Raising Awareness About Public Archives in East and Southern Africa Through Social Media

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nampombe Saurombe
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Civic Duty ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Public Archives ◽  
Southern Regional

Archives serve as society's collective memory because they provide evidence of the past as well as promoting accountability and transparency of past actions. Appreciation of the archives should therefore result in citizens linking these records with their identity, history, civic duty and cultural heritage. However, research in east and southern Africa seems to indicate that very few citizens are aware of and use the archives. Social media platforms have been utilized to raise awareness about the archival institutions elsewhere. This study sought to find out whether the National Archives in east and southern Africa used social media to raise awareness about archives. The study involved 12 national archives affiliated to the East and Southern Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) using a multi-method research strategy. The findings indicated that social media platforms were not a preferred option in outreach strategies, even though they were recognized as useful means to reach online information seekers.

scholarly journals NAVIGATING THE POST-TRUTH ERA: TRUST, MISINFORMATION, AND CREDIBILITY ASSESSMENT ON ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni A. Kyza ◽  
Christiana Varda
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online News ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Credibility Assessment ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Phase Study ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Study Participants

As access to news is increasingly mediated through social media platforms, there are rising concerns for citizens’ ability to evaluate online information and detect potentially misleading items. While many studies have reported on how people assess the credibility of information, there are few reports on processes related to evaluating information online and people’s decision to trust and share the information with others. This paper reports on the first part of a three-phase study which aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of citizens’ practices and needs in assessing the credibility of information shared online and co-create solutions to address this problem. Data were collected from three European countries, through a survey on misinformation perceptions, focus groups, follow-up individual interviews, and co-creation activities with three stakeholder groups. The data were analyzed qualitatively, using, primarily, a grounded theory approach. Results from the citizens’ stakeholder group indicate that personal biases, emotions, time constraints, and lack of supporting technologies impacts the credibility assessment of online news. Study participants also discussed the need for increased media literacy actions, especially in youth. Based on preliminary findings we argue that we need a diversified approach to support citizens’ resilience against the spread of misinformation.

scholarly journals Estimating the effect size of moral contagion in online networks: A pre-registered replication and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Brady ◽  
Jay Joseph Van Bavel
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Political Messages ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Social Activists ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Over 4 billion people now use social media platforms. As our social lives become more entangled than ever before with online social networks, it is important to understand the dynamics of online information diffusion. This is particularly true for the political domain, as political elites, disinformation profiteers and social activists all utilize social media to gain influence by spreading information. Recent work found that emotional expressions related to the domain of morality (moral emotion expression) are associated with increased diffusion of political messages--a phenomenon we called ‘moral contagion’. Here, we perform a large, pre-registered direct replication (N = 849,266) of Brady et al. (2017), as well as a meta-analysis of all available data testing moral contagion (5 independent labs, 27 studies, N = 4,821,006). The estimate of moral contagion in the available population of studies is positive and significant (IRR = 1.12, 95% CI = [1.06, 1.19]), such that each message is 12% more likely to be shared for each additional moral-emotional word. The mean effect size of the large, pre-registered replication (IRR = 1.15) better estimated the effect size of the available population of studies than the original study (IRR = 1.20). These findings reinforce the importance of replication and producing a pre-registered analysis to generate accurate estimates of effect size for future studies.

Web-based financial reporting, social media and information asymmetry: the case of Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Foued Khlifi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bid Ask Spread ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of Web-based financial reporting and social media platforms on the proxies of information asymmetry in the Saudi Stock Exchange. Design/methodology/approach The sample of this paper consists of 133 Saudi listed non-financial companies for the year 2019. Web-based disclosure level was measured using 25 items, and the social media platforms examined in this study are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The information asymmetry proxies are measured using the relative spread and the time-weighted average bid-ask spread. Findings The empirical results have shown that there is a negative and significant relation between Web-based financial reporting and the adoption of social media platforms and the proxies of information asymmetry. Indeed, the relative spread and the time-weighted average bid-ask spread decreased with increased Web-based reporting levels. Among three platforms (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), the results show that only the use of Twitter as a channel for information disclosure has a negative and significant effect on information asymmetry proxies. Consequently, in the Saudi context, the authors demonstrate that the assumptions of the agency, stewardship and signaling theories are supported. Also, results reveal that the effect of information disclosure through websites and social media on reducing information asymmetry is stronger for large companies than small companies. Practical implications The paper provides new insights into the role played by websites and social media platforms in the reduction of the information asymmetry in the stock market. Consequently, investors and regulatory authorities in the Saudi financial market must give great importance to online information disclosure and its implications for lowering information asymmetry. This empirical study informs regulators in Saudi Arabia to conduct the better practice of Web-based and social media financial reporting and to regulate the current practice of information disclosure. Besides, the obtained results have the potential to convince firms’ managers to improve online information disclosure to benefit from the reduction in information asymmetry. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, this study investigates, simultaneously, the effect of Web-based and social media information disclosure on the proxies of information asymmetry in a developing economy. In addition, the hypotheses of this study are developed based on a set of theories (the agency, signaling and stewardship theories), to verify the applicability of these three theories in the Saudi context.

To collaborate or not to collaborate, that is the question

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nampombe Saurombe ◽  
Patrick Ngulube
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Other Information ◽  
The Common ◽  
Public Archives ◽  
Information Providers ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Public archives in east and southern Africa are functioning in a competitive information environment. Institutions such as libraries and museums also offer information, but fewer people utilise public archives. More effort is required to make archives a part of the daily lives of citizens in east and southern Africa. This study sought to explore whether or not public archives should collaborate with other information providers in their mission to increase social interaction with the archives. Directors of National Archives, archivists and members of the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) Board were invited to shed light on their experiences and views regarding collaboration in outreach initiatives. The directors completed a questionnaire, while the archivists and board members participated in face-to-face interviews. Country reports from the different ESARBICA member states were also reviewed. The findings indicate that collaboration in outreach initiatives took place to a certain extent, but libraries and museums were rarely part of this. This paper recommends that public archives play a stronger role in collaborative efforts to improve their visibility and widen their outreach to the public in east and southern Africa. The findings provide an overview on collaborative outreach projects from the perspective of selected archivists from this region, and therefore cannot be generalised to represent the common views of this entire region.

scholarly journals Managing your online presence to boost your career: An introduction to social media as a tool

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 28-29
Author(s):  
Alexa Hime
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Online Presence ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Funding Opportunities

Engaging with social media platforms is becoming increasingly important when managing your career and looking for your next steps. It is a great way of creating and maintaining useful links with those in your sector, leading to collaborations or even funding opportunities, and it is a quick and effective way of finding relevant information. As online information about people becomes easily accessible, it is often the first port of call for employers when seeking potential employees.

scholarly journals Breast Cancer Voices on Pinterest: Raising Awareness or Just an Inspirational Image?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 49S-58S ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Miller ◽  
Jeanine P. D. Guidry ◽  
Bernard F. Fuemmeler
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Media ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Breast Cancer Study ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Future Utility

The public increasingly searches for and discusses health information online, but few studies have examined breast cancer–related posts on visual social media platforms. To shed light on cancer-focused posts on the visual social media platform Pinterest, this study analyzed a random sample of 476 breast cancer–related posts (also referred to as “pins”). Using a quantitative content analysis, pins were coded for type of visual and textual information included and user engagement with pins (i.e., frequency of repins and comments). This novel research supports the current use and potential future utility of Pinterest as a venue for health communication related to breast cancer. Study results have important implications for the development of future health promotion programs on Pinterest aimed at reducing breast cancer risk among women.

Use of Social Media Platforms for Increased Access and Visibility by the Botswana National Archives and Records Services

2019 ◽  
pp. 182-204
Author(s):  
Tshepho Lydia Mosweu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media

This chapter discusses the use of social media platforms for increased access and visibility by the Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS). A qualitative research approach is used to illuminate efforts to use social media for marketing archival services by BNARS, and to closely analyze the benefits and challenges embedded in the use of social media for marketing and outreach by archival institutions. This chapter also draws inferences from the study and proffers recommendations. Primary data was collected through interviews of archivists who manage BNARS social media pages while secondary data was derived from documentary and content analysis. The study reveals that while BNARS was visible to users and potential users online, the legal and policy framework was found to be lacking. Challenges associated with the use of social media pertained to issues of privacy, security, data management as well as policy and the legal framework. The chapter adds literature on advocacy, promotion, and public programming by archival institutions in the digital era.

Twitter as a Pedagogical Platform

2019 ◽  
pp. 100-124
Author(s):  
Kaitlynn Mendes ◽  
Jessica Ringrose ◽  
Jessalynn Keller
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Rape Culture ◽  
Digital Activism ◽  
Feminist Activism ◽  
Sexually Aggressive ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Global Reach

This chapter shows how feminists are using not only Twitter but a diverse interconnected range of social media platforms to engage in their digital activism. Drawing on a survey of 46 self-defined Twitter feminists, and a subsample of email, Skype, and in-person interviews with 21 of these respondents we explore how participants challenge rape culture and engage in feminist activism creating social media counter-publics. Twitter affords feminists connectivity, speed, immediacy, and global reach to share and debate: important pedagogical processes for raising awareness and visibility around issues such as rape culture. Despite the widely understood benefits of social media, participants recounted challenges of participating in digital activism on Twitter, including instances of hostile anti-feminism and episodes of sexually aggressive trolling. We outline participants’ emergent strategies for coping with technologically mediated misogyny and illuminate the significant role Twitter is playing in activating networked feminism.

Taking archives to the people

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Mukwevho ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Public Archives ◽  
Diverse Data

Purpose Despite the availability of the mandate of public archives repositories to “take archives to the people in South Africa”, archives in South Africa remain largely the domain of the elite. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption of social media in South Africa as a tool for taking archives to the people especially young people between the age of 13 and 34. The researchers confined the study to all ten public archives repositories in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative study collected data using survey questionnaires and web-based content analysis of social media presence of public archives repositories. Findings The study revealed that few public archives repositories are using Facebook, followed by Twitter and LinkedIn to engage users. The public archives repositories rely mostly on social media platforms operated by their mother bodies as they are subsidiary units within arts and culture departments in government. As a result, public archives repositories are restricted to operate their own accounts on social media. It is argued that public archives should be allowed by their mother departments to operate their own accounts on social media platforms. Failure to change this restriction could lead to public archival institutions continuing to take archives away from the people, instead of taking archives to the people. Research limitations/implications The study sought to provide useful practical implications for public archives repositories as it would serve as a benchmarking tool to enable the development and reporting on the visibility and accessibility of archival material, and thus ensure an increased public knowledge of archives. Originality/value The study triangulated data collection instruments that helped to collect as much and as diverse data as possible, which generated the best possible insights into the phenomenon of interest. Previous similar studies in South Africa utilised only survey method with either interviews or questionnaires as data collection tools.

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