scholarly journals Dissenting public or engaged citizens? Predictors of general and contentious online political expression in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-466
Author(s):  
Ki Deuk Hyun
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The Other ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Political Expression ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Political Ideas ◽  
Different Types

Online political engagement in China has been explained as both conventional and contentious forms of political participation. Depending on the explanations, potentially contradicting factors are assumed to promote online political engagement. To resolve this contradiction, this research distinguished general and contentious online political expression. The analyses of two datasets showed that general online political expression positively related to variables associated with conventional participation, such as personal resources, political interest, efficacy, and satisfaction with personal and China’s general economic situations. On the other hand, expression regarding contentious food safety issues was mainly explained by factors related to contentious participation such as support for alternative political ideas (i.e. freedom of expression and giving more voice to citizens) and the perception of injustice. In both datasets, political expression was positively associated with social media use for news. The results from the two studies suggest that different factors may be at work in explaining general and contentious political expression. The potential of the two different types of political expression for political change in China is discussed.

scholarly journals Whither slacktivism? Political engagement and social media use in the 2013 Czech Parliamentary elections

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Václav Štětka ◽  
Jaromír Mazák
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Political Expression ◽  
Parliamentary Elections ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between online political expression and offline forms of political participation in the context of the 2013 Czech Parliamentary elections. It draws on the rapidly growing but still very much inconclusive empirical evidence concerning the use of new media and social network sites in particular for electoral mobilization and social activism, and their impact on more traditional forms of civic and political engagement. The theoretical framework of the paper is inspired by the competing perspectives on the role of social media for democratic participation and civic engagement, the mobilization vs. normalization thesis, as well as by the popular concepts of clicktivism or slacktivism (Morozov, 2009), denouncing online activism for allegedly not being complemented by offline actions and having little or no impact on real-life political processes. With the intention to empirically contribute to these discussions, this study uses data from a cross-sectional survey on a representative sample of the Czech adult population (N=1,653) which was conducted directly following the 2013 Parliamentary elections. The study was driven by the main research question: Is there a link between online political expression during the election campaign and traditional forms of political participation among Czech Facebook users? Furthermore, the analysis examined the relationship between online political participation and a declared political interest, electoral participation and political news consumption. The results obtained from an ordinal logistic regression analysis confirm the existence of a significant positive relationship between the respondents’ level of campaign engagement on Facebook and their political interest, political information seeking as well as traditional (mainly offline) participation activities, including voting.

scholarly journals Does Mode Matter? Measuring the Effects of Different Types of Online Political Engagement on Offline Participation

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (43) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Cantijoch Cunill
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
General Election ◽  
Online Participation ◽  
Online Engagement ◽  
Different Types

Recent studies have shown that online participation is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that replicates and extends existing forms of political engagement. What is less clear is the mobilizing potential of these different types of activity and particularly whether they trigger offline participation. This paper addresses these questions in an analysis of citizens online and offline behaviour in the context of a UK General Election. Specifically we identify three different modes of online engagement in the campaign, profile the individuals most likely to engage in them, and examine whether they affected individuals’ likelihood of voting. Our findings show that while newer social media based ‘e-expressive’ activities are most likely to appeal to those individuals who are not already engaged in politics they do not necessarily increase the likelihood of voting. By contrast higher consumption of news and information online during an election does appear to significantly boost individuals’ chances of turning out to vote.

scholarly journals Does incidental exposure on social media equalize or reinforce participatory gaps? Evidence from a panel study

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 2463-2482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffael Heiss ◽  
Jörg Matthes
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Using Data ◽  
High Effort

Existing research indicates that incidental exposure to political information on social media may function as an equalizer, stimulating political engagement among the politically detached. In this article, we challenge this notion and propose that there are good reasons to assume that incidental exposure may reinforce existing gaps. We test the equalizing against the reinforcing hypothesis using data from a two-wave panel study ( N = 559). We find a positive main effect of incidental exposure on low-effort digital participation. However, this effect was not conditional on political interest, as the equalizing assumption would have suggested. More interestingly, we found that the effect of incidental exposure on high-effort digital participation was conditional on political interest. However, against the assumption of equalization, individuals with low levels of political interest were negatively affected by incidental exposure, thus lending support for the reinforcement hypothesis. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals The Oft Forgotten Part of Nutrition: Lessons from an Integrated Approach to Understand Consumer Food Safety Behaviors

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1322-1322
Author(s):  
Lavallee Aaron
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
The Other ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Safety Behaviors ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Experimental Conditions

Abstract Objectives A multi-year, integrated methods study showed comprehensive consumer food handling practices when preparing a meal, compared to prevalence of self-reported behaviors. Experimental conditions provided insights on the effectiveness of current and future food safety messages. Methods Demographically-diverse participants were recruited from various communities in one state. Year 1: Participants prepared raw turkey burgers in a simulated home kitchen. Half of participants viewed an educational video on thermometer use before meal preparation; the other half served as a control. Year 2: Participants who self-reported washing poultry prepared raw chicken products. Half of participants received mock social media messages about not washing poultry; the other half served as a control. Food handling behaviors were coded and compared to self-reported actions and attitudes towards food safety, collected via written surveys and in-depth interviews. Results At least one contributing factor to foodborne illness was examined during each observation; cross-contamination actions were always observed. Year 1: Over 60% (n = 383) of participants self-reported owning and using a food thermometer when cooking raw meat and poultry products; however, only 35% of unprompted participants measured final internal temperature with a food thermometer. Year 2: Nearly 25% (n = 300) of participants cross-contaminated a ready-to-eat side; over 50% cross-contaminated due to poor sink sanitation. Differences between self-reported and observed food safety behaviors were seen across participant groups. Lack of sufficient handwashing leading to bacterial cross-contamination was a notable secondary outcome. Conclusions Observations more accurately reflect consumer food handling behaviors and allow for targeted message development to decrease risk of foodborne illness through safe at-home food handling. Findings and messages are shared with health educators, news and social media outlets, and directly to consumers through various resources. Funding Sources This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). All views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily of USDA FSIS. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

scholarly journals College Students and Online Political Expression During the 2016 Election

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Moffett ◽  
Laurie L. Rice
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Expression ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Online Forms ◽  
Oriented Activity

While college students traditionally exhibit low levels of political participation and interest in politics, they are more likely to engage in some forms of political expression than their elders. Their greater familiarity with online forms of political expression and engagement potentially lowers their barriers for political involvement. In turn, this potentially draws more young adults into the political process. The authors compare the precursors of expressive forms of online political engagement to those of talking to someone off-line and trying to persuade them to vote for or against a candidate or party among college students. They find that both activities are positively connected with politically oriented activity on social media as well as the frequency with which one reads blogs. They also discover that the mechanisms that explain online political expression are both similar to and different from those that explain off-line attempts at persuasion in several key ways.

scholarly journals Are Chinese Netizens Willing to Speak Out? The Spiral of Silence in Public Reactions to Controversial Food Safety Issues on Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13114
Author(s):  
Linjia Xu ◽  
Jiaying Liu ◽  
Jarim Kim ◽  
Myoung-Gi Chon
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Spiral Of Silence ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
The Spiral Of Silence

This study examines the influential factors posited by the Spiral of Silence Theory (SoS) in shaping people’s perceptions of the overall public opinion towards food safety issues in China and their willingness to speak out. Two highly controversial issues, including genetically modified (GM) food and food additives, are examined. Using an online opt-in panel in China, we collected survey responses from a total of 1089 respondents, with a comparable age distribution to that of Chinese netizens, as indicated in the most recent census. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions were conducted to make statistical inferences about the proposed research questions and hypotheses. Findings suggest that perceived opinion incongruence, self-relevance, and self-influence significantly affected the extent to which people were willing to express their opinions on social media for the genetically modified food issue, but not the use of food additive issue. The study provides evidence of the silencing effect on publicly expressing opinions about the food safety related issues in China and clarifies the potential boundary conditions of the SoS mechanism in the context of Chinese social media where the majority of public opinions come into formation.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Social Media Users’ Emotions Regarding Food Safety Issues: Content Analysis of a Debate among Chinese Weibo Users on Genetically Modified Food Security

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Hao Xiong ◽  
Shangbin Lv
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Communication Capacity ◽  
Emotion Intensity ◽  
Emotion Type

Social media is gradually building an online information environment regarding health. This environment is filled with many types of users’ emotions regarding food safety, especially negative emotions that can easily cause panic or anger among the population. However, the mechanisms of how it affects users’ emotions have not been fully studied. Therefore, from the perspective of communication and social psychology, this study uses the content analysis method to analyze factors affecting social media users’ emotions regarding food safety issues. In total, 371 tweet samples of genetically modified food security in Sina Weibo (similar to Twitter) were encoded, measured, and analyzed. The major findings are as follows: (1) Tweet account type, tweet topic, and emotion object were all significantly related to emotion type. Tweet depth and objectivity were both positively affected by emotion type, and objectivity had a greater impact. (2) Account type, tweet topic, and emotion object were all significantly related to emotion intensity. When the depths were the same, emotion intensity became stronger with the decrease in objectivity. (3) Account type, tweet topic, emotion object, and emotion type were all significantly related to a user’s emotion communication capacity. Tweet depth, objectivity, and user’s emotion intensity were positively correlated with emotion communication capacity. Positive emotions had stronger communication capacities than negative ones, which is not consistent with previous studies. These findings help us to understand both theoretically and practically the changes and dissemination of user’s emotions in a food safety and health information environment.

scholarly journals Brand awareness and consumer profile for milk: case of the Tirana market, Albania

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
Ledia Thoma ◽  
Anila Boshnjaku ◽  
Ana Kapaj ◽  
Etleva Muca
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Brand Awareness ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Uht Milk ◽  
Evaluation Scores ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Socio Economic Variables

Nowadays, it is quite important that business companies understand brand awareness and consumer profile for their products and services. They can take advantage of this information to properly adapt their marketing strategies to the needs of their targeted markets and segments. This research paper aims at measuring brand awareness and consumer profile for different types of milk in Tirana. Through a set of face to face questionnaires, it is revealed that those in charge of purchases in the household are pretty aware of the vast majority of the milk brands available in Tirana market. They also give high evaluation scores to the most known brands. On the other hand, consumers’ profile for different types of milk (UHT vs. pasteurized or fresh) seems to differ based on some specific socio-economic variables of the household and the person in charge of the purchases. The consumers with the highest income and education level are more aware about food safety importance. Such consumers are leaned more towards purchasing UHT milk.

scholarly journals Social media and youth political engagement: Preaching to the converted or providing a new voice for youth?

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avril Keating ◽  
Gabriella Melis
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Young People ◽  
Latent Class Analysis ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Web Survey ◽  
Online Tools

Amidst concern about declining youth political engagement, it is often suggested that social media can provide a solution to this challenge. In this article, however, we argue that these online tools have not thus far mobilised a new audience to become engaged in either institution-oriented activities or political expression. Instead, we found that some young people are far more engaged in using social media for political purposes than others, and that a substantial proportion of young adults never use social media for this purpose. Using latent class analysis (LCA) of a unique web survey of young Britons aged 22–29, we show that the principal driver of online political engagement is political interest (even after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics). On this basis, we conclude that social media may be providing a new outlet for some young adults; it is not re-engaging the young adults who have already lost interest in politics.

scholarly journals Gateway Political Behaviors: The Frequency and Consequences of Low-Cost Political Engagement on Social Media

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 205630511774334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Bode
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Interest ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Political Behaviors

The purpose of this article is to determine to what extent engagement in easy political behaviors on social media occurs across the range of political interest, what predicts such engagement, and what effect such engagement may have on other political behaviors. It pits the idea that social media may activate the politically uninterested against the idea that social media is just another outlet for the politically interested to demonstrate their engagement. Analyzing survey data collected by the Pew Research Center, it concludes that many people, including the politically uninterested, do engage in easy political behaviors like liking and commenting on political content on social media. When they do, it can lead to greater political activity offline. However, those most likely to engage in easy political behaviors are also those who engage in harder political behaviors, offering support for both the interest and activation hypotheses.

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