scholarly journals Understanding misinformation and rumors that generated panic buying as a social practice during COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Twitter, YouTube and focus group interviews

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Wilson Ozuem
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsibility Of Government ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Global Uncertainty

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to understand how socially shared misinformation and rumors can enhance the motivation to protect personal interests and enhance social practices of panic buying.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a number of qualitative data collection methods for the purpose of triangulation, as it can offer thick interpretation and can help to develop a context specific research framework.FindingsThe shared misinformation and rumors on social media developed into psychological, physical and social threats; therefore, people started panic buying to avoid these negative consequences. People believed that there were differences between the information shared by politicians and government officials and reality, such as “everything is under control,” whereas social media showed people standing in long queues and struggling to buy the necessities of life. The shared misinformation and rumors on social media became viral and received social validation, which created panic buying in many countries.Research limitations/implicationsIt is the responsibility of government, politicians, leaders, media and the public to control misinformation and rumors, as many people were unable to buy groceries due either to socio-economic status or their decisions of late buying, which increased depression among people.Originality/valueThe study merged the theory of rumor (TORT) transmission and protection motivation theory (PMT) to understand how misinformation and rumors shared through social media increased global uncertainty and the desire to panic buy across the world.

scholarly journals Social networks, corruption and institutions of accounting, auditing and accountability

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Phiri ◽  
Pinar Guven-Uslu
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Wealth Distribution ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
African Context

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate institutions of accountability in Zambia in order to understand how social networks may influence such institutions not to discharge their mandates as expected from time to time. The study equally seeks to explore how social networks may perpetuate corrupt activities and compromise the functioning of institutions of accountability. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework adopted in this study draws on insights from social network theory (SNT) and Bourdieu’s ideas of capital to devise a critical lens for investigating network activity and its influence on the functioning of institutions of accountability. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with respondents drawn from different institutions of accountability. Social network analysis was conducted through content analysis. Findings Research findings highlight the presence of networks of a corrupt nature operating within government structures and some institutions of accountability. Manifested in the form of systemic and familial archetypes, these networks appear to be championed and propelled by senior government officials like controlling officers and other actors of a political nature including ministers and presidents. Most of these corrupt activities are organised through brokerage mechanisms that interface internal and external networks. Research limitations/implications Due to the clandestine nature of corruption activities, however, the study was unable to determine measures of centrality and density since these details were not forthcoming during interviews. Such information could only become available if willing individuals involved in corruption could be identified so that they explain who they conduct their corruption with together with the number of connections involved and the most influential individuals in those networks. Social implications This study helps us to understand that activities of a corrupt nature are often undertaken through well-connected groups and networks that make it difficult for institutions of accountability to detect and untangle such activity. The study also suggests that accountants and other accountability actors may have forgotten that accounting is not just a technical discourse for enhancing one’s economic status but is an ethical profession as well. There is a great need to put institutions in place which should hold everyone, including the president and ministers, accountable to the Zambian people in the light of wrongdoing. Dismantling the corrupt network activities inferred from the data entails a complete top-down change in systems of politics, governance, wealth distribution and social values. Originality/value This study contributes towards filling the gap of undertaking accounting research of a critical nature focussed on African contexts (Rahaman, 2010). The paper is equally an attempt at providing empirical flesh to Laughlin’s (1991) framework on organisational transformations through complementing that framework with SNT. The study is also among the first to draw on the experiences and insights of actors working within institutions of accountability to highlight accountability challenges within an African context.

Is emotional labour a positive experience for teachers? A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiji Lyndon ◽  
Preeti S. Rawat ◽  
Darshana Pawar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Higher Educational ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeEmotional labour is an important area of research in organizational psychology especially in the context of service industry. Past research in this area has primarily focused on the negative consequences of emotional labour. The present study is carried out to explore whether professors working in higher educational institutes experience emotional labour and how does it impact them.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a qualitative approach. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted.FindingsThree broad themes emerged from the study: (1) work environment leading to emotional labour (2) factors facilitating emotional regulation and (3) consequences of emotional labour. The findings revealed that the consequences of emotional labour are context specific and in the context of educational setting, it has interesting positive outcomes.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide critical insights regarding how to deal with employees who experience emotional labour at work.Originality/valueThe study adopts an inductive approach to explore the experiences of emotional labour of professors in higher educational institutes.

scholarly journals Jealousy due to social media? A systematic literature review and framework of social media-induced jealousy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushree Tandon ◽  
Amandeep Dhir ◽  
Matti Mäntymäki
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Profile

PurposeThe association between social media and jealousy is an aspect of the dark side of social media that has garnered significant attention in the past decade. However, the understanding of this association is fragmented and needs to be assimilated to provide scholars with an overview of the current boundaries of knowledge in this area. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to fulfill this need.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake an SLR to assimilate the current knowledge regarding the association between social media and jealousy, and they examine the phenomenon of social media-induced jealousy (SoMJ). Forty-five empirical studies are curated and analyzed using stringent protocols to elucidate the existing research profile and thematic research areas.FindingsThe research themes emerging from the SLR are (1) the need for a theoretical and methodological grounding of the concept, (2) the sociodemographic differences in SoMJ experiences, (3) the antecedents of SoMJ (individual, partner, rival and platform affordances) and (4) the positive and negative consequences of SoMJ. Conceptual and methodological improvements are needed to undertake a temporal and cross-cultural investigation of factors that may affect SoMJ and acceptable thresholds for social media behavior across different user cohorts. This study also identifies the need to expand current research boundaries by developing new methodologies and focusing on under-investigated variables.Originality/valueThe study may assist in the development of practical measures to raise awareness about the adverse consequences of SoMJ, such as intimate partner violence and cyberstalking.

Social media: the double-edged sword for perpetuating and preventing criminal activities in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishmael Mugari ◽  
Caleb Muzinda
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
And Control ◽  
Crime Intelligence

Purpose This study aims to evaluate social media’s role in facilitating criminal activities in Zimbabwe and determine how social media platforms have been embraced by the Zimbabwean police to curb criminal activities. Design/methodology/approach A total of 72 participants from the Zimbabwean police and 5 non-police security experts were invited to participate in this study through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The study was confined to an urban policing area, which is policed by approximately 400 police officers. Findings The facilitation of violent protests was found to be the major threat that is posed by social media in Zimbabwe, with social media platforms playing a catalytic role in fuelling these violent protests. Social media is also playing a significant role in the spread of fake news, with the intention of causing fear and panic amongst citizens. Findings also reveal that the Zimbabwe police have embraced social media platforms for sharing crime prevention tips, receiving crime reports, engaging with citizens and gathering crime intelligence. Originality/value The study provides context-specific information on the threats posed by social media on a developing nation that has been characterised by a myriad of socio-economic challenges, as well as how these social media platforms have been embraced for crime prevention and control. Given limited empirical research on social media and national security in Zimbabwe, this study adds to the existing body of knowledge.

Sentiment of the public: the role of social media in revealing important events

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Daou
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Topic Detection ◽  
Online Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Detection Algorithms ◽  
Diffusion Of Information ◽  
Context Specific

PurposeSocial media is characterized by its volume, its speed of generation and its easy and open access; all this making it an important source of information that provides valuable insights. Content characteristics such as valence and emotions play an important role in the diffusion of information; in fact, emotions can shape virality of topics in social media. The purpose of this research is to fill the gap in event detection applied on online content by incorporating sentiment, more specifically strong sentiment, as main attribute in identifying relevant content.Design/methodology/approachThe study proposes a methodology based on strong sentiment classification using machine learning and an advanced scoring technique.FindingsThe results show the following key findings: the proposed methodology is able to automatically capture trending topics and achieve better classification compared to state-of-the-art topic detection algorithms. In addition, the methodology is not context specific; it is able to successfully identify important events from various datasets within the context of politics, rallies, various news and real tragedies.Originality/valueThis study fills the gap of topic detection applied on online content by building on the assumption that important events trigger strong sentiment among the society. In addition, classic topic detection algorithms require tuning in terms of number of topics to search for. This methodology involves scoring the posts and, thus, does not require limiting the number topics; it also allows ordering the topics by relevance based on the value of the score.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-12-2019-0373

Social-media-based risk communication for data co-security on the cloud

2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Pierre Guy Gashami ◽  
Christian Fernando Libaque-Saenz ◽  
Younghoon Chang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cloud Computing ◽  
News Media ◽  
Data Security ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Security Breach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Twitter Users

Purpose Cloud computing has disrupted the information technology (IT) industry. Associated benefits such as flexibility, payment on an on-demand basis and the lack of no need for IT staff are among the reasons for its adoption. However, these services represent not only benefits to users but also threats, with cybersecurity issues being the biggest roadblock to cloud computing success. Although ensuring data security on the cloud has been the responsibility of providers, these threats seem to be unavoidable. In such circumstances, both providers and users have to coordinate efforts to minimize negative consequences that might occur from these events. The purpose of this paper is to assess how providers and users can rely on social media to communicate risky events. Design/methodology/approach Based on the Situational Theory of Publics and trust, the authors developed three research questions to analyze stakeholders’ communication patterns after a security breach. By gathering Twitter data, the authors analyzed the data security breach faced by the Premera Blue Cross’ Web application. Findings The results indicate that Premera acted as the main source of information for Twitter users, while trustworthy actors such as IT security firms, specialists and local news media acted as intermediaries, creating small communities around them. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Originality/value Social media could be used for diffusing information of potential threats; no research has assessed its usage in a cloud-based security breach context. The study aims to fill this gap and propose a framework to engage cloud users in co-securing their data along with cloud providers when they face similar situations.

scholarly journals Hotel guests’ social media acceptance in luxury hotels

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 530-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Claudia tom Dieck ◽  
Timothy Hyungsoo Jung ◽  
Woo Gon Kim ◽  
Yunji Moon
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Acceptance Model ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Method Approach ◽  
Acceptance Model ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Luxury Hotel ◽  
Method Approach

Purpose This paper aims to propose and test a modified technology acceptance model for the social media networks (SMNs) in the luxury hotel context, integrating satisfaction and continued usage intention, using a mixed-method approach. SMNs have revolutionized the way people communicate, search for information and share experiences. The technology acceptance model is the predominant theory for researching technology acceptance; however, there is a gap in identifying and testing context-specific constructs. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a mixed-method approach. The researchers conducted 16 interviews and 258 questionnaires with luxury hotel guests. Following the collection of data, interviews and questionnaires were analyzed using thematic and partial least square analysis. Findings Findings show that accessibility, trust, social influence and perceived benefits influence perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, which affect attitude and satisfaction and ultimately continued usage intentions. Findings also reveal that enjoyment, although qualitatively proposed, does not influence luxury hotel guests’ SMNs continued usage intention. Practical implications This study suggests that hotel managers have to concentrate their marketing efforts in enhancing SMN’s interaction and increasing the number of positive reviews to retain current customers and acquire new ones. Hotels should also develop effective mobile strategies by adopting mobile social network webs and applications, as accessibility becomes more important in today’s marketplace. Originality/value Former scholars adopted the approach of proposing external dimensions based on previous research and, thus, did not integrate up-to-date and context-specific variables. Therefore, the present paper uses a new approach by exploring SMN-specific dimensions and testing them in the luxury hotel context.

scholarly journals Corporate social responsibility: towards a context-specific perspective in developing countries

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Ozuem ◽  
Kerry Howell ◽  
Geoff Lancaster
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Delta Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Niger Delta Region ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Western Perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically test, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the external perceptions which hold that a firm that has acted in a socially irresponsible manner can have negative consequences, as an organisation’s success and very survival depends, in part, on satisfying normative expectations from its environment. Design/methodology/approach – A purposive sample of 28 respondents was selected from three communities within the region. In addition, 20 in-depth interviews took place with oil workers, community leaders and elders within the region. These interviews lasted for approximately an hour and were transcribed verbatim. Findings – Drawing on qualitative research methodology, it is proposed that socially responsible investment could promote and facilitate business and social cohesion between corporations and broader communities that impinge on the company, rather than simply viewing business practice exclusively from an economic or political point of view. Research limitations/implications – This study has examined a small range of companies from an interpretivist ethnographic position in the Niger Delta region using data collected from interviews and observations. Future research could take a more positivistic position and explore a wider range of companies using a variety of data collection methods. Practical implications – Understanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) tends to be contextually bound, and should be divorced from the mechanistic Western perspective prevailing in most extant literature. Despite this context-specific notion to CSR relevance, there is still an overwhelming dominance of the understanding of CSR from the Western perspective, so companies should more closely consider local issues when drawing up CSR policy guidelines in a non-Western environment. Originality/value – Forty-eight individuals in the Niger Delta region have been interviewed, and their opinions on CSR issues have been reported.

Campaigns and conflict on social media: a literature snapshot

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 566-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley Boulianne
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Support ◽  
Echo Chambers ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the themes identified in the submissions to this volume. The findings are contextualized in recent scholarship on these themes. Design/methodology/approach The discussion is organized around predicting social media use among candidates, organizations, and citizens, then exploring differences in the content of social media postings among candidates, organizations, and citizens, and finally exploring the impact of social media use on mobilization and participatory inequality defined by gender, age, and socio-economic status. Findings This volume addresses whether social media use is more common among liberal or conservative citizens, candidates, and organizations; the level of negativity in social media discourse and the impact on attitudes; the existence of echo chambers of like-minded individuals and groups; the extent and nature of interactivity in social media; and whether social media will reinforce participation inequalities. In sum, the studies suggest that negativity and interactivity on social media are limited and mixed support for echo chambers. While social media mobilizes citizens, these citizens are those who already pre-disposed to engage in civic and political life. Originality/value This paper explores key topics in social media research drawing upon 60 recently published studies. Most of the studies are published in 2015 and 2016, providing a contemporary analysis of these topics.

Social networking for scientists: an analysis on how and why academics use ResearchGate

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Muscanell ◽  
Sonja Utz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Career Outcomes ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the usage and utility of ResearchGate (RG), which is a social networking site where scientists disseminate their work and build their reputations. In a sample consisting largely of American and European academics, the authors analyzed the ways they use the site, what they thought about the site’s utility, and the effects of usage on career outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed an online survey approach to target scientists who have an active RG account. Scientists who were not users were also recruited in order to get a better idea of the reasons for their nonuse. Findings Most academics who have an RG account did not use it very heavily. Users did not perceive many benefits from using the site, and RG use was not related to career satisfaction or informational benefits, but was related to productivity and stress. Research limitations/implications Systematic research is needed to explore positive and negative consequences of using professional social media in academia, especially productivity and stress. Findings also suggest that RG needs to increase user engagement. Originality/value This study is one of the first to closely examine how and why people in academia use professional social media sites and whether usage leads to perceived benefits and effects on more general career outcomes.

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