Citizen Engagement on Social Media Government Pages: Insights From Nordic Municipalities

Social media use in the United States has been steadily increasing over the past decade as various social media platforms have become the primary channel of online engagement for the American internet user. Today, Americans use social media to communicate with friends, family, and peers, access entertainment and education, engage in various business and commercial activities, and influence the lifestyles of consumers. As the spectrum of purposeful use of social media diversifies, this paper examines geographic patterns of social media adoption, diffusion, and utilization in U.S. counties. Alongside, the paper also examines demographic and socioeconomic determinants of purposeful social media utilization. Overall, the study sheds light on an important aspect of the contemporary digital divide in the United States.To examine purposeful social network and media use, the paper focuses on penetration of popular social media/networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube in U.S. counties. The purpose of use of such platforms – to engage in e-communication, e-commerce, e-entertainment, e-health, and e-education are also examined through the dual lenses of geographic and socioeconomic variations. By borrowing from Adoption-Diffusion Theory (ADT) and Spatially Aware Technology Utilization Model (SATUM), the paper’s conceptual framework posits associations of 18 independent variables with 17 indicators of social media penetration and purposeful usage. Spatial patterns and disparities of social media penetration and purposeful use are analyzed and provide important clues about the geography of the social media digital divide. For example, social media penetration and purposeful use in counties in the U.S. rural south are found to rival counties in the Rocky Mountain States and in some cases exceed counties in urban metropolitan areas in the West- and East Coasts. The presence of spatial bias in social media penetration and use is also diagnosed using spatial autocorrelation analysis. This in turn influences the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression-based analysis of socioeconomic, infrastructural, and social capital underpinnings. For a sample of 3,076 counties in the lower 48 states, leading determinants of purposeful social media use are found to be age structure, urbanization, race/ethnicity and professional, scientific, technical services and overall service sector occupations are found to influence social network access and purposeful use. These findings have important policy implications to broaden the reach and impacts of social media in the U.S.Overall, as the digital divide literature expands its focus from access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) to their actual use and ultimate impact, this study is unique due to its focus on purposeful use of social media. Sourcing data from a variety of public- and private sources, the study focuses on social media usage as well as access and sheds light on county-level disparities and their socioeconomic underpinnings. As purposeful internet use continues to diversify, the findings of this study can inform social media adoption, diffusion, and use policies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that all Americans can participate and engage in online activities and derive benefits in an equitable way.

Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology

Social media platforms have become important over the last decade for nonprofit organizations to communicate with stakeholders, engage with community, and connect with donors. Despite the significance, there is a wide gap in the research on social media adoption and use among community-based nonprofits. To fill this gap, this dissertation examines the diffusion of two popular social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) among community-based nonprofit organizations affiliated with the United Way of America in Florida. The United Way is the largest federated organization of nonprofits and its primary focus is on education, income, and health. Two questions guide this study: (i) What are the principal determinants of the adoption and use of social media in nonprofit organizations? and (ii) How do nonprofits use social media? The conceptual framework for the analysis comprises of three dimensions: technological, environmental, and organizational. These dimensions respectively draw upon three theories: diffusion of innovation theory, resource dependence theory, and institutional theory. As such, the hypothesis is that the adoption and use of social media is influenced by technological, environmental, and internal institutional factors. For the first question, I conducted a survey of nonprofits affiliated with United Way chapters in Florida, and then analyzed the results using multivariate regression analysis. For the second question, I scraped the Facebook pages of United Way chapters and conducted a content analysis of the posts. I also interviewed key officials in these organizations. The regression analysis shows that technological indicators were significant for the adoption of social media, but were not so for social media use. The findings suggest that factors affecting the adoption and use of social media are distinctive. The content analysis shows that nonprofits predominantly use social media to organize and promote events and to collaborate with other organizations. The events and collaboration enhance the organizations’ legitimacy and help with fundraising for targeted purposes. The study’s policy implication is that nonprofits should engage social media specialists to enhance adoption and train the leaders about benefits of social media use. A federated organization like United Way could adopt best practices in encouraging the use of social media.

Older adults have recently begun to adopt social media in increasing numbers. Even so, little is known about the factors influencing older adults’ social media adoption. Here, we identify factors that predict the use of social media among older adults (aged 68–73) and compare them to those of their adult children (aged 19–56) using population-based data from Finland. As predictors for social media use, we utilized demographic factors as well as characteristics of the respondents’ social lives. In addition, we test whether social media use in older adults is predicted by the social media use of their adult children. The data used in this study uniquely enable the study of this question because actual parent-child dyads are identifiable. In both generations, women and those with higher education were more likely to use social media. Predictors specific to men of the older generation were being divorced and younger, and predictors specific to women of the older generation were having better health and more frequent contact with friends. A higher number of children predicted use in both men and women in the older generation. As for the younger generation, specific predictors for social media use in women were younger age, divorce, higher number of children, and more frequent contact with friends. For men in the younger generation, there were no significant predictors for social media use besides higher education, which predicted social media use in all groups. Finally, social media use in a parent representing the older generation was predicted by the social media use of their adult children. This study provides novel information on the predictors of the use of social media in two family generations.

ABSTRACTThe present manuscript presents two tests of the hypothesis that social media use decreases social interaction, leading to decreased well-being. Study 1 used the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (N = 2774), which is a national probability sample of Generation X, to test displacement over a three-year time period. Latent change scores were used to test associations among social media adoption in 2009, social media use in 2011, direct contact frequency across years, in relation to change in well-being. Although social media adoption in 2009 predicted less social contact in 2011, increased social media use between 2009 and 2011 positively predicted well-being. Study 2 used experience sampling with a combined community and undergraduate sample (N = 116). Participants reported on their social interactions and passive social media use (i.e., excluding chat via social media) five times a day over five days. Results indicate that social media use at prior times of day was not associated with future social interaction with close others or with future face-to-face interaction. Passive social media use at prior times predicted lower future well-being only when alone at prior times. Neither study supported the social displacement hypothesis. Several interpretations of results, including a need-based account of social media use, are examined. The challenges of identifying an appropriate time scale to study social displacement are identified as critical question for future research.

Today's rapidly growing use of social media has both positive and negative impacts on people's social lives. Moreover, based on UNESCO data, Indonesian people are very active in using social media. This research aims to The use of social media as a learning medium aims to increase students' interest in learning, improve students' ability to use technology and increase students' awareness in using social media in the context of education. The method used in this research is a quantitative method using a survey model and in-depth interviews with one teacher and students. The results of this study show that social media can be used for learning tools or media. However, in reality, currently there is no maximum use of social networking media. The results of researchers' observations by looking at the growing phenomenon, that the use of social networking media is currently mostly only used by students to be limited to sending messages with friends, playing games (games), and buying goods online. The use of social networking media is currently still not utilized as a learning medium by students. The conclusion of this research is that media in the learning process is an inseparable part of the teaching and learning process in order to achieve an educational goal in general and learning objectives. Strategies to be able to find learning media. The right and appropriate in the learning process can be done by making considerations in the selection of social media. Therefore, the limitation of this study is that researchers only conducted research on the role of the Discovery Learning strategy in Islamic cultural history lessons, researchers hope that future researchers can conduct research on the Discovery Learning strategy by developing this strategy in other subjects.

Youth Social Media Use and Health Outcomes: #diggingdeeper

Cooperative Mentorship: Negotiating Social Media Use within the Family

#trial: clinical research in the age of social media

Mobile devices and social media constitute two rapidly evolving and expanding technologies, adopted and used globally, jointly contributing to shaping a dynamic and highly interactive mobile environment, where vendors can reach customers anytime anywhere. Thus, social media increasingly used on mobile devices emerge as a powerful tool for mobile commerce (m–commerce). This paper aims to investigate social media in the mobile setting and their use in m–commerce. Our objective is to enhance the understanding of customers' perceptions and behaviour regarding m–commerce and the use of social media on mobile devices and also to explore the potential of social media for m–commerce, leveraging the augmenting use of social media on mobile devices. In this direction, the paper presents an exploratory qualitative study on the use of smartphones and social media, in the context of m–commerce. Our results denote the factors that are important for m–commerce and social media adoption on mobile devices as well as for the integration of social media in m–commerce. The paper discusses theoretical and practical issues for the combined use of social media and mobile devices in this promising mobile business context.

Social media use, community participation and psychological well-being among individuals with serious mental illnesses

In recent years, the role of media in individuals’ alcohol consumption has been touched upon by several researchers. Nevertheless, the underlying processes explaining the relationship between media use and alcohol consumption, as well as the differences in strength of the associations between social and traditional media use and alcohol consumption remain understudied. The present exploratory cross-sectional study (N = 381) among emerging adults (M = 21.83, SD = 2.04, 75.3% females, 67.7% college students) examined drinking identity and non-drinking identity as underlying mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol-related media use and alcohol consumption, while comparing the role of social and traditional media in these processes. We found no associations between traditional media use and drinking identity, non-drinking identity or alcohol consumption. In contrast, social media use was both directly and indirectly related to alcohol consumption via drinking identity and non-drinking identity. This demonstrates that social media can play a socializing role in emerging adults’ alcohol consumption.

BackgroundWithin the medical community there is persistent debate as to whether the information available through social media is trustworthy and valid, and whether physicians are ready to adopt these technologies and ultimately embrace them as a format for professional development and lifelong learning.ObjectiveTo identify how physicians are using social media to share and exchange medical information with other physicians, and to identify the factors that influence physicians’ use of social media as a component of their lifelong learning and continuing professional development.MethodsWe developed a survey instrument based on the Technology Acceptance Model, hypothesizing that technology usage is best predicted by a physician’s attitudes toward the technology, perceptions about the technology’s usefulness and ease of use, and individual factors such as personal innovativeness. The survey was distributed via email to a random sample of 1695 practicing oncologists and primary care physicians in the United States in March 2011. Responses from 485 physicians were analyzed (response rate 28.61%).ResultsOverall, 117 of 485 (24.1%) of respondents used social media daily or many times daily to scan or explore medical information, whereas 69 of 485 (14.2%) contributed new information via social media on a daily basis. On a weekly basis or more, 296 of 485 (61.0%) scanned and 223 of 485 (46.0%) contributed. In terms of attitudes toward the use of social media, 279 of 485 respondents (57.5%) perceived social media to be beneficial, engaging, and a good way to get current, high-quality information. In terms of usefulness, 281 of 485 (57.9%) of respondents stated that social media enabled them to care for patients more effectively, and 291 of 485 (60.0%) stated it improved the quality of patient care they delivered. The main factors influencing a physician’s usage of social media to share medical knowledge with other physicians were perceived ease of use and usefulness. Respondents who had positive attitudes toward the use of social media were more likely to use social media and to share medical information with other physicians through social media. Neither age nor gender had a significant impact on adoption or usage of social media.ConclusionsBased on the results of this study, the use of social media applications may be seen as an efficient and effective method for physicians to keep up-to-date and to share newly acquired medical knowledge with other physicians within the medical community and to improve the quality of patient care. Future studies are needed to examine the impact of the meaningful use of social media on physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors in practice.

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social media usage among business-to-business sales professionals in China. Specifically, the authors seek to define and explore the unique ways in which Chinese salespeople use social media, with a special emphasis on the role ofguanxi.Guanxiis a complex cultural construct that revolves around the exchange of favors to build trust and connection for business purposes.Design/methodology/approach– Three in-depth interviews of sales managers from two industries along with survey data from 42 pharmaceutical sales representatives were collected to gain an understanding of the general usage and attitudes toward social media in the sales process in China.Findings– Results indicated that virtually all the salespeople in the sample were highly familiar with social media and integrated it into the sales process. Furthermore, all participants indicated that their companies were highly supportive of the use of social media with their customers. More importantly, salespeople in China view social media as a critical tool in buildingguanxiwith their customers. Findings from this exploratory study are used to create a conceptual framework for understanding the important role of social media in buildingguanxiin China.Research limitations/implications– While the sample is limited to three managerial interviews and 42 survey responses, the data indicated a near universal acceptance and use of social media among Chinese salespeople. Most importantly, social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct ofguanxithat is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China.Practical implications– The structural challenges within China make trust and emotional connection essential to any potential business relationship. Trust is at the core ofguanxi. Any firm hoping to succeed in China must understandguanxiand the use of Chinese social media to help build it. This study adds to the knowledge and understanding ofguanxiand begins to elucidate the uses of social media as a tool to build and maintain it.Social implications– Social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct ofguanxithat is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China. This study deepens our understanding of not onlyguanxibut also how the modern phenomenon of social media is affecting it.Originality/value– This is one of very few studies to investigate the use of social media among salesforces in China. More importantly, the authors know of no other study linking social media withguanxi.

BackgroundSince its outbreak in January 2020, COVID-19 has quickly spread worldwide and has become a global pandemic. Social media platforms have been recognized as important tools for health-promoting practices in public health, and the use of social media is widespread among the public. However, little is known about the effects of social media use on health promotion during a pandemic such as COVID-19.ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to explore the predictive role of social media use on public preventive behaviors in China during the COVID-19 pandemic and how disease knowledge and eHealth literacy moderated the relationship between social media use and preventive behaviors.MethodsA national web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted by a proportionate probability sampling among 802 Chinese internet users (“netizens”) in February 2020. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions were employed to examine and explore the relationships among all the variables.ResultsAlmost half the 802 study participants were male (416, 51.9%), and the average age of the participants was 32.65 years. Most of the 802 participants had high education levels (624, 77.7%), had high income >¥5000 (US $736.29) (525, 65.3%), were married (496, 61.8%), and were in good health (486, 60.6%). The average time of social media use was approximately 2 to 3 hours per day (mean 2.34 hours, SD 1.11), and the most frequently used media types were public social media (mean score 4.49/5, SD 0.78) and aggregated social media (mean score 4.07/5, SD 1.07). Social media use frequency (β=.20, P<.001) rather than time significantly predicted preventive behaviors for COVID-19. Respondents were also equipped with high levels of disease knowledge (mean score 8.15/10, SD 1.43) and eHealth literacy (mean score 3.79/5, SD 0.59). Disease knowledge (β=.11, P=.001) and eHealth literacy (β=.27, P<.001) were also significant predictors of preventive behaviors. Furthermore, eHealth literacy (P=.038) and disease knowledge (P=.03) positively moderated the relationship between social media use frequency and preventive behaviors, while eHealth literacy (β=.07) affected this relationship positively and disease knowledge (β=–.07) affected it negatively. Different social media types differed in predicting an individual’s preventive behaviors for COVID-19. Aggregated social media (β=.22, P<.001) was the best predictor, followed by public social media (β=.14, P<.001) and professional social media (β=.11, P=.002). However, official social media (β=.02, P=.597) was an insignificant predictor.ConclusionsSocial media is an effective tool to promote behaviors to prevent COVID-19 among the public. Health literacy is essential for promotion of individual health and influences the extent to which the public engages in preventive behaviors during a pandemic. Our results not only enrich the theoretical paradigm of public health management and health communication but also have practical implications in pandemic control for China and other countries.