ISIS vs. the U.S. government: A war of online video propaganda

First Monday ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Allendorfer ◽  
Susan C. Herring
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Online Video ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Islamic Culture ◽  
New Members ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
The U.S

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) relies heavily on propaganda in the form of videos distributed over social media to recruit supporters and new members to its cause, including from the U.S. The U.S. government has countered with anti-ISIS propaganda videos; however, sources claim that the U.S. is losing the propaganda war. We evaluate that claim through a comparative multimodal content analysis of the ISIS video Flames of War and the videos posted in response on the U.S. Department of State’s (USDS) Think Again Turn Away YouTube channel. Our findings shed light on some of the reasons why the USDS anti-propaganda videos are less rhetorically effective than the ISIS videos, including a one-dimensional narrative, a stance that could appear inauthentic, and a lack of sensitivity to Islamic culture. In concluding, we advance recommendations that the USDS could follow to strengthen its online propaganda defense against ISIS, and extend the implications of our findings to other social media fronts where the ISIS vs. USDS propaganda war is being waged.

scholarly journals How Do Sports Organizations Use Social Media to Build Relationships? A Content Analysis of NBA Clubs’ Twitter Use

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Wang ◽  
Shuhua Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
National Basketball Association ◽  
Professional Relationships ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sports Organizations ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Community Relationships

Social media have been increasingly used by sports organizations to communicate with the public. This study explored the Twitter-using practices of National Basketball Association (NBA) clubs (N = 30) in the U.S. in building relationships with their fans during the 2013–14 season. Specifically, it focused on how these clubs used Twitter to build professional, personal, and community relationships through a content analysis of 5,561 tweets on their official Twitter sites. The results suggested that NBA clubs tended to use social media to develop professional relationships with their publics via sharing information and promoting products. There were significant relationships between relationship dimensions and the number of retweets and favorites from Twitter followers. Sports organizations should use social media effectively to strengthen the professional, personal, and community relationships with their publics.

scholarly journals Attitudes Toward Seeking Treatment among Patients with Psoriasis: Protocol for a Twitter Content Analysis (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Reuter ◽  
Delphine Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Patient Perspective ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Translational Science ◽  
Psoriasis Treatment ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
The U.S

BACKGROUND Background: Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that is estimated to affect more than 6 million adults in the U.S. It poses a significant public health problem and contributes to rising health care costs, affecting people’s quality of life and ability to work. Previous research showed that nontreatment and undertreatment of patients with psoriasis remain a significant problem. Perspectives of patients toward seeking psoriasis treatment are understudied. Social media offers a new data source of user-generated content. Researchers suggested that the social network Twitter may serve as a rich avenue for exploring how patients communicate about their health issues. OBJECTIVE Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct a content analysis of Twitter posts (in English) published by users in the U.S. between 02/01/2016 to 10/31/2018 to examine perspectives that potentially influence the treatment decision among patients with psoriasis. METHODS Methods: User-generated Twitter posts that include keywords related to lupus will be analyzed using text classifiers to identify themes related to reproductive health and fertility. We will use Symplur Signals, a healthcare social media analytics platform, to access the Twitter data. We will use descriptive statistics to analyze the data and identify the most prevalent topics in the Twitter content among psoriasis patients. RESULTS Results: This study is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) award. Study approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at USC. Data extraction and cleaning are complete. For the time period from 02/01/2016 to 10/31/2018, we obtained 95,040 Twitter posts containing terms related to “psoriasis” from users in the U.S. published in English. After removing duplicates, retweets, and non-English tweets, we found that 75.51% (52301/69264) of the psoriasis-related posts were sent by commercial or bot-like accounts, while 16,963 posts were non-commercial and will be included in the analysis to assess the patient perspective. We intend to complete the analysis by Summer 2020. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: This protocol paper provides a detailed description of a social media research project including the process of data extraction, cleaning, and analysis. It is our goal to contribute to the development of more transparent social media research efforts. Our findings will shed light on whether Twitter provides a promising data source for garnering patient perspective data about psoriasis treatment decisions. The data will also help to determine whether Twitter might serve as a potential outreach platform for raising awareness of psoriasis and treatment options among patients and for implementing related health interventions. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

scholarly journals Compliance With FDA Nicotine Warning Statement Provisions in E-liquid Promotion Posts on Instagram

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1823-1830
Author(s):  
Linnea I Laestadius ◽  
Megan M Wahl ◽  
Julia Vassey ◽  
Young Ik Cho
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Promotional Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Introduction Effective August 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required that nicotine addiction warnings be placed on ads for nicotine containing e-liquids. As per FDA comments, this provision pertains to visual ads communicated via social media, raising questions about compliance within the large e-liquid promotion community on Instagram. Aims and Methods This study examines use of warnings on promotional Instagram posts before and after provisions took effect on August 10, 2018. Netlytic was used to gather a sample of 500 promotional #eliquid and #ejuice posts from: May 2017, October 2017, March 2018, August 2018, and September 2018. The 1500 prewarning and 1000 postwarning posts were coded using content analysis. Changes in products and marketing strategies were also considered. Post volume was tracked monthly between May 2017 and February 2020. Results In the prewarning period, nicotine warning statements were absent on all posts. Following August 10, 2018, FDA compliant warnings were present on 13.6% of posts. Among US-based posts, 36.4% used the warnings, with warnings more common on posts made by e-liquid brands (52.3%) and posts promoting e-liquids with nicotine (40.0%). Promotional strategies and products did not significantly change. The share of posts made by US Instagram users decreased by 11%, although total post volume continued to grow. Conclusions Many e-liquid promotion posts on Instagram remained noncompliant with nicotine warnings after FDA provisions took effect. The large volume of international users also limited the impact of FDA-mandated warnings on the social media environment. Implications Further guidance and enforcement are needed to ensure that US e-liquid marketers on visual social media platforms adhere to current provisions, particularly for individual social media users who are sponsored by industry. The inherently global span of social media also indicates the importance of a shared approach to marketing regulations. Further work is needed to assess enforcement strategies viable for the social media environment.

Social media as public opinion: How journalists use social media to represent public opinion

Journalism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1070-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon C McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
The Public ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Media Companies ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Press ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Shed Light

Public opinion, as necessary a concept it is to the underpinnings of democracy, is a socially constructed representation of the public that is forged by the methods and data from which it is derived, as well as how it is understood by those tasked with evaluating and utilizing it. I examine how social media manifests as public opinion in the news and how these practices shape journalistic routines. I draw from a content analysis of news stories about the 2016 US election, as well as interviews with journalists, to shed light on evolving practices that inform the use of social media to represent public opinion. I find that despite social media users not reflecting the electorate, the press reported online sentiments and trends as a form of public opinion that services the horserace narrative and complements survey polling and vox populi quotes. These practices are woven into professional routines – journalists looked to social media to reflect public opinion, especially in the wake of media events like debates. Journalists worried about an overreliance on social media to inform coverage, especially Dataminr alerts and journalists’ own highly curated Twitter feeds. Hybrid flows of information between journalists, campaigns, and social media companies inform conceptions of public opinion.

scholarly journals How People Express Grief by Sharing Photographs on Social Networks: A Comparative Study between Italy and the United States of America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Illene Cupit ◽  
Paolo Sapelli ◽  
Ines Testoni
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Continuing Bonds ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
To Receive ◽  
The U.S

Abstract: As innovative way to express grief, social media posts about the deceased have become fairly common. However, few studies examined grief photos commonly posted. The purpose of the present study was to examine such pictures, as well as the motivation and reactions of those who posted, among Italians and Americans. Surveys were sent to both Italian and U.S. participants. The U.S. group yielded 262 responses (Mean age = 22 years; 81% female), the Italian yielded 51 (Mean age = 32. Several key issues emerged, such as the need to receive empathic support from other users, the desire to maintain continuing bonds, the wish to remember the deceased, and the desire to share beauty and symbolic pictures. The images were analyzed using content analysis. Both samples posted photos to remember and to enhance their posts. A strong preference for pictures with a positive emotional connotation appeared, depicting the deceased in a conjoint appearance with the participant. Results suggest that imagery used for the expression of grief in social media sites, an “iconography of grief,” is a popular means of expression for grievers.

scholarly journals The Zoom solution: Promoting effective cross-ideological communication online

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Binnquist ◽  
Stephanie Dolbier ◽  
Macrina Dieffenbach ◽  
Matthew Lieberman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
The Political ◽  
Online Video ◽  
Media Audiences ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ideological Polarization ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Society Research

Abstract The rise of ideological polarization in the U.S. over the past few decades has come with an increase in hostility on both sides of the political aisle. Although communication and compromise are hallmarks of a functioning society, research has shown that people overestimate the negative affect they will experience when viewing oppositional media, and it is likely that negative forecasts lead many to avoid cross-ideological communication (CIC) altogether. Additionally, a growing ideological geographic divide and online extremism fueled by social media audiences make engaging in CIC more difficult than ever. Here, we demonstrate that online video-chat platforms (i.e., Zoom) can be used to promote effective CIC among ideologically polarized individuals, as well as to better study CIC in a controlled setting. Participants (n = 122) had a face-to-face CIC over Zoom, either privately or publicly with a silent ingroup audience present. Participant forecasts about the interaction were largely inaccurate, with the actual conversation experience found to be more positive than anticipated. Additionally, the presence of an ingroup audience was associated with increased conflict. In both conditions, participants showed signs of attitude moderation, felt more favorable toward the outgroup, and felt more informed about the issue after the CIC. These results suggest that face-to-face CIC’s are generally positive and beneficial for partisans, and that greater effects may be achieved through private conversations, as opposed to more public social media interactions. Future researchers studying ideological conflict may find success using similar Zoom paradigms to bring together ideologically diverse individuals in controlled lab settings.

scholarly journals A comprehensive analysis of #Enuresis conversation on Twitter

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Yu ◽  
Adithya Balasubramanian ◽  
Jonathan A. Gerber ◽  
Abhishek Seth
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Average Standard Deviation ◽  
Twitter Analytics ◽  
Twitter Activity ◽  
The U.S

Introduction: We sought to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of online Twitter discussion of enuresis using the hashtag #Enuresis. Methods: Symplur, a fee-based Twitter analytics service, was employed to aggregate and analyze Twitter activity, users, and content for #Enuresis, the official Twitter hashtag for enuresis, between June 2016 and November 2018. Twitter activity was analyzed using average tweets and new users per month. Users were classified based on geographic location, occupation, and organizational affiliation. Content analysis was performed by retrieving information about Twitter engagement metrics, including retweets, links, media, mentions, replies, and frequently used words and hashtags. Results: A total of 3133 tweets and 1555 users utilizing #Enuresis were identified between June 28, 2016 and November 28, 2018. The average ± standard deviation [SD] number of tweets using #Enuresis per month were not significantly different from 2016 through 2018 (p=0.292). The number of users increased from six to 1555 during the study period, but there was no statistically significant increase in number of new users per month (p=0.346). Physicians comprised 14% of the top 100 influencers followed by medical device organizations (13%). Popular hashtags in #Enuresis tweets were #Bedwetting, #PisEnLaCama, #schoolnurses, #helpingkids, #ninos, and #salud. Hyperlinks used in #Enuresis tweets included advocacy, academic, commercial, and other social media websites. Conclusions: Our analysis of #Enuresis demonstrates that the online Twitter discussion regarding enuresis is growing. These results indicate that enuresis has a global appeal and has especially gained traction in European countries, as well as in the U.S.

scholarly journals When is the “Racist” Designation Truly Applicable? News Media’s Contribution to the Debatability of Racism

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-204
Author(s):  
Danielle K. Kilgo
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Media Audiences ◽  
Linguistic Representations ◽  
News Organizations ◽  
Facebook Pages ◽  
The U.S

Since the U.S. 2016 presidential election, journalists and news organizations have been forced to confront shifting racial, social and political climates, and re-evaluate practices and norms. However, news coverage of racism is complex, especially because the conceptualization of racism in society is discordant, and the parameters of racism are heavily debated. News coverage can contribute to this debatability, specifically when it presents issues of racism with certain linguistic and topical features. In a content analysis of social media posts from six of the Facebook pages maintained by national broadcast and newspaper organizations, the present study explores contextual and linguistic representations of racism, and how social media users on Facebook engage with news posted by these organizations. Results suggest representations in news coverage signal a public debate about what is and is not racism. Coverage heavily emphasized prominent figures, while social media audiences amplified Trump’s presence in social networks.

Black American Men and Complex Societal Educational Navigation of the Emergency Public Health Pandemic of COVID 19

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Darrell Norman Burrell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Black American ◽  
The Us ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
The U.S

COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, is an emergency pandemic that has an impact worldwide. In the U.S., a disturbing trend is where African Americans are experiencing a disproportionate amount of death. The US Centers for Disease Control recommends facemasks as protection from COVID-19. Many Black men feel that wearing a mask will give them the perception of being a criminal or being threatening in a non-Black community. Many Black men feel that wearing these masks will lead to racial profiling from people and police. Many Black men have a sense of anxiety about wearing a mask because they fear that it draws unwanted attention by wearing a mask in public. This paper explores this complexity through a content analysis of current events and theoretical literature. This applied research project intends to shed light on unique challenges facing people of Black American men as they attempt to navigate COVID-19.

ISIS, Wahhabism and Takfir

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Al-Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Factor ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Islamic Culture ◽  
Innocent People ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Shed Light

Much has been written about the rise and expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) – hereinafter referred to interchangeably as ISIL and ISIS – since its emergence, and analyses are being published non-stop. The facile utilization of cultural interpretations to explain such phenomena, connecting the development of ISIL with Arab-Islamic culture, is common. There have been widespread attempts by some racist self-proclaimed Arab nationalists, based on ‘orientalist’ concepts, to connect it to ‘Bedouin culture’. All these analyses have neglected the existence of many other factors that contributed to the development of this group, the least significant of which was the cultural factor. Recognizing the difference between the causes of the emergence and existence of ISIS in Arab political arenas, and its practices – of which the latter can be explained by its ideological formation – is essential. This article focuses on two particular aspects that characterize ISIL: its success in annexing large geographical areas inside Iraq and Syria; and the colossal level of violence the group exercises against its enemies, and against unarmed, innocent people, far exceeding that of other armed groups in the region on many levels. It also addresses two key factors that help shed light on what instigated the emergence, expansion and even ability of this group to attract cadres and supporters from within and beyond the Arab countries.

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