Empathy not quarantined: Association between people’s empathy to others and the COVID-19 pandemic situations based on a national survey study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The Covid-19 pandemic had turned the world upside down, but not much is known about how people’s empathy might be affected by the pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study examined 1) how empathy towards others might be influenced by the social support people obtained by using social media; and 2) how the individual demographics (e.g., age, income) may affect empathy. METHODS A national survey (N = 943) was conducted in China in February 2020, in which the participants read three real scenarios about low-income urban workers (Scenario I), small business owners in cities (Scenario II), and farmers in rural areas (Scenario III) who underwent hardship due to COVID-19. After exposure to others’ difficulties in the scenarios, the participants’ empathy and anxiety levels were measured. We also measured the social support they had by using social media. RESULTS Results show that social support not only positively impacted empathy, β = .30, P < .001 for Scenario I, β = .30, P < .001 for Scenario II, and β = .29, P < .001 for Scenario III, but also interacted with anxiety in influencing the degree to which participants could maintain empathy towards others, β = .08, P = .010 for Scenario I, and β = .07, P = .033 for scenario II. Age negatively predicted empathy for Scenario I, β = -.08, P = .018 and Scenario III, β = -.08, P = .009, but not for Scenario II, β = -.03, P = .40. Income levels – low, medium, high – positively predicted empathy for Scenario III, F (2, 940) = 8.10, P < .001, but not for Scenario I, F (2, 940) = 2.14, P = .12, or Scenario II, F (2, 940) = 2.93, P = .06. Participants living in big cities expressed greater empathy towards others for Scenario III, F (2, 940) = 4.03, P =.018, but not for Scenario I, F (2, 940) = .81, P = .45, or Scenario II, F (2, 940) = 1.46, P =.23. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to the literature by discovering the critical role empathy plays in people’s affective response to others during the pandemic. Anxiety did not decrease empathy. However, those gaining more social support on social media showed more empathy for others. Those who resided in cities with higher income levels were more empathetic during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study reveals that the social support people obtained helped maintain empathy to others, making them resilient in challenging times.

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Steganographic visual story with mutual-perceived joint attention

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing ◽

10.1186/s13640-020-00543-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yanyang Guo ◽

Hanzhou Wu ◽

Xinpeng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Joint Attention ◽

Online Social Networks ◽

Generation Model ◽

High Quality ◽

Visual Storytelling ◽

The Social ◽

User Intervention

AbstractSocial media plays an increasingly important role in providing information and social support to users. Due to the easy dissemination of content, as well as difficulty to track on the social network, we are motivated to study the way of concealing sensitive messages in this channel with high confidentiality. In this paper, we design a steganographic visual stories generation model that enables users to automatically post stego status on social media without any direct user intervention and use the mutual-perceived joint attention (MPJA) to maintain the imperceptibility of stego text. We demonstrate our approach on the visual storytelling (VIST) dataset and show that it yields high-quality steganographic texts. Since the proposed work realizes steganography by auto-generating visual story using deep learning, it enables us to move steganography to the real-world online social networks with intelligent steganographic bots.

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Understanding the social media interactivity paradox: the effects of social media interactivity on communication quality, work interruptions and job performance

Information Technology and People ◽

10.1108/itp-12-2020-0845 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Xiangyu Liu ◽

Bowen Zheng ◽

Hefu Liu

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Job Performance ◽

Organizational Outcomes ◽

Survey Study ◽

Communication Quality ◽

Media Dependency ◽

Content Type ◽

Work Interruptions ◽

The Social ◽

Use Of Social Media

PurposeAlthough social media is widely used for organizational communication, studies have begun to show its controversial effects on job performance in the workplace. To investigate these effects, this study developed a conceptual framework for how social media interactivity affects communication quality and work interruption, as well as how such effects impact job performance.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed theoretical model was empirically validated through a survey study of 556 employees in China.FindingsThe results verified a social media interactivity paradox that indicated social media interactivity increased both communication quality and work interruptions. The results further showed that high levels of social media dependency were a detriment to organizations.Originality/valueThis study verified the existence of a social media interactivity paradox in the use of social media for workplace communication. Moreover, results revealed that the effect of social media interactivity on organizational outcomes depends on its respective dimensions.

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What are the expectations of parents from preschool education institutions: Why do they choose? What are they waiting for?

Research in Pedagogy ◽

10.5937/istrped2101108y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 108-123

Author(s):

Sibel Yoleri

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Low Income ◽

Preschool Education ◽

Education Institution ◽

School Policy ◽

Survey Study ◽

Test Results ◽

Income Levels ◽

Income Status ◽

Significant Difference

The goal of this study was to investigate the expectations of the parents with a child enrolled at a preschool education institution from preschool education institutions. This research was designed as a survey study. The sample of this study consisted of 326 children, enrolled at preschool education institutions in the center of Usak province, and their parents. "Parents' Expectations from Preschool Institutions Questionnaire" developed by Simsek and Ivrendi (2014), and "Demographics Information Form" were used as data collection tools to determine the expectations of parents from preschool education institutions. It was concluded as a result of the study that the parents had a "low level" expectation related to the sub-scales of (teacher, education-family, school policy, informing) of the Parents' Expectations from Preschool Institutions Questionnaire. A significant difference in favor of males was found out in the informing sub-scale according to the t-test results carried out related to parents' expectations in line with the gender of children. The expectations of parents from preschool institutions showed a significant difference according to income status. It was found out that the expectations of families with low income level from preschool institutions were higher compared to the expectations of families with middle- and high-income levels regarding the sub-scales of teacher and education-family.

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Feasibility of Utilizing Social Media to Promote HPV Self-Collected Sampling among Medically Underserved Women in a Rural Southern City in the United States (U.S.)

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182010820 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (20) ◽

pp. 10820

Author(s):

Matthew Asare ◽

Beth A. Lanning ◽

Sher Isada ◽

Tiffany Rose ◽

Hadii M. Mamudu

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Low Income ◽

Pap Smear ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

The United States ◽

Medically Underserved ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

Underserved Women ◽

Support Cost

Background: Social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter) as communication channels have great potential to deliver Human papillomavirus self-test (HPVST) intervention to medically underserved women (MUW) such as women of low income. However, little is known about MUW’s willingness to participate in HPVST intervention delivered through social media. We evaluated factors that contribute to MUW’s intention to participate in the social media-related intervention for HPVST. Methods: A 21-item survey was administered among women receiving food from a local food pantry in a U.S. southern state. Independent variables were social media usage facilitators (including confidentiality, social support, cost, and convenience), and barriers (including misinformation, time-consuming, inefficient, and privacy concerns). Dependent variables included the likelihood of participating in social-driven intervention for HPVST. Both variables were measured on a 5-point scale. We used multinomial logistic regression to analyze the data. Results: A total of 254 women (mean age 48.9 ± 10.7 years) comprising Whites (40%), Hispanics (29%), Blacks (27%), and Other (4%) participated in the study. We found that over 44% of the women were overdue for their pap smears for the past three years, 12% had never had a pap smear, and 34% were not sure if they had had a pap smear. Over 82% reported frequent social media (e.g., Facebook) usage, and 52% reported willingness to participate in social media-driven intervention for HPVST. Women who reported that social media provide privacy (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 6.23, 95% CI: 3.56, 10.92), provide social support (AOR = 7.18, 95% CI: 4.03, 12.80), are less costly (AOR = 6.71, 95% CI: 3.80, 11.85), and are convenient (AOR = 6.17, 95% CI: 3.49, 10.92) had significantly increased odds of participating in social media intervention for HPVST. Conclusions: The findings underscore that the majority of the MUW are overdue for cervical cancer screening, regularly use social media, and are willing to participate in social media-driven intervention. Social media could be used to promote HPV self-testing among MUW.

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Groundwater as a Source of Drinking Water in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: A Multi-Country Review of Current Reliance and Resource Concerns

Water ◽

10.3390/w11081605 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1605 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Naomi Carrard ◽

Tim Foster ◽

Juliet Willetts

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Critical Role ◽

Water Source ◽

Groundwater Resource ◽

Drinking Water Source ◽

Water Services ◽

Sustainable Services

Groundwater is widely acknowledged to be an important source of drinking water in low-income regions, and it, therefore, plays a critical role in the realization of the human right to water. However, the proportion of households using groundwater compared with other sources is rarely quantified, with national and global datasets more focused on facilities—rather than resources—used. This is a significant gap in knowledge, particularly in light of efforts to expand water services in line with the inclusive and integrated agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. Understanding the prevalence of groundwater reliance for drinking is critical for those involved in water services planning and management, so they can better monitor and advocate for management of water resources that supports sustainable services for households. This paper contributes data that can be used to strengthen the integration of resource considerations within water service delivery and inform the work of development partners supporting this area. We approach this issue from two perspectives. Firstly, we collate data on the proportion of households using groundwater as their primary drinking water source for 10 Southeast Asian and Pacific nations, finding an average of 66% (range of 17–93% for individual countries) of households in urban areas and 60% (range of 22–95%) of households in rural areas rely on groundwater for drinking. Together, these constitute 79% of the total population across the case study countries. Secondly, we review current and emerging groundwater resource concerns within each country, using a systems thinking approach to assess how groundwater resource issues influence household water services. Findings support the case for governments and development agencies to strengthen engagement with groundwater resource management as foundational for achieving sustainable water services for all.

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Canadian Men’s Health Literacy: A Nationally Representative Study

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839919837625 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 993-1003 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

John L. Oliffe ◽

Donald R. McCreary ◽

Nick Black ◽

Ryan Flannigan ◽

S. Larry Goldenberg

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Low Income ◽

Men’S Health ◽

Living Alone ◽

Men's Health ◽

Low Health Literacy ◽

The Social ◽

Health Promotion Programs

Though men’s health promotion has attracted increased research attention, conspicuously absent have been empirical insights to health literacy levels within and across male subgroups. Recent advancements in the measurement of health literacy have made available avenues for evaluating individual and social determinants of health literacy. Important insights can be drawn to detail patterns and diversity among men as a means to informing the design, implementation, and evaluation of tailored health promotion programs. Drawing on 2000 Canada-based men’s responses to the Health Literacy Questionnaire, correlations between demographic variables and six health literacy scales are described. Low income, low education, and living alone were associated with men’s low health literacy, with the strongest effect sizes for the “Social support for health” and “Actively engaged with health care professionals” scales. Multiple linear regressions confirmed low income as the strongest predictor of men’s low health literacy in all the scales except “Appraisal of health information.” Low income, self-identifying as gay, bisexual, or other, and living alone were strongly predictive of low scores on the “Social support for health” scale. The findings affirm the importance of considering men’s health literacy and inequities to advance effective men’s health promotion programs.

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The Effect of Social Media Use on Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults with Self-Reported Hearing Impairment: An Empirical Study

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9111403 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 1403

Author(s):

Yiming Ma ◽

Changyong Liang ◽

Xuejie Yang ◽

Haitao Zhang ◽

Shuping Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Older People ◽

Hearing Impairment ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Social Relations ◽

The Social ◽

Subjective Aging

Older people with hearing impairment are more likely to develop depressive symptoms due to physical disability and loss of social communication. This study investigated the effects of social media on social relations, subjective aging, and depressive symptoms in these older adults based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. It provides new empirical evidence to support improving the mental health and rebuilding the social relations of older people. A formal questionnaire was designed using the Wenjuanxing platform and distributed online through WeChat; 643 valid questionnaires were received from older people with self-reported hearing impairments, and SmartPLS 3.28 was used to analyze the data. The results show that (1) social media significantly impacts the social relations of older people with hearing impairment (social networks, β = 0.132, T = 3.444; social support, β = 0.129, T = 2.95; social isolation, β = 0.107, T = 2.505). (2) For these older people, social isolation has the biggest impact on their psychosocial loss (β = 0.456, T = 10.458), followed by the impact of social support (β = 0.103, T = 2.014); a hypothesis about social network size was not confirmed (β = 0.007, T = 0.182). Both social media (β = 0.096, T = 2.249) and social support (β = 0.174, T = 4.434) significantly affect the self-efficacy of hearing-impaired older people. (3) Both subjective aging (psychosocial loss, β = 0.260, T = 6.036; self-efficacy, β = 0.106, T = 3.15) and social isolation (β = 0.268, T = 6.307) significantly affect depressive symptoms in older people with hearing impairment. This study expands the theories of social media aging cognition, social support, and social networks and can provide practical contributions to the social media use and mental health of special persons 60 years and older.

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Motivations for Virtual Community Participation in Social Commerce: Customers and Sellers in the Malay Lifestyle Blogging Community

10.26686/wgtn.17143646 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Syahida Hassan

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Large Scale ◽

Virtual Communities ◽

Virtual Community ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Social Commerce ◽

Commercial Activities ◽

The Social

<p>Although the field of social commerce has gained a lot of attention recently, there are many areas that still remain unexplored. A new phenomenon emerging within virtual communities is a blurring between social and commercial activities. To date, scholars in the social commerce literature have either focused on customers in the community or on medium to large scale businesses. There has been little research on social commerce communities which include micro-businesses despite their rapid growth in South East Asian countries. This study explores a social commerce community of Malay lifestyle bloggers, who are a subset of the Malaysian blogosphere community. Bloggers begin by using the personal genre, some then move on to set up online businesses using their personal blogs as a platform. The characteristic of blogging’s ease of use means there are low barriers to starting a small business, merging blogging and commerce. This changes the nature of the community by bringing in a new relationship, as well as relationships between bloggers and readers, there are now also relationships between sellers and customers. This study aims to understand the motivations for both sellers and customers, and how their relationships as bloggers and readers influence their participation in social commerce within the same community. To address the research objective, 20 sellers and 21 customers who also play a role as bloggers or readers were interviewed. In-depth interviews using laddering and semi-structured interview techniques were carried out to explore social commerce behaviour, the perceived consequences, and goals or values of participation. In addition, observation was also conducted on the platform used by the sellers. Data was coded using NVivo whilst the themes arising from the coding process were transformed into an implication matrix and hierarchical value map using Ladderux software. This study found that strong ties within the community, influenced by homophily and the sense of virtual community, motivated the customers to participate in commercial activities in order to obtain their goals which included a sense of obligation, loyalty, satisfaction and self-esteem. The relationships influenced customers to trust each other, provide social support and made purchasing products more convenient. Sellers were influenced by the convenience of using social media and the social support provided by the customers which helped them to achieve their goals which are profit and business sustainability. This study contributes to social commerce theory by highlighting an underexplored type of social commerce setting and addressing how trust can be transferred from social to commercial activities. The findings provide a useful insight for businesses, regardless of their size, to build an understanding of the need to create a good relationship with their customers. For macro-businesses, this model can be used to identify what is lacking in their social media marketing strategy.</p>

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Social capital and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

10.31235/osf.io/zrkgh ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tahmina Tasnim Rodela ◽

Abida Sultana ◽

E. Lisako J. McKyer ◽

Sudip Bhattacharya ◽

Md Mahbub Hossain

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Social Capital ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Critical Role ◽

Psychosocial Stressors ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Psychosocial Consequences ◽

The Social ◽

Global Evidence

COVID-19 pandemic is affecting mental health and wellbeing across populations. The continued burden of psychosocial stressors in different contexts necessitates multipronged interventions that address mental health problems and associated disparities. Global evidence suggests that social capital plays a critical role in determining mental health outcomes in communities, which can be leveraged for improving mental health in COVID-19. As communities with better social capital is likely to have a lower burden of mental disorders, it is necessary to assess potential measures to use social capital for mental health promotion in vulnerable populations. The existing forms of social capital may provide social support within and between communities that are critically affected by COVID-19. Alongside faster recovery from socioeconomic challenges, social capital interventions may strengthen the social determinants of mental health and empower communities to alleviate the psychosocial consequences of this pandemic.

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THE ROLE OF SOCIAL COMMERCE CONSTRUCTS, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND TRUST IN COMMUNITY ON SOCIAL COMMERCE ACTIVITIES

Muhammadiyah International Journal of Economics and Business ◽

10.23917/mijeb.v1i2.9363 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 74-83

Author(s):

Amir Hidayatulloh

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Media ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Information Support ◽

Social Commerce ◽

The Social ◽

Convenience Sampling ◽

The Individual

This study aims to analyze social commerce constructs, social support, and individual trust in the community in social commerce activities. Social support includes emotional support and informational support. The population was social media users, while the samples were social media users who had made purchase at least two transactions through social media. The sampling technique was convenience sampling. Totally, 162 respondents were involved. Hypothesis testing was done using Warp PLS. This study reveals that individual trust in the community can be built directly through the social commerce constructs. These constructs affects both emotional support and information support, in which they will ultimately affect the individual trust in the community. Furthermore, social commerce intention is influenced by individual trust in the community and emotional support. However, information support does not affect the social commerce intention.

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