Instant Messaging Apps Research Articles

Digital Streets of Rage: Identifying Rhizomatic Extremist Messages During a Hybrid Media Event using Natural Language Processing

This research explores how to identify extreme messages during a hybrid media event happening in a small language area by utilizing natural language processing (NLP), a type of artificial intelligence (AI). A hybrid media event gathers attention all sides of the media environment: mainstream media, social media, instant messaging apps and fringe communities. Hybrid media events call attention for participation and activities both in the physical world and online. On the darker side of media events, the media landscape can act as a channel for all kinds of disinformation, hate speech and conspiracy theories. In addition, fringe communities such as 4chan also spread hate speech and duplicated content during hybrid media events. From theoretical point of view, this connection between the physical world and information networks can be seen as rhizomatic in nature, because information spreads without regard to a traditional hierarchy. The result is that when individuals participate in a big media event, there is a viral awareness of different viewpoints and all kind of topics may be posted online for discussion. In addition, in rhizomatic context different kind of arguments can twist each other, “copy and paste”, and create very diversity meanings of new comments. The role of extremist speech in online spaces can have effects in physical world.
 The focus of this paper is to present the findings of a case study on messages posted online by three different actor groups who participated in demonstrations organized on Finnish Independence Day. In this research, two data sets were collected from Twitter and Telegram and Natural Language Processing (NLP) was used to classify messages using extremist media index labels. Three actor groups were identified as participating in the demonstrations, and they were labelled as: far-right, antifascists and conspiracists. Computational analysis was done by using NLP to categorize the messages based upon the definitions provided by the extremist media index. The analysis shows how AI technology can help identifying messages which include extremist content and approve the use of violence in a small language area. The model of rhizome was valid in making the connections between fringe, extremist content and moderate discussion visible. This article is part of larger project related to extremist networks and criminality in online darknet environments.

¿Qué pasa with American News Media? How Digital-Native Latinx News Serves Community Information Needs Using Messaging Apps

Traditional and legacy Spanish-language news outlets are shrinking, leaving many communities in the U.S. without news that satisfies their critical information needs. At the same time, news media entrepreneurs are adopting and adapting to technological changes that offer new venues for news delivery. We use a mixed-methods research approach to analyze Latinx digital-native news media organizations that distribute news in Spanish via mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps. Results show that journalists took a bottom-up approach to meeting the information needs of their audiences, choosing MIMs because their readers were already established on those platforms. Our work also reveals that news delivered via MIMs focuses mostly on health, emergencies and public safety, civic information, and economic development.

Technological Affordance and the Realities of Citizen Science Projects Developed in Challenging Territories

Citizen science has established itself as an important approach to the co-production of knowledge and public participation in scientific research. Combined with digital technologies and online tools, the approach has been celebrated as a path toward the democratization of science. However, only a few studies have investigated the role digital technologies play in shaping interactions between people and nature. Additionally, the role of context in shaping online and face-to-face participation in citizen science projects has yet to receive much attention. This article takes a citizen science initiative in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the state of São Paulo as an illustrative case of the emergence of unanticipated consequences of digital technologies. The emergence of a socio-material practice of animal identification through a popular instant-messaging app is described, allowing a better understanding of the role of digital technologies and the context framing citizen participation in challenging environments.

Assessing the significance of first place and online third places in supporting Malaysian seniors’ well-being during the pandemic

The enforced lockdowns and social distancing measures associated with COVID-19 may have influenced older adults’ preferences towards their homes and neighborhoods as well as social spaces. One objective of this research is to determine whether home and neighborhood environments (“first place”) affect how satisfied older adults are with their lives during the epidemic. This study also examined the extent to which social spaces that exist in the virtual world (“online third places”) affect older adults’ life satisfaction when they would have to practice risk-averse behaviors in times of pandemic. To collect data, this study analyzed the responses of 500 active older adults and conducted in-depth interviews with seven older adults who served as neighborhood leaders in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The study found that there is a direct relationship between older adults’ satisfaction with their current housing and their overall life satisfaction during the pandemic. Similarly, having a quality neighborhood nearby increases the likelihood of living a satisfied life during the pandemic. Most online third places, with the exception of instant messaging apps, do not appear to provide older adults with an adequate platform to interact with their friends, participate in social networking, and join communities for emotional support during the pandemic. The findings and recommendations of this study would be very useful in developing effective interventions to promote aging in place during the coronavirus outbreak.

Unpacking news engagement through the perceived affordances of social media: A cross-platform, cross-country approach

In the extant ample research on news engagement on social media, a majority of studies thus far have centered mainly on users’ motivations, gratifications, and characteristics and less on platforms in which they operate. Yet, it is well recognized that users’ behavior is shaped by technological interfaces, and that users differentiate between platforms and switch to suit their specific needs. The current study, therefore, adopts a cross-platform (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and instant messaging apps) approach to explore how users’ engagement with news varies, with a focus on users’ perceptions of platforms’ affordances as a main predictor. Based on an online survey in eight countries (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Sweden, Germany, Hong Kong, and Japan), the study identifies as key affordances, which determine both receiving and dissemination of news, users’ perceptions regarding a platform’s personalization, network association, anonymity, and content persistence. The findings also highlight the differences between countries and between platforms.

Perceptions of Using Instant Messaging Apps for Alcohol Reduction Intervention Among University Student Drinkers: Semistructured Interview Study With Chinese University Students in Hong Kong.

Mobile instant messaging (IM) apps (eg, WhatsApp and WeChat) have been widely used by the general population and are more interactive than text-based programs (SMS text messaging) to modify unhealthy lifestyles. Little is known about IM app use for health promotion, including alcohol reduction for university students. This study aims to explore university student drinkers' perceptions of using IM apps for alcohol reduction as they had high alcohol exposure (eg, drinking invitations from peers and alcohol promotion on campus) and the proportion of IM app use in Hong Kong. A qualitative study was conducted with 20 Hong Kong Chinese university students (current drinkers) with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification test scores of ≥8 recruited using purposive sampling. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted from September to October 2019. Interview questions focused on drinking behaviors, quitting history, opinions toward IM app use as an intervention tool, perceived usefulness of IM apps for alcohol reduction, and opinions on the content and design of IM apps for alcohol reduction. Each interview lasted approximately 1 hour. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently analyzed the transcripts using thematic analysis with an additional investigator to verify the consistency of the coding. Participants considered IM apps a feasible and acceptable platform for alcohol reduction intervention. They preferred to receive IMs based on personalized problem-solving and drinking consequences with credible sources. Other perceived important components of instant messages included providing psychosocial support in time and setting goals with participants to reduce drinking. They further provided suggestions on the designs of IM interventions, in which they preferred simple and concise messages, chat styles based on participants' preferences (eg, adding personalized emojis and stickers in the chat), and peers as counselors. Qualitative interviews with Chinese university student drinkers showed high acceptability, engagement, and perceived utility of IM apps for alcohol reduction intervention. IM intervention can be an alternative for alcohol reduction intervention apart from traditional text-based programs. The study has implications for developing the IM intervention for other unhealthy behaviors and highlights important topics that warrant future research, including substance use and physical inactivity. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04025151; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04025151?term=NCT04025151.

Cooperative affordances: How instant messaging apps afford learning, resistance and solidarity among food delivery workers

This paper aims to understand the practices and meanings associated with the creation and use of private chat groups on instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and WeChat that are accessible only to platform workers of online food delivery services. We draw on participant observation in five countries (Italy, Spain, Mexico, China, and India), in-depth interviews with 68 food delivery couriers and digital ethnography ( Pink et al., 2015 ) within dozens of online private chat groups of food delivery workers. Our fieldwork shows that private chat groups are extremely relevant in the daily work of delivery workers and are appropriated to restore forms of mutualism not afforded by the food delivery apps. Following Costa (2018) and her concept of affordances- in-practice, we describe how the practice of online private chat groups created by platform workers affords: (1) the emergence of communities of practice; (2) resistance and contempt; (3) mutualism and solidarity. We argue that these workers ‘enact’ the affordances of instant messaging apps, to supplement – from below – the affordances of food delivery apps that were denied or ignored by food delivery companies. We argue that these affordances constitute cooperative affordances. This concept captures the cooperative nature of peer-to-peer communication that occurs within the informal online chat groups created by the workers themselves. Finally, this article contributes to affordance theory by highlighting how affordances are not immanent properties of artifacts, or ‘invariants’, as argued by Gibson (1979) , but can be ‘enacted’ by specific users, like food delivery workers, within specific social and cultural contexts.

Measuring the Effects of Usability Recommendations for Mobile Instant Messaging Apps on User Performance and User Behaviour

Researchers worldwide have extensively investigated the influence of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) on Mobile Instant Messaging applications, exploring aspects such as usability issues and user behaviour. However, traditional HCI challenges remain in these applications today (ie, usability issues and lack of specific usability guidelines). In this paper, we present a contextual and methodological contribution measuring user performance (with a controlled experiment on a set of structured tasks following a within-subjects design) and user behaviour (with a user satisfaction questionnaire) on Mobile Instant Messaging applications with end users. Most of the current studies on Mobile Instant Messaging are focused on only one application at a time and in a specific region of the world. This experiment originally measures over four apps: Three in-market apps (apps with good usability results, selected from previous studies) and one app developed following usability recommendations. In addition, this research originally adds to the current literature results with participants from two different countries. The results show, as practical implications, that the application of specific usability recommendations for Mobile Instant Messaging applications (eg, adding a new contact only with the ID, or providing a visual distinction between individual and group chats, among others) significantly facilitates user performance with these applications. However, further dissemination is needed among researchers and developers. The findings on user behaviour show that the number of close contacts using a particular Mobile Instant Messaging application strongly determines the user’s intention to continue using an application. And not the features offered or the acceptance of the user interface, as most current studies suggest.

Comparing Chatbots and Online Surveys for (Longitudinal) Data Collection: An Investigation of Response Characteristics, Data Quality, and User Evaluation

ABSTRACT As chatbots are gaining more popularity than ever, they have recently been considered as interesting tools for survey administration in social science research. To explore this idea, we investigated the extent to which there are differences in response characteristics and data quality between a traditional, web-based survey and a conversational, chatbot-based survey (which we integrated in an instant messaging app). In addition, we zoomed into how respondents evaluate both survey modes. Using a longitudinal design, we also explored how response characteristics evolved over a period of two weeks. Overall, we did not find evidence that chatbots might be better survey administration tools than web surveys. On the contrary, the web survey often seemed to generate more favorable response characteristics and data quality. Finally, when it comes to user perceptions, we found that the chatbot survey was evaluated less favorably in terms of perceived enjoyment, usefulness, and security. Based on these results, we draw conclusions about whether chatbots can be considered as valid alternatives for traditional web survey methods.

A Retrospective Analysis of WhatsApp as a Mode of Teledermatology: A Need of the Present Bringing in a Newer Consultation Mode in Future

Background: Telemedicine is usually considered a provision of health-care services, where distances are a critical factor. WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging app used worldwide, which incorporates encrypted text/voice/video-based communication making it ideal for dermatology consults in the current situation. Objectives: The aim of the study was to do a retrospective analysis of new and follow-up patients seen through teledermatology (TD) using WhatsApp and telemedicine platform as a communication tool during the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of new and follow-up patients seen through teledermatology during the lockdown was done. The teleconsultation was provided through WhatsApp and telemedicine platform. Consent was sought, and a detailed history was obtained through messaging and by call. Clinical pictures sent by WhatsApp were analyzed, and a diagnosis was made by correlating the history and image findings. Treatment was individualized for each patient, and a teleprescription was sent as per the guidelines provided by the health-care regulators. Results: This study retrospectively analyzed the usefulness of WhatsApp-based teleconsultations for 60 patients comprising 32 new and 28 follow-up cases during the lockdown. The conditions ranged from various forms of dermatitis, papulosquamous disorders, and autoimmune blistering disorders to cutaneous infections. Conclusion: Diagnosis could be made in all 60 patients. Positive patient perception and prognosis, with decreased financial liabilities were noticed. WhatsApp provides a way to move forward in these uncertain times. Specific guidelines on TD have to be inculcated in routine practice.

Feasibility and effectiveness of WhatsApp online group on breastfeeding by peer counsellors: a single-blinded, open-label pilot randomized controlled study

IntroductionWith mobile technologies becoming more advanced and accessible, mobile health (mHealth) has been incorporated in delivering timely and convenient breastfeeding support. However, its feasibility and potential efficacy remain to be examined. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an online instant messaging peer support group for breastfeeding. The secondary objective is to evaluate the effect of the intervention on breastfeeding outcomes.MethodsA pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 33 primiparous women were recruited in the antenatal clinic at a public hospital in Hong Kong between March and April 2021. They were randomized to receive either standard care (n = 18) or standard care and receive peer-group support in an online instant messaging app (n = 15). Participants received telephone follow-up for up to six months postpartum or until they stopped breastfeeding. After completing the study, six participants in the intervention group were interviewed to understand their perceptions of the intervention.ResultsThis pilot study shows that online messaging peer support group is feasible and acceptable to women. In total, 54.4% of the eligible women agreed to participate, and 97.0% completed the follow-up. Participants perceived that providing peer support through instant messaging app is appropriate. It serves as a channel for the participants to ask questions and obtain information. Furthermore, meetings of the peer supporters and group members can be held to enhance the effectiveness of the intervention. In addition, no significant differences were found in any and exclusive breastfeeding rates, breastfeeding attitude, and breastfeeding self-efficacy between the two groups.ConclusionsThis study shows that online messaging peer support group is feasible and acceptable. A full-scale study should be conducted to understand the effect of the online instant messaging peer support group on breastfeeding outcomes.Trial Registration:The study protocol is registered on Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04826796) on 1 April 2021

Rhizomatic Telling –Recognising the Mechanism of Small Stories in a Community Organisation Process

As an unforeseen pandemic disturbs our livelihoods and forces us to change our boundaries, small talks arise and disperse in fleeting moments within and beyond physical perimeters. The notion of singular truth (metanarrative : Lyotard 1984) has evidently been overridden in this time. Small stories (Bamberg 2004, 2006; Georgakopoulou 2006; 2007) are heavily embedded as part of the trajectory of social interactions. As fragments of talk-in-interactions, they are recontextualised and reaffirmed as narratives along multiple threads of conversations across time. Presented in this article is a microstudy implementing the lens of small stories on communication activities taking place among members of a specific location-based community. This is a part of the ongoing PhD research on bottom-up community organisation through the alignment of community-specific narratives and positioning of socially engaged art practitioners. The microstudy on communal conversations on an instant messaging app looks into how multiple realities are reconfigured by virtue of multiple tellers and modes of telling.

Instant messaging and the facilitation of collaborative, student‐led learning and teacher‐support: the NZCEL EAP scenario

In the last couple of decades, the increased use of technology in the education sector has led to smartphone use becoming more prevalent in supporting students' learning. Apart from applications (apps) specifically designed for language educational purposes, such as Duolingo, there are also instant messaging apps that are not specifically designed for education purposes, but that can be useful in supporting learners. These include instant messaging apps such as, WhatsApp and WeChat. Instead of relegating phone app use to merely a source of entertainment and distraction, teachers increasingly use them as a vital form of communication to enhance education, including language learning. Apps have thus shifted from a tangential position to the forefront of the learning space. For the purposes of this research project, WeChat was used as the messaging app. This article focuses on the initial findings of a pilot study and concentrates on the perceived purposes for the participants' posts as they relate to the use of the app as a tool for collaboration, peer-support, and knowledge sharing. Data was gathered through an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the WeChat posts. Analysis of the posts and comments made by students during the interviews suggest that the tool formed a vital link between them, their classmates and teachers, and, at times, served as a social platform underlying the key educational purposes of the programme.

An Empirical Study on the Communication and Usage Psychology of Emoji in Wechat

As an indispensable active atmosphere and meaningful emotional expression in social media, emojis describe the emotions of users in specific situations in a funny, humorous, euphemistic, and implicit form and attract users to use them consciously or unconsciously with their quick and convenient features. Currently, the research on the psychology of emoji usage is mostly from the perspective of users, while neglecting the essential attributes of emojis. The purpose of this study was to investigate and summarize the multi-dimensional factors that affect the communication and usage of emojis and to elucidate the influence of the essential attributes of emojis on their use. This study took the users of WeChat (the most widely used instant messaging app in China) as the research object. Data were collected utilizing semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. SPSS 25.0 software was applied to conduct exploratory factor analysis on relevant data to explore and summarize several dimensions of WeChat users’ emoji communication and usage psychology. The results showed that gender, age, education, and occupation were important factors affecting the usage and communication of emojis. The psychology of emoji usage had multi-dimensional characteristics and according to the self-determination theory, it could be divided into internal and external factors. The internal factors included information, efficiency, and entertainment, and the external factors included communicativeness, culture, image, fuzziness, and context. Notably, the influence of fuzziness on the psychology of emoji usage has described the critical role of the essential attributes of emojis, which complemented the neglect of the fuzziness of emoji in previous studies, which might provide a direction for the design of emojis.

A Survey of Telemedicine Use by Doctors in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

There is anecdotal evidence of informal telemedicine activity in KwaZulu-Natal (KZ-N), South Africa. Aim: To determine the current extent of telemedicine in district hospitals in KZ-N; the range of clinical activities and technologies used; additional services needed; current knowledge and practice regarding legal, ethical, and regulatory issues; and the need to formalise telemedicine activities. Method: A cross-sectional survey of telemedicine use by 143 doctors working at 22 District hospitals in KZ-N. Results: Most doctors (96%) participated in some form of telemedicine across a spectrum of disciplines, but more than half did not consider their activities to constitute telemedicine. To meet their needs, doctors have started their own informal services with colleagues, using mostly instant messaging and chat groups (WhatsApp). Some doctors indicated the need to formalise these services and establish additional services. Few doctors were aware of the national telemedicine guidelines and the required written informed consent for telemedicine was seldom obtained. This could have serious legal, regulatory, and ethical implications. Conclusions: Practical clinical and technical guidelines and standard operating procedures need to be developed with the active participation of the clinical workforce. These should encourage innovation and greater use of telemedicine, including the use of instant messaging apps.

The Investment Timing Analysis of Instant Messaging APP: A Case Study based on Fetion and Momo

The market timing of the investment greatly affects the success or failure of a product. This paper focuses on the communication industry, taking Fetion and Momo as an example to reflect the importance of market timing. We use four basic “Why Now” drivers to illustrate the factors which might have an impact on the two products. This paper compares Fetion and Momo from technology, economic, social, and installed bases, these four aspects. This paper involves the extent mentioned above to show the reasons for the failure of Fetion, in the meanwhile, Momo's survival in the market and also made such success. Then we make decision-making and discussion to prove our points powerful.

Using instant messaging apps at work: does convenience risk confidentiality?

Using instant messaging apps at work: does convenience risk confidentiality?

Mobile instant messaging techno-stressors: Measurement, dimensionality, and relationships with type of usage

Increasingly popular mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps allow users to interact anytime and anywhere with different purposes, such as coordinating work-related issues, staying in touch with people they love, or passing the time. But recent research suggests that MIM may create excessive demands on people and become a source of technostress. For example, users may experience communication overload, invasion of their face-to-face activities, pressure to respond to messages with urgency, or ambiguity regarding the intention or tone of their interactions. Building on these ideas, we develop a specific, multidimensional measure of MIM technostress and explore how it relates to different uses. To do so, we use survey data from a diverse sample of 1,259 residents in Spain. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on different halves of the sample supported a four-dimensional, second-level construct of MIM stress. Furthermore, structural equation model results suggest that not all uses are equally associated with MIM stress. Relatedness and intimacy uses were not positively related to MIM stress or any of its dimensions. Conversely, work uses, coordination of social activity, and even passing the time were positively associated with all techno-stressors. We discuss our findings with an eye toward promoting healthy use of MIM apps.

Forensic investigation of instant messaging services on linux OS: Discord and Slack as case studies

Instant messaging applications have gained considerable market share over the past decade and have become one of the most used applications for users worldwide. However, due to the low-barrier to entry and ease of use, these applications (apps) have also garnered the attention of criminals wanting to use the apps to facilitate criminal activities. The memory forensic examination of Discord and Slack on Linux operating system (specifically, Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS), two popular instant messaging apps, has gone largely unexplored. In this paper, we examined both apps and found data remnants of users’ activities that are of forensic interest. We detected a variety of information including: Slack specific data, Discord specific data, username, emails, passwords, messages, conversations, and uploaded attachments, all of which could be utilized in a forensic investigation.

Research on the Usability of information Positioning Interaction Method in Instant Messaging App

Objective: This paper investigates an interaction method for quickly finding a target message in an instant messaging app and uses usability testing to determine whether this interaction method improves usability.<BR><BR>Background: With the development of Internet technology and the widespread use of social media, instant messaging apps have become a must-have app for everyone. Due to this convenience, users need to deal with a large amount of information every day and searching and filtering consume a lot of time. It is necessary to study new interaction methods to solve problems.<BR><BR>Method: Analyzed the structure of the focus area of the instant messaging app message lookup, identified problematic points and designed a new interaction method and prototype. Conducted usability evaluation of the old and new interaction methods using objective methods. 1) Designed experiments and questionnaires around three aspects of usability, effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. 2) Recruited testers to conduct tests. 3) Performed statistical analysis of the obtained data.<BR><BR>Results: The efficiency and user experience of the new interaction method can be greatly improved, and the learning cost is low. The new interaction method significantly reduces the disadvantage of increasing the number of messages affecting the finding time. No matter how many messages it takes only about 6 seconds.<BR><BR>Conclusion: With the increase of users