytics software provides data on web site traffic and user engagement before and after the application of SMO. Findings – By intentionally applying a program of SMO, the library increased content shareability, increased user engagement, and built community. Research limitations/implications – Increasing use of SNSs may influence the study results, independent of SMO application. Limitations inherent to web analytics software may affect results. Further study could expand analysis beyond web analytics to include comments on SNS posts, SNS shares from library pages, and a qualitative analysis of user behaviors and attitudes regarding library web content and SNSs. Practical implications – This research offers an intentional approach for libraries to optimize their online resources sharing through SNSs. Originality/value – Previous research has examined the role of community building and social connectedness for SNS users, but none have discussed using SMO to encourage user engagement and interactivity through increased SNS traffic into library web pages.


Author(s):  
Nicholas Siegel ◽  
Hillary Jenny ◽  
Karan Chopra ◽  
Robin Yang

Abstract Background The utilization of social media is growing among academic and private practice plastic surgeons. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine training backgrounds and board certification of medical professionals through the use of plastic surgery-related hashtags on a single social media platform, Instagram. Methods Instagram was queried with 15 plastic surgery–related hashtags. Only the top 50 posts of each hashtag were analyzed at a single time point and international accounts were excluded. Data collected included account owner, degree, medical specialty, board certification, and type of post. Results The study sample consisted of 750 posts from an Instagram query in January 2019. Medical professionals accounted for 75% (n = 561) of posts. Board-certified physicians accounted for 56% (n = 420) of posts. Of the physician posters, 51% (n = 230) were trained in plastic surgery, 30% (n = 133) in otolaryngology, and 19% (n = 87) in other specialties. Facial rejuvenation content was more likely to be posted by otolaryngologists rather than plastic surgeons (P ≤ 0.001), whereas body-contouring procedures were more likely to be posted by plastic surgeons. Nonsurgical procedures and injectables were more likely to be posted by nonphysicians (P ≤ 0.001). Physicians without training in plastic surgery or otolaryngology were also more likely to post nonsurgical procedure–related hashtags (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions Medical professionals publish the majority of plastic surgery–related posts on Instagram; however, the utilization of plastic surgery hashtags by other specialties may be confusing or misleading to social media users who are unaware of interdisciplinary training differences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-213
Author(s):  
Fatima Abdulaziz Al-Emadi ◽  
Imene Ben Yahia

Purpose The study aims to explore why consumers engage with ordinary celebrities on social media by identifying the influential characteristics that have engaged followers and have led to opinion leadership on visual platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected from 32 social media users following at least one ordinary celebrity on Instagram and Facebook in Qatar and Tunisia. Findings The findings of this study highlight five main characteristics that lead to fame and opinion leadership on social media visual platforms: credibility, storytelling and content quality, fit with the platform, Actual and aspired image homophily and consistency. Research limitations/implications This research is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, one of the first studies that highlight the features determining opinion leadership on visual platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Second, the results of the study highlight some features that distinguish ordinary celebrities from traditional established celebrities. Practical implications The findings of this research represent a guideline for effective influential marketing development. Based on the results, recommendations are provided for companies, influencers and social media users who aspire to become influencers. Originality/value This research, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is among the first to shed light on opinion leadership through ordinary celebrities on visual social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, and thus, adds new insights to the area of social media marketing.


2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-liang Sun ◽  
Eugene Ch’ng ◽  
Simon See

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate political influential spreaders in Twitter at the juncture before and after the Malaysian General Election in 2013 (MGE2013) for the purpose of understanding if the political sphere within Twitter reflects the intentions, popularity and influence of political figures in the year in which Malaysia has its first “social media election.” Design/methodology/approach A Big Data approach was used for acquiring a series of longitudinal data sets during the election period. The work differs from existing methods focusing on the general statistics of the number of followers, supporters, sentiment analysis, etc. A retweeting network has been extracted from tweets and retweets and has been mapped to a novel information flow and propagation network we developed. The authors conducted quantitative studies using k-shell decomposition, which enables the construction of a quantitative Twitter political propagation sphere where members posited at the core areas are more influential than those in the outer circles and periphery. Findings The authors conducted a comparative study of the influential members of Twitter political propagation sphere on the election day and the day after. The authors found that representatives of political parties which are located at the center of the propagation network are winners of the presidential election. This may indicate that influential power within Twitter is positively related to the final election results, at least in MGE2013. Furthermore, a number of non-politicians located at the center of the propagation network also significantly influenced the election. Research limitations/implications This research is based on a large electoral campaign in a specific election period, and within a predefined nation. While the result is significant and meaningful, more case studies are needed for generalized application for identifying potential winning candidates in future social-media fueled political elections. Practical implications The authors presented a simple yet effective model for identifying influential spreaders in the Twitter political sphere. The application of the authors’ approach yielded the conclusion that online “coreness” score has significant influence to the final offline electoral results. This presents great opportunities for applying the novel methodology in the upcoming Malaysian General Election in 2018. The discovery presented here can be used for understanding how different players of political parties engage themselves in the election game in Twitter. The approach can also be adopted as a factor of influence for offline electoral activities. The conception of a quantitative approach in electoral results greatly influenced by social media means that comparative studies could be made in future elections. Originality/value Existing works related to general elections of various nations have either bypassed or ignored the subtle links between online and offline influential propagations. The modeling of influence from social media using a longitudinal and multilayered approach is also rarely studied. This simple yet effective method provides a new perspective of practice for understanding how different players behave and mutually shape each other over time in the election game.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Kuhn ◽  
Tera Galloway ◽  
Maureen Collins-Williams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine small business owners’ informal advice-seeking from peers, with a focus on the opportunities afforded by the internet for owners to acquire assistance from other owner-managers outside their local community. Design/methodology/approach – Over 600 owner-managers in a rural US state were surveyed about their advice-seeking during the previous year from peers in the same community, from non-local peers they had met in person, and from peers known only online. Mixed effects logistic regression analysis was used to test both main effects of business and owner characteristics on advice-seeking and interactions with type/location of peer advisors. Findings – Most owners had received advice from peers, and one-third had received advice online from a peer whom they had never met in person. Business performance was not associated with overall use of peer advice, but did interact significantly with source; the use of online-only advisors was associated with business growth, suggesting the possible benefit of weak ties. Over two-thirds of respondents reported having used social media and/or online forums to access advice or support from other owners (both those met in person and those not), with women and younger owners more likely to rely on such tools. Originality/value – This study shows that entrepreneurial research needs to consider peer advisors beyond local networks as potential resources for small business owners. While previous research has examined entrepreneurs’ use of social media for marketing, this study shows its utility for accessing advice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 814-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Bagić Babac ◽  
Vedran Podobnik

Purpose Due to an immense rise of social media in recent years, the purpose of this paper is to investigate who, how and why participates in creating content at football websites. Specifically, it provides a sentiment analysis of user comments from gender perspective, i.e. how differently men and women write about football. The analysis is based on user comments published on Facebook pages of the top five 2015-2016 Premier League football clubs during the 1st and the 19th week of the season. Design/methodology/approach This analysis uses a data collection via social media website and a sentiment analysis of the collected data. Findings Results show certain unexpected similarities in social media activities between male and female football fans. A comparison of the user comments from Facebook pages of the top five 2015-2016 Premier League football clubs revealed that men and women similarly express hard emotions such as anger or fear, while there is a significant difference in expressing soft emotions such as joy or sadness. Originality/value This paper provides an original insight into qualitative content analysis of male and female comments published at social media websites of the top five Premier League football clubs during the 1st and the 19th week of the 2015-2016 season.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethné Swartz ◽  
Frances M. Amatucci ◽  
Susan Coleman

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore an optimal research design for research on women entrepreneurs involved in negotiating term sheets for private equity capital. This research explores new ways for researchers to connect with such current “invisibles” through the use of a mixed method and mixed mode research design to expand sampling options and secure respondent participation. The authors discuss existing data sets that have been used as secondary sources for data on financing of companies and consider their inadequacy for research questions about process issues in negotiation. The authors present process-related findings regarding the efficacy of the research design. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews research on research methodology, incorporating a discussion of practices outside of the entrepreneurship discipline to discover effective practices for identifying respondents and data not currently captured in entrepreneurship data sources. The respondents were found through social media sites, angel networks, University networks and via identification through a proprietary financial intelligence database. Findings – An optimal research design to identify women business owners of growth-oriented firms who have negotiated private equity should consider mixed methods designs and mixed modes, including the use of digital networks that signal to potential respondents that research is being done. Research limitations/implications – Although the authors developed the multi-method, mixed mode (MMMM) research design, the sample size is still relatively small. This raises concerns about generalizability to the larger population and limits statistical analysis more suitable with larger data sets. However, the MMMM research design has enabled the authors to reach a difficult target sample. It has proven effective, although a longer time frame would have been helpful. Research limitations/implications – All of the large scale databases in entrepreneurship have limitations in providing optimal sampling frames for process-related research. The present research study was able to use conventional networks, social media sites and angel networks to connect with women business owners who have raised private equity, but who lack visibility in current data sets. The study shows that through the use of multiple methods, women entrepreneurs can be researched and some will share their experiences about process issues. The sample size was small and the quantitative data cannot be generalized. However, the methodology works and allows researchers to explore experiences that are not captured in existing data sets. Social implications – Entrepreneurship researchers can connect with “invisibles” by becoming more “social” and using social media sites that are used by women entrepreneurs. Researchers may not have immediate access to women entrepreneurs through these means, but rather they need to develop interpersonal contacts, build a social presence and trust to recruit respondents to complete online questionnaire studies about substantive topics such as negotiating term sheets for equity investments in their companies. Originality/value – This paper summarizes the “research on research methodologies” in entrepreneurship, reviews secondary data sources and discusses their limitations for specific types of research questions. A review of the value of MMMM research designs and best practices in online survey research outside of entrepreneurship provides insights into the incorporation of digital tools in other disciplines.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica C. Gavino ◽  
Denise E. Williams ◽  
David Jacobson ◽  
Iris Smith

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine both the Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ social media adoption (SMA) for business purposes and the influence of culture on personal versus business social network platform (SNP) selection. Design/methodology/approach The Technology Acceptance Model’s (TAM) factors of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) as drivers of Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ social network platform selection are examined as well as the effect of SMA on revenue. Data was collected from 633 small business owners across the United States via an online survey administered in English and Spanish. Findings Results indicate that Latino/Hispanic business owners use personal SNP more than business SNP for business purposes. PU and PEU were not found to predict personal SNP for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs. However, for Non-Latino/Hispanics, PU was significant while PEU was marginally significant. Findings for PU and PEU as predictors of business SNP indicate similar results for both Latino/Hispanic and non-Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs, where only PEU was significant. Finally, there was no relationship between either business or personal SNP and revenue for either Latino/Hispanic or non-Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs. Practical implications This research provides more insight into Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ self-directed engagement in personal SNP (Facebook) and business SNP (LinkedIn) for business purposes and invites future research in this population to further examine cultural influence and business performance. The findings support the need for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ strengthening their competency in social media usage to remain competitive, as doing so will enhance their capability for building customer relationships, brand development, and equity financing. Originality/value This investigation 1) examines SMA’s role in Latino/Hispanic small and medium enterprises (SMEs); 2) distinguishes between personal and business social network platforms; 3) investigates TAM’s relevance for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ use of social media for business; and 4) explores SME social media usage as a predictor of revenue. We seek to provide practitioners with a greater understanding of how they may influence business success and sustainability through better competency development and usage of social media platforms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 404-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyi Duan ◽  
Ruby Roy Dholakia

Purpose The purpose of the present research is to investigate how consumers’ purchase posting behavior on social media influences their own happiness. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents three studies. Study 1 was an experiment that manipulated purchase and posting behavior. Studies 2 and 3 utilized surveys which asked participants to report their actual purchases and posting behaviors. Data were examined using regression and bootstrap mediation analysis. Findings Posting purchases on social media has a positive influence on consumers’ happiness through the mediating roles of perceived impact of purchases on self and interpersonal relationships. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to the research on social media by demonstrating that because of its remarkable characteristics, posting purchases on social media significantly increases consumers’ happiness. It fills the research gap of how word-of-mouth and conspicuous consumption influences the storyteller’s happiness. It is also the first research which suggests that user-generated content of purchases actually can be a new carrier of conspicuous consumption. The findings shed light on the substantial influences of posting purchases on the use/consumption stage of consumer behavior. Practical implications Because posting purchases on social media increases consumers’ happiness, marketers can develop strategies to encourage consumers to post about their purchases more. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to demonstrate the positive effect of social media purchase posting on consumers’ happiness and identify the mechanism under which this effect occurs.


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