Media Activity Research Articles

Does ostracism/rejection impact self-disclosures? Examining the appeal of perceived social affordances after social threat

Abstract Two studies examine how experiencing a social need threat (ostracism and rejection) impacts subsequent preferences for self-disclosure to various digital audiences. Findings consider how contextual/situational factors like need threats may impact the appeal of two established perceived social affordances of media: personalization and privacy/visibility. Participants took part in a (bogus) social media activity to elicit feelings of inclusion/ostracization/rejection and then were asked about sharing their media preferences with various potential audiences. Results show that social need threats have no significant impact on privacy preferences but do affect preferences for sharing with some audiences and not others. Notably, ostracized and rejected participants show different patterns of preferences, suggesting these forms of social need threat may have distinct impacts on future self-disclosures. Implications for online relationship development and community building are considered in the discussion.

An Investigation into Social Media Utilisation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and its Effect on Business Performance: A Case Study of Kabwata Township, Lusaka

This study investigated the impact of social media on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Kabwata Township, focusing on the types of social media used, its impact on brand visibility, customer acquisition, and the influence of social media marketing strategies on sales revenue and profitability. A mixed methods approach was employed, integrating quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of SMEs' social media practices. The study targeted SMEs actively using social media in Kabwata. 100% response rate was achieved from a sample of 133 SMEs for quantitative data and additional insights from 20 SMEs for qualitative data. The results indicated that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn significantly enhanced brand visibility and customer engagement. However, the choice of platform alone did not predict success; strategic implementation was crucial. Significant correlations and regression coefficients demonstrated the positive impact of social media marketing on SME success, though with a modest effect on sales revenue. Recommendations emphasized aligning social media activities with business objectives to maximize benefits.

Identification of Expected Growth in Crypto Currency

Identifying the expected growth in cryptocurrency involves analyzing a combination of market trends, technological advancements, regulatory developments, and economic indicators. Historical performance and adoption rates of major cryptocurrencies provide insight into market trends, while innovations in blockchain technology, such as Ethereum 2.0 and Layer 2 solutions, along with the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), highlight significant technological advancements. Regulatory developments, including supportive legislation and the involvement of institutional investors through financial products like Bitcoin ETFs, play a crucial role in shaping market confidence and investment. Economic indicators, such as inflation, monetary policies, and global events, also influence interest in cryptocurrencies as alternative assets. Investor sentiment, driven by public perception, media coverage, and social media activity, impacts market dynamics. Additionally, research from financial analysts, market research firms, and academic studies, along with corporate partnerships and the integration of crypto solutions with traditional systems, contribute to growth predictions. Monitoring market capitalization and trading volumes further helps gauge market interest and liquidity. By considering these multifaceted factors, a more comprehensive understanding of the potential growth in the cryptocurrency market can be achieved.

Passively sensing smartphone use in teens with rates of use by sex and across operating systems

Youth screen media activity is a growing concern, though few studies include objective usage data. Through the longitudinal, U.S.-based Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, youth (mage = 14; n = 1415) self-reported their typical smartphone use and passively recorded three weeks of smartphone use via the ABCD-specific Effortless Assessment Research System (EARS) application. Here we describe and validate passively-sensed smartphone keyboard and app use measures, provide code to harmonize measures across operating systems, and describe trends in adolescent smartphone use. Keyboard and app-use measures were reliable and positively correlated with one another (r = 0.33) and with self-reported use (rs = 0.21–0.35). Participants recorded a mean of 5 h of daily smartphone use, which is two more hours than they self-reported. Further, females logged more smartphone use than males. Smartphone use was recorded at all hours, peaking on average from 8 to 10 PM and lowest from 3 to 5 AM. Social media and texting apps comprised nearly half of all use. Data are openly available to approved investigators (https://nda.nih.gov/abcd/). Information herein can inform use of the ABCD dataset to longitudinally study health and neurodevelopmental correlates of adolescent smartphone use.

From other-representation to self-representation: exploring identity and activism in historical news media writing

This study addresses a significant gap in our understanding of self-representation in historical news media reporting. It focusses on one significant historical publication: the first nationally distributed Indigenous Australian newspaper written and edited by First Nations people – The Australian Abo Call: The Voice of the Aborigines (hereafter The AAC). The AAC was published in six editions in 1938, the year of the 150th anniversary of invasion of the continent now known as Australia. The corpus consists of all (non-fiction) articles from all six editions of this newspaper, which was founded, edited and largely written by Yorta Yorta man J.T. (Jack) Patten. As such, the study offers a synchronic ‘snapshot’ of a particular moment in Australian history. The study uses corpus-assisted discourse analysis to explore the linguistic construction of self-representation – how First Nations people write about themselves and the communities they represent. I proceed from inductively identifying group-based identity labels to categorising these labels in terms of their positionality in relation to ‘self’ and ‘other’. Using concordances, the study also qualitatively examines these identity labels through transitivity analysis. The results suggest that The AAC was a site of political awakening directed at both Indigenous and white Australians, calling on the former to mobilise, on the latter to listen, and on both to act. The analysis also shows that this activism sits very much within the dominant Western/Colonial frame, reflecting the historical settler-colonial context of the period in which this newspaper was published. The study has broader implications for corpus-assisted discourse analysis, by indicating the insights we gain by shifting our gaze away from ‘other’-representation in mainstream newspapers towards ‘self’-representation in community-led publications.

Sexual health interventions with social marketing approach targeting young people: a scoping review.

In a fast-paced digital and global environment, sexual education must keep up with young people's sexual health needs. Social marketing is an approach that has been used in sexual health promotion for young people. The objective of the scoping review is to identify and map the use of social marketing in sexual health promotion for young people. Specifically, the content, delivery methods and effects of interventions on sexual health were researched. Six databases were systemically searched to capture the relevant peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods articles without time restrictions that provided evidence of sexual health-related social marketing interventions targeting young people aged 11-25. An inductive and deductive content analysis was performed. Nineteen studies were included in the data. The content of interventions was dominated by sexual risks and risk prevention, focusing particularly on sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence. Additionally, interventions included topics of morals of sexual relationships and changes in the body. The delivery of interventions occurred through various media channels, events and activities, while the effects of interventions were monitored as improvements in sexual perceptions and sexual behaviour, limited gender-related effects, limited evidence of intervention attributed to behaviour and effects in different age groups. The social marketing approach was mostly preventive and concentrated on the risks, whereas the delivery methods were diverse and creative, combining modern and already well-established channels. Sexuality should be seen comprehensively, and interventions should respond to the full range of young people's needs.

Social Media Activities and Affective Well-being in the Daily Life of Emerging Adults

Social Media Activities and Affective Well-being in the Daily Life of Emerging Adults

Drawing as collective self-care: Leeds animation workshop’s collaborative practices during the pandemic

Studies and debates about the impact of the Covid-19 (Covid-19 is the term widely used to denote the SARS-CoV-2 virus and adopted by the World Health Organization when communicating with the public) pandemic on the film and moving image industry have emphasized the economic and cultural consequences of lockdowns and social restrictions on cinematic productions and theatrical and festival circuits, leading to the rise of streaming platforms and services. Within this discussion, little attention has been drawn to the independent sector of non-profit cooperatives or collectives, grassroots distribution companies and community archives involved in feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual+ activism. This essay examines this area of post-pandemic cinema through the example of Leeds Animation Workshop, a women-run, feminist collective. Since its establishment in the eponymous West-Yorkshire city in 1978, the collective has been producing and distributing gender-focused animation films about social and educational issues worldwide. My argument is that Leeds Animation Workshop’s online media activities during the pandemic signal less an adjustment to a new media environment in response to social restrictions than a repurposing of their gendered and participatory media practices for social change and critical intervention.

PENERAPAN SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION PADA PEMBERITAAN DI MEDIA SIBER

The presence of the internet has changed the practice of journalistic activities in the mass media, especially cyber media. Cyber media editorial policies have also adjusted to the advancement of information technology by utilizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The implementation of SEO techniques in journalistic activities in cyber media is very necessary so that cyber media can survive and make it easier for the community to get information that suits their needs. Currently, cyber media has a higher attention in search engines because today's internet users will search for information through search engines every day. The purpose of this study is to find out the editorial policy of Pojoksatu.id cyber media in implementing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in carrying out journalistic activities. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach with a descriptive nature and using the case study method. The results of the study show that the editorial policy of implementing SEO in news production in Pojoksatu.id still prioritizes journalistic principles. The resulting news products combine the needs of readers and utilize search engine technology in a balanced manner. The implementation of SEO in Pojoksatu.id includes three things. First, crawling is an automated process to collect and index data from various sources so that the news produced can be automatically read by search engines. Second, pay attention to the availability of adequate equipment so that journalistic activities can be carried out optimally and the news made by journalists can be on page one. Third, policies related to human resource development and editorial, Pojoksatu.id management continuously provides training to journalists and editors to be able to write news in accordance with SEO. Journalists and editors must be able to apply the right keywords in the news to be indexed by search engines and spread news links to social media.

Social Media Activation Strategy pada Produk Olahan Kelapa Kopyor “Kosudu”

Coconut is a prospective plantation commodity. Many coconuts are further processed into various processed products, one of which is frozen coconut kopyor. This research aims to determine the implementation of brand activation and determine which social media activation strategy to be implemented in "Kosudu" frozen kopyor coconut. This research was designed with a case study approach in the Unit Usaha Kopyor Bogor. The informants and respondents were chosen through purposive sampling with criteria. The informants were 7 employees who provided information regarding “Kosudu”, while the respondents were 10 consumers who purchased the product. The analysis used in this research is SWOT and QSPM analysis. The research results show the implementation of the "Kosudu" social media activation, there are 8 activities in social media. The brand activation strategy for the Kopyor Bogor Business Unit is (1) Video advertisement (2) User Generated Content (3) Live dan post feed (4) Podcast.

Promoting financial inclusion for SMEs: Leveraging AI and data analytics in the banking sector

Financial inclusion is crucial for the growth and sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are significant contributors to economic development and job creation. However, traditional banking models often fall short in serving the unique needs of SMEs due to perceived high risks and insufficient credit history. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, the banking sector can transform its approach to financial inclusion, offering tailored financial products and services that cater specifically to SMEs. AI and data analytics enable banks to analyze vast amounts of data from diverse sources, including transactional histories, social media activity, and market trends. This holistic view of an SME's financial health and business potential allows for more accurate risk assessment and credit scoring. Machine learning algorithms can identify patterns and predict creditworthiness, enabling banks to extend credit to SMEs that may have been overlooked by traditional models. Additionally, AI-driven insights facilitate the development of customized financial products, such as flexible loan terms and dynamic interest rates, that align with the cash flow cycles and operational realities of SMEs. Automated processes and AI-powered chatbots enhance customer service, providing SMEs with timely support and financial advice, thereby improving their banking experience. Data analytics also play a critical role in fraud detection and prevention, ensuring the security of transactions and building trust among SME clients. By continuously monitoring and analyzing transaction data, banks can quickly identify and mitigate fraudulent activities, protecting SMEs from financial losses. Moreover, AI and data analytics support the creation of financial literacy programs tailored to the specific needs of SMEs, empowering business owners with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions. This educational aspect is vital in fostering a sustainable financial ecosystem for SMEs. In conclusion, the integration of AI and data analytics in the banking sector holds significant promise for promoting financial inclusion among SMEs. By providing more accessible, customized, and secure financial services, banks can support the growth and success of SMEs, ultimately contributing to broader economic development and financial stability.

How Crises Shape Interest in Elected Officials of Color: Social Media Activity, Race and Responsiveness to Members of Congress on Twitter

ABSTRACT This study aims to understand public reactions to statements about racial discrimination made by elected officials of color on Twitter. We argue that statements about race made by elected officials of color will be overlooked in most political contexts. However, during events when race is made a salient issue, the public will look to elected officials of the afflicted group for guidance and, through this, the public will be more likely to interact with these leaders on Twitter. In this way, periods of crises create a window of opportunity when statements against racism made by elected officials of color receive greater public attention. To assess this hypothesis, we use the case study of Asian American members of Congress and their discussion of anti-Asian racism on Twitter. We examine the pattern of Twitter interactions to their posts in 2021. We find that Asian American members of Congress receive more social media attention (likes and retweets) relative to other members of Congress when condemning anti-Asian violence, but only in the immediate wake of the March 2021 mass shooting of Asian Americans in Atlanta, Georgia. This study offers important new insight into when elected officials of color can draw public attention to the communities that they descriptively represent.

Dynamics between Bitcoin Market Trends and Social Media Activity

Dynamics between Bitcoin Market Trends and Social Media Activity

Analysis of Sarcasm Language Use on Instagram Social Media (Case Study of Students from the Faculty of Social Sciences UINSU)

This article aims to examine the dynamics of sarcasm language use by students of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra (UINSU) in their interactions on Instagram social media. The urgency of this research arises from the observation that sarcasm, although often used as a communication tool, frequently leads to misinterpretations and interpersonal conflicts in the digital context that lacks non-verbal cues. This study adopts a qualitative case study approach with a constructivist paradigm, using thematic analysis techniques to interpret data obtained through in-depth interviews and observation of social media activities. Data validity testing was conducted through source triangulation to ensure the reliability of the findings. The research results indicate that students have significantly varied understandings of sarcasm, which is often misinterpreted as serious communication, leading to undesired emotional reactions. In the segment "Social Cognition: Student Poll on Sarcastic Comments on Instagram," it was found that although students could identify sarcasm, emotional reactions to sarcasm varied, indicating a need for higher digital literacy to effectively manage and process information in social interactions. The discussion in this article emphasizes that sarcasm on social media, while being a dynamic expression tool, requires deep contextual understanding to avoid misinterpretation. Therefore, enhancing media literacy is crucial to help students understand communication nuances and reduce the risk of misunderstandings in digital interactions. This study highlights the importance of effective digital literacy education, which not only enhances students' communication skills but also prepares them to navigate the complex and often ambiguous digital ecosystem.

Cold atmospheric plasma-activated medium for potential ovarian cancer therapy.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has emerged as an innovative tool with broad medical applications, including ovarian cancer (OC) treatment. By bringing CAP in close proximity to liquids such as water or cell culture media, solutions containing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are generated, called plasma-activated media (PAM). In this systematic review, we conduct an in-depth analysis of studies focusing on PAM interactions with biological substrates. We elucidate the diverse mechanisms involved in the activation of different media and the complex network of chemical reactions underlying the generation and consumption of the prominent reactive species. Furthermore, we highlight the promises of PAM in advancing biomedical applications, such as its stability for extended periods under appropriate storage conditions. We also examine the application of PAM as an anti-cancer and anti-metastatic treatment for OC, with a particular emphasis on its ability to induce apoptosis via distinct signaling pathways, inhibit cell growth, suppress cell motility, and enhance the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy. Finally, the future outlook of PAM therapy in biomedical applications is speculated, with emphasis on the safety issues relevant to clinical translation.

High-output tuber crops-derived porous spherical carbons: Curved tip electric field-dependent activity for oxygen reduction catalysis

Metal-free nanocarbons with highly editable compositions and well-defined morphologies, and adjustable coordination environments have been considered as promising and inexpensive electrode materials that can be used in the fields of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, the typical micromorphology of high-output tuber crops potato was examined for the first time by cryo-electron microscopy, and nitrogen-doped spherical carbons with highly curved carbon layers were prepared from potato and sweet potato by hydrothermal and ammonia-activated treatments. The potato-derived carbon (PC) and sweet potato-derived carbon (SPC) with enriched nitrogen dopants on native curved carbon layers exhibit favorable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities in both acidic and alkaline media. The half-wave potential of the curved PC is 60 mV higher than that of commercial Pt/C (20 wt% Pt) in 0.1 M KOH. Impressively, the zinc-air battery using the curved PC displays excellent stability and achieves a peak power density of 116 mW cm−2, surpassing the performance of Pt/C (108 mW m−2). Finite element method (FEM) simulations and molecular dynamics (MD) calculations reveal that the curved carbon surface-enhanced tip electric field on the spherical structure, could further induce charge transfer and accelerate the ORR process. This work elucidates the origin of the catalytic activity of spherically structured metal-free carbons with N-doping, providing meaningful insights into the development of low-cost and highly active catalysts and advancing the field of sustainable energy.

New graduate nurses’ readiness for practice, transition and integration into the workplace: A longitudinal study with mixed methods research

AimTo examine the readiness of new graduate nurses for practice and evaluate factors influencing their transition into the workplace. BackgroundThis is new research in Bahrain. Understanding readiness for practice is important during a time when there is a national initiative to promote nursing as a career among the indigenous Bahraini population. The worldwide nursing shortages and aging workforce require new and innovative recruitment and retention measures. There is change, increased demand and complexity, in nursing and healthcare needs with accompanying healthcare specialization. In such a health care environment, the transitioning and readiness of newly qualified nurses is an increasing challenge. DesignA longitudinal design, with a triangulated, mixed methods, research approach was used. MethodsThe study population consisted of 50 newly graduated nurses. Data were collected over one year through self-administered questionnaires, reflective diaries and focus groups. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and qualitative data using thematic analysis with adherence to GRAMMS reporting guidelines. ResultsIn Bahrain, there are actions to recruit young Arabic students to nursing including schools and community presentations by trained nurse ambassadors, social media activities and career exhibitions, however there is a lack of objective information on the perspective of cohorts of nurses who have successfully completed graduate nursing registration programmes and transitioned into practice. International literature suggests that the transition of newly graduated nurses can be stressful and challenging. On entry to practice, the respondents positively perceived their characteristics and attributes; however, their confidence was affected by challenges in the workplace. The transitioning of the new graduate nurses was affected by the availability of support and leadership, induction programmes and the new complex work environment. ConclusionUnderstanding work readiness and the emotional needs of new graduate nurses, accompanied by improved support, will enhance the transition of newly qualified nurses into the workplace and reduce attrition. Study RegistrationKHUH/Research/No.279/2019

Micro Knowledge as a Driver for Systemic Emergencies Management: The Case of Xylella in Italy

AbstractDuring emergency production systems, supply chain stakeholders’ interactions, media activities, government actions, community behaviors are stressed bringing, all, to a high-risk perception about safety. For agri-food products, it became in a variation of consumers’ purchasing behaviors, guided by uncertainty and influenced by trust. The extant knowledge about consumers’ willingness to buy for agri-food products in emergency condition does not provide evidences during a phytosanitary warning. The proposed study, considering the Xylella fastidiosa phytosanitary emergency as case study, aims to fulfill this gap analyzing the possible variations of consumers’ perception and willingness to buy of Apulian olive oil in the era of Xylella emergence by adopting a multi-perspective and systemic approach. For achieving this scope, the study follows a Process-Person-Context-Time perspective for conceiving a systemic psychological model based on the Bronfenbrenner ecological model. Seven hypotheses were tested through Structural Equation Modeling thanks to a survey in a representative sample of 779 Italian consumers. Results showed that Italian consumer’s willingness to buy the post-Xylella olive oil can fluctuate due to the hypothesized system vulnerability: family, friends, and colleague such as trust in farmers and the credibility of Italian food market are impactful; trust in processors, transporters, and government and media is not. The findings, from theoretical and sectorial perspectives, provide new knowledge on the topic, empirical evidences, and a multi-systemic model able to analyze consumers’ behaviors, understand and stimulate the search for new (or more appropriate) marketing and communication strategies to face Xylella serious economic shortages, and to act a requalification of territory at all.

A multi-model attention based CNN-BiLSTM model for personality traits prediction based on user behavior on social media

The prediction of an individual’s personality traits through the analysis of their online social media activities is an area of research that has gained considerable attention in the digital era. The statistical data derived from people’s thoughts that are conveyed through their status updates on social media serves as an essential resource for understanding the various aspects of human behavior and personality. The present study is motivated by the various applications associated with personality prediction, such as targeted advertising, personalized entertainment, and customized recommendations. A multi-model attention-based convolutional neural network-bidirectional long short-term memory (CNN+BiLSTM) is proposed in the present work for personality traits prediction. The proposed model utilizes pre-trained language models, such as Global Vectors for Word Representation (GloVe) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), to create vector representations of words, which effectively captures word semantics. Additionally, network features such as size, betweenness, transitivity, and density are integrated with text features to enhance personality traits prediction. The results highlight the contextual understanding of the BERT model and emphasize the effectiveness of the proposed model, particularly the fusion of the attention layer with the CNN+BiLSTM architecture, which significantly improves information extraction and prediction capabilities. The integration of social network features strengthens the classifier’s ability to predict personality traits, resulting in improved overall performance.

Influencer storefronts: impact of social media advertising disclosures on purchases

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to address the surging reliance on influencer marketing in evolving business models, focusing on a novel approach – the influencer e-commerce storefront. This study investigates various influencer advertising disclosures, social media activities and their impact on consumer engagement and sales within the influencer e-commerce storefront.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data was collected on 734 influencers from an e-commerce website based on “influencer” storefronts, and the influencer’s social media activity and content were collected from Instagram. Two-stage seemingly unrelated regression model was used to examine the research model.FindingsInfluencer social media use, encompassing daily posts, story posts and average comments, positively influences consumer engagement and sales on influencer e-commerce storefronts. Notably, the study reveals that different advertising disclosure languages yield varying effects. Unclear disclosures (e.g. branded Highlights) positively impact engagement and sales, while obvious disclosures (e.g. “Sponsored Ad”) negatively affect both.Originality/valueThe study contributes to Persuasion Knowledge Theory, examining influencer e-commerce storefronts and revealing the persuasive impact of undisclosed language in advertising. This study innovatively explores the effects of obvious and undisclosed sponsorship on coping mechanisms, offering insights into consumer reactions. The recommended use of undisclosed language suggests that ambiguity can enhance ad persuasion, guiding practitioners in crafting more effective messages. Moreover, the study extends co-creation theory and service-dominant logic by underscoring the significance of influencers’ social media engagement in co-creating value for consumers. Influencers’ active engagement on social media fosters co-creation, strengthening connections and boosting consumer loyalty.