Communication Technology Division
Faculty Paper Competition
Motivations to Use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok Predicting Problematic Use and Continuance Intentions • Anvita Suneja, Michigan State University; Anish Nimmagadda, Michigan State University; Saleem Alhabash, Michigan State University • While much of the studies within the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) tradition were set to predict facets of media use, the current examines how use motivations, nature of platform use, and privacy-related perceptions predict users’ use continuance intentions for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok and their problematic use of that platform (i.e., addition), simultaneously. The study uses a cross-sectional survey of undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university (N = 373), where participants answered questions related to their motivations to use each of the four platforms (depending on their active use of the platform), platform affinity and other usage factors, their intentions to continue using the platform and their problematic of the platform. Findings showed superiority of Instagram in terms of U&G. Regression models highlighted differences in the four platforms’ problematic use and continuance intentions. Findings are discussed within the framework of reconceptualizing U&G outcomes within the evolving environment of social media use.
Assessing Routes to the Proteus Effect: Testing Self-Perception and Priming Hypotheses • Jose Aviles, Albright College • This study examines the Proteus effect and the potential mechanisms to its success. The Proteus effect suggests that user’s avatars influence individual behavior. However, mechanisms of the Proteus effect remain unclear. Research on the Proteus effect has put forth evidence that self-perception and priming both function as routes to the Proteus effect. This study tests each route in a desktop game experience. The study indicates no support for either route to the Proteus effect in the conditions that it was tested. Implications of testing environment and stimuli are discussed, indicating that specific thresholds may be needed to activate the Proteus effect.
“I probably just skipped over it:” Using eye tracking to examine political Facebook advertising effectiveness –and avoidance • Matthew Binford, University of Georgia; Bartosz Wojdynski, University of Georgia • Social media political advertising has, in recent years, been the target of a lot of interest and scrutiny from the public, scholars, and even the social media platforms themselves. While there is still some debate as to the overall effectiveness of social media political advertising there is compelling evidence to show that a number of social media users seek to avoid content that is political in nature. Those users tend to simply skip over the content once they have identified it as being political in nature (Bode, Vraga & Troller-Renfree, 2017). However it is less clear whether the same pattern holds for political candidate advertising which is typically easily identifiable as political, but designed to catch attention with images and text. The present study sought to shed light on the understanding of how consumers actually view or avoid political advertising on social media by using eye-tracking equipment to map users eye scanpaths as they viewed a constructed social media news feed. It was found that users with high levels of political interest fundamentally view political advertising differently with different scanpaths than those who have low political interest levels.
I’d Rather Hear it from a Robot: How Audio Voice Drives Preferences in AI-Powered Audio Messages • Jackson Carter, University of South Carolina; Linwan Wu, University of South Carolina • AI-powered audio has become increasingly popular and increasingly lifelike. However, is there a problem with being too lifelike? This paper examines the effectiveness of AI-powered audio through the framework of HAII (human-AI interaction) by exploring how the type of audio voice affects user preferences in AI-powered audio messages. Theoretical and practical applications are discussed, as results offer connections between areas of social science literature while providing insights for strategically using voice in programming.
The reviews of human-computer interaction and online relationship in new media: the evidences from live video streaming services • Po-Chien Chang, Shih Hsin University; Cheng-Yu Lin, Shih Hsin University • Comparing to live broadcasting in mass media, live video streaming is relying on broadband and digitalized content distribution over the Internet. Audiences are no longer constrained by linear schedule and empowered by social presence and co-experience of viewing. This study develops an empirical model by expanding the motivational factors in Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) and associated with various user engagement and media consumption behaviors. The implications are discussed.
The Warranting Value of Information from Machines and Humans Different Information Types • Mo Chen; Yu-Hao Lee • It is increasingly common for students to acquire information online using intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant, but few studies have examined how students assess the quality and credibility of information provided by an IVA. Informed by the warranting theory, a 2 (source: human vs. IVAs) × 3 (information type: fact, aggregated opinion, individual opinion) experiment was conducted with 192 participants. Results revealed that the type of information affected the warranting value of the information. Aggregated opinions were perceived to be most warranted, credible, and of higher quality, followed by facts, and then individual opinions. Machine heuristic was a significant moderator between the information source and credibility judgments. The current study extends the warranting theory to examine AI-generated information and also suggests that different information types are associated with higher or lower warranting values.
An Experiment on the Sequential Mediation Effects of PDAs on Subjective Well-being • Ye Chen, University of Connecticut; Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, University of Connecticut • “Likes” seem indispensable on social media platforms today, and research across communication domains has investigated their meanings, functions, and potential impacts. Yet a causal relationship between PDAs (paralinguistic digital affordances, such as “likes”) and subjective well-being is unclear. This study utilized an experimental method and demonstrated the causal link between PDAs and subjective well-being. Potential mediating and moderating mechanisms were further explored. Our experiment also found that psychological factors such as self-esteem, pleasure, anxiety and depression were significant indicators of perceived life satisfaction, through sequential mediating processes. Moreover, satisfaction with the expected “likes” did not play a moderated mediating role in these processes. Instead, it also mediated the link between PDAs and life happiness. The findings add evidence to the ongoing debate about the good or bad of social media “likes” and contribute to unpacking the myth of social media impacts.
Do Opinions Change from Information or Experience? Attitudes toward Algorithmic Systems Depend on Transparency of Design and Power Usage • Chan Chen, Washington State University; David Silva, Kent State University; Ying Zhu • Algorithmic decision-making systems are ubiquitous in digital media, but the public holds largely negative attitudes towards them. This study investigates two approaches of improving opinions towards algorithms. The first approach provided information about how algorithms work. The second approach used respondent’s Instagram profile data to show algorithmic categorization in action, that is experiencing algorithms in action. Both methods increased positive opinions, but attitude change was also dependent on the individual-level trait of power usage.
The situated influence of individual cultural orientation on online political expression through self-presentational concern • Xi Cui, College of Charleston; Jian Rui; Yu Liu, Florida International University • This study examines political expressions on social network sites (SNSs) from a self-presentation perspective. Through an online experiment (N = 360), we found that users’ cultural orientations toward power and social inequality influenced political self-presentation through self-presentation concern. Furthermore, a three-way interaction between social inequality, audience, and issue controversialness was found on self-presentational concern. This study suggests that political expressions via SNSs can be a function of cultural orientation, SNS audience, and issue through self-presentation.
* Extended Abstract * Extended Abstract: The Effects of Victim Response to Direct and Indirect Digital Aggression • Yao Dong, Michigan State University; Saleem Alhabash, Michigan State University • The frequent use of digital media increased the rate of cyberbullying victimization, and the sociotechnical affordances of social media have made them hotbeds for digital aggression. In this study, we examined the effects of victim response to direct and indirect (subtweeting) aggression, and found the effects of victim response and its interaction with message directness on participations’ perceptions of aggressive messages, their sympathy toward the aggression victims, as well as their intervention likelihood.
Playable News Technologies: Journalism and the Rise of Mobile Gaming • David Dowling • The stratospheric rise of mobile games to the top of the global games industry is attributable to synergies between mobile devices and social media platforms, particularly through the increasing use of Facebook on the iPhone and other smartphones. Phones and tablets are now where the majority of people play games and consume news. This shared digital space has given rise to mobile newsgames, a hybridization of gameplay and journalistic content allowing users to play the news, shattering the divide between entertainment and civic engagement. Among adult players, the smartphone is the most common device used for playing video games, followed by PC and consoles. Through smartphone apps, games now reach users in some of the most popular spaces in the digital ecosystem and on devices that have become ubiquitous in twenty-first century networked culture. News organizations and commercial game developers alike have responded to the simultaneous rise in mobile news consumption and skyrocketing popularity of mobile games by producing games that engage current events and issues of political and social significance. The journalistic consequences of the technological convergence of news and gaming industries constitutes the focus of this study. Critical analysis treats five case studies of the most influential mobile newsgames since 2016 by commercial game developers and legacy media. Can mobile newsgames provide civic engagement and a journalistic check on power? By directing data flows on social media, mobile games occupy a powerful role in the digital ecosystem.
SoundCloud Rap: An Investigation of Community and Consumption Models of Internet Practices • Ian Dunham • Andrew Feenberg states that “the social role and significance of the internet is in suspense today” (Feenberg, 2019), suggesting that its technosocial impacts are the result of a dynamic exchange in which multiple agents compete, cooperate, and coexist for a variety of reasons that stem from just as many motivations. On SoundCloud, a popular music-based social networking platform, the suspense Feenberg references is in full tilt–a few short years ago, it was on the brink of shutdown because of cash shortages, forcing mass layoffs and the closure of San Francisco and London offices (Satariano, 2017), only to become the site of a burgeoning hip hop community in 2017 and 2018. What has been labeled “SoundCloud Rap” represents a unique social phenomenon that is simultaneously a community, a particular approach to governance, and a network that relies on the symmetrical interplay of humans and machines. Using Feenberg’s recent discussion of the diversity of the internet’s formulations, this paper analyzes SoundCloud Rap, concluding that artists and listeners operate under both a community model and a consumption model. An empirical study of data collected from SoundCloud supports this discussion. Lastly, I consider the wave of SoundCloud Rap artists and the novel place within the industry they currently occupy, and whether the subgenre can leave any lasting marks on musical technoculture.
From passive to purposeful: Can Apple’s Screen Time realign users’ relationships with their devices? • Ebubechukwu Ubochi, Florida Institute of Technology; Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Florida Institute of Technology • This qualitative phenomenological study investigated smartphone users’ relationships with their devices and digital wellness software. It involved following the activities of eight iPhone users who were encouraged to use and pay attention to Screen Time over the course of a week. They were interviewed at the start of the process to learn about how they use their phones as well as what knowledge they had about Screen Time, and then at the end of the process to measure any changes that might have emerged. Each participant’s Screen Time data was also recorded with screenshots and used in the analysis. The findings showed overall that focused attention to Screen Time is capable of affecting smartphone usage patterns and helping iPhone users take control of the way and extent to which they use their devices.
Assumption of consensus: A path model predicting political participation among instant messaging app users • HyungJin Gill, University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Hernando Rojas, University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication • This study uses a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults to test a path model that examines potential influence of instant messenger (IM) apps on cognitive bias and political participation among users. The findings provide insights into how “false consensus,” or egocentric assumption in public opinion perception, that may stem from mobile echo chamber can contribute to a user’s participatory behaviors, which further highlights IM as a private, closed mode of political communication.
How much immersion is enough? Exploring the use of 360 video on social networks to influence user reflections on important issues • Michael Horning, Virginia Tech; Emily McCaul, Virginia Tech • 360-degree video is an emerging video technology that is popular on social networks and is used to immerse users in a virtual reality experience. Some argue that this technology enables individuals to process visual, verbal and spatial information together in one space in order to engage users more deeply with the information than standardized video. In this study, we create a news story using 360 video to test this assumption and to explore users’ experience with 360 news content delivered on three different displays: desktop computer, mobile tablet and head-mounted display. Our results show that individuals who engage with 360 narratives using head-mounted displays are more likely to reflect on the issues in the narrative than other mediums. Our findings also suggest that using iPads to experience 360 narratives can be more engaging but also decrease reflection on the main themes in a 360 story. Implications for use of 360 on social media are discussed.
Exploring Multiple-level Predictors Contributed to the Credibility of Smartphone Information • Bing Hu, South China University of Technology; Bu Zhong, Pennsylvania State University; Tao Sun, University of Vermont • This study proposes a hierarchical model to explore information processing on the smartphone, in which need for cognition is the independent variable and perceived credibility of smartphone information the dependent variable, with smartphone power use and information verification as the mediators, while controlling for such demographic characteristics as age, gender, education and area of residence. Our findings suggested a significant indirect path from the need for cognition to smartphone use and smartphone information credibility.
Misinformation Corrective Action when Exposed to Fake News: The Role of Media Locus of Control, Need for Cognition and Fake News Literacy • Brigitte Huber; Porismita Borah; Homero Gil de Zúñiga • Fake news is increasingly becoming a problem for democracy and questions arise on how to combat misinformation. This study investigates whether news media literacy helps taking corrective action when encountering misinformation. By relying on survey data from the U.S. (N = 1337), we show that news media literacy in terms of media locus of control and need for cognition is not sufficient to take corrective actions; people rather need to develop specific fake news literacy.
Neither by design nor intention: The creative uses of a gay dating app by HIV-positive clients • Robert Huesca, Trinity University • The geosocial networking mobile application Grindr has attracted a great deal of scholarly attention in the past decade because of its diverse uses and widespread adoption. Yet no study has identified Grindr as a platform whereby HIV-positive users have sought and provided emotional support and medical guidance regarding their diagnoses. Findings from 21 in-depth interviews shed light on this potentially important use of Grindr to contribute to the well-being of people living with HIV. The findings of this study hold valuable contributions to communication theory, public health practice, and mobile phone app development.
Hello, I am a Humanized Robot Reporter: Anthropomorphism in Robot Journalism • Wonseok (Eric) Jang, Sungkyunkwan University; Soojin Kim, Louisiana State University; Jung Won Chun, Sejong University; Young Woo Kang, Sungkyunkwan University • This study examines the effects of humanized robot reporters and the role played by humanized- and non-humanized robot reporters with human reporters in writing the story to determine the persuasiveness of news. Participants displayed greater emotional involvement and evaluated the news more positively when humanized robot reporters write the story compared to non-humanized robot reporters. Such positive effect was magnified when humanized robot reporters formed a partner-to-friend-relationship with human reporters rather than a servant-to-master-relationship.
Capturing Injustice: Using the Screenshot as a Tool for Sousveillance • Bryan Jenkins, Howard University; Emily Cramer, Howard University • “The purpose of this study is to ascertain the role of screenshots in online social justice movements, specifically as it relates to the concept of sousveillance. Screenshots primarily allow for users to call attention to injustices in online spaces. They also allow users to emphasize portions of racist comments, incorporate information used to support a user’s argument, and occasionally bring levity to those engaged in online activism.
Dislike and warn: Different levels of corrective actions on social media • Liefu Jiang, Chicago State University • Through a survey with 193 participants, this paper investigates individuals’ frequencies of taking corrective actions when exposed to unfavorable information on social media. Examining through four perspectives, including cognitive effort, expected influence, creativity, and engagement levels, 11 forms of corrective actions were ranked in three ordered levels. This paper contributes to corrective action studies by providing a new approach to investigate corrective actions, which helps researchers measure corrective actions more accurately.
Ways to Relieve Anxiety: Chinese Consumers’ Perceptions of Paid Digital Knowledge Products • Jie Jin, University of Florida; Huan Chen, University of Florida • This study interviewed 19 Chinese paid digital knowledge products consumers to explore what’s the essence of Chinese consumers’ experience with paid digital knowledge products in the first- and second-tier cities. Findings revealed Chinese consumers use these products to relieve stress and anxiety from real-life competition and the insecurity of falling behind. Although consumers realize the limited assistance that paid knowledge products can offer, their acceptance and expectation of paid digital knowledge products are positive.
Measuring Consumer-Perceived Humanness of Organizational Agents in CMC • Lincoln Lu, University of Florida; Casey McDonald, University of Florida; Tom Kelleher, University of Florida; Susanna Lee; Yoo Jin Chung, University of Florida; Sophia Mueller, University of Florida; Marc Vielledent; April Yue • A broad sample (N=172) of participants interacted with either virtual or human agents representing organizations online and completed a survey including items derived from constructs of conversational human voice, anthropomorphism, and social presence. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a central factor indicating consumer-perceived humanness. The new measure was found to be reliable and valid—working as predicted to assess both virtual and human agents and explain significant variance in perceived relational investment and trust.
The Mere Exposure Effect of Tweets on Vote Choice • Hyunjung Kim • This study investigates the effects of exposure to political candidates’ tweets on vote choice in the context of the 2018 local election in South Korea. A field experiment was conducted among Twitter users in two constituencies. Participants in the experimental group were guided on Twitter to follow a leading candidate in their electoral district, whereas those in the control group were not guided to follow the candidate. The results of the experiment indicate that following a candidate on Twitter was positively linked to voting for the candidate through candidate likability particularly when the candidate’s tweets were personalized. On the other hand, following a candidate on Twitter was negatively linked to voting for the candidate when voters had a low level of involvement with the election and the candidate’s tweets were not personalized. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.
Predicting the adoption of AI-based healthcare technology: Theory of planned behavior, self-efficacy and controllability • Joon Kyoung Kim; Mo Jones-Jang, Boston college; Yong Jin Park, Howard University • Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in various industries. Despite increasing attention to AI, little is known about what motivates individuals to adopt AI use in health care. Using the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the determinants of individuals’ intentions to use AI for health monitoring and diagnosis. The results of a survey (N = 1,162) indicated that attitude and perceived behavioral control predicted intention, but not subjective norms.
The Effect of Advanced Technology on Jobs: Attention, Income, Worry, and Support for a Basic Income • Alex W. Kirkpatrick, Washington State University; Jay Hmielowski, University of Florida • Understanding how media use influences public perceptions of advanced technologies is important, particularly in light of recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics. In this paper, we examine whether awareness of computers and robots changing the nature of US jobs is associated with worry over the issue. We then assess whether worry is associated with support for a universal basic income policy, and if worry mediates the relationship between attention and policy support. Lastly, we assess whether this indirect relationship varies by household income. Findings suggest that lower income workers who have thought about the issue of workplace technology are more worried about the issue than higher paid workers. This increased worry is associated with support for a federal policy guaranteeing a living wage for Americans. Results are discussed under the lens of Agenda-Setting Theory. Avenues of future research are suggested.
* Extended Abstract * Extended Abstract: Are You Engaging the Game? Effect of the Challenge and the Interaction toward Game Engagement in Mobile FPS Game • Heejae Lee; Se Jung Kim, Syracuse University; Shengjie Yao; Yoon (Seo Yoon) Lee; Makana Chock • “Drawing on the relationship between social presence and related works on mobile game engagement, this study investigates the effects of the perceived risk of player-death on player communication, which elicited by the challenges of the game. Specifically, the current study examines whether 1) the higher level of challenge will induce a feeling of the perceived risk of player-death; 2) the level of challenge will serve as a trigger for communication; 3) the degree to which player-death perceivers experience a feeling of interaction; 4) the perceived risk of player-death will positively influence social presence and engagement; 5) the amount of communication will positively affect social presence and engagement.
Information Inequality: The Information Demand and Supply Factors that Shape the Digital Engagements of Low-income and High-income Individuals in the United States • Jihye Lee, Stanford University; James Hamilton; Nilam Ram, Pennsylvania State University; Thomas Robinson; Byron Reeves • This study explores how individuals of different income levels navigate digital spaces by observing more than 13 million screenshots collected from the smartphones of low-income (N = 33) and high-income (N = 35) individuals in U.S. major metropolitan areas. Our findings suggest that income is significantly associated with various aspects of individuals’ digital engagements, including temporal patterns of their smartphone engagements, level of news consumption, and types of information supply factors.
Self-disclosure on Facebook: “Self” and “Others” from social penetration perspective • Danielle Ka Lai Lee, Washington State University; Xizhu Xiao; Porismita Borah • “The study examined the influences of “self” and “others” in self-disclosure on Facebook. Based on social penetration theory, we conducted an experiment and 241 young adults participated. Results suggest that highly relevant information triggered thought elaborations in deciding self-disclosure. Surprisingly, influence from audience was revealed to be minimal. The study underscored the self-serving purpose of disclosure, such that users would chiefly think about themselves instead of audience. Future directions are discussed.
Alexa as a Shopping Assistant: The Effects of Message Interactivity and the Mediating Role of Social Presence • Sangwook Lee, University of Texas at Austin; Jeeyun Oh; Won-Ki Moon, The University of Texas at Austin • This study explores the key factors that influence consumer intention to use virtual assistants for online shopping. It examines (a) whether existing concepts in communication technology literature (particularly message interactivity and social presence) are applicable to understanding consumer responses to virtual assistants and (b) the mediating role of social presence which influences intention to use virtual assistant technology for online shopping. Result from a lab experiment showed that individuals who had more back-and-forth conversations with Alexa reported higher perceptions of message interactivity and greater feelings of social presence. Feelings of social presence mediated the effect of message interactivity on intention to use. The current study provides theoretical and practical implications to communication technology and consumer research and leaves suggestions for future study of artificial intelligence.
Connect or Contrast: Public Self-Awareness and Social Cues Impacts on Selective Exposure to Political Content • Wenbo Li, The Ohio State University; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick • The study investigates the impacts of public self-awareness on selective exposure to political messages with social recommendation cues. A 2 (high vs. low public self-awareness) × 2 (likes vs. comments) between-subject selective exposure experiment was conducted, while partisan stance and social-cues level served as two within-subject message factors. Participants’ selective exposure was unobtrusively recorded. The results show that public self-awareness interacted with the level of social cues in affecting selective exposure. Specifically, participants high in public self-awareness spent more time reading messages with low social cues while those low in public self-awareness spent more time reading messages with high social cues. Partisanship impacted the interaction between public self-awareness and social cues. Republican’s selective exposure to pro- and counter-attitudinal messages varied between cue types (comments versus views).
Silence mobile phone notifications can be more Distracting than receiving notifications with Sounds and Vibrations • Mengqi Liao, Penn State University; S. Shyam Sundar, Penn State University • Smartphone users often turn off notifications on their smartphones to avoid distractions, but our analysis of behavioral data from the Screen Time tool of 138 iPhone users suggests that users tend to pick up their phones and check for messages more often when it is in silent mode than when it is on audio-alert or vibrate modes. This is especially true for individuals who have high Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Need to Belong.
Understanding the Interplay of Personality Traits and Social Comparison in Selfie Editing and Posting Behavior • Yu Liu, Florida International University; Weirui Wang, Florida International University • Selfies have been an omnipresent phenomenon across the world. By conducting a survey (N=528), this study examines how personality traits interact with social comparison process (i.e., downward identification, downward contrast, upward identification, and upward contrast) to influence photo editing and selfie posting behavior. The findings suggest being subject to different types of social comparison process, individuals with low self-esteem, high public self-consciousness, and high narcissism more frequently engage in photo editing and selfie posting.
Mimicry Decreases Resistance Towards a VR Interaction Partner – A Pilot Study. • Barbara Müller, Radboud University Nijmegen; Weronika Trzmielewska; Wolf-Gero Lange; Tibor Bosse • Interacting with virtual reality agents (VR agents) becomes more and more common in the future. The present study investigated whether non-verbal mimicry leads to less resistance, and a more positive evaluation of the VR agent. Before evaluation of the VR agent, participants interacted with a VR agent which either mimicked or anti-mimicked their non-verbal behavior. Results showed that a mimicking VR agent was perceived as more convincing, and elicited less resistance. Possible explanations are discussed.
The Target of Incivility: Examining the Uncivil Discourse on Social Media Platforms • Mustafa Oz, The University of Tennessee Knoxville; Bahtiyar Nurumov, Suleyman Demiral University • This study focused on the uncivil discourse on social media platforms. The main purpose of this study was to understand whether uncivil comments target discussion participants and specific groups on Facebook and on Twitter. Also, this study was an attempt to see if there are any differences between Facebook and Twitter in terms of uncivil discussions. Systematic content analysis was conducted and 1485 Facebook comments and Tweets were analyzed. The results suggested that there were more frequent uncivil comments on Twitter versus Facebook. Also, the results indicated that users were more likely to target discussion participants on Twitter than on Facebook.
* Extended Abstract * Yelp!ful or not? A Heuristic-Systematic Model Approach to Online Reviews on Yelp! • Bhakti Sharma; T. Franklin Waddell • Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) has become a primary source for users to seek recommendations and gather information to make purchase decisions. Applying the Hueristic Systematic Model (Chaiken, 1980), this study tested the impact of online reviews presented in the form of both heuristic cues (star ratings) and systematic information (written reviews) on restaurant appeal and behavioral intentions. Results reveal the importance of heuristic cues in new light and add to the existing eWOM literature
Can Social Media Engender Resilience in a Crisis? A Semantic Network Analysis • Staci Smith, Brigham Young University; Brian Smith, Brigham Young University • Social media engagement following a crisis raises the question about the influence of social media on crisis coping and resilience. This study examined Twitter responses to terror attacks in Paris (2015) and Barcelona (2017). Semantic network analysis of 24,728 #Paris tweets and 27,338 #Barcelona tweets showed that social media are for more than just information curation—they may facilitate crisis coping and resilience, including expressing emotion, building community, and creating new normalcy following a crisis.
“We think you may like”: An investigation of e-commerce personalization for privacy-conscious consumers • Yong Whi Greg Song, The University of Texas at Austin; Hayoung Sally Lim, the University of Texas at Austin; Jeeyun Oh • This study examines and proposes an electronic commerce (e-commerce) personalization technology acceptance model. A 2 (Privacy concerns priming vs. Control condition) × 2 (Personalization vs. Non-personalization) factorial, between-subjects experiment was conducted (N = 205). The findings indicate consumers’ perceived usefulness of personalization technology is positively related to their behavioral intentions to use an e-commerce mobile app, supporting Davis (1989)’s Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data further demonstrate that consumers’ privacy concerns moderate the personalization–behavioral intention relationship.
Fighting Over Smartphones? Parents’ Excessive Smartphone Use, Lack of Control Over Children’s Use, and Conflict • Jörg Matthes; Marina Thomas; Anja Stevic; Desirée Schmuck • Parental regulation of children’s smartphone use is typically associated with conflict. To explain conflict, this paper focused on parents’ own smartphone use. A panel survey among parent-child pairs (NT2=384) revealed that parents’ excessive smartphone use increased lack of control over children’s smartphone use, which, in turn, increased conflict about the smartphone from children’s and parents’ perspectives. The relations with conflict were independent of whether parents thought that smartphones have negative effects on children.
Seeing is Believing: Is Video Modality More Powerful in Spreading Fake News via Online Messaging Apps? • S. Shyam Sundar, Penn State University; Maria D. Molina; Eugene Cho • Doctored videos sent over private messaging platforms like WhatsApp have elicited visceral responses, resulting in the wrongful death of innocent people. Would the responses have been so strong if such fake news was circulated in the form of text or audio? We explored this question by experimentally comparing reactions to three false news stories (N=180) in India. Our findings reveal that users process video more superficially, readily believing its content and sharing it with others.
“Chameleons” Make us More Other-Oriented – a Virtual Reality Study. • Weronika Trzmielewska, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities; Barbara Müller, Radboud University Nijmegen; Wojciech Kulesza, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities; Wolf-Gero Lange • Mimicry is often labelled a ‘social glue’ between people. In this study, we explored if this notion is also true in human/non-human interactions. We tested if mimicry by a virtual agent leads to more concern about others, and changes concern about the self. Participants performed a photograph description task and were either mimicked or not. The results showed that being mimicked increased participants’ orientation toward others but did not change their orientation toward self.
* Extended Abstract * Vicarious Learning of Social Media Political Expression: The Role of Expected Outcomes and Appropriate Communication Competence • Alcides Velasquez, University of Kansas; Dam Hee Kim; Andrea Quenette • Based on Social Learning and Social Cognitive Theories, this study examines how observing others successfully use social media for political expression increases one’s social media political expression. Results support a parallel mediation model where social media political expression observational learning simultaneously leads to social media political expression expected outcomes, and to appropriate social media communication competence. Expected outcomes increase social media political expression whereas appropriate social media communication competence decreases individual’s social media political expression.
* Extended Abstract * Media Use and Attitudes Toward Social Media Bots • Ming Wang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln • Using the O-S-O-R framework, this study examines whether orientational variables mediate the impact of various media use on attitudes toward social media bots. Analysis of a nationally representative survey reveals that the effects of social media use on bot attitudes were partially mediated through bot detection self-efficacy and perceived influence on others. Interestingly, some paths were opposite to what hypotheses predicted. This study enhances our understanding of individual antecedents to social media bots attitudes.
Understanding AI Advertising from the Consumer Perspective: What Factors Determine Consumers’ Appreciation of AI-created Advertisements? • Linwan Wu, University of South Carolina; Taylor Wen, University of South Carolina • This study tested a conceptual model that examined some influential factors of consumers’ overall appreciation of AI-created advertisements. The findings indicated that consumers’ perceived objectivity of the process of advertising creation positively influenced machine heuristics which benefited their appreciation of AI-created advertisements, but negatively influenced perceived eeriness which jeopardized that appreciation. Consumers’ feelings of uneasiness with robots were found to positively influence both machine heuristic and perceived eeriness of AI advertising.
Multiple Selves and Multitasking: A Dynamic Longitudinal Study • Shan Xu, Texas Tech University • This study integrates the theory of multiple selves within the theoretical framework of dynamic motivation activation (DMA) to identify the dynamic patterns of multiple self-concepts (i.e., the potential self, the actual self) in multitasking (e.g., primary activities, secondary activities) in daily life. Experience sampling data over three weeks showed that the potential self was more dominant in primary activities, whereas the actual self was more dominant in secondary activities. Dynamic panel modeling results confirmed that these self-concepts reinforced themselves in primary and secondary activities. They also shifted from one to another to achieve a balance in primary activities. Interestingly, secondary activities were not driven by the alternative self-concept in primary activities, but instead by the emotional experiences of primary activities. Furthermore, multitasking to fulfill the actual self did not motivate people to re-prioritize their potential self later.
Adoption of AI-powered news: Integration of technology acceptance and perceived contingency • Jun Zhang, Newhouse School of Syracuse University; Joon Soo Lim, Syracuse University • In the AI era, news audiences’ interaction with news systems brings highly personalized news experience. This study integrates the TAM and perceived contingency model to investigate the adoption of AI-powered news. With a representative survey of 1,369 respondents, the study finds that perceived contingency becomes a critical supplement to perceived usefulness and ease of use to yield favorable attitude and engagement with AI-powered news, thereby lead to the actual use of AI-powered news.
Impact of Interactivity on Satisfaction in Digital Social Reading − Social Presence as a Mediator • Wu Li; Yuanyi Mao; LIUNING ZHOU, University of Southern California • Digital social reading is characterized by interactivity and social presence. We conducted empirical research to better understand the effect of interactivity on users’ reading satisfaction through the mediating effect of social presence. Research findings show that human-to-human interactivity was affected by human-to-text interactivity, and both types of interactivity significantly predicted social presence. Social presence fully mediated human-to-human interactivity and satisfaction, while partially mediating human-to-text interactivity and satisfaction.
Student Paper Competition
“Should I Use Emoticon and GIF?”: The Effect of Emoticon and GIF in Human-Chatbot Interaction • Jin Kang, The Pennsylvania State University; Lewen Wei, Pennsylvania State University • Would human users react favorably after seeing chatbots that use emoticons and GIFs? To address this question, we conducted a 2 (Source: Human vs. Chatbot) x 3 (Cues: GIF vs. Emoticon vs. Text) between-subjects online experiment. We found the important role of machine heuristic, such that those with greater belief in machine heuristic showed favorable outcomes, regardless of a source. Theoretical and design Implications are discussed.
Unpacking the Effects of Social Media Comments on Young Adults’ Body Image Perception • Hye Min Kim, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California • Studies have highlighted the influence of social media comments on users’ perceptual consequences, but if this holds true in body image context is still largely unknown. To investigate the effect of social media comments on young adults’ ideal body perceptions and one’s own body satisfaction, participants (N = 330) were randomly exposed to Instagram body posting with favorable- vs. unfavorable- (to the depicted body) vs. no-comments. Results indicated that social media comments guided the viewers’ perceptions of what is considered as ‘ideal’ body. Viewers of favorable comments to body posting reported greater idealization of the body imagery (i.e., ideal-enhancing effects) whereas viewers of unfavorable comments showed a lower level of idealization (i.e., ideal-derogating effects). Interestingly, the more ideal the body imagery was perceived, the greater the body satisfaction was reported among participants with little self-discrepancy (i.e., perceptual gap between one’s actual- and ideal- selves).
Internet as a context: Exploring its impacts on scientific optimism in China • Chen Luo, Tsinghua University; Yuchun Zhu; Jia Shang • Internet brings new opportunities and challenges to scientific development and science communication, but how the Internet affects public scientific attitudes remains underexplored. Conceptualizing the Internet as a context, this paper examines the Internet’s impacts on the scientific optimism of Chinese people. By combining China’s survey data (n = 2,300) from the sixth round of the World Values Survey and provincial data (24 provinces), multilevel analysis suggests that: 1) Internet as a context weakens scientific optimism of the Chinese public, at the same time, the Internet as a medium has no significant effect. 2) As a quantitative indicator of Internet development, Internet penetration at the provincial level promotes the positive relationship between individual traditional media exposure and scientific optimism. In contrast, the qualitative indicator has no evident moderating effect. This research reveals unique characteristics of Chinese society, provides a piece of empirical evidence on Internet technology’s shaping effects on scientific attitudes in the non-western environment. Explanations of the findings and implications are further discussed.
Exploring Twitter Conversations around Four Brand Categories: A Computational Approach to Identify Dominant Topics and Content Characteristics • Haseon Park, University of Alabama • Extant research on social media advertising suggests that reaching consumers via social media enhances engagement, leading to positive outcomes. In line with previous research, this study identifies dominant topics discussed in different brand networks as well as content characteristics within the theoretical background of Elaboration Likelihood Model and FCB grid model. By incorporating a computational approach, this study contributes to revisiting the application of ELM and FCB grid model in the context of social media advertising.
Flow = Optimal? How Flow Diverts Media Users’ Performance, Enjoyment, and Evaluation in Multiple-Goal Pursuit • Giang V. Pham, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Minh V. Pham • This study conceptualized and tested the diversion effects of flow experiences in media use. Results from an experiment (N = 84) showed that when people have multiple goals, the flow state experienced during video gaming significantly lowered their performance on the subsequent goal and decreased their game enjoyment and evaluation. These findings suggest that in multiple-goal pursuit, media flow could divert people’s resources away from their tasks, causing goal disruption and reduced media enjoyment.
Alexa, What Do You Know: An Investigation of Smart Speakers and Privacy Perceptions • Nicholas Sarafolean, University of Tennessee; Courtney Carpenter Childers • The modern smart home is increasingly connected, and at the center of most smart homes is the smart speaker. These devices produce a rich flood of new data points, offering advertisers an opportunity to gather more detailed data about consumers than ever before. However, with Big Data collection, there are challenges associated with the constant “listening” of smart speakers and privacy threats to children. Smart speakers’ “listening” of young children raises red flags around the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as COPPA allows for data collection but it does not allow the use of such data for advertising purposes. This exploratory study used the qualitative paradigmatic perspective to address experiences with and perceptions of smart speakers in the household with 10 mothers with children under 12 years (n=10). Results highlight that mothers are often struggling with how to best manage household smart speaker use with their kids, privacy and listening concerns are “real,” and smart speaker technologies for kids, such as the Amazon Echo Kids Edition, are blurring the lines between big tech and targeted advertising efforts. Implications for advertisers are discussed.
“There’s a Camera Everywhere”: How Citizen Journalists, Cell Phones, and Technology Shape News Coverage of Police Shootings • Denetra Walker • This study examines how an evolving technological landscape influences how television news journalists cover the issue of deadly, highly-publicized police shootings in the United States. Through 10 in-depth interviews, the author analyzes how social media, cell phones, as well as citizen journalists shape this narrative. Themes include a change in speed and accessibility, accuracy, and a multi-layered challenge to police authority. Practical and theoretical implications on the future digital landscape covering this topic is discussed.
* Extended Abstract * Friendly mistakes: Investigating the relationship between AI error, social cues, and trust in gameplay • Ryan Tan, Penn State University; Mengqi Liao, Penn State University; Ryan Wang, Penn State University • People often interact with technological agents as though they are social actors despite relying on them being free from ‘human error’. Would an artificial intelligence agent that reinforces these expectations by exhibiting social cues then be more/less likely to lose user trust? This study utilizes Structural Equation Modelling to analyze the results of an online game-based experiment to investigate the process by which heuristics potentially mediates the effects interactions of social cues and error.
All About Words: Linguistic Profile of Twitter Users Who Tweet and Retweet About Face-swapping Posts • Lewen Wei, Pennsylvania State University; Jin Kang, The Pennsylvania State University • Through a social network formulated over three months, we examined the relationship between key characteristics of Twitter users and their primary versus secondary self-presentation via face-swapping activities. We found that users who valued friends, showed female preferences, actively engaged with cognitive reappraisals, or were more honest with their self tended to post their own face-swap rather than sharing others’ face-swap on Twitter. Implications for self-identity and self-presentation are discussed.
The Picture of Health on Instagram: Congruent vs. Incongruent Emotion in Predicting the Sentiment of Comments • Jiaxi Wu; Traci Hong • This study aims to explore the effects of congruent and incongruent emotions in Instagram images and captions on the sentiment of comments. A content analysis of Instagram posts (N=7,078) with the hashtag “#mentalhealth” on World Mental Health Day found emotionally congruent posts received more positive comments than incongruent ones. Posts with both positive captions and images attracted the most positive comments compared with other posts. While emotions in captions significantly predicted the sentiment in comments, emotions in images had no effects on the outcome variables. This study also found images containing faces attracted more likes, comments, and positive comments. Images with intimate gaze also led to more positive feedback from users. Theoretical implications of emotional contagion as elicited from images are discussed.
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