Graduate Student Interest Group
The Power of Technology: How Do International Graduate Students at a U.S. University Use Social Networking Sites to Seek Social Support? • Annalise Baines, University of Kansas; Muhammad Ittefaq, University of Kansas; Mauryne Abwao, University of Kansas • College graduate students face new challenges when starting a graduate degree. Besides adjusting to their environment, they cope with financial and academic stress. While previous research has mainly focused on the undergraduate and international undergraduate student population, this study explores how and why international graduate students seek social support using social networking sites. Based on in-depth interviews (N=15) with international graduate students from a large, public U.S. Midwestern university, four major themes were identified from the data: challenges during graduate school, adjusting to a new culture, type of social support depends on identifying with a community, and use of social networking sites for social support. The type of social support (emotional, instrumental, and informational) depends on the affordances of social networking sites and the people who share similar interests join online communities to seek the type of social support they need. More research is needed to help academics and administrators understand and offer online support to this population and alleviate some of the challenges they experience while working toward their graduate degree.
It’s Not Me, It’s You. And That Is OK: Perceptions of Mental Health and Self-Efficacy • Sharon Baldinelli, University of Alabama • Using two common health communication scales, this study provides information about how individuals perceive their own abilities to assist in seeking assistance for mental health care. Participants answered survey questions about their self-efficacy and perceptions of mental health, after watching television clips depicting potential strong mental health image scenes. This study provides a foundation to further research of self-efficacy and potential priming for understanding how these population views their own negotiations regarding mental health.
Extended Abstract • The Impact of Perceived Social Media Body Ideals on Self-Image Fixation and Exercise Tendencies • Max Bretscher, University of South Carolina • This study intends to add to existing research on social comparison, which has primarily focused on movies, television and beauty and thin ideals, by focusing on social media and the growing “muscular” ideal. Findings thus far indicate a motivating factor to engage in exercise when internalizing this body ideal through social media.
Extended Abstract • It’s All About The Money: Commercial Influences in Women’s Lifestyle Magazines • Lydia Cheng • This study examines the extent to which lifestyle journalists from women’s magazines experience commercial pressures, how they handle such pressures, and how economic influences is reflected in the content they produce. Based on interviews with journalists from Singaporean women’s magazines and the textual analysis of the content of these magazines, the results show that commercial influences have increased drastically and has led to changes in the conceptualisation of professional identity and editorial outputs.
Extended Abstract • The Effects of Narrative and Ethnicity on Public Attitudes on Instagram • Sera Choi; Joy Enyinnaya, Colorado State University; Di Lan • This study investigates the impact of narrative message and influencer-audience ethnicity match on message and brand attitude. Two (narrative: non- vs. narrative) x 2 (ethnicity: match vs. mismatch) between-subjects factorial design was employed (N=204). There were main and interaction effects between the variables. A matched ethnicity between influencer and audience was more effective under narrative message, but there was no such interaction effect under non-narrative message on message attitude. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
Matters of Partisanship: Perception, Online News, and the U.S.- China Trade War • Shimeng Dai • “A 2 (pro-tariff, anti-tariff) by 3 (The New York Times, China Daily, The Guardian) experimental design was conducted to investigate Americans’ perceptions of the media coverage of the U.S.-China trade war. This study found that left-leaning subjects were typically more anti- tariff and tended to rate the balanced news story to be more credible, while right-leaning subjects were more likely to be support tariffs and tended to determine the same story to be less credible.”
Misinformation Correction and Its Effects: A Systematic Literature Review • QINYU E, University of Tokyo • This study aims to consolidate existing knowledge by systematically mapping and reviewing the four-decade research on misinformation correction and its effects. Through searching topic-relevant bibliographic databases and online resources, we assembled 89 published articles fitting exclusion and inclusion criteria of our review. We analyzed these studies and summarized key trends in this body of research. We found the landscape of relevant research is complex as diverse disciplinary frameworks, theoretical principles, and methodological approaches have been employed. Nevertheless, most of these studies are built upon psychological inquiries and quantitative methodologies. Although this approach presents opportunities to advance relevant practice and research, our receive has identified several theoretical and methodological gaps of current literature. Especially prominent are the lack of investigations on social dimensions of debunking effects, the absence of theoretical insights from qualitative data collection and analysis, as well as the dearth of empirical studies in non-Western societies. Based on these results, we recommend several worthwhile focuses for further exploration.
Extended Abstract • Plagues, Cults, Wars & Apocalypses: Difficult heritage rhetoric and popular culture in COVID-19 memes • Bobbie Foster, University of Maryland Phillip Merrill College of Journalism • A collection of 325 COVID-19 memes were qualitatively coded for the use of difficult heritage as a framing tool for news coverage of the virus pandemic. Difficult heritage is a concept from cultural heritage studies that refers to the preservation or remembrance of difficult events, such as wars, pandemics, and other social struggles. Cultural heritage scholars argue the past is debatable, and is never really the past — this paper explores the use of cultural heritage rhetoric as a framework to understand how individuals use cultural heritage to both frame and create action in the present. Findings suggest war, especially WWII is the most dominate heritage frame used, but that a new emergent category of imagined future heritage is also present – in which individuals discuss how they might frame the current event for future generations.
My country is boycotting NBA, but I don’t care: Effects of brand loyalty, issue involvement, information undesirability and third – person effect on Chinese NBA fans’ boycotting behavior • An Hu, University Of Texas at Austin • Using the Daryl Morey’s tweet, which read “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong,” as a context, this study aims to examine the interplay between the third-person effect – people tend to perceive that media influence others more than themselves – and brand loyalty. Results of an online survey (N = 455) show that Chinese NBA fans perceived that Morey’s tweet news influences those who do not watch the NBA more than themselves. Besides, the brand loyalty toward the NBA is positively related to perceived issued involvement and information undesirability, which are key antecedents of the third-person effect. Moreover, although Chinese NBA fans acknowledged that Morey’s tweet will make others perceive the NBA negatively, they reported to watch more NBA games and are more willing to reveal their NBA fans’ identities in front of others. This study contributes to the third-person effect research by examining whether different levels of brand loyalty can be viewed as social distance, and further can influence the third-person effect. Furthermore, this study also tests whether people will accommodate their own behavior due to third-person effect. More importantly, since an increasing number of foreign brands has been boycotted by Chinese consumers, this research suggests that there is a possibility of keeping both profit and integrity when facing such a crisis. Comparing with seeking forgiveness from the Chinese Communist Party, keeping a good relationship with their consumers and increasing their brand loyalty can help international corporations when facing boycotting crisis in China.
Blue wave as a strategic game frame? • Sang Jung Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Heysung Lee; RAN TAO, UW-Madison; Shreenita Ghosh, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Yibing Sun • This study examines the use of the term blue wave during the 2018 midterm elections. This study confirms that both mainstream and partisan news outlets utilize the term blue wave as a strategic game frame. Partisan news outlets used the blue wave to favor their in-party candidates. This study contributes to journalism studies by illustrating the use of a specific term as a strategic game frame and extending the understanding of the strategic game frame.
Extended Abstract • Oral Health Messages among College-aged Populations • Euirang Lee, Ohio University • This study examined how different types of message appeals (i.e., social- and health-focused) and efficacy beliefs (i.e., self-, collective-, and no efficacy) influenced perceived effectiveness of oral health messages among college-aged populations. The study found that health-focused messages had significantly less psychological reactance, more positive evaluation, higher perceived self-efficacy, and more favorable attitude than social-focused messages. Also, messages with collective-efficacy information showed significantly higher perceived self-efficacy, and more favorable attitude than those with self-efficacy information.
Extended Abstract • Reflecting on Their Role: Former members of Fashion Editors and Reporters Association (FERA) Deconstruct Normative Practices in the Newsroom • Lisa Lenoir, University of Missouri-Columbia • Little research explores the role of fashion editors and reporters and their collective identity. This semi-structured, interview-based study provides insight into the normative practice and roles of these lifestyle journalists, who used to belong to the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association (FERA), an organization founded in the 1970s and disbanded in the 2000s. This examination aims to expand journalism studies scholarship on lifestyle journalism and helpfulness.
Construction of blurred social boundaries on Twitter: Discourse analysis of #JusticeForNimrita movement in Pakistan • Muhammad Masood, City University of Hong Kong • A Hindu girl, Nimrita, was found dead in her hostel room on 16th September 2019 in Pakistan. The incident triggered a deluge of online discussion, trending #JusticeForNimrita on Twitter. Allowing to examine Twitter discourse related to one of the critical social phenomena of Pakistani society, construction of social boundaries for the religious minorities. Discourse analysis of tweets containing #JusticeForNimrita found that using hashtag communication strategy tweeters constructed blurred boundaries for the Hindu community in Pakistan.
Extended Abstract • Factors enhancing interpersonal communication in cross-cultural marriage: A survey studying South Asian-Chinese and Afro-Chinese couples in Hong Kong • Muhammad Masood, City University of Hong Kong; Eugene Yat-him Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Zelalem Jabessa Gabul, Chinese University of Hong Kong • The advancement of communication and transportation technologies offer various means of mobilities and migration opportunities. The mobilities facilitate intercultural marriage among people of diverse cultures, traditions, and values to live under the same shade endeavoring to respond to their socio-economic and other needs. As couples from various backgrounds live together, they likely face challenges in their daily interpersonal communication. This study examines factors enhancing interpersonal communication of South Asian-Chinese and Afro-Chinese couples in Hong Kong.
Masking Justice: Immunity or Impunity? • Michelle Michael • As the world becomes increasingly more dangerous for journalists, many suffer human rights violations and ultimately death. However, the perpetrators evade domestic courts and cover under the umbrella of immunity in foreign courts. This paper explores how foreign official immunity claims are used as impunity to escape jus cogens violations against journalists. It then emphasizes the importance of exercising jurisdiction in such cases to bring justice to those who are killed for exposing the truth.
Lure of the Rural: Urban Audiences’ Consumption of Rural Self-Media in China • Yu Mu, University of Florida • China’s urbanization is not only transforming the physical environment and living conditions for a large population, but it also affects the psychological state and media consumption behaviors. Rural self-media (social media accounts operated by rural users that produce rural-theme content in rural settings) has gained great popularity among Chinese urban audiences. This study proposes a conceptual model that offers a theory-driven explanation for urban audiences’ consumption of rural self-media to facilitate further data testing.
Extended Abstract • Making health social: Effects of health PSA videos on social media • Adriana Mucedola, Syracuse University • In the digital age, social networking sites are an essential tool for health educators to promote and spread awareness about health issues that may be plaguing society. Internet and mobile media, such as social media, offer tremendous opportunities for modifying health because it allows people of all demographics to access health information. The current study examined the effectiveness of health public service announcement (PSA) videos on social media and examined how the heuristics of social media “likes” may play a role in how social media users perceive health messages. To assess how messages on social media are perceived, the present study used an experimental design (N = 272). This study could not find statistical support for the hypotheses that subjects were likely to show more favorable attitudes, self-efficacious behaviors, perceived norms, or intentions when exposed to health messages containing a high amount of social media “likes.” Results indicated, however, that attitudes (F(1, 270) = 162.38, p < .001), perceptions of self-efficacy (F(1, 270) = 347.69, p < .001), and perceived social norms (F(1, 270) = 139.25, p < .001) were related to intentions to exercise, as predicted by the Theory of Planned Behavior. The results of this study indicate that health messages on social media are extremely complex, and deserve future attention in literature.
Extended Abstract • Battling the invisible: Migrant domestic workers’ connections to storytelling networks during public health crises • Jeffry OKTAVIANUS • Guided by the communication infrastructure theory, this study scrutinizes the role of various actors in a vulnerable community’s storytelling network amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Situated against the Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, the interview data with 31 participants revealed that the connections to interpersonal communication, community organizations, and local media offered necessary social supports to cope with the health crisis. However, these relationships also yielded several negative consequences.
Fostering mediated community resilience: An analysis of recovery after the 2019 Jefferson City Tornado • Erika Schneider, University of Missouri • In the aftermath of disasters, communities engage in a state of communal functioning to adapt to a post-event reality. During the 2019 Jefferson City Tornado, the community united in a Facebook group to collectively share information, experiences, and resources. A content analysis of 1,963 posts and comments examined the emergence of community resilience, or the ability to bounce forward, through social media interactions. Implications extend to research in disaster recovery through the social-mediated disaster experience.
Extended Abstract • A Content Analysis of Causal Sex, Social Status, and Substance Use in Teen-Based Netflix Shows • Andrea Smith; Adriana Mucedola, Syracuse University; Sierra Holland, Syracuse University; Kyle Webster • This study examined how causal sexual activity is portrayed in teen-based Netflix original shows, depending on substance use and social status. Analyses revealed frequent problematic depictions of sexual activity, such as coercion and sexual assault. Characters under the influence of alcohol were more likely to have casual sex, while high school social status did not determine whether or not characters engaged in problematic sexual behaviors. The results of this study suggest that teen shows on Netflix can normalize harmful sexual practices.
Within- and Between-Person(s) Emotional Reactions toward Crisis Communication • Lewen Wei, Pennsylvania State University; Nahyun Kim, Pennsylvania State University • Adopting both within-person and between-persons approach, the study explored people’s affective dynamics in response to corporate crisis communication. A 2 x 2 x 3 online experiment (N = 381) was conducted using Qualtrics panel. The results showed people felt angrier when the cause of crisis was attributed to an organization compared to individual. In addition, negative emotions appeared to diminish to a greater extent when people read a high-fit post crisis CSR.
Goal disruption and psychological disequilibrium during the outbreak of COVID-19 • Qiyue ZHANG; Jichen FAN • Using panel data from mainland China, this study incorporates uncertainty, information seeking, and social support into the goal disruption theoretical model to examine the indirect influence of goal disruption on psychological disequilibrium through uncertainty and the moderating role of information seeking and social support in this relationship. The results demonstrate that goal disruption causes uncertainty and then leads to psychological disequilibrium. Information seeking can reduce uncertainty and social support can attenuate psychological disequilibrium as well.
Reimagining Networked Authoritarianism: A Techno-cultural Perspective on Citizens’ Co-option in the Chinese Internet Police Reporting System • Lynette Jingyi Zhang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Haibin ZHANG, The Chinese University of Hong Kong • “This study proposes a new techno-cultural intertwined perspective to enrich the current theoretical framework of networked authoritarianism and examines Chinese citizens’ new-emerging Internet police reporting practices on China’s biggest microblogging platform Weibo. Findings from content analysis and digital ethnography demonstrate a multidirectional Chinese networked authoritarianism model, where citizens, empowered by digital technologies but disciplined by socio-cultural ideologies, can connectively initiate bottom-up nationalist activism to consolidate regime control via co-option. Implications of the results are discussed.
Extended Abstract • Visual Cues and The Bandwagon Effect: Do Images and Review Votes Make Online Reviews More Credible? • Lina Zhu, Colorado State University • Today, reading online reviews is an important part of consumers’ decision making, whether buying a product at Amazon or going to a new restaurant. Consumers use reviews from other consumers to evaluate products and services before making purchasing decisions. Before online reviews were possible (pre-Internet), customer-to-customer information exchanges regarding products and services solely relied on the Word-of-Mouth (WOM). However, as social media has become more expansive, WOM conversations began shifting to digital space. These digital exchanges are referred to as electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM). eWOM has been criticized for providing fewer social interactions and cues when compared to interpersonal communication. With the goal to create a better user-friendly platform and help users’ decision makings become easier, online review sites have developed a variety of features to overcome the lack of social cues compared to interpersonal communication WOM. This study uses an experimental design to examine the impact of heuristic cue-based features on online review sites. Specifically, this study looks at the impact of images reviewers upload and the number of the review votes on consumers’ perceived credibility of the review, and how perceived credibility affects users’ attitudes and purchase intention towards the reviewed product.
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