scholarly journals Digital Surveillance to Identify California Alternative and Emerging Tobacco Industry Policy Influence and Mobilization on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11150
Author(s):  
Qing Xu ◽  
Joshua Yang ◽  
Michael R. Haupt ◽  
Mingxiang Cai ◽  
Matthew C. Nali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Political Interference ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Industry Policy

Growing popularity of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) has coincided with a need to strengthen tobacco-control policy. In response, the ENDS industry has taken actions to mobilize against public health measures, including coordination on social media platforms. To explore this phenomenon, data mining was used to collect public posts on two Facebook public group pages: the California Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association (CCASAA) and the community page of the Northern California Chapter of SFATA (NC-SFATA). Posts were manually annotated to characterize themes associated with industry political interference and user interaction. We collected 288 posts from the NC-SFATA and 411 posts from CCASAA. A total of 522 (74.7%) posts were categorized as a form of political interference, with 339 posts (64.9%) from CCASAA and 183 posts (35.1%) from NC-SFATA. We identified three different categories of policy interference-related posts: (1) providing updates on ENDS-related policy at the federal, state, and local levels; (2) sharing opinions about ENDS-related policies; (3) posts related to scientific information related to vaping; and (4) calls to action to mobilize against tobacco/ENDS policies. Our findings indicate that pro-tobacco social media communities on Facebook, driven by strategic activities of trade associations and their members, may act as focal points for anti-policy information dissemination, grass-roots mobilization, and industry coordination that needs further research.

scholarly journals The use of Twitter and Facebook Social Media in Communicating & Disseminating Weather and Climate Information by Kenya Meteorological Department

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Misiani Zachary ◽  
Lun Yin ◽  
Mwai Zacharia ◽  
Xiaohan Zhang ◽  
Yanyan Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
The Other ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Today, traditional media is still a significant part of disseminating weather and climate information, still they have not been able to reach out to all users of the target audience alone. On the other hand, social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. are used as a tool of communicating weather and climate information to various users in a well-organized manner like never before. Using a scientific research methodology of case study, the research was designed to explore how the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) is using Twitter and Facebook accounts for weather and climate information dissemination to various users.

scholarly journals Why it is important to consider negative ties when studying polarized debates: A signed network analysis of a Dutch cultural controversy on Twitter

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256696
Author(s):  
Anna Keuchenius ◽  
Petter Törnberg ◽  
Justus Uitermark
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
User Interactions ◽  
Online Interactions ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Signed Network

Despite the prevalence of disagreement between users on social media platforms, studies of online debates typically only look at positive online interactions, represented as networks with positive ties. In this paper, we hypothesize that the systematic neglect of conflict that these network analyses induce leads to misleading results on polarized debates. We introduce an approach to bring in negative user-to-user interaction, by analyzing online debates using signed networks with positive and negative ties. We apply this approach to the Dutch Twitter debate on ‘Black Pete’—an annual Dutch celebration with racist characteristics. Using a dataset of 430,000 tweets, we apply natural language processing and machine learning to identify: (i) users’ stance in the debate; and (ii) whether the interaction between users is positive (supportive) or negative (antagonistic). Comparing the resulting signed network with its unsigned counterpart, the retweet network, we find that traditional unsigned approaches distort debates by conflating conflict with indifference, and that the inclusion of negative ties changes and enriches our understanding of coalitions and division within the debate. Our analysis reveals that some groups are attacking each other, while others rather seem to be located in fragmented Twitter spaces. Our approach identifies new network positions of individuals that correspond to roles in the debate, such as leaders and scapegoats. These findings show that representing the polarity of user interactions as signs of ties in networks substantively changes the conclusions drawn from polarized social media activity, which has important implications for various fields studying online debates using network analysis.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Social Media Information and Misinformation: a Geospatial Analysis of Inter-regional Tweet Disparities in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richmond Takyi Hinneh ◽  
Alex Barimah Owusu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
False Information ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Precautionary Measures

Abstract BackgroundIn an era of the global pandemic and social media dominance, trying to control the narrative on COVID-19 has been a challenging task for most governments particularly with news about the disease on various social media platforms. There have even been instances where people have sent false information about the number of confirmed cases, precautionary measures, drugs that boost the immune system which can threaten the lives of some users who are accessing this false information and misconceptions.Method This study analyzed spatial differences in Twitter misinformation on COVID-19 across 16 regions of Ghana by scraping 1,167 tweets from Twitter using API access. A total of 514 tweets were analyzed. The data were categorized into three namely; accurate information, misinformation, and other information. ResultsThe study results show that 72% of the tweets were accurate, 14% were misinformation and 14% represented other information. Among the regions, Greater Accra had the highest number of accurate information (45 tweets), and the Upper West Region recording the highest number of misinformation (12 tweets).ConclusionSpatial monitoring and management of information dissemination are useful for target setting and achievement of direct results in terms of diffusing misinformation and propagating accurate information. We, therefore, recommend official usage of Twitter for COVID-19 information dissemination as this usage will help offset possible misinformation from unformed individuals.

scholarly journals Post-Truth: Hegemony on Social Media and Implications for Sustainability Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Jaques ◽  
Mine Islar ◽  
Gavin Lord
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marxian Theory ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The One ◽  
Science In Society

Contrary to what practice suggests, social media platforms may not be an appropriate forum for communicating with civil society about sustainability issues such as climate change. Misinformation campaigns are distorting the line between fact and falsity on social media platforms, and there has been a profound shift in the way that social media users consume and interact with information. These conditions have been popularly labeled as the post-truth era. Drawing from Neo-Marxian theory, we argue that post-truth can be explained as a new iteration of ideological struggle under capitalist hegemony. We substantiate this claim through a mixed methods investigation synthesizing corpus-assisted lexical analysis and critical discourse analysis to evaluate 900 user-generated comments taken from three articles on socioenvironmental topics published on Facebook by news organizations in the United States. The results showed that the nature of this struggle is tied explicitly to the role of science in society, where the legitimacy of science is caught in a tug-of-war of values between elitism on the one hand and a rejection of the establishment on the other. It follows that presenting truthful information in place of false information is an insufficient means of coping with post-truth. We conclude by problematizing the notion that Facebook is an adequate forum for public dialogue and advocate for a change in strategy from those wishing to communicate scientific information in the public sphere.

scholarly journals “Believe Me”

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Margaret Brennan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Archival Studies ◽  
Information Culture ◽  
Legal Evidence ◽  
Legal Studies ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Governmental Institutions

This article addresses current issues in authenticating and managing digital-born social media records, with reference to the Twitter output of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, and members of his Administration. Focusing on Trump’s considerable corpus of tweets created after his inauguration on January 20, 2017, it employs scholarship from archival studies, legal studies, and communication and media studies to explore conjunctive questions of authenticity and its components of identity and integrity in social media records, as well as those records’ roles as archivable objects, legal evidence, and expressions of American information culture within the digital public sphere. Due to the perpetually changing nature of the subject, this article highlights complexities of and raises questions about governmental creation and management of problematized social media records in the United States more than answers them, with the hope that it can act as a springboard for further research. Ultimately, it aims to lead toward a praxis of information management in the United States that eventually rebuilds public trust in governmental institutions and practices, and most importantly, strengthens the transparency and accountability of political leadership on the federal, state, and local levels. Pre-print first published online 03/03/2019

scholarly journals Assessment of Altmetrics and PlumX Metrics Scoring as Mechanisms to Evaluate the Top 100 Trending Hidradenitis Suppurativa Articles on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/23724 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e23724
Author(s):  
Chapman Wei ◽  
Aaron Fong ◽  
Theodore Quan ◽  
Puneet Gupta ◽  
Adam Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hidradenitis Suppurativa ◽  
Citation Count ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Journal Title ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Background Dermatologists are increasingly utilizing social media platforms to disseminate scientific information. New tools, such as altmetrics and PlumX metrics, have been made available to rapidly capture the level of scientific article dissemination across social media platforms. However, no studies have been performed to assess the level of scientific article dissemination across social media regarding hidradenitis suppurativa, a disease that is still currently not well understood. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of altmetrics and PlumX metrics by characterizing the top 100 “trending” hidradenitis suppurativa articles in the altmetric database by the altmetric attention score and PlumX score. Methods Altmetric data components of the top 100 hidradenitis suppurativa articles were extracted from the altmetric database. Article citation count was found using Web of Science. PlumX field-weighted impact scores for each article were collected from the Scopus database. Journal title, open-access status, article type, and study design of original articles were assessed. Additionally, the altmetric attention score, PlumX score, and citation count were log transformed and adjusted by +1 for linear regression, and Spearman correlation coefficients were utilized to determine correlations. Results Most of the top 100 “trending” hidradenitis suppurativa articles were published in JAMA Dermatology (n=27, 27%). The median altmetric attention score, PlumX score, and citation count were 25.5, 3.7, and 10.5, respectively. The most mentions regarding social media platforms came from Twitter. Although no correlation was observed between the citation count and altmetric attention score (r2=0.019, P=.17), positive correlation was observed between the citation count and PlumX score (r2=0.469, P<.001). Conclusions Our research demonstrated that citation count is not correlated with the altmetric attention score, but is strongly correlated with the PlumX score regarding hidradenitis suppurativa articles at this point in time. With the continual increase of social media usage by medical professionals and researchers, this study can help investigators understand the best way to captivate their audience.

scholarly journals Not for the Faint of Heart: Assessing Physical Violence and Psychological Abuse against U.S. Mayors

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67
Author(s):  
Sue Thomas ◽  
Rebekah Herrick ◽  
Lori D. Franklin ◽  
Marcia L. Godwin ◽  
Eveline Gnabasik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Psychological Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Levels

Despite evidence of abuse and violence against U.S. elected officeholders at the federal, state, and local levels, to date, no political science research has investigated the frequency, channels, and correlates of this phenomenon. Here, we surveyed mayors in U.S. cities with populations above 30,000 and found that mayors face physical violence and psychological abuse at rates equal to or greater than the general workforce, social media are the most common channels of these actions, and mayors in all types of cities experience violence and abuse. Nevertheless, mayors who are younger, female, in strong mayor systems, and in larger cities were more likely to be affected than their counterparts. Finally, with the exception of gender, the factors associated with greater likelihood of psychological abuse are not the same factors associated with experiences of physical violence.

scholarly journals Has FDA abandoned its efforts to make fake-cigar cigarettes comply with federal tobacco control laws that apply to cigarettes but not cigars?

2020 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2019-055395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric N Lindblom ◽  
Darren Mays ◽  
Kevin R J Schroth ◽  
Cristine Delnevo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Original Position ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
The Usa ◽  
State And Local

In the USA, legal definitions of cigarettes and cigars are critical to tobacco control policy because federal, state and local laws typically tax and regulate cigarettes more strictly than cigars. In 2016, near the end of the Obama Administration, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters to four filtered ‘little cigar’ manufacturers stating that their so-called ‘cigars’ were cigarettes and, therefore, subject to more stringent public health restrictions. Documents produced in response to a Freedom of Information Act request show that without explanation or public notice FDA has abandoned its prior determination that the manufacturers’ ‘little cigars’ were actually cigarettes and, consequently, were violating the ban on flavoured cigarettes in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA). The documents also present the manufacturers’ arguments against FDA’s original position. However, those industry arguments are inconsistent with the research, other evidence and legal analysis indicating that filtered ‘little cigars’ meet the legal definition of cigarettes under the TCA and other similar federal, state and local definitions. To protect the public health, FDA must renew its efforts to ensure that these filtered ‘little cigars’ do not continue to evade compliance with the many important restrictions and requirements that apply to cigarettes but not cigars. Other government regulatory and tax-collection agencies with similar definitions need to follow suit.

Social Media and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of a Physician Group’s WhatsApp Chat (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sawsan Abdel-Razig ◽  
Pascale Anglade ◽  
Halah Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Community Building ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Social Media Platforms

BACKGROUND Social media has emerged as an effective means of information sharing and community building amongst health professionals. The utility of these platforms is likely heightened during times of health system crises and global uncertainty. Studies have demonstrated that physicians’ social media platforms serve to bridge the gap of information between on-the-ground experiences of health care workers and emerging knowledge. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study was to characterize the use of a physician WhatsApp group chat during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Through the lens of the Social Network Theory, the authors performed a qualitative content analysis of posts of a women physician WhatsApp group located in the United Arab Emirates between February 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020 during the initial surge of COVID-19 cases. RESULTS The were 6101 posts during the study period, reflecting a 2.6-fold increase in platform utilization when compared with the year prior. Eight themes and nine subthemes are described. The top 3 uses of the platform were requests for information, member support/promotion, and information sharing (46%, 16%, and 15% respectively). A significant proportion of posts were related to COVID-19 (43.5%) with the most popular theme being requests for logistical (non-medical) information. Among COVID-19 related medical information, it is notable that two thirds of these posts (571 of 868) were from public, mass media or unverified sources. CONCLUSIONS Health crises can potentiate the use of social media platforms amongst physicians, reflecting their tendency to turn to these platforms for information sharing and community building purposes. However, important questions remain regarding the accuracy and credibility of the information shared. These findings suggest that training of physicians in social media practices and information dissemination may be needed. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

scholarly journals Social media in cardiovascular medicine: a contemporary review

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ladeiras-Lopes ◽  
Lavinia Baciu ◽  
Julia Grapsa ◽  
Afzal Sohaib ◽  
Rafael Vidal-Perez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Cardiovascular Medicine ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Scientific Meetings ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Filter Algorithms

Abstract Social media increasingly impact both the private and professional lives of the majority of the population, including individuals engaged in cardiovascular healthcare and research. Healthcare providers across the world use social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook to find medical and scientific information, to follow scientific meetings, to discuss individual clinical cases with colleagues, and to engage with patients. While social media provide a means for fast, interactive and accessible communication without geographic boundaries, their use to obtain and disseminate information has limitations and the potential threats are not always clearly understood. Governance concerns include a lack of rigorous quality control, bias due to the pre-selection of presented content by filter algorithms, and the risk of inadvertent breach of patient confidentiality. This article provides information and guidance regarding the role and use of social media platforms in cardiovascular medicine, with an emphasis on the new opportunities for the dissemination of scientific information and continuing education that arise from their responsible use.

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