scholarly journals “Click First!”: The Effects of Instant Activism Via a Hoax on Social Media

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630512090470
Author(s):  
Keonyoung Park ◽  
Hyejoon Rim

To facilitate the immediate effects of social media activism, some activists adopt a deceptive strategy, swaying lay individuals’ perceptions and manipulating their behavior despite ethical considerations. This study identified instant activism, which targets lay individuals’ effortless supportive actions (e.g., clicking) on social media and examined its effects in the context of GMO (genetically modified organisms) labeling issues in the United States. Grounded in the situational theory of problem solving, this study investigated who engages in instant activism and what their behavioral consequences are. Results of an online survey ( n = 483) suggested that (a) individuals with a low level of issue knowledge but a high level of issue involvement tend to believe a social media hoax and (b) belief in the hoax leads individuals to engage in active communicative activities that involve problem solving and behavioral changes when mediated by situational motivation. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512110338
Author(s):  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
Mary Ruffolo ◽  
Janni Leung ◽  
Daicia Price ◽  
Hilde Thygesen ◽  
...  

Social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic changed social interaction for many and increased the risk of loneliness in the general population. Social media use has been ambiguously related to loneliness, and associations may differ by age. The study aimed to examine loneliness and its association with social media use within different age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia during April/May 2020, and 3,810 participants aged 18 years or above were recruited. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between social media use and social and emotional loneliness within separate age groups. Emotional loneliness was higher among young adults and among those who used social media several times daily. Adjusting by sociodemographic variables, using more types of social media was associated with lower social loneliness among the oldest participants, and with higher emotional loneliness among the youngest participants. Among middle-aged participants, using social media more frequently was associated with lower social loneliness. We found that the associations between social media use and loneliness varied by age. Older people’s engagement on social media may be a resource to reduce loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed higher levels of loneliness among high-frequent social media users of younger age.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003335492097466
Author(s):  
Alina Engelman ◽  
Raylene Paludneviciene ◽  
Kathryn Wagner ◽  
Katja Jacobs ◽  
Poorna Kushalnagar

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) pandemic has highlighted preexisting health disparities, including food insecurity, in the deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) population. We examined factors associated with food worry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We collected survey data on worry about food shortages, worry about contracting COVID-19, and concerns about DHH people staying home and being lonely from April 17 through May 1, 2020, via a bilingual American Sign Language/English online survey platform. The sample consisted of 537 DHH adults living in the United States. We examined the relationship between demographic characteristics and food worry. We used logistic regression and model fitting to predict the likelihood of experiencing food worry. Results The mean (SD) age of survey respondents was 47 (16), and 25% of the sample identified as people of color. Forty-two percent of survey respondents had a high level of food worry. Increased worry about contracting COVID-19 and concerns about DHH people staying home and being lonely among DHH younger adults or those without a college degree predicted food worry. Gender and race/ethnicity did not contribute to the model for food worry. Conclusions Food worry was explained by multiple, intersecting factors, including demographic variables, worry about contracting COVID-19, and concerns about loneliness. Interventions or programs implemented by DHH-serving organizations as well as government programs, social service providers, and food banks should be fully accessible to subgroups of DHH young adults without a college degree who are at risk for food insecurity.


Author(s):  
Heather McKee Hurwitz

Mainstream media ignores the breadth and diversity of women’s activism and often features sexist, racist, and sexualized portrayals of women. Also, women hold disproportionately fewer jobs in media industries than men. Despite these challenges, women activists protest gender inequality and advocate a variety of other goals using traditional and new social media. This chapter examines the history of women’s media activism in the United States from women activists’ use of mainstream and alternative newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, to how activists adopted Internet technologies and new digital media strategies starting in the 1990s, to how contemporary feminists protest with Facebook and hashtag activism today. I argue that women activists’ use of new social media may necessitate significant shifts in how we research continuity and diversity in women’s and feminist movements, and how we conceptualize resources, micromobilization, and leadership in social movements broadly. I conclude with several suggestions for future research.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482091312
Author(s):  
Sarita Schoenebeck ◽  
Oliver L Haimson ◽  
Lisa Nakamura

Most content moderation approaches in the United States rely on criminal justice models that sanction offenders via content removal or user bans. However, these models write the online harassment targets out of the justice-seeking process. Via an online survey with US participants ( N = 573), this research draws from justice theories to investigate approaches for supporting targets of online harassment. We uncover preferences for banning offenders, removing content, and apologies, but aversion to mediation and adjusting targets’ audiences. Preferences vary by identities (e.g. transgender participants on average find more exposure to be undesirable; American Indian or Alaska Native participants on average find payment to be unfair) and by social media behaviors (e.g. Instagram users report payment as just and fair). Our results suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach will fail some users while privileging others. We propose a broader theoretical and empirical landscape for supporting online harassment targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 96-111
Author(s):  
Lendel Narine ◽  
Amy Harder

In 1980, Borich presented a new model that allowed errors in an individual’s judgment of self-proficiency to be offset by considering the perception of a group. The model relied upon the calculation of means for competency items measured with ordinal scales, an approach subject to debate in modern times. The purpose of our study was to explore the use of a novel approach we developed, the Ranked Discrepancy Model (RDM), as an alternative method to the Borich model for determining training needs. Data obtained from an online survey of extension professionals employed by a land-grant university in the United States was used to compare the training needs identified by applying the Borich model with those identified by applying the RDM. A very strong and statistically significant correlation existed between the scores derived from using both models, demonstrating a high level of consistency between models. Researchers conducting competency research should consider adopting the RDM given its suitability for delivering results that closely resemble findings from the Borich model while providing improved rigor in methods and increased detail about training needs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica LC Sapp ◽  
Robert L Vogel ◽  
Joseph Telfair ◽  
Julie K Reagan

BACKGROUND Almost one-third of U.S. adults (29%) have a tattoo, and almost half (47%) of millennials reported having a tattoo. With more people getting tattoos, there is an increased risk for infectious diseases, skin infections, and allergic reactions. Tattoo artists can influence these health risks with their standards of practice, tattoo inks, and sterilization techniques. Although tattoos are becoming mainstream, it was unclear if tattoo artists would be a hard-to-reach population. Using social media sites represent a promising method for recruiting tattoo artists for online survey research studies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate various online platforms and traditional methods for recruiting tattoo artists into a descriptive, online survey study. METHODS From September 2015 to February 2016, tattoo artists who primarily tattooed in the United States were recruited using both online and traditional methods. Recruitment occurred via Facebook advertisements, Instagram, Twitter, website, online advertisement, emails, and postcards mailed to tattoo shops. RESULTS Recruitment methods resulted in 2332 respondents, of which 1845 answered question one, “Are you a tattoo artist?” Only 1571 were tattoo artists. Facebook advertisements recruited the most study participants. Facebook accounted for 1228 (78.17%) respondents who were tattoo artists. This number surpassed the next leading category of HTTP referer unknown, which had 268 (17.06%). The [removed for blinded manuscript] website recruited 45 (2.86%) tattoo artists while other online sources contributed to 28 (1.78%). Twitter and email had the lowest response rate with only 0.06% (n=1) each. CONCLUSIONS Social media sites enhanced survey participation, making it easier to reach tattoo artists nationwide. Of the recruitment methods used, Facebook advertisements were the most effective option, both for cost and recruitment rates. This study’s findings extend previous research studies that demonstrated the timeliness, ease, and effectiveness of using Facebook advertisements for recruitment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 160-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mugur Geana

Introduction. As we conduct this study, the world is in the grasp of a deadly pandemic. In less than six months since its first diagnosis in Wuhan, China, the COVID-19 infectious disease due to the novel coronavirus has infected over 5,000,000 people and claimed over 350,000 lives. In the United States, most of the cases are in large urban settings along the coasts, but the disease is slowly progressing through the mainland. Kansas, with its particular location in the midwest United States, has seen a relatively small number of cases, but these are increasing. The Kansas government took radical measures to prevent the spread of the disease. According to the Health Beliefs Model, an individual’s perception of risk will dictate engagement with preventive behaviors. Knowledge about the disease and preventive measures drive the risk assessment. Knowledge is dependant on the sources of information used. This study explored these metrics in a sample of Kansans living in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. A combination of snowball samples and random distribution through social media was used to recruit participants to an online survey. The risk and knowledge instrument was developed and validated by WHO Europe. Data collection lasted 96 hours. Results. The attitudes and behaviors of Kansans concerning COVID-19 were consistent with its location in an area of the country with a relatively lower incidence of the disease. Participants had good knowledge about the disease and preventive measures and were willing to comply with recommendations from local authorities. Conclusion. Localized information sources that cater to the community are often primary, while social media is not a valuable source for information pertinent to COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Hughes ◽  
Anne Moorhead

Abstract BackgroundOnline running communities are becoming increasingly prevalent within social media, and many groups have been exclusively established for female runners. The aim of this study was to investigate the wellbeing benefits and limitations of using Facebook running groups among women. MethodologyThe research design was a quantitative online survey. This survey was completed by 349 adult members of Facebook running groups for women. The online survey consisted of a validated scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), to calculate individual wellbeing scores. Data were analysed using SPSS, conducting descriptives, frequencies and correlations tests. ResultsThe results showed that 14% of participants’ scores indicated a high level of wellbeing, 66% had a wellbeing score in the moderate range and 21% of participants scored in the range of low-level wellbeing. Participants specified how they perceived women’s running Facebook groups to benefit or limit areas of wellbeing. Responses indicated perceived benefits to sense of optimism, interest in other people and sense of feeling good about themselves. There were negligible perceived wellbeing limitations. Members who had been running for the longest reported to engage more frequently with the groups, which may suggest their identities as runners have strengthened over time. ConclusionOverall, this study clearly found that women’s running Facebook groups can provide wellbeing benefits for their members.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Hegedüs ◽  
Patrik Kreuter ◽  
Dorottya Bányai ◽  
Ádám Végh ◽  
Péter Hermann ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND 3D printing is a rapidly developing technology in the healthcare industry and in dentistry as well. Regarding its application it shows clear evidence that this area of digital dentistry is in everyday usage among all of the fields including prosthodontics, orthodontics, maxillofacial surgery and oral implantology. In spite of gaining ground, there is a lack of information about how the specialists (dentists, dental technicians) use the additive technology. OBJECTIVE Our research group aims to investigate the impact of social media on the additive manufacturing technology among dental specialists and the everyday usage of 3D printing. METHODS The paper investigates the everyday usage of 3D printing by the specialists via an online survey (Google Form). The questions of the survey try to draw a conclusion about the number of 3D printers used, the accessibility of devices, the annual cost and the designing programs. Since the specialists tend to build online communities on social media, during our research we spread the questionnaire by our platforms on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. RESULTS The 114 feedback were from 20 countries, most of them were from Hungary (23.7%), the United States (18.4%), and the United Kingdom (7.9%). Most of the participants were dentists (62) and dental technicians (29) but also CAD / CAM specialists (23) filled out our survey. The participants had an average of 3.8 years (± 0.7) of experience in the 3D printing field, and own a total of 405 printing devices (3.6 on average/person). CONCLUSIONS The impact of social media on this research field is more and more growing hence we support the specialists to join the virtual communities on the adequate platforms. The article intended to provide a practical overview of feedback and give a direction for those dentist colleagues who are willing to invest in this technology. From our survey we could state that additive technology is widening our applications and our services, what we can provide for our patients.


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