Warnings for Hurricane Irma: Trust of Warning Type and Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Susceptibility

Author(s):  
Jason A. Parker ◽  
Daphne E. Whitmer ◽  
Valerie K. Sims

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of risk communication received about Hurricane Irma by a university sample, along with their perceptions of self-efficacy and susceptibility to the storm. Three days after the storm, 176 individuals completed a survey that asked about how they received alerts, the frequency of the alerts received, and their trust in the different risk communication mediums. Additionally, respondents completed a susceptibility measure, a self-efficacy measure, and a storm fear questionnaire. Results showed that most people received alerts from their university alert system or social media. Participants trusted risk communication the most from text alerts and radio reports, but the least from social media. Additionally, results showed that those who received more alerts also had higher levels of perceived susceptibility to the hurricane, except for those who received 16 to 20 alerts. Perceived self-efficacy was not related to the number of alerts received. These data suggest that although many urge the use of social media for spreading emergency warnings, people distrust social media for risk communication, and that this mistrust may be due to recent cases of misinformation spreading on various platforms. In addition, these data suggest that there may be a “critical point” of alerting, such that receiving more than 5 hurricane alerts may lead to significant increase in perceptions of susceptibility to the storm. Future research should investigate the critical point of effective alerting and the effect that trust in the different mediums of alert technology has on motivation to comply with the warning’s protective action recommendations.

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 680-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Caron ◽  
Janice Light

PurposeThis study aimed to expand the current understanding of how persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pALS) use augmentative and alternative communication and social media to address their communication needs.MethodAn online focus group was used to investigate the experiences of 9 pALS who use augmentative and alternative communication and social media. Questions posed to the group related to (a) current use of social media, (b) advantages of social media, (c) barriers to independent use, (d) supports to independent use, and (e) recommendations for developers, policy makers, and other pALS.ResultsParticipants primarily reported that use of social media was a beneficial tool that provided increased communication opportunities, connections to communication partners, and networks of support. Specific results are discussed with reference to the research as well as implications for practice and recommendations for future research.ConclusionsAs individuals with ALS experience loss of function, some communication modes may no longer be viable. Providing access to different modes of communication, including social media, can allow independence, participation and better quality of life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Di Gangi ◽  
Samuel H. Goh ◽  
Carmen C. Lewis

Social media has become widely adopted in both society and business. However, the academy has been slow to leverage social media as a learning tool. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study explores student perceptions about the use of social media in face-to-face classroom environments. Second, this study examines how social media, as a learning tool, supports presentation skill development. Using a proprietary social media application, we conducted a sequential mixed method study using students enrolled in undergraduate introductory information systems courses that included a student presentation project. One hundred seventy-seven students responded to a survey based on a facilitator and inhibitor model of social media use and an open-ended questionnaire to understand how social media impacts presentation skill development. The implications of the results from this study are discussed along with directions for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1274-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussain Alshahrani ◽  
Diane Rasmussen Pennington

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the sources of self-efficacy that researchers rely on when using social media for knowledge sharing and to explore how these sources impact their use. Design/methodology/approach The study employed 30 semi-structured interviews with researchers at a major Scottish university. The authors analysed the interview transcriptions using directed content analysis. Findings The researchers relied on the four sources of self-efficacy proposed by Bandura (1977) when using social media for knowledge sharing. These sources lead researchers to use social media effectively and frequently for sharing knowledge, although some may discourage its use. Research limitations/implications It extends the self-efficacy integrative theoretical framework of Bandura (1977) by presenting the relative amount of the influence of these sources for researchers to share their ideas, experiences, questions and research outputs on social media. While the participants included academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students, the majority were PhD students. Practical implications The findings can help universities understand how to promote productive use of social media. For example, academic staff who have high personal mastery experience could mentor those who do not. Originality/value This is the first known study to investigate the sources of self-efficacy that impact researchers’ use of social media for knowledge sharing.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Careless

Social media as a communicative forum is relatively new, having been around for only ten years. However, this form of digital engagement has revolutionized the way many people interact, network, form relationships, learn, generate and share knowledge. As a noncentralized tool for communication, social media may provide space for critical discourse around issues of social justice, as discussion can be global in scope and is controlled by users themselves. This paper outlines a critical theoretical framework through which to explore the use of social media in adult education to foster such critical and social justice-themed discourse. Drawing upon five critical theorists and their work, this framework sets the stage for a future research project – one that is significant for this increasingly digital world in which we live.


Author(s):  
Tracii Ryan ◽  
Kelly A. Allen ◽  
DeLeon L. Gray ◽  
Dennis M. McInerney

The use of social media is rapidly increasing, and one of the major discussions of the 21st century revolves around how the use of these applications will impact on the social relationships of users. To contribute to this discussion, we present a brief narrative review highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of social media use on three key aspects of social connectedness: social capital, sense of community, and loneliness. The results indicate that using social media can increase social capital, lead to the formation of friendships and communities, and reduce loneliness. However, some social media site users may experience weakening friendships, online ostracism, and heightened loneliness. Therefore, we argue that the use of social media has contradictory effects on social connectedness. Moreover, the direction of these outcomes is contingent upon who is using the site and how they are using it. Based on these arguments, possible directions for future research are discussed. It is recommended that discourse be continued relating to the association between online social behaviour and connectedness, as this will enable researchers to establish whether the positive outcomes of social media use outweigh the negative.


Author(s):  
Johannes Knoll ◽  
Jörg Matthes ◽  
Raffael Heiss

Although studies suggest that the use of social media can promote political participation (PP), there is a lack of theorizing about the psychological processes underlying this relationship. This article attempts to fill this gap by suggesting a social media political participation model. Taking a goal systemic perspective, the model specifies a set of interrelated processes that need to be realized so that social media use affects PP. Furthermore, key contingent conditions are outlined and insights into fostering PP are offered. The article explains ways of testing the model with surveys and experiments. Implications for future research are discussed.


2018 ◽  
pp. 494-514
Author(s):  
Kathy-Ann P. Fletcher ◽  
Christiana M. Emmanuel-Stephen

Generation Y is at the forefront of the rise in consumer engagement with brands due to the participatory nature of social media. Social media is largely user generated and is instrumental in the information uprising facilitated by the internet (Kamel & Hussein, 2014). The platform of social media has changed how people interact with each other and even with brands as well as how they make consumption decisions. This transformation has led to research to determine the parameters of said influence on the consumer-decision process within the developed world. This chapter reviews this research and gives directions on future research to include developing nations within Latin America and the Caribbean. Research in this area is important due to the fact that there are limited studies addressing the developing world's use of social media to inform consumption decisions even though consumers within these markets are using these platforms similarly to their developed world counterparts.


Author(s):  
Stephen Asunka

Against the backdrop that universities are required to generate and disseminate relevant and applicable knowledge for the general good, and with the understanding that social media can be an effective vehicle for such knowledge sharing practices, this study explored the use of social media for knowledge sharing by academics at a university college in Ghana. The study thus examined how instructors use social media for sharing academic knowledge, the factors that promote such knowledge sharing practices, and the barriers to effective knowledge sharing in the academic environment. 47 instructors participated by completing an online questionnaire, whilst 7 participated in focus group discussions. Findings reveal a regular, though not daily, use of social media platforms for academic knowledge sharing. Personal, technological and institutional factors were determined to be contributing in fostering as well as hindering such activities. Implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are accordingly discussed.


Author(s):  
Kathy-Ann P. Fletcher ◽  
Christiana M. Emmanuel-Stephen

Generation Y is at the forefront of the rise in consumer engagement with brands due to the participatory nature of social media. Social media is largely user generated and is instrumental in the information uprising facilitated by the internet (Kamel & Hussein, 2014). The platform of social media has changed how people interact with each other and even with brands as well as how they make consumption decisions. This transformation has led to research to determine the parameters of said influence on the consumer-decision process within the developed world. This chapter reviews this research and gives directions on future research to include developing nations within Latin America and the Caribbean. Research in this area is important due to the fact that there are limited studies addressing the developing world's use of social media to inform consumption decisions even though consumers within these markets are using these platforms similarly to their developed world counterparts.


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