Comparative political communication research in the digital epoch: A typology of national communication spaces

Abstract

This study makes a systematic effort to connect digital communication research with comparative political analysis. It explores the concurrence of global influence and national resilience in digital spheres, integrating the homogenizing tendencies of networked connectedness and globalization with heterogeneous configurations of national political communication spaces, which are strongly influenced by enduring social contexts. Drawing on the process-oriented actor-connector-interlocutor model, this study uses three sets of indicators to classify national political communication spaces. It conceptualizes three distinctive types of political communication spaces – “symmetrical and fully-fledged,” “vigorous but censored,” and “infertile and unresponsive” – and identifies their characteristics, internal logics, and their linkages to other communication spaces. It offers a systematic and applicable framework that may be used in future studies on cross-national comparisons of political communication processes in digital spheres.     

Engaging Gen Y Customers in Online Brand Communities: A Cross-National Assessment

Global retail brands find it vital to engage Generation Y (Gen Y) customers through firm-hosted online brand communities (OBCs) for generating actionable insights; this study advances customer engagement (CE) frameworks in this setting. First, we draw on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory to introduce OBC website quality (termed OBC-SiteQUAL), alongside brand involvement as a customer resource input, to shape an expanded quadripartite CE conceptualisation. Second, using multi-country data, we test the validity of the OBC-SiteQUAL and CE measurement models, and the theoretical framework. Results indicate that the newly conceived OBC-SiteQUAL construct, underpinned by various web-based cues related to affective elements, brand interaction and customer-to-customer interaction, positively influences CE, whereas brand involvement partially influences CE. Third, we examine how these variables translate to behavioural loyalty outcomes. Empirically, a consistent pattern across the country samples indicates that OBC-SiteQUAL can affect behavioural loyalty by enhancing CE. Thus, we reliably confirm the mediating effect of CE (O) between OBC-SiteQUAL (S) and behavioural loyalty (R). Fourth, we found that the impact of OBC-SiteQUAL and brand involvement on CE differs between younger and older Gen Y consumers. These findings inform the optimisation of precise digital content marketing activities to enhance customer-brand relationships.     

科学传播的科学——科学传播研究的新阶段

传统的科学传播研究主要依托科学社会学、科学技术与社会等学术背景,侧重于考察和反思科学传播过程中的权力关系。在科学传播研究经历了30年发展后,原来忽略这一领域的传播学研究者,正在以社会科学(如心理学)的理论、方法和成果为基础,推动科学传播的科学化。这些学者考察了人类接受科学信息的心理机制、科学政治化对人们掌握科学的影响、价值和信任在公众接受科学知识方面所发挥的作用及其测度、以及基于实证研究的科学传播解决方案。科学传播的科学对于走向快速发展轨道的中国科学传播领域具有重要的意义。     

E-government and citizen's engagement with local affairs through e-websites: The case of Spanish municipalities

As a mixture of new technologies, processes and services oriented to the citizen, e-government has become one of the most important keywords for the public sector reform with proponents claiming that it guarantees transparency, accountability and better communication between local and national administrations and their public. Few if any studies have investigated the factors that might contribute to the establishment of trusting relationship between city councils and citizens. This paper examines the relative importance and significance of three types of information communication technologies (ICTs) towards the use of e-government and the development of civic engagement. We conduct an empirical investigation of 179 Spanish official town websites (web sites in the municipalities). The research findings suggest that implementing ICT not only involves a step towards an increase in the use of e-government services by people, but also provides numerous opportunities for their civic engagement. The main conclusion of this study is that although ICT can leverage the adoption of e-government, it cannot create alone engagement with traditional activities of the local government. What is missing from this relationship is a mediating variable (adoption of e-government by government officers), which in turn can greatly help to better understand how ICT impacts relationships between governments and their citizens.     

The digital marketing skills gap: Developing a Digital Marketer Model for the communication industries

Scholarly literature suggests digital marketing skills gaps in industry, but these skills gaps are not clearly identified. The research aims to specify any digital marketing skills gaps encountered by professionals working in communication industries. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 20 communication industry professionals. A focus group followed, testing the rigour of the data.     

Three steps in knowledge communication: the emergence of knowledge transformers

The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the role of gatekeeper in R&D organizations through the data collected from a midium-sized machine tool firm. Although the related literature points out (1) information gathering and (2) information transmitting functions as main roles of gatekeeper, this paper further suggests (3) knowledge transforming function that has to be executed within R&D organizations. We will argue that since the latter function often requires distinctive skills that impede information gathering activities, there emerges a three-step flow of communication instead of a two-step flow of communication. We define persons fulfilling this new role as a knowledge transformer, and related testable hypotheses are derived. The latter part of this paper proposes new measuring methods that identify knowledge transformers and test these hypotheses.     

The dynamic effect of interactivity on customer engagement behavior through tie strength: Evidence from live streaming commerce platforms

Interactivity, which is a key characteristic of the live streaming commerce environment, fosters users’ active attitudes and behaviors in communications and transactions. However, the literature on live streaming commerce, is scarce, and few studies examine how interactivity influences customers’ non-transactional behaviors from a dynamic perspective. In this setting, based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, we developed a research model using real-time data to investigate the dynamic effect of interactivity on customer engagement behavior through tie strength in live streaming commerce, which is a relatively new derivative of social commerce. This study developed a text mining method to quantify constructs using a large-scale sample of 3,500,445 online review texts. Our empirical study found that interactivity has a curvilinear relationship with customer engagement behavior. Besides, tie strength plays an intermediary role between interactivity and customer engagement behavior. It was further observed that both tenure of membership and popularity have an important moderating relationship between interactivity and tie strength. The study enriches the relationship marketing theory and live streaming commerce literature. Moreover, this study is one of the first studies to use real-time online data for live streaming commerce research.     

Being old in an always-on culture: Older people's perceptions and experiences of online communication

Research on the digital divide has moved beyond connectivity to skills and usage disparities. Yet for many older people lack of connectivity remains a challenge, and for those who do have access, skills and usage remain an issue. We report findings of an in-depth qualitative study of older people's perceptions of online communications and also their actual experiences. Findings indicate that older people who are already socially well connected benefit from online communication more than those who are not.     

The basis for bibliomining: Frameworks for bringing together usage-based data mining and bibliometrics through data warehousing in digital library services

Over the past few years, data mining has moved from corporations to other organizations. This paper looks at the integration of data mining in digital library services. First, bibliomining, or the combination of bibliometrics and data mining techniques to understand library services, is defined and the concept explored. Second, the conceptual frameworks for bibliomining from the viewpoint of the library decision-maker and the library researcher are presented and compared. Finally, a research agenda to resolve many of the common bibliomining issues and to move the field forward in a mindful manner is developed. The result is not only a roadmap for understanding the integration of data mining in digital library services, but also a template for other cross-discipline data mining researchers to follow for systematic exploration in their own subject domains.     

Capturing information on technology convergence,international collaboration,and knowledge flow from patent documents: A case of information and communication technology

In addressing persistent gaps in existing theories, recent advances in data-driven research approaches offer novel perspectives and exciting insights across a spectrum of scientific fields concerned with technological change and the socio-economic impact thereof. The present investigation suggests a novel approach to identify and analyze the evolution of technology sectors, in this case, information and communications technology (ICT), considering international collaboration patterns and knowledge flows and spillovers via information inputs derived from patent documents.The objective is to utilize and explore information regarding inventors’ geo-location, technology sector classifications, and patent citation records to construct various types of networks. This, in turn, will open up avenues to discover the nature of evolutionary pathways in ICT trajectories and will also provide evidence of how the overall ICT knowledge space, as well as directional knowledge flows within the ICT space, have evolved differently. It is expected that this data-driven inquiry will deliver intuitive results for decision makers seeking evidence for future resource allocation and who are interested in identifying well-suited collaborators for the development of potential next-generation technologies. Further, it will equip researchers in technology management, economic geography, or similar fields with a systematic approach to analyze evolutionary pathways of technological advancements and further enable exploitation and development of new theories regarding technological change and its socio-economic consequences.     

基于两级传播理论的在线健康社区意见领袖交互行为研究——以百度“自闭症吧”为例

[目的/意义]通过对在线健康社区意见领袖交互行为的分析,探讨其识别、特征、影响和作用,为社区的良好运转和管理提供建议。[方法/过程]构建两级传播理论下的在线健康社区意见领袖模型,并以百度"自闭症吧"数据为例,结合社会网络分析方法研究社区整体网络特征、意见领袖个体网络特征和用户间交互网络。[结果/结论]百度"自闭症吧"整体网络中间密集,边缘稀疏,具有小世界效应;通过中心度分析及k核分析发现识别出的意见领袖各项个体指标数值均偏高,处在整体网络核心位置,有效连接信息传播两级,推动信息在来源层、意见领袖层和受众层间稳定流动,为其他用户提供帮助鼓励;验证了所建模型并根据研究发现提出两点针对性建议。