scholarly journals The Psychology of Online Political Hostility: A Comprehensive, Cross-National Test of the Mismatch Hypothesis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bor ◽  
Michael Bang Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Test ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Total N ◽  
Human Psychology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Communication Environments ◽  
Mismatch Hypothesis ◽  
Cross National

Why are online discussions about politics experienced as more hostile than offline discussions? A popular answer builds on the argument that human psychology is tailored for face-to-face interaction and, accordingly, people’s behavior changes for the worse in impersonal online discussions. We provide the first theoretical formalization and empirical test of this explanation: the mismatch hypothesis. We argue that mismatches between human psychology and novel features of online communication environments could (a) change people’s behavior, (b) bias their perceptions and (c) create adverse selection effects. We leverage five cross-national representative surveys and online behavioral experiments (total N=7510) to test the mismatch hypothesis but find little to no evidence. Rather, we find that online political hostility reflects the behavior of individuals predisposed to be hostile in all (including offline) contexts. Yet, because their behavior is more likely to be witnessed on public online platforms, these are perceived to induce more hostility.

scholarly journals The Psychology of Online Political Hostility: A Comprehensive, Cross-National Test of the Mismatch Hypothesis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER BOR ◽  
MICHAEL BANG PETERSEN
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Test ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Selection Effects ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Human Psychology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
National Test ◽  
Mismatch Hypothesis ◽  
Cross National

Why are online discussions about politics more hostile than offline discussions? A popular answer argues that human psychology is tailored for face-to-face interaction and people’s behavior therefore changes for the worse in impersonal online discussions. We provide a theoretical formalization and empirical test of this explanation: the mismatch hypothesis. We argue that mismatches between human psychology and novel features of online environments could (a) change people’s behavior, (b) create adverse selection effects, and (c) bias people’s perceptions. Across eight studies, leveraging cross-national surveys and behavioral experiments (total N = 8,434), we test the mismatch hypothesis but only find evidence for limited selection effects. Instead, hostile political discussions are the result of status-driven individuals who are drawn to politics and are equally hostile both online and offline. Finally, we offer initial evidence that online discussions feel more hostile, in part, because the behavior of such individuals is more visible online than offline.

scholarly journals Verbal Aggressiveness in Communication in Media and Online. A Case Study of the TV Cooking Show »Spread«

Bohemistyka ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jindřiška Svobodova ◽  
Eva Nováková
Keyword(s):  
Social Roles ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Communicative Interaction ◽  
Verbal Aggressiveness ◽  
Communicative Acts ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Clear Tendency ◽  
Self Image

The paper discusses verbal aggressiveness and (im)politeness in media and online communication. The analysis focuses on transcriptions of communicative acts by participants of the TV reality Spread! ("Prostřeno!", a Czech version of the programme Come Dine with me) and viewers' comments in related online discussions. The analysis indicated that the use of face-threatening acts was determined by a type of communicative interaction and interlocutors' social roles. Striving to construct a positive self-image, the participants in the show did not take the risk of losing their face due to usage of derogatory or vulgar expressions in face-to-face inter- actions. The anonymous online discussions, on the contrary, did not pose any risk for the positive faces of the speakers; therefore, the interlocutors showed clear tendency to either appreciate and support, or attack the contestants as well as other speakers. 

Student Perceptions of Face-to-Face and Online Discussions: The Advantage Goes To . . .

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina A. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Political Tolerance ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
And Gender

Thirteen students in a graduate-level course on Historical and Policy Perspectives in Higher Education held face-to-face and online discussions on five controversial topics: Diversity, Academic Freedom, Political Tolerance, Affirmative Action, and Gender. Students read materials on each topic and generated questions for discussion that were categorized by Bloom’s taxonomy so that the level of questions in the two discussion settings would be closely parallel. Upon completion of each discussion, they answered questions that addressed depth and length of the discussion, ability to remember, and a self-assessment of how the student learned. Students’ assessments show a consistent preference for the face-to-face discussion but a small number of students preferred the online setting. However, what is perhaps more interesting is a minority of approximately one-third of the students who perceived no difference between the settings, or that the two settings were perhaps complementary.

Social anxiety is associated with similar emotional impairments during digital and face-to-face communication in daily life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Doorley ◽  
Kristina Volgenau ◽  
Kerry Kelso ◽  
Todd Barrett Kashdan ◽  
Alexander J. Shackman
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Medium Study ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Emotional Impairments ◽  
Emotional Safety

Background:Retrospective studies have found that people with elevated social anxiety (SA) show a preference for digital/online communication, which may be due to perceptions of enhanced emotional safety. Whether these preferences for/benefits of digital compared to face-to-face communication manifest in the real world has yet to be explored. Methods: We recruited samples of college students (N = 125) and community adults (N = 303) with varying levels of SA, sampled their emotions during digital and face-to-face communication using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) (Study 1) and a day reconstruction method (DRM) (Study 2), and preregistered our hypotheses (https://osf.io/e4y7x/). Results: Results from both studies showed that SA did not predict the likelihood of engaging in digital compared to face-to-face communication, and SA was associated with less positive and more negative emotions regardless of communication medium. Study 2 also showed that whether digital communication was synchronous (e.g., in real time via phone/video chat) or asynchronous (e.g., texting/instant messaging) did not impact the association between SA and emotions. Limitations: EMA and DRM methods, despite their many advantages, may be suboptimal for assessing the occurrence of digital communication behaviors relative to more objective methods (e.g., passively collecting smartphone communication data). Using event-contingent responding may have also yielded more reports of digital communication, thus strengthening our power to detect small, cross-level interaction effects. Conclusions:These results challenge beliefs that digital/online communication provides a source of emotional safety for people with elevated SA and suggests a greater need to address SA-related emotional impairments across digital communication platforms.

Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) intervention in India: Participants’ perspectives

2021 ◽  
pp. 001789692110054
Author(s):  
Tina Rawal ◽  
Soumyadeep Bhaumik ◽  
Radhika Shrivastav ◽  
Gaurang P Nazar ◽  
Nikhil Tandon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
School Environment ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Technical Information ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Visual Aids ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Total N ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teachers And Parents

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the experience and satisfaction of teachers and parents of children with and without diabetes, with the Kids and Diabetes in School (KiDS) intervention. Project KiDS aimed to foster a safe and supportive school environment to encourage the management of type 1 diabetes and prevention of type 2 diabetes. Design: This qualitative evaluation involved semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 35 respondents, including teachers and parents of children with and without diabetes attending the selected schools at 1 and 3 months post-intervention implementation. In total, n = 5 schools (3 government and 2 private) were selected out of 15 schools in which the KiDS project was implemented. Methods: In total, 65 interviews were conducted in two rounds. The sample comprised teachers ( n = 20 in round 1; n = 18 in round 2), parents of children with diabetes ( n = 3 in both the rounds) and parents of children without diabetes ( n = 15 in round 1; n = 6 in round 2) attending five schools. Data were analysed using the thematic framework method. Results: Teachers reported gaining new knowledge as a result of the KiDS intervention. They felt more confident in assisting children with diabetes. Suggestions to strengthen the KiDS resource pack were the inclusion of case studies and audio-visual aids. Parents of children with diabetes reported that the project reinforced information and improved diabetes management skills. Their suggestions for strengthening KiDS materials included the provision of additional technical information. The parents of children without diabetes reported that the resource pack aided a better understanding of diabetes and clarified myths and misconceptions. Suggestions for strengthening the pack included the regular reinforcement of information on diabetes among children. Conclusion: Findings support the upscaling of KiDS work elsewhere in India through the engagement of multiple stakeholders to promote the management and prevention of diabetes in school.

Initial Specification and Empirical Test of Media Enjoyment Theory

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1246-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Hardman Taylor ◽  
Andrew M. Ledbetter ◽  
Joseph P. Mazer
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Communication Competence ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Media Enjoyment

Building upon online communication attitude research, this article explains why people use certain media in their social relationships by offering an initial formulation and test of media enjoyment theory (MET). We investigated whether medium enjoyment mediated the effects of social influence and communication competence on media use. We proposed that perceived miscommunication would moderate the mediating effect of medium enjoyment. Results were consistent with MET across voice phone calls, email, text messaging, and Facebook. The results indicate an indirect effect of social influence and communication competence on media use through the mediator of medium enjoyment. The pattern of mediation was strongest when participants held low levels of perceived miscommunication. These results suggest that people are most likely to use media when they perceive high levels of enjoyment from medium and low levels of perceived miscommunication. Theoretical implications highlight how MET can be developed in multimodal and dyadic contexts.

scholarly journals Maximizing Learning Potential with Multimodality: A Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samaa Haniya ◽  
Anastasia Olga Tzirides ◽  
Matthew Montebello ◽  
Keratso Georgiadou ◽  
Bill Cope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Communication ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Communication Environments ◽  
Digital Learners ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learner Differences ◽  
Multimodality Approach

<p><em>In today’s increasingly fast-moving digital world, learners are immersed in multimodal online communication environments in their daily life, through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others. This requires educators to reflect the environment in which these learners live, and thus design instructional practices from a multimodal perspective. Multimodality offers new opportunities for digital learners to express themselves, analyze problems and make meaning in multimodal ways as they interpret knowledge differently according to their various educational needs (Kalantzis </em><em>&amp;</em><em> Cope, 2015). In this paper we will discuss the significance of integrating multimodality in e-Learning contexts to make meaning and improve learning. The paper will also present a case study of an online course from the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to show how multimodality works in practice to cater to learner differences by offering a range of activity options and modes of meaning. We will also examine learners’ perceptions of adopting such an approach in the online course. We used survey techniques for data collection and quantitative and qualitative methods for data analysis. Results revealed illuminating insights about the importance of multimodality approach to increase learning potential for digital learners and provided suggestions for future iterations.</em></p>

scholarly journals The use of visual icons and signs: investigating the punctuation of text by emoticons and communication clarity in online professional communication environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Marie Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Professional Communication ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Global Networks ◽  
Visual Semiotics ◽  
Communication Environments

Computer mediated communication (CMC) is becoming increasingly prevalent and relied upon as the Internet facilitates the rapid growth of global networks and expands communication boarders. Today, many individuals rely on CMC for professional purposes, such as connecting long distance with co-workers to collaborate and advance workplace tasks. These individuals often rely on professional online collaborative programs that allow them to connect with colleagues across cities, provinces, and around the world. Relying on CMC for the transmittal of important electronic messages places it at the forefront for understanding how technical communication devices and networks function. This also requires an understanding of how ambiguity with online conversations can be decreased through the use of the Internet. However, what professional collaborative programs currently lack is a singular professional software that integrates both collaborative on-screen practices and online chatting capabilities with visual icons; or professional emoticons. The following research aims to investigate the communicative value of emoticons within a structured sentence via a study involving professional communication graduate students from Ryerson University and senior marketing communication professionals from a marketing agency in Toronto, Canada. Using concepts from critical visual methodology and a theoretical framework of visual semiotics, emoticons will be examined to see whether or not these pictorial symbols act in a similar fashion to punctuation symbols within a given sentence structure. The goal of this research was to investigate the use and meaning derived from emoticons in relation to grammatical punctuation for sentence structures in online communication environments. Specific emoticons were selected and used to measure participants‘ interpretation of each symbol within the particular context of a given sentence.

scholarly journals Lockdown Lives: A longitudinal study of inter-relationships amongst feelings of loneliness, social contacts and solidarity during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolien van Breen ◽  
Maja Kutlaca ◽  
Yasin Koc ◽  
Bertus F. Jeronimus ◽  
Anne Margit Reitsema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
National Data ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cross National

In this work, we study how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. We draw on cross-national data, collected across four time points between mid-March until early May 2020. We situate our work within the public debate on these issues and discuss to what extent the public understanding of the impact of lockdown is borne out in the data. Results show, first, that although online contacts are beneficial in combating feelings of loneliness, people who feel more lonely are less likely to make use of this strategy. Second, online contacts do not function as a substitute to face-to-face contacts - in fact, more frequent online contacts in earlier weeks predicted an increase in face-to-face contacts in later weeks. Finally, solidarity played only a small role in shaping people’s feelings of loneliness during lockdown. In sum, our findings suggest that we must look beyond the current focus on online contact and solidarity, if we want to help people address their feelings of loneliness. We hope that this work will be instrumental not only in understanding the impact of the lockdown in early 2020, but also in preparing for possible future lockdown periods.

scholarly journals THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONALITY AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ON ESL LEARNERS' WORD CONTRIBUTIONS IN FACE-TO-FACE AND SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE FORUMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-221
Author(s):  
Shin Yi Chew ◽  
Lee Luan Ng
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
School Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Synchronous Online

Background and Purpose: Recent technological advancements and Covid-19 pandemic have prompted more opportunities for online learning. However, there is a dearth of empirical research that is focused on high school students. Therefore, this study aims to obtain a more comprehensive view of ESL learners’ involvement or word contributions in a ‘normal’ face-to-face situation and in a synchronous online text-based environment by relating it to their personality and language proficiency.   Methodology: In this study, a quasi-experiment was carried out over four weeks. It involved eight sessions of face-to-face and online discussions with 48 Malaysian high school students who were divided into two matched-sample groups. The participants' feedback was used to support and provide insights on the findings. The quantitative data were analysed using using IBM SPSS statistics 26 software while the participants’ responses to the online feedback session were analysed using open coding and axial coding strategies.   Findings: Statistically significant difference was found in learners’ word contributions during face-to-face and online discussions. Apart from the extroverts with high-intermediate language proficiency, the other groups of learners who are either introverts or having lower level language proficiency were found to produce significantly more words in synchronous online text-based discussions. The non-face-to-face context of online forums might have lowered the learners’ level of anxiety and increased their confidence to interact with their peers. Contributions: Learners’ personalities and language proficiency levels should be considered when choosing a discussion setting and when facilitating discussion activities. More support should be provided for the less proficient or introverted learners to express themselves in a face-to-face discussion.     Keywords: Personality, Language proficiency, Computer-mediated communication, Synchronous text-based online discussions, Word contributions   Cite as: Chew, S. Y., & Ng, L. L. (2021). The influence of personality and language proficiency on ESL learners' word contributions in face-to-face and synchronous online forums. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 199-221. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp199-221

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