‘So Much for Literary Democracy’
This study analyzes the impact of social media on literary prizes, focusing on the 2012 scandal of the Not the Booker Prize, which involved vote-rigging allegations. The findings reveal tensions between professional and lay criticism, highlighting social media's role in transforming literary evaluation and gatekeeping, and underscore ongoing contradictions in democratizing the literary field.
Abstract This study examines the effect and impact of literary prizes, focusing on the Not the Booker Prize (NTBP) and its reception on social media platforms. The NTBP, organized by The Guardian, served as a counter to the prestigious Man Booker Prize, offering a more democratic alternative in which the audience is allowed a central role in nominating and voting for books. This article examines the impact of the 2012 scandal surrounding the NTBP, in which allegations of vote-rigging and author canvassing led to significant controversy. By analysing the Twitter discourse, the study explores how scandal influences the perception and value of literary awards. The findings highlight the tension between professional and lay criticism, the role of social media in literary evaluation, and the transformation of literary prizes in the digital age. Finally, the article emphasizes that cultural gatekeeping is undergoing significant change, while pointing out contradictions and frictions besetting the democratization of the literary field.
- Research Article
- 10.63544/ijss.v3i4.102
- Dec 31, 2024
- Inverge Journal of Social Sciences
This study delves into the profound impact of social media on body image perceptions and overall dissatisfaction among young adults at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. In today's digital age, social media pervades the lives of young people, shaping their self-perceptions and influencing their social interactions. This research aims to understand how the constant exposure to curated and often idealized images on social media platforms contributes to the development of unrealistic body standards, fostering feelings of inadequacy and pressure to conform to societal beauty ideals. Employing a quantitative research approach, the study focused on a sample of 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 to 30 years. Data collection utilized systematic sampling techniques and involved the administration of questionnaires via Google Forms. The study drew upon Social Comparison Theory to understand how individuals evaluate their own appearance by comparing themselves to the seemingly flawless images and physiques presented on social media platforms. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings revealed a significant correlation between social media usage and body image dissatisfaction among young adults. Frequent comparisons with idealized images of influencers and celebrities on social media platforms were found to be a major contributor to negative body image perceptions, leading to a range of negative emotional and psychological outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. These findings underscore the urgent need for interventions that address the detrimental effects of social media on young adults' mental health. This may include the development and implementation of comprehensive media literacy programs designed to equip young people with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the digital world and resist the pressures to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Furthermore, fostering a more inclusive and diverse representation of body images on social media platforms is crucial to promoting healthier body image perceptions and enhancing the overall well-being of young adults in the digital age. References Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K. T., & Pignatiello, A. (2020). Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health. Cmaj, 192(6), E136-E141. Aichner, T., Grünfelder, M., Maurer, O., & Jegeni, D. (2021). Twenty-five years of social media: a review of social media applications and definitions from 1994 to 2019. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 24(4), 215-222. Ali, R. (2016). Social Media and Youth in Pakistan: Social Media and Youth in Pakistan: Implications on Family Relations. Global Media Journal, 14, 26. Ando, Kanako, Francesca E. Giorgianni, Elisa S. Danthinne, and Rachel F. Rodgers. 2021. “Beauty Ideals, Social Media, and Body Positivity: A Qualitative Investigation of Influences on Body Image among Young Women in Japan.” Body Image 38:358–69. Asif, M., & Sandhu, M. S. (2023). Social Media Marketing Revolution in Pakistan: A Study of its Adoption and Impact on Business Performance. Journal of Business Insight and Innovation, 2(2), 67-77. Aziz, J. (2017). Social media and body issues in young adults: an empirical study on the influence of Instagram use on body image and fatphobia in catalan university students. Bashir, H., & Bhat, S. A. (2017). Effects of social media on mental health: A review. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 4(3), 125-131. Boske, C., & McCormack, S. (2011). Building an understanding of the role of media literacy for Latino/a high school students. The High School Journal, 94(4), 167-186. Braghieri, L., Levy, R. E., & Makarin, A. (2022). Social media and mental health. American Economic Review, 112(11), 3660-3693. Brown, Z., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). Attractive celebrity and peer images on Instagram: Effect on women's mood and body image. Body image, 19, 37-43. Burnette, C. Blair, Melissa A. Kwitowski, and Suzanne E. Mazzeo. 2017. “‘I Don’t Need People to Tell Me I’m Pretty on Social Media:’ A Qualitative Study of Social Media and Body Image in Early Adolescent Girls.” Body Image 23:114–25. Choudhury, N. R., & Reddy, V. N. (2021). Body image dissatisfaction in young adults: Impact of social media use. International Journal of Education and Psychological Research (IJEPR), 10(3), 15-18. Chu, J. (1997). Navigating the media environment: How youth claim a place through zines. Social Justice, 24(3 (69), 71-85. DeBraganza, N., & Hausenblas, H. A. (2010). Media exposure of the ideal physique on women’s body dissatisfaction and mood: The moderating effects of ethnicity. Journal of Black Studies, 40(4), 700-716. De Vries, D. A., Vossen, H. G., & van der Kolk–van der Boom, P. (2019). Social media and body dissatisfaction: investigating the attenuating role of positive parent–adolescent relationships. Journal of youth and adolescence, 48, 527-536. Dimitrov, D., & Kroumpouzos, G. (2023). Beauty perception: a historical and contemporary review. Clinics in Dermatology, 41(1), 33-40. Lubis, A. R., Fachrizal, F., & Lubis, M. (2017). The effect of social media to cultural homecoming tradition of computer students in medan. Procedia Computer Science, 124, 423-428. Eggerstedt, M., Rhee, J., Urban, M. J., Mangahas, A., Smith, R. M., & Revenaugh, P. C. (2020). Beauty is in the eye of the follower: facial aesthetics in the age of social media. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 41(6), 102643. Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016). Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions. Current opinion in psychology, 9, 1-5. Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body image, 13, 38-45. Filice, E., Raffoul, A., Meyer, S. B., & Neiterman, E. (2019). The influence of Grindr, a geosocial networking application, on body image in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: An exploratory study. Body image, 31, 59-70. Franchina, V., & Lo Coco, G. (2018). The influence of social media use on body image concerns. International Journal of Psychoanalysis & Education, 10(1). Gillespie-Smith, K., Hendry, G., Anduuru, N., Laird, T., & Ballantyne, C. (2021). Using social media to be ‘social’: Perceptions of social media benefits and risk by autistic young people, and parents. Research in developmental disabilities, 118, 104081. Jiotsa, B., Naccache, B., Duval, M., Rocher, B., & Grall-Bronnec, M. (2021). Social media use and body image disorders: Association between frequency of comparing one’s own physical appearance to that of people being followed on social media and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(6), 2880. Kleemans, M., Daalmans, S., Carbaat, I., & Anschütz, D. (2018). Picture perfect: The direct effect of manipulated Instagram photos on body image in adolescent girls. Media Psychology, 21(1), 93-110. Lee, H. R., Lee, H. E., Choi, J., Kim, J. H., & Han, H. L. (2014). Social media use, body image, and psychological well-being: A cross-cultural comparison of Korea and the United States. Journal of health communication, 19(12), 1343-1358. Liu, J. (2021, June). The influence of the body image presented through TikTok trend-videos and its possible reasons. In 2nd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange (ICLACE 2021) (pp. 359-363). Atlantis Press. Nagar, I., & Virk, R. (2017). The struggle between the real and ideal: Impact of acute media exposure on body image of young Indian women. SAGE Open, 7(1), 2158244017691327. Naslund, J. A., Bondre, A., Torous, J., & Aschbrenner, K. A. (2020). Social media and mental health: benefits, risks, and opportunities for research and practice. Journal of technology in behavioral science, 5, 245-257. Nortje, A. (2020). Social Comparison: An Unavoidable Upward Or Downward Spiral. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/social-comparison/ Pfeiffer, C., Kleeb, M., Mbelwa, A., & Ahorlu, C. (2014). The use of social media among adolescents in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara, Tanzania. Reproductive health matters, 22(43), 178-186. Plaisime, M., Robertson-James, C., Mejia, L., Núñez, A., Wolf, J., & Reels, S. (2020). Social media and teens: A needs assessment exploring the potential role of social media in promoting health. Social Media+ Society, 6(1), 2056305119886025. Pryde, S., & Prichard, I. (2022). TikTok on the clock but the# fitspo don’t stop: The impact of TikTok fitspiration videos on women’s body image concerns. Body image, 43, 244-252. Saghir, S., & Hyland, L. (2017). The effects of immigration and media influence on body image among Pakistani men. American Journal of Men's Health, 11(4), 930-940. Sanzari, C. M., Gorrell, S., Anderson, L. M., Reilly, E. E., Niemiec, M. A., Orloff, N. C., ... & Hormes, J. M. (2023). The impact of social media use on body image and disordered eating behaviors: Content matters more than duration of exposure. Eating behaviors, 49, 101722. Sekayi, D. (2003). Aesthetic resistance to commercial influences: The impact of the Eurocentric beauty standard on Black college women. Journal of Negro Education, 467-477. Shabir, G., Hameed, Y. M. Y., Safdar, G., & Gilani, S. M. F. S. (2014). The impact of social media on youth: A case study of bahawalpur city. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 3(4), 132-151. Siddiqui, A. (2021). Social media and its role in amplifying a certain idea of beauty. Infotheca—Journal for Digital Humanities, 21(1), 73-85. Siddiqui, S., & Singh, T. (2016). Social media its impact with positive and negative aspects. International journal of computer applications technology and research, 5(2), 71-75. Slade, P. D. (1994). What is body image?. Behaviour research and therapy. Tufail, M. W., Saleem, M., & Fatima, S. Z. (2022). Relationship of Social Media and Body Image Dissatisfaction among University Students. Pakistan Journal of Applied Psychology (PJAP), 2(1), 89-97. Tylka, T. L., & Wood-Barcalow, N. L. (2015). What is and what is not positive body image? Conceptual foundations and construct definition. Body image, 14, 118-129. Virden, A. L., Trujillo, A., & Predeger, E. (2014). Young adult females’ perceptions of high-risk social media behaviors: A focus-group approach. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 31(3), 133-144. Whyte, C., Thrall, A. T., & Mazanec, B. M. (Eds.). (2021). Information warfare in the age of cyber conflict. London & New York: Routledge. Yusop, F. D., & Sumari, M. (2013). The use of social media technologies among Malaysian youth. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 103, 1204-1209. Zulqarnain, W., & ul Hassan, T. (2016). Individual’s perceptions about the credibility of social media in Pakistan. Strategic Studies, 36(4), 123-137.
- Research Article
111
- 10.5204/mcj.561
- Oct 11, 2012
- M/C Journal
Lists and Social MediaLists have long been an ordering mechanism for computer-mediated social interaction. While far from being the first such mechanism, blogrolls offered an opportunity for bloggers to provide a list of their peers; the present generation of social media environments similarly provide lists of friends and followers. Where blogrolls and other earlier lists may have been user-generated, the social media lists of today are more likely to have been produced by the platforms themselves, and are of intrinsic value to the platform providers at least as much as to the users themselves; both Facebook and Twitter have highlighted the importance of their respective “social graphs” (their databases of user connections) as fundamental elements of their fledgling business models. This represents what Mejias describes as “nodocentrism,” which “renders all human interaction in terms of network dynamics (not just any network, but a digital network with a profit-driven infrastructure).”The communicative content of social media spaces is also frequently rendered in the form of lists. Famously, blogs are defined in the first place by their reverse-chronological listing of posts (Walker Rettberg), but the same is true for current social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms are inherently centred around an infinite, constantly updated and extended list of posts made by individual users and their connections.The concept of the list implies a certain degree of order, and the orderliness of content lists as provided through the latest generation of centralised social media platforms has also led to the development of more comprehensive and powerful, commercial as well as scholarly, research approaches to the study of social media. Using the example of Twitter, this article discusses the challenges of such “big data” research as it draws on the content lists provided by proprietary social media platforms.Twitter Archives for ResearchTwitter is a particularly useful source of social media data: using the Twitter API (the Application Programming Interface, which provides structured access to communication data in standardised formats) it is possible, with a little effort and sufficient technical resources, for researchers to gather very large archives of public tweets concerned with a particular topic, theme or event. Essentially, the API delivers very long lists of hundreds, thousands, or millions of tweets, and metadata about those tweets; such data can then be sliced, diced and visualised in a wide range of ways, in order to understand the dynamics of social media communication. Such research is frequently oriented around pre-existing research questions, but is typically conducted at unprecedented scale. The projects of media and communication researchers such as Papacharissi and de Fatima Oliveira, Wood and Baughman, or Lotan, et al.—to name just a handful of recent examples—rely fundamentally on Twitter datasets which now routinely comprise millions of tweets and associated metadata, collected according to a wide range of criteria. What is common to all such cases, however, is the need to make new methodological choices in the processing and analysis of such large datasets on mediated social interaction.Our own work is broadly concerned with understanding the role of social media in the contemporary media ecology, with a focus on the formation and dynamics of interest- and issues-based publics. We have mined and analysed large archives of Twitter data to understand contemporary crisis communication (Bruns et al), the role of social media in elections (Burgess and Bruns), and the nature of contemporary audience engagement with television entertainment and news media (Harrington, Highfield, and Bruns). Using a custom installation of the open source Twitter archiving tool yourTwapperkeeper, we capture and archive all the available tweets (and their associated metadata) containing a specified keyword (like “Olympics” or “dubstep”), name (Gillard, Bieber, Obama) or hashtag (#ausvotes, #royalwedding, #qldfloods). In their simplest form, such Twitter archives are commonly stored as delimited (e.g. comma- or tab-separated) text files, with each of the following values in a separate column: text: contents of the tweet itself, in 140 characters or less to_user_id: numerical ID of the tweet recipient (for @replies) from_user: screen name of the tweet sender id: numerical ID of the tweet itself from_user_id: numerical ID of the tweet sender iso_language_code: code (e.g. en, de, fr, ...) of the sender’s default language source: client software used to tweet (e.g. Web, Tweetdeck, ...) profile_image_url: URL of the tweet sender’s profile picture geo_type: format of the sender’s geographical coordinates geo_coordinates_0: first element of the geographical coordinates geo_coordinates_1: second element of the geographical coordinates created_at: tweet timestamp in human-readable format time: tweet timestamp as a numerical Unix timestampIn order to process the data, we typically run a number of our own scripts (written in the programming language Gawk) which manipulate or filter the records in various ways, and apply a series of temporal, qualitative and categorical metrics to the data, enabling us to discern patterns of activity over time, as well as to identify topics and themes, key actors, and the relations among them; in some circumstances we may also undertake further processes of filtering and close textual analysis of the content of the tweets. Network analysis (of the relationships among actors in a discussion; or among key themes) is undertaken using the open source application Gephi. While a detailed methodological discussion is beyond the scope of this article, further details and examples of our methods and tools for data analysis and visualisation, including copies of our Gawk scripts, are available on our comprehensive project website, Mapping Online Publics.In this article, we reflect on the technical, epistemological and political challenges of such uses of large-scale Twitter archives within media and communication studies research, positioning this work in the context of the phenomenon that Lev Manovich has called “big social data.” In doing so, we recognise that our empirical work on Twitter is concerned with a complex research site that is itself shaped by a complex range of human and non-human actors, within a dynamic, indeed volatile media ecology (Fuller), and using data collection and analysis methods that are in themselves deeply embedded in this ecology. “Big Social Data”As Manovich’s term implies, the Big Data paradigm has recently arrived in media, communication and cultural studies—significantly later than it did in the hard sciences, in more traditionally computational branches of social science, and perhaps even in the first wave of digital humanities research (which largely applied computational methods to pre-existing, historical “big data” corpora)—and this shift has been provoked in large part by the dramatic quantitative growth and apparently increased cultural importance of social media—hence, “big social data.” As Manovich puts it: For the first time, we can follow [the] imaginations, opinions, ideas, and feelings of hundreds of millions of people. We can see the images and the videos they create and comment on, monitor the conversations they are engaged in, read their blog posts and tweets, navigate their maps, listen to their track lists, and follow their trajectories in physical space. (Manovich 461) This moment has arrived in media, communication and cultural studies because of the increased scale of social media participation and the textual traces that this participation leaves behind—allowing researchers, equipped with digital tools and methods, to “study social and cultural processes and dynamics in new ways” (Manovich 461). However, and crucially for our purposes in this article, many of these scholarly possibilities would remain latent if it were not for the widespread availability of Open APIs for social software (including social media) platforms. APIs are technical specifications of how one software application should access another, thereby allowing the embedding or cross-publishing of social content across Websites (so that your tweets can appear in your Facebook timeline, for example), or allowing third-party developers to build additional applications on social media platforms (like the Twitter user ranking service Klout), while also allowing platform owners to impose de facto regulation on such third-party uses via the same code. While platform providers do not necessarily have scholarship in mind, the data access affordances of APIs are also available for research purposes. As Manovich notes, until very recently almost all truly “big data” approaches to social media research had been undertaken by computer scientists (464). But as part of a broader “computational turn” in the digital humanities (Berry), and because of the increased availability to non-specialists of data access and analysis tools, media, communication and cultural studies scholars are beginning to catch up. Many of the new, large-scale research projects examining the societal uses and impacts of social media—including our own—which have been initiated by various media, communication, and cultural studies research leaders around the world have begun their work by taking stock of, and often substantially extending through new development, the range of available tools and methods for data analysis. The research infrastructure developed by such projects, therefore, now reflects their own disciplinary backgrounds at least as much as it does the fundamental principles of computer science. In turn, such new and often experimental tools and methods necessarily also provoke new epistemological and methodological challenges. The Twitter API and Twitter ArchivesThe Open
- Research Article
1
- 10.61108/ijsshr.v2i1.86
- Mar 31, 2024
- International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research (IJSSHR) ISSN 2959-7056 (o); 2959-7048 (p)
Researchers and practitioners agree that stakeholder engagement is an important aspect of universities in the 21st century. Social media is changing the way people and businesses communicate and collaborate. Research shows that organizations struggle to develop social media management systems to engage with stakeholders. In today's digital age, social media platforms have become powerful tools for communication and engagement. However, there is limited research examining the role of social media in facilitating stakeholder engagement in universities in Kenya. Therefore, this study sought to fill this knowledge gap by exploring how social media is utilized and its impact on stakeholder engagement within the university setting. The research objectives were formulated to guide the study and include: Assessing the current use of social media platforms by universities in Kenya for stakeholder engagements: Identifying the key stakeholders involved in social media engagements by universities: Examining the benefits and challenges associated with using social media for stakeholder engagements: This study used innovation diffusion theory and excellence theory. To achieve the study objectives, a mixed-methods approach was utilized. The target group included 270 participants. The sample size was 161 participants. Stratified random sampling was used to provide representation from the various universities and departments. data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and thematic analysis to derive meaningful insights. Analyzed quantitative data was presented through mean, frequency, and standard. The assessment of current social media used by universities indicated that they are actively utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to engage with their stakeholders. The identification of key stakeholders involved in social media engagements highlighted the importance of targeting students, prospective students, alumni, and the wider community. The examination of benefits and challenges associated with using social media for stakeholder engagements revealed that social media platforms provide opportunities for increased reach, immediate communication, and fostering a sense of community. However, maintaining content quality, and managing negative feedback were also identified. Furthermore, the analysis of the impact of social media on stakeholder perceptions and relationships showed that effective use of social media can enhance stakeholder satisfaction, create a positive institutional image, and foster stronger connections between universities and their stakeholders. However, ineffective use or mismanagement of social media can lead to negative perceptions and strained relationships. The paper concluded that social media plays a vital role in facilitating stakeholder engagements in universities in Kenya. Effective utilization of social media platforms leads to improved stakeholder relationships, enhanced reputation, and increased engagement with the university community. The study recommended that universities should develop a comprehensive social media strategy aligned with the university's goals and target audience and regularly monitor and analyze social media engagement metrics to evaluate effectiveness. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights specific to the context of universities in Kenya and emphasizing the significance of social media in stakeholder engagements
- Research Article
- 10.58481/bjbe/2523
- Dec 1, 2025
- BUFT Journal of Business and Economics
Purpose: This paper aims to understand how social media platforms are used for educational purposes and how they engage students in the learning process in the context of private universities in Bangladesh. Methodology: As the study is explorative in nature, qualitative research approach was adopted to gather in-depth insights into the experiences of both students and faculty members. The participants were divided into two clusters: Cluster-1, consisting of 37 students from bachelor’s to master’s levels, and Cluster-2, comprising 19 faculty members with at least three years of teaching experience. Findings: Social media platforms have recently transformed traditional educational paradigms. In Bangladesh, university students’ social media usage has surged due to affordable smartphones and widespread internet access. While exploring the role of social media in enhancing learning in the digital age, the findings revealed that social media significantly enhances student engagement, promotes collaborative learning, facilitates access to educational resources and information sharing, and fosters real-time communication between students and teachers. Practical Implications: This study discusses the usefulness of social media platforms for resource sharing, cooperative learning, and student involvement in higher education. Additionally, university curricula ought to incorporate instruction in digital literacy to assist students in analyzing and utilizing social media content for academic purposes. Value/Originality: This research provides original perspectives on social media applications as they are currently transforming the nature of student engagement and learning in private universities in Bangladesh through a qualitative approach. Limitations: One key limitation of the study is that it focuses on a limited sample from private universities only, which may not fully represent the broader experiences of students and faculty across different educational institutions in Bangladesh.
- Research Article
1
- 10.3390/journalmedia6020062
- Apr 26, 2025
- Journalism and Media
Social media (SM) platforms allow users to communicate rapidly, exchange information, and create and share real-time content. Currently, 4.5 billion people use social media worldwide, making it an influential part of daily life. Beyond information sharing, social media facilitates communication, transfers information, and serves as a platform for advertising and shaping public opinion. Researchers analyse these aspects to understand and describe societal realities. The primary purpose of this paper is to analyse social media’s impact on global research. The research included an analysis of the most popular social platforms, considering the number of Web of Science (WoS) articles relating to them and the year in which the platform was established or the Monthly Active Users (MAU) factor. Data were collected based on the WoS database in the topic (which contains texts of title, abstract, author keywords, and Keywords Plus) of the articles, where phrases containing names of SM platforms were used. Quantitative research is a type of research that analyses data numerically to find relationships and statistical regularities of searched phrases. The impact of social media on the dissemination of research and findings was analysed based on the results of the study and also on the literature data. This research reveals a lack of correlation between the number of articles indexed in the WoS and the MAU of individual social media platforms. This observation raises an important question: do social media researchers focus on studying the platforms used by the majority, thereby providing a more accurate representation of current social dynamics? This article is helpful for researchers, policymakers, and social media platform developers seeking to understand the role of social media in shaping modern communication and public discourse. The most important finding of the paper is the low correlation between the number of SM users and the impact of social media platforms on learning, as exemplified by the Twitter (Note: Twitter was an American social networking service rebranded as X in 2023. As the period of data analysed in this paper covered the years up to 2022, the authors decided to stay with the name Twitter) platform, which is the 17th largest SM platform but is the 2nd (after Facebook) in implications for science.
- Research Article
51
- 10.1108/bfj-07-2018-0437
- May 16, 2019
- British Food Journal
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand whether the companies most involved in communicating their responsible behaviour externally are those most active on the social media (SM) platform, with a philanthropic purpose rather than strictly aimed at economic aspects.Design/methodology/approachThe authors, first, assess firms’ efforts on the SM platform using the model proposed by Chung et al. (2014), and, second, the authors analyze the content of messages in order to verify what dimensions of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) they contain. A multivariate modelling has been performed in order to verify whether the wineries that take most care to communicate their responsible behaviour are those that are more involved in the management of Social Network. The wineries’ effort in SM platform was analyzed using the model proposed by Chung et al. (2014), which consider three dimensions named intensity, richness and responsiveness. In order to verify the relationship between the SM effort and their engagement in CSR initiatives, the Probit model has been utilized taking into consideration four CSR dimension (Green CSR, Ethical CSR, Community CSR and Cultural CSR).FindingsThe findings show that wineries most involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives and in the active communication of these initiatives on SM platforms are those that are most active on SM and in particular those that interact most with their web users, triggering in them some reactions that lead to the sharing of content and, therefore, having a significant impact on the dissemination of information through SM.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of this study are related to the limited sample size, the time period considered.Practical implicationsThis study provides insight and hints into wine entrepreneurs interested in improving the effectiveness of their CSR communication via SM showing the importance of the interactive dimension of SM, in order to reduce scepticism and gain greater credibility on the market.Originality/valueThis study uses four dimensions of the companies’ SM efforts’ built on the basis of a number of variables that are more explicative of the SM engagement.
- Research Article
8
- 10.1080/1051712x.2021.1920697
- Apr 3, 2021
- Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing
Purpose: Overwhelmed by the huge rise in the number of social media (SM) platforms, B to B firms have been increasingly using multiple social media (SM) platforms to enhance their relationships with their customers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the competitive pressure to use SM on B to B firms use of multiple SM platforms, organization and individual SM competences and on relationship sales performance. Method: An online survey is implemented to collect data from B to B firms from different industries in an emerging market, i.e. Kuwait, to produce 152 usable questionnaires. Structural equation modeling is carried out using Smart PLS 3. Findings: The main findings show that competitive pressure to use SM fully influences relationship sales performance through individual social media competence. It also influences relationship sales performance through two mediations (1) organizational SM competence, (2) on a less important level, through the use of multiple SM platforms and organizational SM competence. Additionally, both organization and individual SM competence are found to significantly influence relationship sales performance. Implications: This study uncovers the complex mechanism through which competitive pressures to use social media influence both individual and organization social media competence and their relationship with their customers. It demonstrates that the use of multiple SM platforms significantly increases relationship sales performance, but this influence is weak. Therefore, top managers must choose the right number of SM platforms and design clear SM strategies. Originality: This study sheds light on the influence of competitive pressure to use SM on B to B firms’ relationships with their customers i.e. relationship sales performance. This coercive pressure could potentially spread B to B firms’ resources over a large number of SM and lead to poor SM presence. The study also emphasizes the role of top management in choosing the optimal combination of SM platforms and developing their organization SM competence.
- Front Matter
2
- 10.1016/j.igie.2023.01.015
- Feb 24, 2023
- iGIE : innovation, investigation and insights
Harnessing star power: public figure engagement in GI health promotion in the digital age
- Research Article
- 10.26689/jcer.v8i10.8432
- Oct 21, 2024
- Journal of Contemporary Educational Research
This study aims to investigate the influence of social media on college choice among undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China. The study attempts to reveal how information on social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Zhihu influences the cognition and choice process of prospective students. By employing an online quantitative survey questionnaire, data were collected from the 2022 and 2023 classes of new students majoring in Big Data Management and Application at Guilin University of Electronic Technology. The aim was to evaluate the role of social media in their college choice process and understand the features and information that most attract prospective students. Social media has become a key factor influencing the college choice decision-making of undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China. Students tend to obtain school information through social media platforms and use this information as an important reference in their decision-making process. Higher education institutions should strengthen their social media information dissemination, providing accurate, timely, and attractive information. It is also necessary to ensure effective management of social media platforms, maintain a positive reputation for the school on social media, and increase the interest and trust of prospective students. Simultaneously, educational decision-makers should consider incorporating social media analysis into their recruitment strategies to better attract new student enrollment. This study provides a new perspective for understanding higher education choice behavior in the digital age, particularly by revealing the importance of social media in the educational decision-making process. This has important practical and theoretical implications for higher education institutions, policymakers, and social media platform operators.
- Research Article
2
- 10.47672/ajpr.1579
- Oct 10, 2023
- American Journal of Public Relations
Purpose: The aim of this paper was to explore how social media platforms have transformed the landscape of public relations, examining best practices, challenges, and case studies. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low-cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive's time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the evolving role of social media in public relations in east African countries. Preliminary empirical review revealed that organizations utilize social media for crisis communication in the digital age. Organizations increasingly use social media platforms during crises to provide real-time updates, address concerns, and engage with stakeholders. However, challenges arise in managing misinformation and maintaining consistent messaging across platforms. Recommendations: Social Identity Theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, Dialogic Communication Theory may be used to anchor future studies on the evolving role of social media in public relations. PR practitioners should stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in the ever-changing landscape of social media. This includes familiarizing themselves with emerging platforms and understanding their unique functionalities. Maintaining a consistent brand voice and messaging across various social media channels is highlighted as essential for building a coherent and recognizable brand image. Thirdly, the study suggests harnessing the power of data analytics to monitor and measure the impact of social media campaigns, enabling PR professionals to make informed decisions and refine their strategies. Furthermore, cultivating authentic and transparent interactions with the audience and addressing negative sentiment are all deemed vital for maintaining credibility and trust in the digital realm
- Book Chapter
3
- 10.1007/978-981-19-0460-8_54
- Jan 1, 2022
The first two decades of the 21st century have witnessed massive drives for digitization of all aspects of human lives. It has resulted in digital media, in its myriad manifestations, being an integral part of our day to day lives. Whether it be in the form of online portals, OTT services or social media platforms, the digital age has opened up new avenues for gender politics to be created, constructed, circulated and critiqued. The question of gender in the digital-scape includes the representation of gender in the digital space, the practices of gender stereotyping and gender discrimination, the idea of gender as performance and so on. The gendered dichotomies of the interior/exterior and the private/public associated with women and men, respectively, have adversely affected women’s sports and games in India. The recent struggles for women’s emancipation and empowerment and the attempts to promote gender equality and equity have resulted in increased participation in women’s sports and games. The role of digital media, especially social media, in the growing popularity of women’s sports and games in India is undeniable. The digital media services have increased the coverage and popularity of women’s sports and games in India and worldwide. It has also contributed to increase in investment and opened up new avenues for revenue generation. This paper aims to explore the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of women’s sports and social media in the Indian socio-cultural milieu. It argues that to a large extent, gender shapes the social media attitude towards sportspersons and tries to explicate how sportswomen on digital media platforms in general and social media platforms in particular constantly negotiate the gendered gaze and the cultural stereotypes associated with women and women’s bodies. The social media as a gendered space and its intersection with select events in the life and career of Indian sportswomen will be studied to understand the gender politics behind media-generated images of sportswomen and the performative nature of their social media presence.KeywordsSportswomenGender stereotypesGazeSocial mediaPerformative
- Research Article
45
- 10.1053/j.ackd.2013.04.001
- Jun 26, 2013
- Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease
Using Digital Media to Promote Kidney Disease Education
- Research Article
11
- 10.5204/mcj.1078
- May 4, 2016
- M/C Journal
Cooperative Mentorship: Negotiating Social Media Use within the Family
- Book Chapter
- 10.4018/979-8-3693-2960-3.ch006
- Jan 31, 2025
In the digital age, social media has become a central facet of daily life, with billions of users across various platforms. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok have revolutionized how people communicate, share information, and interact (Husain, Khan, & Siddiqui, 2023). While social media provides a rich source of information and connectivity, it also introduces unique challenges for forensic investigation. Social media platforms have become crucial sources of evidence in both criminal and civil investigations. Social media forensics is the specialized field dedicated to uncovering, preserving, and analyzing digital evidence from social media platforms. Given the increasing role of social media in both personal and professional spheres, the need for specialized forensic tools and methodologies is critical. This chapter explores social media forensics, covering its historical development, methodologies, legal and ethical considerations, tools and technologies, and case studies.
- Front Matter
1
- 10.1111/inm.13129
- Feb 13, 2023
- International journal of mental health nursing
As the new Social Media Editor for the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing (RW), I would like to pay respect to my predecessor, the inaugural Social Media Editor, Mr. Paul McNamara. We are grateful for his 10 years of social media leadership with this journal and of the impact that has been apparent (McNamara, 2022). Social media has proved to be a vital platform for amplifying the voice of mental health nurses worldwide and in sharing our scientific and practice knowledge (McNamara & Usher, 2019). As mental health nurses, we have engaged with social media strategically for some time through establishing professional networks that extend beyond the local and regional, enabling and reinforcing a wider global dialogue (Wilson et al., 2014; Wilson & Armstrong, 2016). We have used it to strengthen our practice as educators, scientists, and clinicians (Cronin et al., 2020; McNamara, 2021; Usher et al., 2014; Wilson & Usher, 2017). As technology continues to transform, it reveals expanded capacity and capabilities, and it is inevitable that we will continue to see innovative implementation, and leadership evolving within our discipline. In today's digital age, social media is an integral part of our lives. Even if we are not aware of it, our mobile phones listen to us and track our online activity, frequently resulting in unsolicited tailored advertisements and offers aligned to our interests (Wilson et al., 2023). Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been around for nearly two decades, while the rise of wearable technology and the Internet of Things has enabled our devices to be more integrated and convenient to use (Higgins et al., 2023a). Additionally, integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with social media has revolutionized communication, accommodating instant language translation and human-like chatbots (Higgins et al., 2023b). Perhaps, there is no better example of the speed at which technology has seen expansive popular uptake than through the introduction of ChatGPT [a service within the OpenAI software brand] in November 2023, who themselves tweeted that they achieved 1 million users in just 5 days (see Figure 1). It is apparent that social media is entering a new transformative era, and that AI will rapidly accelerate the continued digital evolution. The discipline of mental health nursing should position itself to be ready to take advantage of the benefits on offer, and to address any limitations that may arise as a consequence. As mental health nurses, it is imperative that we understand the strengths and risks associated with social media and technology use, as occasionally, the people we care for may experience problematic technology use that can adversely impact their mental health (Luengo-González et al., 2022). Our own experiences with social media, as end-users, allow us to participate in the public discourse surrounding mental health, with Usher and Jackson (2023) providing us with a recent example, noting their observations about the way social media had been used in the public grieving context. As social media users, mental health nurses have an opportunity to promote accessibility and equity to reach vulnerable or priority populations that may otherwise be digitally disadvantaged. Thus, we can ensure our voices of advocacy are represented in the digital and wider community, amongst developers, and across policy and political domains to support our service users' needs (Wilson et al., 2023). AI services, for example ChatGPT (2023), will offer opportunities to extend and enhance our practice. One of the major advantages of this technology is its ability to understand natural language interactions (Aljanabi et al., 2023). There are pros and cons to consider, and as such, human critical clinical judgement by mental health nurses will always be essential as an implementation consideration. With this caveat in mind, who better to explain the benefits of technology, such as ChatGPT, than ChatGPT itself. We asked ChatGPT to: ‘write an instructional guide demonstrating the pros and cons of using ChatGPT in the mental health nursing practice context’. The response generated is shown in Figure 2. It is noteworthy that even ChatGPT ‘confesses’ that it is not a substitute for human expertise and should not be used as a sole source of information. A person-centred approach to mental health care requires us to meet people wherever they are situated, and this must increasing include virtual or digital environments, in addition to familiar and traditional physical environments (Wilson, 2020). Many mental health nursing services can be delivered in a range of modes: face-to-face, virtually and/or a hybrid mixed-mode format with the integration of video, audio, and text-based communication. As mental health nurses, we must ensure that our perspectives as technology end-users are not omitted from the ad hoc training and discussions surrounding AI and social media implementation in our settings, because our advocacy (or lack of) can positively and/or negatively impact the quality of life for mental health service users (Wilson et al., 2023). As always, the wellbeing and safety of our service users must be our priority. In conclusion, social media is already an integral part of our lives and within many aspects of mental health policy and practice. As mental health nurses, we must carefully reflect on our biases, dominant sentiment, decisions, actions and narrative about our engagement (or not) with social media, and emerging technologies, to ensure that our considered perspectives and expertise are included, and amplified, in ongoing public discourse. It is important that we contribute to discussion about the adequacy of design and continue to influence ongoing development, and clinical solutions that are suitable for contemporary mental health care for people who require it. I (RW) look forward to interacting with our International Journal of Mental Health Nursing readers and followers across our social media channels. Together we will continue our discourse to strengthen the voices of mental health nursing scientists, scholars, practitioners, and peers globally. Website www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/INM. Twitter twitter.com/IJMHN. Facebook www.facebook.com/IJMHN. LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/IJMHN.