scholarly journals Fake News as a Barrier in the Process of Communicating Information

2021 ◽  
Vol 3/2021 (93) ◽  
pp. 168-186
Author(s):  
Tomasz Parys ◽  

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to present fake news as a barrier to communication, awareness of its existence and perception from the point of view of individual users. On the basis of a literature review concerning the phenomenon of fake news, the aspects connected with the functioning of this type of news in the information space were indicated. The results of the research on the influence of fake news on the process of information transfer and the opinions of users – information recipients – are presented. The results are discussed and summarized in the form of synthetic conclusions. The directions of future research related to this topic are also outlined. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the author’s previous experience related to surveying selected student groups, in order to achieve the adopted research goal, the survey questionnaires were distributed using the CAWI (Computer Associated Web Interview) method. The adopted approach consisted of the following stages: justification of the method of selecting the sample for pilot and main research and informing respondents about the possibility of completing the survey; constructing a prototype of a survey concerning the place and role of fake news in the communication process; substantive verification of survey questions on a randomly selected pilot sample of students; preparing the final form of a quantitative and qualitative survey, testing it and placing it on the servers of the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw; conducting surveys among randomly selected student groups as well as the analysis and discussion of the results; drawing conclusions from the obtained results. The method of selecting the test sample was random selection – the first 20 people were selected from those responding to the request for verification of the research survey. After revisions of the test sample, specific class groups were randomly selected from among all student groups to administer the survey in its targeted form. The sample selection itself was one of purposive sampling, determined in part by the random selection of pilot and lab groups. The survey was a pilot study and will be repeated to confirm the results obtained and to refine the conclusions. Findings: On the basis of the survey, the phenomenon of fake news is presented as assessed by the recipients of information in the context of the barrier it poses in the process of its transmission. The results are presented in the following scopes: fake news features; the impact of fake news; the perception of received messages as potentially fake news; recipients’ reaction to fake news; publishing or posting fake news. Each of the above areas is discussed in the body of the paper. The study is summed up by formulating conclusions and outlining directions for further research in this area. Research limitations/implications: A limitation of this study is the fact that the sample selection used a convenient variant; the students were randomly selected for the study from particular groups and belonged to a group of young people. This limitation, however, was intentional, because almost all participants of the study (98%) belonged to the age group of 18–30 years, which is an experienced and active group of internet users in Poland. Another limitation of the study resulting from the sample selected was that the respondents were not diversified socially, professionally or economically. The results of this study cannot be generalized to a larger population. Therefore, further research will be extended to other age, professional and social groups. An attempt will also be made to conduct a study in other geographical locations based on cooperation with friendly academic centers. Originality/value: The presented material is of high cognitive value. It contains the results of the author’s own research – it presents new content, not previously published in the literature on the subject in question. It enriches the literature in that it presents fake news as a barrier occurring in the process of communication and causing disturbances in the process of its transmission. The presented results may also constitute a basis for further research – also by other authors – as well as create a platform for a broader discussion on the phenomenon of fake news.

Author(s):  
Wan Nur Syahida Wan Ismail ◽  
Mohd Zulkifli Mokhtar ◽  
Azwadi Ali ◽  
Mohd Shaari Abdul Rahman

Nowadays, competition is everywhere in the business environment. The survival of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) depend on their ability to take full advantage of the resources available. Prior research had identified that IT is an important resource to the success of the firms. However, despite the common consensus that IT influences firm’s performance, results of previous studies on the effect of IT resources on firm’s performance are often inconsistent. Given these inconsistent results, it is unclear whether any direct effect exists between IT resources in organizations and their firm’s performance. For that reason, several authors highlighted the need for more research to investigate the impact of IT adoption on the firm’s performance. In response to this, this conceptual paper attempts to analyze relevant literatures on whether IT investment would help firms gain better performance. Understanding whether and how IT has affected firm’s performance is an important research issue as it allows the firms to know the value of IT investment and whether such innovation is worth to be adopted. Grounding in RBV theory, this study concluded that the combination of IT assets and IT capabilities (IT infrastructure) provides competitive advantage to the firm. This study also suggested that SMEs that adopt IT would perform better than those that do not adopt IT. This conceptual analysis is hoped to consolidate the body of knowledge in the area and significant to the researchers as it directs to the hypotheses development for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-148
Author(s):  
Andrew Dillon ◽  
Ram Fishman

Hydrological investments, particularly irrigation dams, have multiple potential benefits for economic development. Dams also have financial, environmental, and distributional impacts that can affect their benefits and costs. This article reviews the evidence on the impact of dams on economic development, focusing on the levels and variability of agricultural productivity, and its effect on poverty, health, electricity generation, and flood control. We also review the evidence on irrigation efficiency and collective action of dam maintenance. Throughout the discussion, we highlight the empirical challenges that restrict the body of causally interpretable impact estimates and areas in which the evidence is particularly thin. We conclude with a discussion of emerging issues pertaining to the long-term sustainability of dams’ impacts and suggest directions for future research.


Author(s):  
Paul Allatson

The second issue of PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies for 2006 features a special selection of essays grouped under the title ‘Women in Asia’ and guest-edited by Devleena Ghosh and Barbara Leigh, both from the University of Technology Sydney. The essays in this special issue had their first incarnations at the Eighth Women in Asia Conference, ‘Shadow Lines’, organised by the Women’s Caucus of the Asian Studies Association of Australia and the University of Technology Sydney (convened by Ghosh and Leigh), and held at the University of Technology Sydney from 26 to the 28 September 2005. Aiming self-consciously and tacitly to toy with, and dispute, the historical and discursive valencies accruing to the key, twined terms ‘women’ and ‘Asia’, the ten essays grouped here combine to form a rich repository of contemporary research about the status of women in many parts of that vast, arguably incoherent, geocultural space called Asia. All of the contributing authors thus ‘attempt to unsettle discourses about limits,’ to cite from co-editor Devleena Ghosh’s opening paper. That attempt is far from straightforward, as Ghosh elaborates: ‘That lines, borders and boundaries exist, whether of prejudice, politics, economics, or culture, is undeniable. But how do we analyse these issues without ossifying them, creating implacable alterities that refuse the liminal spaces that people occupy?’ Multivalent solutions are called for, Ghosh suggests, and these are to be found not simply in ‘counter-politics and interventions’, but also through the excavation and recognition of multiple subjectivities from/in ‘a thousand plateaus, [and] felt and experienced through the body, historical landscapes, domestic spaces, through performance as well as through the realm of the imaginary, in the impact of ideals and the weight of history’. In addition to the special section on ‘Women in Asia’, this edition of PORTAL contains two essays in its general academic section. François Provenzano’s ‘Francophonie et études francophones: considérations historiques et métacritiques sur quelques concepts majeurs’ offers a sustained meditation and critique of the discourse of Francophonic unity, and suggests a range of possible critical directions for future research into the study of French-speaking zones, peoples and cultures. Barbara Elizabeth Hanna and Juliana de Nooy’s ‘The Seduction of Sarah: Travel Memoirs and Intercultural Learning’, focuses on a big-selling memoir that was also something of a media-sensation on its publication in Australia in 2002, expatriate Australian journalist Sarah Turnbull’s account of her ambivalent ‘new life’ in Paris, France, after her marriage to a local: Almost French: A New Life in Paris. Interested in Turnbull’s autobiography as a potentially useful and productive classroom text for demonstrating, and enabling discussion of, intercultural difference, the authors’ rich analysis demonstrates that such texts present a host of problems to the teacher keen to work with students’ self-critical capacities to locate themselves in international and transcultural frameworks. We are delighted, as well, to present three cultural works in this issue: Katherine Elizabeth Clay’s evocative ‘comic’ narrative of study abroad, ‘From Penrith to Paris,’ itself a lively visual-textual antidote to Turnbull’s ambivalently romanticized view of (not-quite)-belonging in Paris (as discussed by Hanna and de Nooy in this issue); a typically idiosyncratic satire about the current German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, from Anthony Stephens, expertly deploying an ancient Celtic narrative verse form; and California-based Chicana writer Susana Chávez-Silverman’s code-switching chronicle/crónica, ‘Oda a la ambigüedad Crónica,’ a beautifully concise exploration of loss and the sensory regime of memorialisation. Paul Allatson, Chair, PORTAL Editorial Commitee


Author(s):  
Nim Dvir ◽  
Ruti Gafni

Aim/Purpose: This paper describes an empirical examination of how users’ willingness to disclose personal data is influenced by the amount of information provided on landing pages – standalone web pages created explicitly for marketing or advertising campaigns. Background: Provision of information is a central construct in the IS discipline. Content is a term commonly used to describe the information made available by a website or other electronic medium. A pertinent debate among scholars and practitioners relate to the behavioral impact of content volume: Specifically, does a greater amount of information elicit engagement and compliance, or the other way around? Methodology: A series of large-scale web experiments (n= 535 and n= 27,900) were conducted employing a between-subjects design and A/B testing. Two variants of landing pages, long and short, were created based on relevant behavioral theories. Both variants included an identical form to collect users’ information, but different amounts of provided content. User traffic was generated using Google AdWords and randomized between the page using Unbounce.com. Relevant usage metrics, such as response rate (called “conversion rate”), location, and visit time were recorded. Contribution: This research contributes to the body of knowledge on information provision and its effectiveness and carries practical and theoretical implications to practitioners and scholars in Information Systems, Informing Science, Communications, Digital Marketing, and related fields. Findings: Analyses of results show that the shorter landing pages had significantly higher conversion rates across all locations and times. Findings demonstrate a negative correlation between the content amount and consumer behavior, suggesting that users who had less information were more inclined to provide their data. Recommendations for Practitioners: At a practical level, results can empirically support business practices, design considerations, and content strategy by informing practitioners on the role of content in online commerce. Recommendation for Researchers: Findings suggest that the amount of content plays a significant role in online decision making and effective informing. They also contradict prior research on trust, persuasion, and security. This study advances research on the paradoxical relationship between the increased level of information and online decision-making and indicates that contrary to earlier work, not all persuasion theories‎ are ‎effective online. Impact on Society: Understanding how information drives behavior has implications in many domains (civic engagement, health, education, and more). This has relevance to system design and public communication in both online and offline contexts. Future Research: Using this research as a starting point, future research can examine the impact of content in other contexts, as well as other behavioral drivers (such as demographic data). This can lead to theoretical, methodological, and practical recommendations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Emma Peddigrew ◽  
John McNamara

Throughout the past 70 years, the field of LDs has aimed to support children, youth, as well as their families, to generate definitions, understand neurological contributions and create meaningful policies and practices. However, despite decades of research, an emphasis on early identification and prevention, and significant policy documents, children and youth with LDs continue to face equally as important difficulties related to one’s social and emotional well-being. Critical disability studies (CDS) identifies how political, educational, and social contexts serve as sites for (in)justice (Shildrick, 2007). A CDS framework aims to resist the emphasis of individual impairment and deficiency while incorporating the interests and voices of the individuals with disabilities themselves. Few studies have analyzed the impact of mindfulness on how children with LDs cope with stress, ‘failure’, and understand their bodies. As a result, this paper will ask: how can mindfulness-based practices be used as a tool to improve the overall well-being of children and youth with a LD? With support from CDS and the utilization of mindfulness-based practices, children and youth with LDs can become connected to the body and mind. This study will enable future research on the importance of self-advocacy, coping, confidence, attention, and emotional regulation for children with LDs. It is through these liberating frameworks that children with LDs can become emancipated from political, historic, social, and cultural constraints.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 332
Author(s):  
Kristel J. Scoresby ◽  
Elizabeth B. Strand ◽  
Zenithson Ng ◽  
Kathleen C. Brown ◽  
Charles Robert Stilz ◽  
...  

Pet ownership is the most common form of human–animal interaction, and anecdotally, pet ownership can lead to improved physical and mental health for owners. However, scant research is available validating these claims. This study aimed to review the recent peer reviewed literature to better describe the body of knowledge surrounding the relationship between pet ownership and mental health. A literature search was conducted in May 2020 using two databases to identify articles that met inclusion/exclusion criteria. After title review, abstract review, and then full article review, 54 articles were included in the final analysis. Of the 54 studies, 18 were conducted in the general population, 15 were conducted in an older adult population, eight were conducted in children and adolescents, nine focused on people with chronic disease, and four examined a specific unique population. Forty-one of the studies were cross-sectional, 11 were prospective longitudinal cohorts, and two were other study designs. For each of the articles, the impact of pet ownership on the mental health of owners was divided into four categories: positive impact (n = 17), mixed impact (n = 19), no impact (n = 13), and negative impact (n = 5). Among the reviewed articles, there was much variation in population studied and study design, and these differences make direct comparison challenging. However, when focusing on the impact of pet ownership on mental health, the results were variable and not wholly supportive of the benefit of pets on mental health. Future research should use more consistent methods across broader populations and the development of a pet-ownership survey module for use in broad, population surveys would afford a better description of the true relationship of pet ownership and mental health.


10.28945/4154 ◽  
2019 ◽  

Aim/Purpose: The proliferation of fake news through social media threatens to undercut the possibility of ascertaining facts and truth. This paper explores the use of ancient rhetorical tools to identify fake news generally and to see through the misinformation juggernaut of President Donald Trump. Background: The ancient rhetorical appeals described in Aristotle’s Rhetoric—ethos (character of the speaker), pathos (nature of the audience) and logos (message itself)—might be a simple, yet profound fix for the era of fake news. Also known as the rhetorical triangle and used as an aid for effective public speaking by the ancient Greeks, the three appeals can also be utilized for analyzing the main components of discourse. Methodology: Discourse analysis utilizes insights from rhetoric, linguistics, philosophy and anthropology in in order to interpret written and spoken texts. Contribution This paper analyzes Donald Trump’s effective use of Twitter and campaign rallies to create and sustain fake news. Findings: At the point of the writing of this paper, the Washington Post Trump Fact Checker has identified over 10,000 untruths uttered by the president in his first two years of office, for an average of eight untruths per day. In addition, analysis demonstrates that Trump leans heavily on ethos and pathos, almost to the exclusion of logos in his tweets and campaign rallies, making spectacular claims, which seem calculated to arouse emotions and move his base to action. Further, Trump relies heavily on epideictic rhetoric (praising and blaming), excluding forensic (legal) and deliberative rhetoric, which the ancients used for sustained arguments about the past or deliberations about the future of the state. In short, the analysis uncovers how and ostensibly why Trump creates and sustains fake news while claiming that other traditional news outlets, except for FOX news, are the actual purveyors of fake news. Recommendations for Practitioners: Information systems and communication practitioners need to be aware of the ways in which the systems they create and monitor are vulnerable to targeted attacks of the purveyors of fake news. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research on the identification and proliferation of fake news from a variety of disciplines is needed, in order to stem the flow of misinformation and untruths through social media. Impact on Society: The impact of fake news is largely unknown and needs to be better understood, especially during election cycles. Some researchers believe that social media constitute a fifth estate in the United States, challenging the authority of the three branches of government and the traditional press. Future Research: As noted above, further research on the identification and proliferation of fake news from a variety of disciplines is needed, in order to stem the flow of misinformation and untruths through social media.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e049883
Author(s):  
Sarah Firman ◽  
Radha Ramachandran ◽  
Kevin Whelan ◽  
Oliver C Witard ◽  
Majella O’Keeffe

IntroductionPhenylketonuria (PKU) is a disorder of protein metabolism resulting in an accumulation of phenylalanine in the body. Dietary management consists of altering the sources of ingested protein to limit phenylalanine intake. Current dietary protein guidelines for PKU are based on limited scientific evidence, thus it remains unclear whether current practice leads to optimal protein status in people with PKU. To date, no attempt has been made to systematically evaluate the protein status of people with PKU, using a combination of validated anthropometric, biochemical and functional measurement tools. Furthermore, factors known to influence protein status in the general population warrant consideration when determining protein status in individuals with PKU, alongside factors unique to PKU such as the type of protein substitute consumed. Understanding the impact of these variables on protein status is crucial to developing a personalised approach to protein recommendations for optimising health and functional outcomes in people with PKU. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to examine existing evidence regarding the protein status of people with PKU, and to investigate the nutritional and lifestyle variables that influence protein status.Methods and analysisThis review will be guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, along with guidance from Levac et al, Pawliuk et al and the Joanna Briggs Institute. The following databases will be searched: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus, alongside grey literature. Identified literature will be assessed by two independent reviewers for inclusion. Descriptive numerical analysis will be performed and a narrative summary will accompany the tabulated results describing how study findings relate to the review questions.Ethics and disseminationThis review protocol does not require ethical approval. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication, presented at relevant conferences, and shared with a patient research advisory group to inform discussions on future research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Anurag G. Hingorani ◽  
Lynne Freeman ◽  
Michelle Agudera

This research focuses on consumer identity of two under-researched but growing immigrant communities in Australia via the lens of the body image construct. Consistent with an emerging stream of research, body image is viewed as a part of identity. Given the variety of goods and services that have an impact on consumers’ perceptions of their body, and because consumers use products to create and convey desired identities, body image is also viewed as a part of consumer identity. Considering literature on identity, body image, and acculturation, exploratory research was undertaken to determine the impact of immigration on the identities of both immigrants and natives. Specifically, focus groups were conducted on two generations of Filipino- and Indian-Australian women as well as Anglo-Australian women. It was found that second generation immigrants have dual consumer identities where they balance the values, attitudes and lifestyles of both their home (i.e., native or heritage) and host cultures whereas first generation immigrants tend to retain their native consumer identity even if they appear to adopt values, attitudes, and lifestyles of the host culture. The impact of immigrants on consumer identities of native residents who are typically in the majority (i.e., the Anglo group) was not evident. Theoretical and practical implications including recommendations for marketing practitioners are then discussed followed by suggestions for future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 396-406
Author(s):  
R Saavedra Dias ◽  
A N Barros ◽  
A J Silva ◽  
J C Leitão ◽  
J Narciso ◽  
...  

Abstract Effective obesity interventions in adolescent populations have been identified as an immediate priority action to stem the increasing prevalence of adult obesity. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to make a quantitative analysis of the impact of school-based interventions on body mass index during adolescence. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science databases. Results were pooled using a random-effects model with 95% confidence interval considered statistically significant. Of the 18 798 possible relevant articles identified, 12 articles were included in this meta-analysis. The global result showed a low magnitude effect, though it was statistically significant (N = 14 428), global e.s. = −0.055, P = 0.004 (95% CI = −0.092, −0.017). Heterogeneity was low among the studies (I2 = 9.017%). The funnel plot showed no evidence of publication bias. The rank-correlation test of Begg (P = 0.45641) and Egger’s regression (P = 0.19459) confirmed the absence of bias. This meta-analysis reported a significant effect favoring the interventions; however, future research are needed since the reported the evidence was of low magnitude, with the studies following a substantial range of approaches and mostly had a modest methodological quality.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document