Online Trolling: The Impact of Antisocial Online Content, Social Media Use, and Gender

The present study aimed to observe the relationships between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content, frequency of social media use, and gender, using the GAM as a theoretical framework. Four hundred twenty-nine Brazilian internet users (mean = 25.07 years; SD = 7.59; EP = 0.36), most of whom were women (71.8%), participated in the survey. Bivariate correlations indicated a positive relationship between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), Facebook use (r = 0.21; p < 0.01), Twitter Use (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), and gender (r = 0.15; p < 0.01). An explanatory model including these variables was tested, and obtained a significant model fit (GFI = 0.99; Comparative Fit-Index = 0.99; Tucker Lewis Index = 0.97; Root Mean Square Residual = 0.02; RMSEA = 0.02 | CI = 0 .01–0.07 |). Were also observed indirect effects for exposure to antisocial online content through Twitter use and Facebook use on trolling (λ = 0.03; CI = 0.01–0.05; p < 0.05). It is possible to conclude that the research objectives were fulfilled, emphasizing the role of situational variables in the understanding of online trolling.

Well-Being Factors That Relate to Facebook-Using Older Adults’ Perceived Social Support on Facebook

The majority of literature on Facebook use and well-being focuses on younger demographics. The number older adults using Facebook continues to increase. Facebook use by older adults has been found to increase well-being and decrease feelings of depression. This study investigates the effect that perceived social support on Facebook may have on loneliness, depression, social support (offline), and fear of missing out (FOMO) for older adult Facebook users. Older adults aged 65 and older in the U.S. completed a Qualtrics survey (N=798). Participants were, on average, 74 years old. Perceived social support on Facebook had a positive association with social support, depression, and FOMO. The results suggest that among Facebook using older adults, higher levels of perceived social support on Facebook were associated with higher levels of social support, feelings of depression, and FOMO. Future research should investigate the possibility that depression could be driving perceived social support on Facebook.

The impact of Facebook use on self-reported eating disorders during the COVID-19 lockdown

Background The social isolation due to the COVID-19-related lockdown has had an impact on social media consumption around the world. This study examines the relationship between fear of COVID-19, Facebook use and disordered eating. Methods Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyse two-wave survey data (T0: Italian first lockdown; T1: after two months) during the pandemic. Young adults with self-reported dysfunctional eating behaviors (N = 115; 91.3% females; mean age = 28.60 ± 7.31) were recruited to complete an online survey at T0; 66 participants (92.4% females; mean age = 28.85 ± 7.85) completed the survey at T1. They were assessed on Facebook use, dysfunctional eating cognitions, and fear of COVID-19. Results Participants’ disordered eating cognitions increased during the pandemic. At T0, higher fear of COVID-19 was positively associated to time spent on Facebook, which in turn predicted disordered eating cognitions at T1. Moreover, maladaptive Facebook use mediated the relationship between daily time on Facebook and Shape concerns. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest an influence of dysfunctional Facebook use in increasing disordered eating cognitions during the pandemic.

Correlation between social media utilization by academic neurosurgery departments and higher online patient ratings

OBJECTIVE Patients increasingly utilize online physician review websites (PRWs) and social media to inform healthcare-related decisions. This provides neurosurgeons with opportunities for increased patient engagement. And despite the growing use of social media among neurosurgeons, the relationship between social media utilization and online reviews remains unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between social media utilization and PRW ratings across academic neurosurgery departments. METHODS Social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) of academic neurosurgery departments were identified. Online reviews for individual faculty were obtained from Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD, and Google. Reviews were aggregated to identify the total number of reviews per department, to generate a composite departmental rating, and to calculate a summed departmental score. US News & World Report (USNWR) and Doximity rankings were recorded for each department. Social media utilization by individual neurosurgeons and associated ratings were investigated within the departments with the highest social media utilization. RESULTS Seventy-eight percent of academic neurosurgery departments utilized social media. The most prevalent platform was YouTube (49.1%), followed by Twitter (46.5%), Facebook (38.6%), and Instagram (16.7%). Higher patient ratings on PRWs were associated with the utilization of YouTube (p = 0.048) or Twitter (p = 0.02). The number of social media platforms utilized demonstrated a significant, positive correlation with patient ratings (p = 0.006) and summed patient ratings (p = 0.048). Although USNWR (p = 0.02) and Doximity (p = 0.0008) rankings correlated with patient ratings, only the number of social media platforms utilized remained a significant predictor of patient ratings on multivariate analysis (p = 0.0001). Thirty-one percent of academic neurosurgeons from departments with high social media utilization were active on social media. The most prevalent social media platform among individual neurosurgeons was Twitter (27.4%), followed by Instagram (8.4%), Facebook (4.9%), and YouTube (2.2%). Higher summed patient scores were associated with individual neurosurgeon utilization of YouTube (p = 0.04), Facebook (p < 0.0001), and Instagram (p = 0.01). Increased social media utilization among neurosurgeons was correlated with a greater number of patient reviews (p = 0.006) and higher summed patient scores (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, only Facebook use remained a significant predictor of the number of patient reviews received (p = 0.002) and summed patient satisfaction scores (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS An increased social media presence is associated with higher ratings on PRWs. As neurosurgeons continue to expand their online presence, they should be aware of the possible impact of social media on online patient reviews.

Social media and students’ privacy: What schools and districts should know

For many schools and districts in the United States, Facebook has emerged as an important tool for sharing timely information, building a sense of community, highlighting staff and students, and many other purposes. However, neither researchers nor schools and districts have paid enough attention to how their Facebook use may pose a risk to the privacy of individuals — often students who are minors. Joshua Rosenberg, Macy Burchfield, Conrad Borchers, Benjamin Gibbons, Daniel Anderson, and Christian Fischer describe their recent studies showing that 15-20 million photos of students have been shared on publicly accessible Facebook pages of public schools and districts. They estimate that at least 150,000 of these photos — and perhaps as many as a million or more — depict students who are identifiable by name and school or district. They review some of the risks to students that might result from such social media posts and offer practical steps that schools and districts can take to minimize these risks.

Examining the Determinants of Facebook Continuance Intention and Addiction: The Moderating Role of Satisfaction and Trust

Social media addiction has undergone a remarkable transformation among regular users, but limited research has been conducted on exploring the antecedents of addiction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between continuance intention and addiction. Moreover, it investigates the moderating role of satisfaction and trust on the relationship between continuance intention and addiction. The developed conceptual model suggests that continuance intention is the antecedent of addiction, while satisfaction and trust act as moderators between continuance intention and addiction. The antecedents of continuance intention are emotional, informational, social, and hedonic values. A survey was conducted to collect data from 572 voluntary participants, and the analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS. The statistical result showed the effects of emotional, informational, and hedonic values on Facebook use continuance intention, but the effect of social value was not supported. Results also confirmed a significant effect of continuance intention on Facebook addiction. Additionally, it confirmed the moderating role of satisfaction on the impact of continuance intention on Facebook addiction, but the moderating role of trust was not supported. The results of this study provide insight for Facebook users, managers, and policymakers regarding treatment and intervention for Facebook addiction. It discusses several theoretical and practical implications. In this research, we proposed a new model based on extending the associations between perceived value and continuance behaviours theory.

Impact of problematic Facebook use, loneliness, and poor sleep quality on mental health

To examine the effects of problematic Facebook use, loneliness, and poor sleep quality on anxiety and depression in the Vietnamese, 354 Facebook users at a university in central Vietnam in a cross-sectional study design was used. Participants completed Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, UCLA loneliness scale version 3, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Linear regression analysis found that problematic Facebook use, loneliness, and poor sleep quality respectively explained 31.3% and 45.6% of the variance in anxiety and depression. Problematic Facebook use, loneliness, and poor sleep quality were associated with anxiety and depression. Interventions should focus on reducing loneliness, improving sleep quality, and treating problematic Facebook use.

The Impact of Maladaptive Facebook Use on Self-Reported Eating Disorders During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Background: The social isolation due to the COVID-19-related lockdown has had an impact on social media consumption around the world. This study examines the relationship between fear of COVID-19, maladaptive Facebook use and disordered eating. Methods: Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyse two-wave survey data (T0: Italian first lockdown; T1: after two months) from 115 Italian subjects (91.3% females; mean age = 28.60 ± 7.31) with self-reported dysfunctional eating behaviors. Participants were assessed on Facebook use, dysfunctional eating cognitions, and fear of COVID-19. Results: Participants’ disordered eating cognitions increased during the pandemic. At T0, higher fear of COVID-19 was positively associated to time spent on Facebook, which in turn predicted disordered eating cognitions at T1. Moreover, maladaptive Facebook use mediated the relationship between daily time on Facebook and Shape concerns.Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest an influence of dysfunctional Facebook use in increasing disordered eating cognitions during the pandemic.