scholarly journals Anxiety Talking: Does Anxiety Predict Sharing Information about COVID-19?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ori Cantwell ◽  
Kostadin Kushlev
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
The Past ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Could fear and anxiety play a functional role during the COVID-19 pandemic by driving greater information sharing about the viral threat? To explore whether anxiety may serve as a unique emotional indicator of sharing information in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we used a representative sample of the United States from the American Trends Panel (N=9,188) conducted April 20th-26th, 2020. Participants reported how they have felt in the past week, where they got their news about the outbreak from, and whether they had posted COVID-19 news on social media or discussed the pandemic with others. Even after controlling for other emotions, news sources, and a range of demographic measures, feeling anxious—more so that other negative emotions, such as feeling depressed—predicted greater information sharing on social media (𝛽 = .05, p < .001) and beyond (𝛽 = .14, p < .001). These findings are consistent with functionalist theories of emotion, which predict that fear and anxiety play a unique role in both identifying and communicating threats to oneself and to others.

scholarly journals “Repent of the Sins of Homophobia”

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-95
Author(s):  
Rachel Waltner Goossen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
North America ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Exclusionary Practices ◽  
The Past ◽  
Oral History Interviews

Across North America, Mennonites are widely regarded to be among the most conservative of Christian groups. But in recent decades, Mennonite understandings of LGBTQ+ identity have transformed faith communities, as the engagement of social media-conscious activists such as Pink Menno have contributed to evolving practices regarding sexual minorities in Mennonite churches. Recent ordinations and the growing visibility of queer ministers, chaplains, and theologians have led to recent schism in Mennonite Church USA, with traditionalists departing the denomination in record numbers. The decentralized nature of Mennonitism has contributed to more inclusive policies in the past two decades, although decentralization also allows exclusionary practices to persist in some churches and institutions. This article draws from oral history interviews with thirty Mennonite theologically trained LGBTQ+ leaders from across the United States and Canada. These narratives demonstrate how—in some sectors of the Mennonite community—queer and non-queer people are accelerating changes in historically homophobic spaces.

scholarly journals Does Flagging POTUS’s Tweets Lead to Fewer or More Retweets? Preliminary Evidence from Machine Learning Models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace Chipidza ◽  
Jie Yan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
The Past ◽  
Social Media Platforms

There is vigorous debate as to whether influential social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook should censor objectionable posts by government officials in the United States and elsewhere. Although these platforms have resisted pressure to censor such posts in the past, Twitter recently flagged five posts by the United States President Donald J. Trump on the rationale that the tweets contained inaccurate or inflammatory content. In this paper, we examine preliminary evidence as to whether these posts were retweeted less or more than expected. We employ 10 machine learning (ML) algorithms to estimate the expected number of retweets based on 8 features of each tweet from historical data since President Trump was elected: number of likes, word count, readability, polarity, subjectivity, presence of link or multimedia content, time of day of posting, and number of days since Trump’s election. Our results indicate agreement from all 10 ML algorithms that the three flagged tweets for which we had retweet data were retweeted at higher rates than expected. These results suggest that flagging tweets by government officials might be counterproductive towards the spread of content deemed objectionable by social media platforms.

scholarly journals Ratioing the President: An exploration of public engagement with Obama and Trump on Twitter

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0248880
Author(s):  
Joshua R. Minot ◽  
Michael V. Arnold ◽  
Thayer Alshaabi ◽  
Christopher M. Danforth ◽  
Peter Sheridan Dodds
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
The Past ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Use Of Social Media

The past decade has witnessed a marked increase in the use of social media by politicians, most notably exemplified by the 45th President of the United States (POTUS), Donald Trump. On Twitter, POTUS messages consistently attract high levels of engagement as measured by likes, retweets, and replies. Here, we quantify the balance of these activities, also known as “ratios”, and study their dynamics as a proxy for collective political engagement in response to presidential communications. We find that raw activity counts increase during the period leading up to the 2016 election, accompanied by a regime change in the ratio of retweets-to-replies connected to the transition between campaigning and governing. For the Trump account, we find words related to fake news and the Mueller inquiry are more common in tweets with a high number of replies relative to retweets. Finally, we find that Barack Obama consistently received a higher retweet-to-reply ratio than Donald Trump. These results suggest Trump’s Twitter posts are more often controversial and subject to enduring engagement as a given news cycle unfolds.

Informality: a Window on Contemporary Emotions History

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-135
Author(s):  
Peter N. Stearns
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Students ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Heavy Dose ◽  
The Way

Abstract An intriguing and pervasive development in the history of the past century – in the United States and at least some other societies – has been the rise of greater informality in interpersonal relations. Almost everyone knows this has been happening – a class of college students can offer a number of valid illustrations (with a heavy dose of habits on social media), and some have lived through even more extensive changes in, for example, the way people dress. But the phenomenon is dramatically understudied, taken for granted rather than assessed or analysed. There is a serious historical topic here that should be addressed by a wider audience, with several dimensions for further evaluation.

scholarly journals BLACK LIVES MATTER IN THE UNITED STATES

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-170
Author(s):  
Alifianita Amalia ◽  
Luthfiyah Alifah Ridwan ◽  
Rachel Krisna Ayu ◽  
Shuwen Lian
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
African Americans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Rights ◽  
News Content ◽  
The Past ◽  
Black Lives Matter ◽  
The Us ◽  
Police Action

This paper examines affiliation with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement using the constructivism theory. The main finding presented in the paper is that the discrimination experienced by African Americans in the United States in the past two decades. The BLM movement's history was a response to the death of two black teenagers, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, who were both unarmed and shot and killed. The most famous one happened this year, the death of George Floyd for the brutal police action by pressing the victim's neck with his leg until Floyd died. The second key finding is that BLM organizations generated more to frame the movement as a struggle for individual rights. Still, many youths assume that this movement is just a trend on social media. Finally, social media's influence where the spread of news, content, videos is the important point of the black lives matter movement in the US.

scholarly journals Patterns of Media Use, Strength of Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories, and the Prevention of COVID-19 From March to July 2020 in the United States: Survey Study

10.2196/25215 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e25215
Author(s):  
Daniel Romer ◽  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Conservative Media

Background Holding conspiracy beliefs regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has been associated with reductions in both actions to prevent the spread of the infection (eg, mask wearing) and intentions to accept a vaccine when one becomes available. Patterns of media use have also been associated with acceptance of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. Here we ask whether the type of media on which a person relies increased, decreased, or had no additional effect on that person’s COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs over a 4-month period. Objective We used panel data to explore whether use of conservative and social media in the United States, which were previously found to be positively related to holding conspiracy beliefs about the origins and prevention of COVID-19, were associated with a net increase in the strength of those beliefs from March to July of 2020. We also asked whether mainstream news sources, which were previously found to be negatively related to belief in pandemic-related conspiracies, were associated with a net decrease in the strength of such beliefs over the study period. Additionally, we asked whether subsequent changes in pandemic conspiracy beliefs related to the use of media were also related to subsequent mask wearing and vaccination intentions. Methods A survey that we conducted with a national US probability sample in March of 2020 and again in July with the same 840 respondents assessed belief in pandemic-related conspiracies, use of various types of media information sources, actions taken to prevent the spread of the disease and intentions to vaccinate, and various demographic characteristics. Change across the two waves was analyzed using path analytic techniques. Results We found that conservative media use predicted an increase in conspiracy beliefs (β=.17, 99% CI .10-.25) and that reliance on mainstream print predicted a decrease in their belief (β=–.08, 99% CI –.14 to –.02). Although many social media platforms reported downgrading or removing false or misleading content, ongoing use of such platforms by respondents predicted growth in conspiracy beliefs as well (β=.072, 99% CI .018-.123). Importantly, conspiracy belief changes related to media use between the two waves of the study were associated with the uptake of mask wearing and changes in vaccination intentions in July. Unlike other media, use of mainstream broadcast television predicted greater mask wearing (β=.17, 99% CI .09-.26) and vaccination intention (β=.08, 95% CI .02-.14), independent of conspiracy beliefs. Conclusions The findings point to the need for greater efforts on the part of commentators, reporters, and guests on conservative media to report verifiable information about the pandemic. The results also suggest that social media platforms need to be more aggressive in downgrading, blocking, and counteracting claims about COVID-19 vaccines, claims about mask wearing, and conspiracy beliefs that have been judged problematic by public health authorities.

scholarly journals Patterns of Media Use, Strength of Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories, and the Prevention of COVID-19 From March to July 2020 in the United States: Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Romer ◽  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Conservative Media

BACKGROUND Holding conspiracy beliefs regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has been associated with reductions in both actions to prevent the spread of the infection (eg, mask wearing) and intentions to accept a vaccine when one becomes available. Patterns of media use have also been associated with acceptance of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. Here we ask whether the type of media on which a person relies increased, decreased, or had no additional effect on that person’s COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs over a 4-month period. OBJECTIVE We used panel data to explore whether use of conservative and social media in the United States, which were previously found to be positively related to holding conspiracy beliefs about the origins and prevention of COVID-19, were associated with a net increase in the strength of those beliefs from March to July of 2020. We also asked whether mainstream news sources, which were previously found to be negatively related to belief in pandemic-related conspiracies, were associated with a net decrease in the strength of such beliefs over the study period. Additionally, we asked whether subsequent changes in pandemic conspiracy beliefs related to the use of media were also related to subsequent mask wearing and vaccination intentions. METHODS A survey that we conducted with a national US probability sample in March of 2020 and again in July with the same 840 respondents assessed belief in pandemic-related conspiracies, use of various types of media information sources, actions taken to prevent the spread of the disease and intentions to vaccinate, and various demographic characteristics. Change across the two waves was analyzed using path analytic techniques. RESULTS We found that conservative media use predicted an increase in conspiracy beliefs (β=.17, 99% CI .10-.25) and that reliance on mainstream print predicted a decrease in their belief (β=–.08, 99% CI –.14 to –.02). Although many social media platforms reported downgrading or removing false or misleading content, ongoing use of such platforms by respondents predicted growth in conspiracy beliefs as well (β=.072, 99% CI .018-.123). Importantly, conspiracy belief changes related to media use between the two waves of the study were associated with the uptake of mask wearing and changes in vaccination intentions in July. Unlike other media, use of mainstream broadcast television predicted greater mask wearing (β=.17, 99% CI .09-.26) and vaccination intention (β=.08, 95% CI .02-.14), independent of conspiracy beliefs. CONCLUSIONS The findings point to the need for greater efforts on the part of commentators, reporters, and guests on conservative media to report verifiable information about the pandemic. The results also suggest that social media platforms need to be more aggressive in downgrading, blocking, and counteracting claims about COVID-19 vaccines, claims about mask wearing, and conspiracy beliefs that have been judged problematic by public health authorities.

scholarly journals Understanding How Social Media Is Influencing the Way People Communicate: Verbally and Written

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Noelle Defede ◽  
Nina Marie Magdaraog ◽  
Sakshi Chiragbhai Thakkar ◽  
Gulhan Bizel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Way

The way in which people communicate has changed significantly in the past decade. For instance, instead of reading newspapers to find out the latest news many flock to Twitter™ to see what is trending for the day. Communication online via social media has changed the way people view many things. Therefore, with this understanding, it is notable to understand how social media is influencing the way people communicate: verbally and written. This paper dives more into finding more descriptive explanations of how it does so, such as whether they have changed the way they speak in person and online or the way they type their emails and texts. Using methods that involve secondary sources such as research journals and articles as well as conducting a survey questionnaire composed of participants from the United States and India is reflected in this paper. The research findings indicate that social media does influence the way people communicate because of how it allows people to gain more knowledge and information, it has become more accessible for others and it fuels conversion in terms of using emoticons. This research paper reflects the change that social media has brought forth to interpersonal communication.

International Research and Variation in Views of Ethnicity

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Ella Inglebret ◽  
Amy Skinder-Meredith ◽  
Shana Bailey ◽  
Carla Jones ◽  
Ashley France
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Classification System ◽  
International Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Scale ◽  
Publication Patterns

The authors in this article first identify the extent to which research articles published in three American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) journals included participants, age birth to 18 years, from international backgrounds (i.e., residence outside of the United States), and go on to describe associated publication patterns over the past 12 years. These patterns then provide a context for examining variation in the conceptualization of ethnicity on an international scale. Further, the authors examine terminology and categories used by 11 countries where research participants resided. Each country uses a unique classification system. Thus, it can be expected that descriptions of the ethnic characteristics of international participants involved in research published in ASHA journal articles will widely vary.

Proportion of Individuals With Past-Year Suicidal Ideation Who Attempted Suicide Over the Past 10 Years in the United States, and the Influence of Age and Sex

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Shannon Lange ◽  
Courtney Bagge ◽  
Charlotte Probst ◽  
Jürgen Rehm
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Random Effects ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Age Category

Abstract. Background: In recent years, the rate of death by suicide has been increasing disproportionately among females and young adults in the United States. Presumably this trend has been mirrored by the proportion of individuals with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. Aim: We aimed to investigate whether the proportion of individuals in the United States with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide differed by age and/or sex, and whether this proportion has increased over time. Method: Individual-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2008–2017, were used to estimate the year-, age category-, and sex-specific proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. We then determined whether this proportion differed by age category, sex, and across years using random-effects meta-regression. Overall, age category- and sex-specific proportions across survey years were estimated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Although the proportion was found to be significantly higher among females and those aged 18–25 years, it had not significantly increased over the past 10 years. Limitations: Data were self-reported and restricted to past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Conclusion: The increase in the death by suicide rate in the United States over the past 10 years was not mirrored by the proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide during this period.

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