From Emotion to Action: AURORA’s Sentiment-Based Model for Tourism Decisions

Purpose This study aims to explore the nexus between tourist’s characteristics and the changing intensity of social media’s impact on tourist decision-making among Indian tourists. A group-based comparison is done in this exploratory study; the basis of groups is the tourist’s characteristics which signifies their different types such as social media type, user type, traveller type and destination type. India, which is a huge market for tourists and social media users, is explored for this study. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an exploratory design where an attempt is made to analyse if the intensity of social media impact on their decision-making changes with different types of tourists. For this purpose, primary data analysis using Partial Least Squares Regression based Multi Group Analysis (PLS-MGA) is performed on 488 Indian Tourists which was collected using a structured online questionnaire. The groups have been divided according to tourist characteristics signifying different types like social media type, user type, traveller type and destination type. Findings Social media usage frequency and travel frequency have no moderating effect on social media’s impact on tourist decision-making. But social media type partially moderates decision-making with changing impact on the need recognition, information search and post purchase behaviour stages. Destination type also partially moderates with an impact on post purchase behaviour stage of tourist decision-making. Thus, it can be said that different types of tourists are impacted differently by social media across various stages of decision-making. Originality/value This is a novel study that for the first time explores the changes in the impact of social media on tourist decision-making through changes in their own personal characteristics. Also, it provides real-time insights for tourism marketing for Indian market which has huge potential due to Indians being avid travellers and users of social media.

All you need is a (heuristic) cue?: An Empirical Investigation of the Use of Social Media Cues and Features and Underlying Mechanisms for Credibility Judgments of News and Political Communication

False content in microblogs affects users’ judgment of facts. An evaluation of microblog content credibility can find false information as soon as possible, which ensures that social networks maintain a positive environment. The influence of sentiment polarity can be used to analyze the correlation between sentiment polarity in comments and Weibo content through semantic features and sentiment features in comments, to improve the effect of content credibility assessment. This paper proposes a Weibo content credibility evaluation model, CEISP (Credibility Evaluation based on the Influence of Sentiment Polarity). The semantic features of microblog content are extracted by a bidirectional-local information processing network. Bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) is used to mine the sentiment features of comments. The attention mechanism is used to capture the impact of different sentiment polarities in comments on microblog content, and the influence of sentiment polarities is obtained for the credibility assessment of microblog content. The experimental results on real datasets show that the evaluation performance of the CEISP model is improved compared with the comparison model. Compared with the existing Att-BiLSTM model, the evaluation accuracy of the CEISP model is improved by 0.0167.

Understanding and predicting Web content credibility using the Content Credibility Corpus

As health misinformation continues to permeate social media, it is of utmost importance to understand how credibility assessments are made among those most vulnerable to health inequities. Dual-processing models suggest that online credibility assessments are largely made through the use of cognitive heuristics. However, little is known about the role cultural identity plays in these assessments, particularly in light of health (mis)information exposure among communities of color. This mixed-methods study explores the role of culture and cognitive heuristics in how a sample of Latinos/as assessed the credibility of cancer prevention and screening information on Facebook, and the quality of cancer information they were exposed to on their accounts. Participants (N = 20) logged onto their Facebook account, entered the search term “cancer,” and walked-through 12 months of cancer-related posts that appeared on their News Feed. When cancer screening and prevention information engagement was recalled, participants were asked if/how they assessed information credibility. Computer screen and audio were recorded. Interviews were analyzed thematically, and the content and scientific credibility of claims in posts were assessed. Despite the majority of posts being coded as having low/very low scientific credibility, credibility assessments were not always accurate. Most participants only verified the accuracy of content when they deemed it important/relevant, instead relying on cognitive heuristics interpreted through a cultural lens to assess (mis)information. Findings highlight the instrumental role of culture in the heuristic interpretation of source and content credibility among Latinos/as, emphasizing the importance of explicitly including culture in theoretical models that explore how individuals assess credibility on social media.

PurposeThis article aims to elaborate the context-sensitive nature of credibility assessment by examining how such judgments are made in online discussion in times of uncertainty caused by Finland's intent to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in spring 2022.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical findings draw on the qualitative content analysis of 3,324 posts submitted to a Finnish online discussion in February–March 2022. It was examined how the participants of online discussion assess the credibility of information sources referred to in debates on the NATO membership. It is assumed that the believability of the author of information is indicative of his or her expert power, for example based on the credentials of a scholar, while the credibility of information content, for example the provision of factual evidence is indicative of the source's informational power.FindingsPolitical decision-makers, particularly the President of Finland were assessed as most credible information sources, due to their access to confidential knowledge and long-time experience in politics. The credibility assessments differed more strongly while judging the believability of researchers. On the one hand, their expertise was praised; on the other hand, doubts were presented about their partiality. Fellow participants of online discussion were assessed most negatively because information sources of these types are associated with low expert and informational power.Research limitations/implicationsAs the study concentrated on credibility assessments made in a Finnish online discussion group, the findings cannot be extended to concern the credibility judgments occurring information in other contexts.Originality/valueThe study is among the first to characterize the role of expert and informational power in credibility assessment in times of uncertainty.

Prior to the global pandemic, wildlife tourism was increasing rapidly globally but was in the early stages of development in China, where it faces great challenges and opportunities. Women comprise a substantial proportion of the market but their decision-making behavior and their perceptions of risk in wildlife tourism have not yet been explored. This paper explores relationships between risk perception and decision-making in tourism. A survey of female tourists was undertaken at non-captive and semi-captive wildlife sites in western China, as well as through internet website posting, resulting in 415 completed questionnaires. Quantitative methods were used to examine four sequential stages of decision-making in wildlife tourism: destination selection, trip itinerary, travel mode and security assurance, and entertainment consumption. Three dimensions of risk perception in wildlife tourism were identified: physical safety, personal comfort, and quality of experience. Decision-making behavior and risk perceptions are related. Perceived risks greatly impact tourists’ travel mode and security assurance decisions. The higher the perceived risk, the greater the likelihood of female tourists participating in decisions on destination selection, travel methods and other entertainment activities undertaken on their wildlife tourism trips. Concerns regarding personal comfort positively influence destination selection, the trip itinerary, and recreation and consumption decisions. Assurance of acquiring a quality experience influences entertainment consumption decisions. The study contributes to the understanding of risk, decision-making behavior and gender research, and confirms the practical importance of safety considerations at wildlife destinations.

Aim/Purpose: To examine how positive/negative message framing – based on peripheral cues (regarding popularity, source, visuals, and hyperlink) – affects perceptions of credibility of scientific information posted on social networking sites (in this case, Facebook), while exploring the mechanisms of viewing the different components. Background: Credibility assessment of information is a key skill in today's information society. However, it is a demanding cognitive task, which is impossible to perform for every piece of online information. Additionally, message framing — that is, the context and approach used to construct information— may impact perceptions of credibility. In practice, people rely on various cues and cognitive heuristics to determine whether they think a piece of content is true or not. In social networking sites, content is usually enriched by additional information (e.g., popularity), which may impact the users' perceived credibility of the content. Methodology: A quantitative controlled experiment was designed (N=19 undergraduate students), collecting fine grained data with an eye tracking camera, while analyzing it using transition graphs. Contribution: The findings on the mechanisms of that process, enabled by the use of eye tracking data, point to the different roles of specific peripheral cues, when the message is overall peripherally positive or negative. It also contributes to the theoretical literature on framing effects in science communication, as it highlights the peripheral cues that make a strong frame. Findings: The positively framed status was perceived, as expected from the Elaboration Likelihood Model, more credible than the negatively framed status, demonstrating the effects of the visual framing. Differences in participants' mechanisms of assessing credibility between the two scenarios were evident in the specific ways the participants examined the various status components. Recommendations for Practitioners: As part of digital literacy education, major focus should be given to the role of peripheral cues on credibility assessment in social networking sites. Educators should emphasize the mechanisms by which these cues interact with message framing, so Internet users would be encouraged to reflect upon their own credibility assessment skills, and eventually improve them. Recommendation for Researchers: The use of eye tracking data may help in collecting and analyzing fine grained data on credibility assessment processes, and on Internet behavior at large. The data shown here may shed new light on previously studied phenomena, enabling a more nuanced understanding of them. Impact on Society: In an era when Internet users are flooded with information that can be created by virtually anyone, credibility assessment skills have become ever more important, hence the prominence of this skill. Improving citizens' assessment of information credibility — to which we believe this study contributes — results on a greater impact on society. Future Research: The role of peripheral cues and of message framing should be studied in other contexts (not just scientific news) and in other platforms. Additional peripheral cues not tested here should be also taken into consideration (e.g., connections between the information consumer and the information sharer, or the type of the leading image).

Reducing Implicit Bias in Maternity Care: A Framework for Action

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are highest among African-American men, and coupled with the controversy around routine prostate cancer screening, reaching African-American men with interventions to help them make an informed decision about whether or not to be screened is critical. This study compares two approaches to delivering a church-based peer community health advisor intervention consisting of a series of four men's health workshops on informed decision-making for prostate cancer screening. In the men-only group, male community health advisors teach group workshops consisting only of men. In the health partner group, male-female pairs of community health advisors teach workshops in a mixed-gender format in which enrolled men are asked to invite a significant woman in their lives (e.g., wife/partner, sister, daughter, friend) with them to the workshops. Eighteen African-American churches were randomized to receive one of the two approaches, and 283 eligible men enrolled in the intervention. Main findings suggested that the workshops had an impact on stage of decision-making, and this increased significantly over time in the health partner group only. The intervention was highly rated by men in both groups, and these ratings increased over time, with some study group differences. Within-workshop study group differences favored the health partner group in some instances; however, men in the men-only groups reported greater increases in their ratings of trust in the workshops over time. The health partner intervention strategy appears to be promising for reaching men of color with health information.

This study investigates the future of the human translation industry in the Artificial Intelligence Era. It addresses the question of whether the vast developments of AI in machine learning and natural language processing, which has significantly influenced the translation landscape, would eventually replace human translators. Data for this study was collected via interviews with academicians and practitioners in the field of translation working at universities in Palestine and Jordan. By focusing on the future of human translation in light of advancements made by AI, this paper attempts to promote valuable discussions and trigger positive debates among researchers in the field of translation. The overarching question that is debated today is: Do the vast alarming advancements made by AI in the field of translation constitute a threat to human translation industry and consequently a potential human replacement or positive tools that contribute to a fast better quality and enhanced text translation? Context–sensitivities, cultural specificities, emotiveness continue to be proper human properties. Utilizing technological advancements in machine translation in a collaborative effort can only work for the betterment of the field of translation.

Trust the machine or the human? A dynamic neuro-cognitive model of AIGC credibility assessment.

This study aims to explore the role of social media and user-generated content (UGC) in influencing traveler decision-making processes in the digital era. Using a qualitative approach through a literature review method, this research systematically analyzes studies published in the last ten years sourced from Scopus and Google Scholar databases. Specific keywords such as “social media and tourist decision-making,” “user-generated content and travel behavior,” and “digital word of mouth and tourism” were used to collect relevant literature. The findings reveal that social media and UGC play a significant role across three stages of the travel process: pre-trip, during the trip, and post-trip. In the pre-trip stage, UGC serves as a primary source of inspiration and information, forming travelers’ initial perceptions of destinations. During the trip, travelers rely on real-time content to make decisions, while post-trip experiences shared online influence the future choices of other travelers. Factors such as perceived risk, content credibility, self-actualization, and social validation further strengthen UGC’s impact. Overall, the study concludes that UGC and social media are not just supplementary sources but central elements in modern travel decision-making. Understanding their role is crucial for stakeholders to develop effective and sustainable digital tourism strategies

Digitization of the communication medium has transformed the mute, marginalized ‘audience’ into a heterogeneous and credible content ‘producer.’ Drawing on this dynamics and operation of the digital media, it has urged the need to re-theorize ‘marginalization’ and ‘race.’ Hence, this paper critiques the digital-media tool, blogs, using a rhetoric-textual analysis method and critical discourse analysis method for the fictional text, Americanah. These methods employ the psychoanalytical-Althusserian critique of Adichie’s fictional narrative, Americanah. In the psychoanalytical sense, blog-writing can qualify as a mechanism of ‘sublimation’ in the post-modern world. In the Althusserian sense, blogs become persuasive mechanisms for a subject’s interpellation into non-dominant ideology. Among the plethora of marginalized global communities, African-Americans are enormously embracing the virtual communication trends for socio-political motives. This paper theorizes the correlations between race-related blogging, psychoanalytic sublimation, and the socio-political repudiation of power structure by employing the literary text as material evidence. Accordingly, the literary study has concluded that digital-mediums (i.e., in this case, political blogs) can depose the power vested in the ideological-state-apparatuses and impose a high potential for expression of unrestrained, credible, and democratic voice of the marginalized. It also validates that blogs/blogging influences and moulds national/political/racial discourses by lending a liberated voice and context-independent perspective to the racially oppressed.

Evaluation and selection of E-learning websites using intuitionistic fuzzy confidence level based Dombi aggregation operators with unknown weight information