Judicious use of the YouTube platform as a complementary source of reliable medical information for physiotherapy students — a paradigm shift in educational methodology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Buzz” About Tinnitus: A Social Media Study

Beware: Patients increasingly purchasing medications via social media

Government Surveillance and Counter-Surveillance on Social and Mobile Media: The Case of Iran (2009)

BackgroundSocial media has become an almost essential part of daily life, especially among college students. The wide use of social media by students makes it an attractive tool for educational institutions. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain physical therapy (PT) students’ attitudes towards using social media for learning purposes, assess the differences in attitudes between genders, and assess the benefits of using social media in the learning process. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, data were collected from 158 undergraduate PT students at King Saud University (KSU) University in Riyadh using a custom self-reported questionnaire.ResultsResults indicate that, in general, PT students have positive attitudes towards using social media platforms for learning purposes. YouTube, Wikis, WhatsApp, and Twitter have been utilized for learning purposes by 82.9%, 44.3%, 30.4%, and 27.4% of the students, respectively. Furthermore, students favorably reported that social media platforms are better than traditional teaching methods. These platforms facilitate finding educational resources, develop writing, listening and social skills, share knowledge, enhance self-independent learning, increase collaborations, and develop creativity.ConclusionThis study showed that PT students, both males and females, have positive attitudes towards using social media platforms. It is convenient to use social media platforms for learning purposes. It may help enhance the quality of the students’ learning experience and academic performance.

Managing medical (mis)information

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media became an important and easily accessible source of information to keep the population informed. In this study, we explored how Portuguese health entities used social media during the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 disease. Methods: A retrospective study on Portuguese public health entities’ communication with the public using social media platforms was performed. Data were retrieved from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All retrieved posts were analyzed, and the engagement of the public was calculated. A thematic analysis of all COVID-19-related posts was conducted. Results: The analysis of each social media platform revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, health entities reinforced their presence on social media platforms. The most published posts were related to “epidemiological context” and “encouragement to take actions” to avoid the spread of COVID-19. High engagement frames were not associated with the most frequently published posts. Conclusions: Although health entities have reinforced their presence on social media platforms, they do not take full advantage of these platforms to improve health literacy.

PurposeThis research shows how social media has affected learning at present during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has become the largest and most convenient area of communication. In the current scenario, it seems that social networking sites not only had a profound impact on our social structure and intra-social interaction, but also affected education in general and learning English language in particular. It has been proven that these various social media platforms have created a realm of digital environment in today's new-age learning. Social media platforms are social networking sites through which people interact and communicate with each other easily and conveniently. Undoubtedly and unquestionably, social networking has been proven to be a global phenomenon that has caused a vast paradigm shift in the world of Learning and education during the current pandemic. Therefore, the present study aims to reach the extent of the impact of the various social media platforms on learning English language during the COVID-19 pandemic from the students' point of view.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted at the undergraduate level for English language learners. The sample comprised 166 undergraduate students at Najran University. A survey questionnaire was administered to find out the impact of various social media platforms and social networking sites on learning English language in the academic year of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to highlight possible suggestions for improving future virtual language learning.FindingsThe findings of the study contributed to the area of online learning of English language during the COVID-19 pandemic. Final results confirmed that the utilization of social media has been significantly perceived to have positively impacted learning English language in terms of writing style, reading skills, listening and lexical variation, communication skills and grammar usage.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study can serve as fundamental indicators to implement prompt pedagogical reformations, for which a number of pedagogical implications can be proposed. Another equally important pedagogical implication is to design and provide professional development and training sessions to both students and educators on the ultimate utilization of social media as instructional technologies in the context of English language teaching and learning.Originality/valueThis research provides insights in developing policies to assist with the integration and utilization of social media platforms as instructional technologies in the context of English language teaching and learning and how institutions can respond to the advent of advancing technology, especially during and after the COVID-19 era. A model to improve online English language learning process is recommended as a guideline for all educators offering online learning.

BackgroundSocial media has been increasingly used as a learning tool in medical education. Specifically, when joining university, students often go through a phase of adjustment, and they need to cope with various challenges such as leaving their families and friends and trying to fit into a new environment. Research has shown that social media helps students to connect with old friends and to establish new relationships. However, managing friendships on social media might intertwine with the new learning environment that shapes students’ online behaviors. Especially, when students perceive high levels of social risks when using social media, they may struggle to take advantage of the benefits that social media can provide for learning.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop a model that explores the drivers and inhibitors of student engagement with social media during their university adjustment phase.MethodsWe used a qualitative method by interviewing 78 undergraduate students studying medical courses at UK research-focused universities. In addition, we interviewed 6 digital technology experts to provide additional insights into students’ learning behaviors on social media.ResultsStudents’ changing relationships and new academic environment in the university adjustment phase led to various factors that affected their social media engagement. The main drivers of social media engagement were maintaining existing relationships, building new relationships, and seeking academic support. Simultaneously, critical factors that inhibited the use of social media for learning emerged, namely, collapsed online identity, uncertain group norms, the desire to present an ideal self, and academic competition. These inhibitors led to student stress when managing their social media accounts, discouraged them from actively engaging on social media, and prevented the full exploitation of social media as an effective learning tool.ConclusionsThis study identified important drivers and inhibitors for students to engage with social media platforms as learning tools. Although social media supported students to manage their relationships and support their learning, the interaction of critical factors, such as collapsed online identity, uncertain group norms, the desire to present an ideal self, and academic competition, caused psychological stress and impeded student engagement. Future research should explore how these inhibitors can be removed to reduce students’ stress and to increase the use of social media for learning. More specifically, such insights will allow students to take full advantage of being connected, thus facilitating a richer learning experience during their university life.

The aim of the article is to explore the Ukrainian car market, the activities of automobile dealerships on social media, and the development of proposals to enhance their effectiveness. Analysis results. Investigations indicate that the Ukrainian car market offers significant opportunities for increasing sales volumes. Due to the negative environmental impact of used cars, there is a need to boost the demand for new vehicles. Currently, dealerships of renowned brands in Ukraine are confronted with the challenge of enhancing their marketing, sales, and communication strategies by actively utilizing the Internet, especially in the realm of social media. The analysis revealed that the majority of domestic car dealerships utilize the three most popular platforms - Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. However, "Porsche Ukraine" is expanding its presence on social media, including Linkedin, Pinterest, and Twitter. Talking about specific platforms,"Renault Ukraine" and "Toyota Ukraine" have the highest number of followers on Facebook, correlating with their market share. Winner Group Ukraine LLC and EM EM SI Ukraine LLC also have a large number of readers in this social network. The most active in terms of posts, shares, likes, and comments on Facebook are "Toyota Ukraine," "Eurocar," and "EM EM SI Ukraine". Information about popular and new models prevails among the posts. Regarding Youtube platform, "Renault Ukraine", "Eurocar", "Porsche Ukraine," and "Toyota Ukraine" have the highest number of subscribers. The most active in terms of video content and views on Youtube are "Eurocar", "Toyota Ukraine", and "Porsche Ukraine". Among the videos, commercials of brands and specific models of cars prevail. "Toyota Ukraine", "Eurocar" and "Porsche Ukraine" are leading in terms of readers on Instagram. The most active in this social network in terms of the number of posts, shares, likes and comments are “Toyota Ukraine” and “Eurocar”. These companies primarily showcase visual information, same as on other social media platforms. The study emphasizes the need for domestic car dealerships to expand their audience and enhance interaction levels on social media. Content analysis indicates that posts about technical specifications, brand novelties, participation in industry exhibitions, dealer programs, design updates, and model lineups receive the highest engagement from readers. Posts on contests for buyers and subscribers are also usually popular. Conclusions and directions for further research. In summary, to boost the online presence of car dealerships on social media, it is advisable to focus on the mentioned thematic content, employ gamification strategies (contests, puzzles, quizzes), and share real customer stories regarding their car choices. These measures will strengthen interactions with existing social media communities, attract new readers, and ultimately increase customer base and product sales. Future research prospects involve studying the effectiveness of direct mail in the activities of car dealers in the Ukrainian automotive market.

Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology

During challenging times of COVID-19 individuals were frequently sharing huge volume of information through Social Media without any validation of information. This may indicate that social media users had lack of clarity about COVID-19 pandemic, whether information was factual or accurate. In the COVID-19 pandemic, investigator posed various probe related with COVID-19 information such as information trust on COVID-19 related news or posting on Social Media, or are individuals’ reliant on social media for COVID-19 pandemic information, how they do retort to false news and misinformation and did they ever shared any information related with COVID-19 on any social media platforms. The current study finds that majority of individuals indeed relied on Facebook and Twitter concerning the COVID-19pandemic information. Moreover, the study revealed that vast majority of respondents indicated that they strongly believed information was not accurate in nature and few souls had faith on the information related with COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas, this research also indicates that during challenging time of COVID-19 pandemic, respondents strongly believed that traditional media platforms played more powerful role disseminating the accurate COVID-19 information. While this investigates also showed that respondents still employ social media as main resource of COVID-19 and users were still relaying on information which were being shared by individuals on social media platforms. The respondents strongly suggest that there showed be strong mechanism or regulation should be in place to eliminate the menace of fake news and disinformation on social media platforms. The current study’s respondents believed there should be mechanism to deploy gatekeeping tools on stopping fake news so that individuals may not share inaccurate information social media platforms without validation.

Introduction. Global social media users currently exceed 5 billion, more than half of the Earth’s population [1]. Every day social media users view and post various information, much of which is unverified or outright false. Many rumors are spread on the platforms of world giants Facebook and WeChat. Moreover, although the platforms are making significant efforts to fight fakes and unverified information, the spread of rumors is still a severe problem. It needs more active study and additional countermeasures. Relevance of the study. The period of COVID-19 pandemic is an indicative period for studying the causes and methods of spreading rumors on social media and the mechanisms that social media platforms use to counter the spread of rumors. Therefore, our article aims to determine the features of the spread of rumors on the Facebook and WeChat platforms and compare the mechanisms for countering the spread of false information. Methodology. The research involved a complex of general scientific and special methods. We resorted to critical analysis of scientific literature and data analysis from open sources. We also monitored the content of social media platforms Facebook and WeChat and carried out a comparative analysis of the ways of spreading rumors and countermeasures implemented by these social media platforms. Results. During the research, we established some features of the spread of rumors in the mentioned social networks related to the work of platform algorithms. We looked at the measures taken by two major social media platforms, WeChat and Facebook, to combat rumors during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was determined that both platforms use a set of measures to counter the spread of disinformation and fakes. Also, during the spread of COVID-19, Facebook and WeChat actively cooperated with global organizations in the healthcare field, which contributed not only to countering the spread of rumors about the disease but also to the provision of operational information and public support. Conclusions. Even though both global social media giants have actively implemented measures to counter the spread of rumors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of spreading false information on social media is still relevant. Considering the results of the study, we proposed our own set of measures aimed at checking facts and countering the spread of rumors in social media. Keywords. Social media platforms, Facebook, WeChat, rumors, fact-checking, COVID-19.

Solace in Social Media: Women Unite Under COVID-19

Introduction: The development of digital technology has driven increased social media use, particularly among teenagers. Increased access to social media has the potential to reduce physical activity levels and encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship between the dominant social media platforms accessed and the level of sedentary lifestyle in adolescents at SMPN X Bandung City. Method: This research method used a quantitative correlational approach with a cross-sectional design. The sample was selected using a proportionate random sampling technique from students in grades VII, VIII, and IX. The instruments used were a self-report questionnaire to determine the dominant social media platform and the Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire (ASAQ) to measure the level of sedentary lifestyle. Data analysis was carried out using multiple linear regression tests using JASP software. Result: The results showed that the regression model was significant (F = 16.954; p < .001) with an R² value of 0.196, which means that 19.6% of the variation in sedentary lifestyle can be explained by the use of TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube platforms. Partially, TikTok (p < .001) and YouTube (p = .005) significantly influenced sedentary lifestyle, with TikTok being the most dominant platform influencing sedentary lifestyle levels in adolescents. Meanwhile, Instagram (p = .081) and WhatsApp (p = .927) did not show a significant effect. Conclusion: This study concludes that certain social media platforms, particularly TikTok and YouTube, are associated with increased sedentary lifestyles in adolescents. These findings can be used as a basis for schools, parents, and health agencies in developing education and interventions to reduce sedentary lifestyles by regulating social media use more wisely.

Using Digital Media to Promote Kidney Disease Education