Dialogic gathering of films. Promoting meaningful online interactions during COVID-19 confinement

A broad body of scientific literature exists on the effects that COVID-19 related confinement has had on the population: mental health problems, isolation, and problems concerning cohesion and employment, among others. However, there is a gap in the literature on the actions that reverse some of the effects generated during lockdown. This article collects the results of a study conducted with 53 people participating in a dialogic gathering of films (DGF) that was held online during two months of confinement. The data from the survey show that the development of this DGF generated improvements in 1) personal welfare and attitudes concerning the management of confinement, 2) living together and online relationships, 3) motivation and creativity in the professional domain, and 4) openness to a diversity of perspectives and realities, which improves the understanding, argumentation and positioning in social, scientific and ethical debates.

Frequency and risk factors of internet addiction in medical students: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of internet addiction and to determine the risk factors associated with internet addiction in medical students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from July 2018 to August 2019. Our study population included medical students from all the years of MBBS aged 18-25 years, who have been using the internet for the past two years or more. A Stratified random sampling technique was used. Seventy-six self-administered questionnaires were distributed in each year. Data was entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). Results: Out of the total sample of 380, the prevalence came out to be 90% (n=342). Two hundred and twenty-two 222 (58.4%) had mild, 115 (30.3%) had moderate, six (1.6%) had severe and 37 (9.7%) had no addiction. Out of the risk factors online friendships (p= 0.007), online relationships (P=0.035), online chatting (p= 0.009), online shopping (p= 0.009), online games (p=0.023) and online series/movies (p< 0.000) were statistically significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of internet addiction is high among medical students, which is mostly of a mild type. Internet addiction is more common in males and non-hostel residents. Other significant risk factors are online relationships, online gaming, and online series/movies. Keywords: Prevalence, internet, medical students, risk factors. Continuous...

How do fashion YouTubers and viewers experience social support?

Increasingly many studies have provided practical suggestions for fashion YouTubers as fashion information sources, but no research has yet investigated the resources exchanged in the relationships between fashion YouTubers and viewers. Based on interviews with three Korean fashion YouTubers and ten of their viewers, this study examined social support in their relationships. Viewers acquired information from fashion YouTubers and, therefore, experienced informational support. Subsequently, as a sense of belonging to fandom emerged, established mainly by viewers subscribing to a fashion YouTube channel, network support was experienced by both fashion YouTubers and viewers. Along with constant communication, they shared their values and experienced emotional support through mutual empathy. Therefore, this study verified previous theories according to which both informational and emotional exchanges are possible in online relationships. Furthermore, network support was an important process, which may be connected to emotional support, since these relationships were autonomously established by online users.

Social media engagement tactics in U.S. community policing: Potential privacy and security concerns

Despite law enforcement’s best efforts to use social media as a means of community policing, some engagement tactics may lead citizens to disclose personally identifiable information (PII). We coded 200 tweets with the popular #9PMRoutine that tagged @PascoSheriff (Florida) for participant PII. We found numerous postings of adults’ and children’s PII that are problematic including pictures, health information and security-related comments about their routines or vacations. Implications for law enforcement to protect their communities are discussed as well as opportunities to continue to cultivate their online relationships in a more secure forum. We also provide future research directions.

Online Relationships and Social Media Interaction in Youth Problem Gambling: A Four-Country Study

The objective of this study was to examine if belonging to online communities and social media identity bubbles predict youth problem gambling. An online survey was administered to 15–25-year-old participants in the United States (N = 1212), South Korea (N = 1192), Spain (N = 1212), and Finland (N = 1200). The survey measured two dimensions of online behavior: perceived sense of belonging to an online community and involvement in social media identity bubbles. Belonging to an online community was examined with a single item and involvement in social media identity bubbles was measured with the six-item Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale. The South Oaks Gambling Screen was used to assess problem gambling. Statistical analyses utilized linear regression modeling. According to the analyses, strong sense of belonging to an online community was associated with higher problem gambling, but the association was observed mainly among those young individuals who were also involved in social media identity bubbles. For those youths who did not indicate identity bubble involvement, online relationships appeared to function as those offline. Some differences across the four countries were observed but overall, the results indicate that social media identity bubbles could partly explain the harmful influence that some online relations have on youth behavior.

Why future friends matter: impact of expectancy of relational growth on online gamer loyalty

PurposeRelational cohesion theory posits that relational cohesion helps build relationships among communication partners, implying that users would expect a growth in relations or making more friends in the future. However, little is known about expectancy of a better future state of relations, i.e. expectancy of relational growth, and its impact on users' continued engagement in online communication. Our study extends relational cohesion theory to explain how expectancy of relational growth impacts online gamer loyalty.Design/methodology/approachWe test the framework using structural equation modeling to analyze a large sample of 1,429 responses from online gamers.FindingsWe find that expectancy of relational growth is positively related to norm compliance and relational cohesion, which are further related to network convergence and interdependence, fostering online gamer loyalty.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to relational cohesion theory by identifying novel sources of relational cohesion, i.e. expectancy of relational growth and norm compliance. Hence, game providers should create gamers' expectancy of growth in online relationships. Such expectancy could motivate continued gaming communication, even when gamers are not satisfied with the current state of online relationships. Moreover, we propose the new concept of expectancy of relational growth, which should have a strong impact on online communication in various areas.