scholarly journals Learning without seeking?: Incidental exposure to science news on social media & knowledge of gene editing

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. A01
Author(s):  
Joshua T. L. Anderson ◽  
Emily L. Howell ◽  
Michael A. Xenos ◽  
Dietram A. Scheufele ◽  
Dominique Brossard
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
Network Heterogeneity ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Science News ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
Interpersonal Discussion ◽  
The Relationship

Little is known about how incidental exposure to news, interpersonal discussion, and the diversity of social networks interact in social media environments and for science-related issues. Using a U.S. nationally representative survey, we investigate how these features relate to factual knowledge of gene editing. Incidental exposure to science-related news interacts with interpersonal discussion and network heterogeneity and reveals that the relationship between incidental exposure to news and knowledge is strongest among those who discuss the least. Incidental exposure could alleviate knowledge gaps between the Facebook users who are the most and least involved in interpersonal discussions about science.

scholarly journals Saw It on Facebook: The Role of Social Media in Facilitating Science Issue Awareness

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630512093041
Author(s):  
Julian M. Mueller-Herbst ◽  
Michael A. Xenos ◽  
Dietram A. Scheufele ◽  
Dominique Brossard
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Network Heterogeneity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Communication Challenges ◽  
Information Landscape ◽  
The Impact

Spreading issue awareness about increasingly interdisciplinary scientific discoveries faces progressively larger communication challenges due to the complexity, innovation pace, and broad applicability of these innovations. Traditionally, the public relies on legacy media for information and discussion of science topics. In face of a changing information landscape, however, legacy media struggle with decreasing funding for their science desks, and science journalists turn to more specialized outlets, often online. Given these developments, it is important to understand which platforms besides legacy media serve as facilitators of science issue awareness. In this study, we analyzed the impact of social media on the awareness of gene editing. We used a representative survey administered by professional survey firm YouGov between December 2016 and January 2017, yielding a final sample of 1,600 US adults with a 41.7% response rate. The regression analysis findings suggest that social media is a significant avenue through which awareness of gene editing, and subsequently other scientific issues, is spread. Using the example of Facebook, we were able to demonstrate that how, rather than if, one uses social media is the determining factor in spreading issue awareness. Awareness was positively predicted by the length of social media sessions and network heterogeneity, while pure amount of sessions actually negatively predicted awareness. Legacy media remain an important predictor of gene editing awareness. These results demonstrate that social media functions as an important information space for science issues and should receive individual attention along with legacy media outlets when examining science communication.

scholarly journals Are people incidentally exposed to news on social media? A comparative analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2450-2468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Fletcher ◽  
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online News ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Media Environments

Scholars have questioned the potential for incidental exposure in high-choice media environments. We use online survey data to examine incidental exposure to news on social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) in four countries (Italy, Australia, United Kingdom, United States). Leaving aside those who say they intentionally use social media for news, we compare the number of online news sources used by social media users who do not see it as a news platform, but may come across news while using it (the incidentally exposed), with people who do not use social media at all (non-users). We find that (a) the incidentally exposed users use significantly more online news sources than non-users, (b) the effect of incidental exposure is stronger for younger people and those with low interest in news and (c) stronger for users of YouTube and Twitter than for users of Facebook.

scholarly journals Cybercrime Victimization and Problematic Social Media Use: Findings from a Nationally Representative Panel Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eetu Marttila ◽  
Aki Koivula ◽  
Pekka Räsänen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Routine Activity Theory ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Problematic Social Media Use ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAccording to criminological research, online environments create new possibilities for criminal activity and deviant behavior. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a habitual pattern of excessive use of social media platforms. Past research has suggested that PSMU predicts risky online behavior and negative life outcomes, but the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization is not properly understood. In this study, we use the framework of routine activity theory (RAT) and lifestyle-exposure theory (LET) to examine the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization. We analyze how PSMU is linked to cybercrime victimization experiences. We explore how PSMU predicts cybercrime victimization, especially under those risky circumstances that generally increase the probability of victimization. Our data come from nationally representative surveys, collected in Finland in 2017 and 2019. The results of the between-subjects tests show that problematic PSMU correlates relatively strongly with cybercrime victimization. Within-subjects analysis shows that increased PSMU increases the risk of victimization. Overall, the findings indicate that, along with various confounding factors, PSMU has a notable cumulative effect on victimization. The article concludes with a short summary and discussion of the possible avenues for future research on PSMU and cybercrime victimization.

Neo-Populist Scandal and Social Media

2020 ◽  
pp. 442-459
Author(s):  
Juha Herkman ◽  
Janne Matikainen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
News Media ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
Political Scandals ◽  
The Relationship

The article analyses a political scandal that occurred in Finland in 2015, when an MP of the populist right-wing Finns Party, Olli Immonen, published a Facebook update in which he used the same kind of militant–nationalist rhetoric against multiculturalism that Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik had used a couple of years earlier. By analyzing the content published in both social and news media, the role of social media and the relationship between news reporting and social media are explored by analyzing the progress of the scandal. The analysis indicates the prominent role of social media as being a starting point for scandal and for keeping scandal in the public eye, serving as forums for supporters and opponents of the scandalized politician. The relationship between social and news media seems symbiotic in this case because both of them fed and inspired each other during the scandal. However, further research is needed to fully understand the role of social media in scandals linked to north and west European populist right-wing parties, as well as political scandals occurring in different political contexts and media environments.

Investigating the Relationship Between Information Literacy and Social Media Competence Among University Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312199736
Author(s):  
Sha Zhu ◽  
Harrison Hao Yang ◽  
Di Wu ◽  
Feixiong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Responsible Behavior ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
Student Information ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Although the current landscape in education emphasizes the importance of developing students’ information literacy in formal education settings, little attention has been paid to information literacy within the context of social media use. This study investigated the relationship between information literacy and social media competence (SMC) among 1843 university students. This was done in order to increase knowledge of the components that may be important for preparing university students to be information literate citizens in social media environments. Students’ information literacy and SMC were measured by the Student Information Literacy Test and the SMC-CS scale respectively. Correlation and regression analyses were utilized to explore the relationship between university students’ information literacy and their SMC. The results showed that university students’ ability to utilize information technology to solve problems, and their sense of responsible behavior in cyberspace, are the most critical factors in predicting students’ SMC. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed in terms of enhancing university students’ information literacy and SMC.

Effects of network heterogeneity on social media on opinion polarization among South Koreans: Focusing on fear and political orientation

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Lee ◽  
Yunjung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Network Heterogeneity ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Moderation Effects ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Threatening Situation ◽  
The Relationship

Recent studies have shown mixed findings regarding the relationship between network heterogeneity on social media and opinion polarization. Focusing on individual-level variables (i.e., individuals' political orientation, fear of a risky situation, and fear of an out-group), the objective of this study was to investigate opinion polarization over North Korean issues that have brought out threats to South Koreans and tangled with political orientations in the nation. Our analysis indicated that network heterogeneity on social media could decrease polarization. Moderation effects of political orientation and fear of political opponents in the relationship between network heterogeneity and polarization were also found. Findings of this study extend previous discussions regarding the relationship between network heterogeneity and polarization in the context of social media by concentrating on North Korea's threatening situation.

Mocking Birds “Tweeting”

2021 ◽  
pp. 395-420
Author(s):  
Emrah Ayaşlıoğlu ◽  
Mustafa Berkay Aydın
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
The Political ◽  
Recent Period ◽  
Important Trend ◽  
Democratic Societies ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
The Relationship

The efforts to interpret, share, and keep the current political developments on the agenda constitute important stages in the formation of the political atmosphere. In democratic societies, citizens' negotiation of ideas in public spaces is considered an important source of legitimacy. The use of humor in negotiating ideas can be identified as an important trend in the recent period. This study is based on the argument that humor has an important role in the evaluation and sharing of current political developments on social media and aims to draw attention to the important role humor play in such processes by exploring the humorous narratives of political developments in different social media environments. In this respect, the relationship between humor and politics will be discussed, democratic negotiation opportunities of social media will be emphasized, and finally, examples of humor-based language and narration of social media will be examined.

scholarly journals Examining the relationship between gene editing knowledge, value predispositions, and general science attitudes among U.S. farmers, scientists, policymakers, and the general public

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. A02
Author(s):  
Christopher Calabrese ◽  
Jieyu Ding Featherstone ◽  
Matthew Robbins ◽  
George A. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Science Attitudes ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
General Science ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
The Relationship

Science communication scholars have debated over what factors are related to public support for science and technology. This study examines the relationship between factual knowledge of gene editing technologies, value predispositions, and general science attitudes among four major U.S. agricultural stakeholder groups: farmers, scientists, policymakers, and the general public. Understanding these factors will aid in guiding message strategies for engagement with stakeholder groups. Findings indicate that gene editing knowledge was positively associated with science attitudes for all four groups, while conservative ideology was negatively associated with science attitudes among three of the groups. Implications and limitations are discussed.

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