Comparing social media use,discussion, political trust and political engagement among university students in China and Hong Kong: an application of the O–S–R–O–R model

Adopting the Orientation–Stimuli–Reasoning–Orientation–Response (O–S–R–O–R) model of political communication effects, this study examines the mediating roles of online/offline political discussion and political trust on the relationship between social media information seeking and online/offline political participation in China and Hong Kong. Findings through structural equation modeling showed that the relationship between information seeking and online participation was mediated by online discussion for both samples. Moreover, the relationship between information seeking and offline participation was mediated by offline discussion, and offline discussion mediated the relationship between information seeking and online participation. Political trust did not mediate any of the relationships in China and Hong Kong and all significant paths involving political trust were negative. Implications of the findings for youth political participation in China and Hong Kong are discussed.     

Blame or Shame: The Search for Online Support and Stigma Origin Among Israeli Childless Women

This study employed the uses and gratifications approach to examine the role of online support forums in coping with the stigma of childlessness in Israel. The study compared two online support groups: one for Israeli women with fertility issues and another for Israeli women who are voluntarily childless. A quantitative content analysis was used to examine the frequency of support message types, and in-depth interviews with group members were used to examine members’ motivations for seeking these support types. The origin of the childlessness stigma carried great influence in the search for social support. Fertility forum members searched significantly more for information and emotional support to cope with a condition they felt was being forced on them and that was also perceived by society. However, voluntarily childless forum members sought significantly more for esteem and network support to cope with the social isolation stemming from unfavorable views toward their reproductive choice.     

Effects of perceived online–offline integration and internet censorship on mobile government microblogging service continuance: A gratification perspective

The success of government social media relies on citizens' continual usage. Through the theoretical lens of the Uses & Gratifications theory, we develop a research model for mobile government microblogging services (GMS) continuance intention, in which citizens' perceived integration of online and offline social lives and internet censorship are incorporated. Based on data from 629 mobile GMS users in China, the results of the structural equation modeling analysis show that perceived online–offline integration has a significant and positive effect on the three dimensions of gratification: content gratification, social gratification, and process gratification, which jointly influence mobile GMS continuance. Citizens' perceived internet censorship negatively affects their mobile GMS continuance. These results might provide understanding about the unique aspects of government social media, especially in the context of internet censorship.     

老年人网络健康信息查寻行为影响因素研究

[目的/意义] 探索网络环境下我国老年人健康信息查寻行为的影响因素,构建相关概念框架模型,为更合理化地开展老年人健康信息服务予以理论指引和支撑.[方法/过程]采用半结构访谈法收集35位老年人在网络环境下进行健康信息查寻活动的相关数据,通过扎根理论归纳出影响老年人网络健康信息查寻行为的14个概念范畴并聚焦为4个核心范畴.基于对概念范畴的分析,指出影响老年人网络健康信息查寻行为的4个主要因素,并构建网络健康信息查寻行为影响因素模型.[结果/结论]个人心理因素、个人实施成本、信息因素和社会因素是影响老年人网络健康信息查寻行为的主要因素.其中,个人心理因素和个人实施成本是内部因素,直接决定老年人网络健康信息查寻行为模式;信息因素、社会因素是外部情境条件,分别影响着内部因素与信息查寻行为之间的关系强度.     

Digitally Savvy Citizenship: The Role of Internet Skills and Engagement in Young Adults' Political Participation around the 2008 Presidential Election

Popular narratives assume that digital media play a central role mobilizing voters and especially young adults. Based on unique survey data of a diverse group or young adults from Spring, 2009, we consider the relationship between differentiated internet uses, and online and offline political engagement around the time of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Thanks to our rich data set, we are able to consider both online and offline activities while taking into consideration more traditional measures. Our findings suggest that online forms of political engagement complement offline engagement. The pathways to young adults' political participation remain relatively stable. We also find an association between Internet skills, social network site usage and greater levels of engagement. These findings imply that although Internet usage alone is unlikely to transform existing patterns in political participation radically, it may facilitate the creation of new pathways for engagement.     

Dealing with the Demands: Strategies Healthcare Communication Professionals Use to Cope with Workplace Stress

This study examines how healthcare communication professionals (HCPs) cope with workplace stress while working in an inherently stressful industry. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 HCPs (14 females, 3 males) from seven nonprofit and for-profit hospitals in the midwestern and eastern regions of the United States. Communication positions held by participants included marketing, media/community relations, public information, public relations, corporate communication, and social media. Interviews revealed HCPs use four strategies to cope with workplace stress: prioritizing, seeking colleague support, keeping perspective, and being active. HCPs primarily relied on employee-centered coping strategies, even though all sources of stress were organizationally-based (i.e., workload, lack of resources, client confidentiality). The majority of HCPs emphasized the benefits of using problem-centered (i.e., prioritizing) and emotion-centered (i.e., seeking colleague support) coping strategies. Although mentioned less often, HCPs utilized more avoidance-centered coping strategies (i.e., keeping perspective, being active). More importantly, they highlighted the benefits of using avoidance-centered strategies to help them mentally and physically disengage from workplace stress. Hospital administration should reassess if, and how, they help HCPs effectively cope with workplace stress (i.e., outlets, programs, professional development opportunities) in order to improve the well-being of HCPs and increase the likelihood of organizational success.     

Dual Screening: Examining Social Predictors and Impact on Online and Offline Political Participation Among Taiwanese Internet Users

This study investigates how social factors affect Taiwanese Internet users’ dual screening use and its impact on online and offline political participation. The Web survey recruits 961 dual screen users. Structural equation modeling results show that bridging social capital and perceived social presence are significantly associated with dual screening use. Dual screening is positively related to online and offline political participation. Dual screening use strongly influences offline political participation when mediated by online political participation. Moreover, alternative media trust is positively related to online political participation, whereas mainstream media trust shows a negative association.     

The relationship between the online social anxiety,perceived information overload and fatigue,and job engagement of civil servant LINE users

In today's organizations, employees have an ever-growing variety of Instant Messaging (IM) technology to use to assist with the performance of their work activities. The use of an instant messenger (LINE) is popular in the government sector where immediate responses due to public pressure are expected; however, very little is known about the role of LINE in civil servants' work and its impact on their experiences. To address this gap, based on the media richness theory, this study aims to explore workers' online social anxiety, LINE cognitive fatigue (LCF) and perceived information overload of IM (PIOIM) affecting their job engagement. The data used in this study were collected from 429 civil servants in Taiwan via an online survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that online social anxiety is positively related to LCF and PIOIM. Respondents with higher LCF and PIOIM are less likely to be involved in job activities. Online social anxiety is negatively related to job engagement mediated by LCF and PIOIM. Considering the flexibility of using IM in communicating public affairs between civil servants, the flood of messages has to be reduced in order to increase job engagement.     

Fear of Isolation and Perceived Affordances: The Spiral of Silence on Social Networking Sites Regarding Police Discrimination

The spiral of silence (SoS) framework elaborates the factors that determine whether individuals are willing to express their opinions in public. Although previous scholarship has examined differences in between face-to-face and computer-mediated communication, research studies have rarely tested how perceived affordances of the channel influence whether individuals express opinions or self-censor. In this study (N = 399), we examine several propositions of SoS within the context of discussing police discrimination on Facebook. To extend the theory’s relevance to social networking sites, we examined how users’ perceptions of network association, social presence, anonymity, and persistence related to opinion expression. Findings indicate support for some of the theory’s original tenets, as well as the role of multiple perceived affordances in determining whether people will express an opinion to their online social network. We discuss the implications for measuring and understanding political expression and silencing on social media as well as offline.     

Support providers' interaction goals: the influence of attributions and emotions

The current study examines cognitive and emotional influences on the formation of interaction goals. Specifically, it develops and assesses an extension of Weiner's attribution-emotion-intention model of helping (e.g., Weiner, 1995) to the prediction of support providers' goals. 608 college students read situations manipulating attributions of responsibility, stability, and effort with regard to a friend who was seeking support. They subsequently responded to measures of emotional response (anger, sympathy), interaction goals, and attributions. Attributions were found to influence goals both directly and through the mediation of emotion, though the character of this influence depended strongly on the goal. The results suggest that at least some variability in the effectiveness and sensitivity of supportive communication can be explained by support providers' goals. They also indicate the need for continued, closer examination of cognitive and emotional influences on interaction goals and behaviors.     

Understanding citizens' perception of government fiscal information through a survey experiment

State and local governments regularly disclose financial information to the public so that the current financial status of the government is recognized publicly. The purpose of such disclosure is to achieve accountability and inform citizens about governments' financial decisions. Despite the efforts to improve the accessibility and readability of financial information, we do not know whether and how the financial information is processed by citizens. This study investigates how citizens assess the financial condition of governments when different financial information is presented. We conduct an online survey experiment to understand how disclosed financial information shapes citizens' perceived level of a government's fiscal stress and their attitudes toward governments' revenue-raising strategies. We find that citizens prioritize the financial indicators that they are familiar with, such as debt and surplus ratios. While both historical and social reference points play an important role, social reference is more effective in influencing citizens' perception. We only find limited evidence to support the relationship between citizens' perception of fiscal stress and their support toward governments' decisions to raise revenues.     

Citizen–government collaboration on social media: The case of Twitter in the 2011 riots in England

How social media can enable opportunities for collaboration between citizens and governments is an evolving issue in theory and practice. This paper examines the dynamic aspects of collaboration in the context of the 2011 riots in England. In August 2011, parts of London and other cities in England suffered from extensive disorder and even loss of human lives. Based on a dataset of 1746 posts by 81 local government Twitter accounts during or shortly after the riots, we explore how local authorities attempted to reduce the effects of the riots and support community recovery. Using Twitter's conversational and rapid update features, they produced a variety of informational and actionable messages with clear calls for offline or online action. In some cases, collective against the riots evolved in a mutual way: not only citizens were mobilized by local authorities, but also local authorities actively promoted actions initiated by citizens.     

Pathways to Expressive and Collective Participation: Usage Patterns,Political Efficacy,and Political Participation in Social Networking Sites

This study assesses differences in use of social networking sites (SNSs) and relates them to different patterns of political participation, media use motivations, and political efficacy. Based on a Web survey of 1,230 South Korean voters, it finds that informational uses of SNSs are positively associated with expressive participation both online and offline, but not with collective participation. The use of SNSs for social interaction purposes was associated only with online expressive participation. Recreational uses had a negative or insignificant relationship with expressive and collective participation. Political efficacy moderated the impact of social interaction uses of SNSs on expressive participation both online and offline. The findings suggest that the political impact of SNSs is mostly limited to expressive participation and dependent upon users' motivations.     

Recipients' criteria for evaluating the skillfulness of comforting communication and the outcomes of comforting interactions

This paper reports on a two-part investigation of people's criteria for evaluating (a) how skillful comforting behavior is, and (b) the outcomes of comforting interactions for distressed persons. In Study 1, individuals were interviewed regarding their experiences in comforting interactions. These interviews, along with previous comforting message research, were used to generate items representing "skillful" comforting behavior and possible outcomes from comforting interactions. These items comprised the questionnaire used in the second study. In Study 2, participants reported on an interaction in which they had been comforted by a friend. Participants rated the comforting behaviors of their friends and the outcomes they experienced following the interaction. In terms of skillfulness of the comfort providers' behavior, five factors emerged: Other Orientation, Problem Solving, Relating, Refraining from General Negativity, and Different Perspective. Three distinct criteria emerged in evaluations of the outcomes of comforting interactions: the recipients' Positive Mood following the comforting, the Empowerment they experienced, and the degree to which they had Stopped Rumination about their problem. Multiple regression analyses revealed the utility of the skillfulness criteria in predicting the outcomes experienced by distressed persons. The results are discussed in terms of theories and research on coping, social support, and comforting messages.     

线上线下社会资本与社会化问答行为的关系研究——以知乎医学和健康话题为例

[目的/意义]旨在探究线下社会资本水平不同的用户,在问答社区中累积的社会资本和问答社区行为是否存在差异。[方法/过程]以知乎网10个医学、健康类话题的6 927名用户为研究对象,借助职业声望、院校排名对其线下社会资本进行编码和排序,分析不同线下社会资本用户的线上社会资本积累和社区行为模式的特点。[结果/结论]部分线下社会资本如毕业院校名誉度与线上社会资本存在正向关联,但职业声望高低则与线上社会资本无关;线上结构性社会资本高的用户,其提问数量、专栏文章数量和关注人数较高,而线上认知性资本高的用户,其回答数量和专栏文章数量较高。这些结果有助于网站管理者识别、关注核心用户、优化用户激励制度,但样本用户为医学、健康话题参与者,结论普适性还有待验证。     

Communicating Social Support in Computer-mediated Contexts: A Meta-analytic Review of Content Analyses Examining Support Messages Shared Online among Individuals Coping with Illness

Research on social support during the past two decades has been marked by a growth in scholarship examining supportive communication in computer-mediated contexts among individuals coping with illness. In an effort to summarize and advance this body of research, a meta-analytic review of content analyses was conducted. Across the 41 content analyses examining social support messages shared in health-related contexts online, informational and emotional support messages were most prevalent. Additionally, the prevalence of particular types of support messages varied based on several stressor dimensions relevant to illness. Nurturant forms of support were more common among content analyses examining health conditions likely to threaten personal relationships as well as among content analyses focusing on health conditions with a greater potential for loss in the form of death. Action-facilitating types of support were more common among content analyses examining more chronic conditions. The findings from this project offer insights about the nuanced ways in which computer-mediated communication is used as a resource for coping with illness.     

Second Screening Donald Trump: Conditional Indirect Effects on Political Participation

As second screening becomes more widespread, this study addresses its mediating role on the impact of TV news in political participation online and offline, and how this impact varies across groups. We expand the existing line of research by assessing the moderating role of support for Donald Trump on the established mediated model. Through a cross-lagged autoregressive panel survey design applied to the communication mediation model, our results support the link between second screening and political participation—but the mediating role of second screening is contingent upon attitudes towards Trump. For those who do not view Trump favorably, second screening during news leads to a decrease in political participation, both online and offline. As such, this article adds to the communication mediation model by suggesting that discussion and elaboration may not always be positive antecedents to political participation. When individuals disagree with the message dominating TV news and social media, deliberation via second screening leads to political disengagement.     

Risk,affect, and policy support: public perception of air pollution in China

Air pollution is a critical environmental problem that has spurred great public concern in China. This study examines how issue salience, environmental value, risk perception, and affective response influence information seeking, objective knowledge, and policy support related to this issue. The recent release of a controversial environmental documentary on Chinese social media, Under the Dome, also prompted us to explore the impact of exposure to this documentary on Chinese social media users’ information seeking and policy support related to air pollution. Results showed that risk perception and negative affect influenced information seeking and policy support both directly and indirectly. Also, exposure to the documentary moderated the effects of key variables on information seeking and policy support. However, contrary to our expectations, no significant relationship was found between information seeking and objective knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.     

Children's information seeking in coping with daily-life problems: An investigation of fifth- and sixth-grade students

Researchers have increasingly paid attention to the personal and emotional growth of youth. However, little research has examined how exactly young people use or seek information for their personal development and growth. The primary goal of this study, therefore, was to explore the students' use of “information seeking” to cope with their day-to-day personal stressors and problems. The sample consisted of 641 children in fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms from an urban public elementary school in Taiwan. Data were collected through semistructured, open-ended surveys. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data. This study found that in coping with daily-life problems, nearly two-thirds of the participating children would seek information; that sixth graders were more likely to do so; and that gender did not make information seeking more (or less) probable in this coping context. Findings also revealed some major reasons for children's information seeking in this coping context, for example, to solve problems, to escape, and to find a transition. Finally, five major different information seeking behaviors related to coping emerged from the findings: information seeking for problem solving, information seeking to escape, information seeking for a transition, information seeking to change mood, and information avoidance, which can be used as a platform to develop an explanatory and possibly predictive framework for future studies.     

基于混合图的在线社交网络朋友推荐算法

针对在线社交网络朋友推荐问题,尝试融合多个社会网络为一个混合图模型,采用基于混合图模型的重启动随机游走算法,为用户提供个性化的朋友推荐,并通过参数调节多个网络的权重。实验表明,该算法提高了在线社交网络朋友推荐的准确性。