Online Communication Platform Research Articles

Supporting National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups in the WHO European Region in developing national COVID-19 vaccination recommendations through online communication platform

National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups are groups of multi-disciplinary experts that provide scientific advice to policy makers to enable them to make informed immunization policy and programme decisions. NITAGs faced challengesusing their routine approach to develop recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. In response, the WHORegional Office for Europe (Regional Office), with the support of theRobert Koch Institute, developedan innovative approach of a series of webinars, provision of materials, and remote technical assistance to address these challenges. Polls conducted during webinars were used to tailor future webinars and evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. According to poll results, 76% of participants found the webinars and resources shared very useful in their work on COVID-19 vaccination.The Regional Office plans to build further upon the scope of online communication and establish a regional online platform for NITAGs to further support NITAGs and build capacity.

A Case Study of the Diachronic Development of Second Language Grammatical Competence Based on Computer-mediated Negotiated Interaction

The emergence of computer-mediated real-time communication platform provides second language learners with the opportunity to communicate with the target language through the network. This empirical study is based on the English text-based data of online store learners in four periods of real-time online communication platform to explore the grammatical development of interlanguage of middle-level English learners in computer-mediated real-time interactive negotiation. Corpus analysis shows that learners' accuracy of L2 grammatical forms has been improved, with obvious changes in the first and second periods, but no significant changes in their grammatical competence in the later periods. The frequency of using compound sentences is low, and it shows a downward trend in the later stages. The research shows that computer-mediated real-time communication promotes learners' second language acquisition to a certain extent, but the communicative context and purpose affect its further improvement of interlanguage grammar.

Exploring the Influence of Social Media Usage for Academic Purposes Using a Partial Least Squares Approach

Social media applications have been increasingly gaining significant attention from online education and training platforms. Social networking tools provide multiple advantages for communicating, exchanging opinions, and discussing specific issues. Social media also helps to improve the processes of teaching and learning through sharing educational programs. In this study, we used a quantitative research technique based on the partial least-squares (PLS) linear regression method to determine the influence of using social media as an online discussion and communication platform for academic purposes by assessing the relationships among the skills obtained through social media, the usage of social media, and the purpose of social media. A total of 200 students participated in this study (88% female and 12% males), and a purposive sampling technique was used to select a suitable population for the study. The results show that 61.5% of the participants use the web daily for more than five hours, mainly for social communication (meaningful dialog and discussion skills) and entertainment. The students agreed that social media develops their creative thinking, but it has no positive impact on their academic performance.

Exploring the Impact of Transformation to Fully Online Learning During COVID-19 on Malaysian University Students’ Academic Life and Performance

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many organizations in the world to fully utilize variety of emerging online communication platform technologies. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are among these organizations that obliged students and instructors to use different online communication platforms to insure uninterrupted education process. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated many considerable challenges for the global higher education community while using such emerging technologies. The purpose of this study is to analyze university student’s perceptions on the challenges and hurdles they face during the Covid-19 pandemic when they use IT platform applications for online learning activities. This research used mixed methods research with main emphasis on qualitative research, supported by literature content analysis techniques. The data set for this study was collected during peak time of pandemic period between 16<sup>th</sup> of May 2020 to 5<sup>th</sup> of Jun 2020. Based on the descriptive analysis using SPSS and the analyzed results using NVivo12 for the data that was collected from 486 students from different universities in Malaysia, students disclosed various obstacles they encounter when they use IT platform applications for online learning. These obstacles are summarized as follows: (1) Work and information overload received from instructors through online learning platforms (2) Technical challenges related to students’ lack of affordability for having online learning support facilities (3) Personal health challenges related to stress and anxiety problems.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Social Media-Based Communication Strategy to Enhance Employee Engagement: Experiences From a Children's Hospital, Pakistan.

Social media can complement organizational communication strategy which is integral to employee engagement. However, successful case studies which can allow replication are limited. The objective of the study is to describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a social media-based communication strategy in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The leadership of the pediatric service line developed an intervention plan to engage the employees with the newly reframed vision to improve patient and family experience. An online communication platform—Facebook page—was created for all employees of the pediatric service line. The strategy to influence employees was based on Cialdini's six principles of persuasion. Implementation of the strategy between October 2017 and December 2019 was evaluated for reach, discussion themes, and outcomes using the framework by Murdough (2009). Quantitative indicators included total posts, mean comments, and reactions per post. Posts were qualitatively analyzed with an emergent approach for insights into the discussion. The analysis revealed a total of 9,085 posts, with mean reactions per post of 8.4, mean comments of 7.2, and active viewership by 90% members on average. In terms of post types, photos were the highest (4,779), while videos were the lowest (1,163). Qualitative analysis indicated 54% of the posts were of the theme “inspirational and thought provoking,” while the greatest engagement was generated on the theme “challenges and solution.” The authors conclude that the strategy was successfully implemented to maintain active membership, engage employees in meaningful conversations, and have them express intent to execute quality improvement projects.

Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students’ Learning Life: An Integrated Conceptual Motivational Model for Sustainable and Healthy Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many organizations around the world to make full use of a variety of emerging online communication platform technologies. Universities are among the organizations that have asked students, tutors, and lecturers to use a number of different online communication platforms to ensure the education process remains uninterrupted. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated considerable challenges for the global higher education community while using such emerging technologies. This research has two main goals. First, this paper will begin by investigating whether the online learning platforms used by university students during the COVID-19 period have presented any challenges to their learning. Second, the paper will then go on to address proposed solutions by developing a conceptual model to reduce the impact of such challenges. This research uses an exploratory qualitative research approach, supported by literature content analysis techniques. The data set for this study was collected during the first peak of the pandemic period in Malaysia, between the 16th of May 2020 and the 5th of June 2020. We used SPSS to conduct a descriptive analysis and NVivo12 to analyse data collected from 486 students from different universities in Malaysia. These students disclosed various obstacles they encountered when they used IT platform applications for online learning. These obstacles include (a) work and information overload received from instructors, (b) inadaptability and unfamiliarity of the new online learning environment, and (c) personal health challenges related to stress and anxiety. Based on previous relevant research, this study introduced a set of motivational factors and developed a conceptual motivational model for sustainable and healthy online learning.

Delivering online alternatives to the anatomy laboratory: Early experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing measures due to the COVID‐19 pandemic will make anatomy dissecting room practicals difficult, if not impossible to run at some institutions in the upcoming academic year. The learning community that exists within physical anatomy practicals needs to be moved online. Virtual replacement of visuo‐spatial and social elements of learning anatomy pose particular challenges to educators. Our department has trialed Blackboard Collaborate, an online communication platform in conjunction with Visible Body, a 3D anatomical modeling program. We have delivered 266 hr of synchronous small group teaching to medical and physician associate students. We describe this approach and discuss the relevance of distance learning pedagogy to the design of new online anatomy teaching and development of online learning communities.

Neurobiobehavioral responses to virtual social rejection in females-exploring the influence ofoxytocin.

In recent years, especially adolescents and young adults interact frequently via social media and digital communication. Mimicking an online communication platform where participants could initiate short conversations with two computerized interlocutors, the Verbal Interaction Social Threat Task (VISTTA) was used to induce feelings of social rejection. Motivational and physiological reactions were investigated in 43 healthy young women undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), of which 22 received 24 international units (IU) intranasal oxytocin and 21 received placebo. Replicating previous findings, social rejection entailed a lower willingness to cooperate with the two peers. Increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula/inferior frontal gyrus was observed when receiving negative feedback from others, and in the precuneus when subsequently rating one’s willingness to cooperate with them in the future. Oxytocin did not seem to alter responses to social rejection. The current findings provide validation of the VISTTA for examining consequences of rejection in a virtual social interaction that bears a strong resemblance to online communication platforms.

Characteristics of online medical care consultation for pregnant women during the COVID-19 outbreak: cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThis study described the needs of pregnant women and the contents of online obstetric consultation in representative areas with various severity of the epidemic in China.DesignThis was a cross- sectional...

Finding value in social media: A collaborative online communication platform linking providers to education and an online tumor board across a large community of oncology practices.

305 Background: Clinical collaboration across fragmented and often small clinic sites can be challenging. As a potential solution, OneOncology, a national community oncology network, launched OneCommunity, a secure, interactive online platform used across our network of six practices and over 130 clinic sites. One feature is a “virtual” tumor board where physicians can post complex cases at any time and obtain input from disease-specific experts from within the network. Members can also post, comment and disseminate information about policy and education updates affecting oncology. Methods: OneCommunity launched on December 15, 2019 and all 442 members of OneOncology were allowed access. We tracked numbers of membership, tumor board cases, policy updates and questions, views and responses per post, and response time for tumor board and policy posts during the study period from launch through June 11, 2020. Results: In the first six months of use, 277 providers signed up and logged into the platform. 71 individual patient cases were presented across 10 specialty tumor boards. The mean time to first response was 35 hours ( < 1 hour, 297 hours), median time was 20 hours, and 73% of postings had a response within 48 hours of original posting. The most robust tumor boards were breast, GI, and lung cancers. There was also a set of general posts that was nonspecific to patients including policy, COVID updates, and educational reviews. The average number of responses for tumor boards was significantly greater than general posts (3.5 vs. 1.8, p < 0.05). The number of views for both types of posts, however, were high (406 vs. 346, p < 0.05). Conclusions: An online communication platform is feasible and allows physicians to receive treatment suggestions for complex cases relatively quickly and across geographies. Tumor board cases received more interaction than policy and education updates. The platform lends itself to rapidly adding other aspects of cancer care such as COVID-19. Future applications include a network wide real-time molecular tumor board.

A Study on the Use of Massive Open Online Courses in Otorhinolaryngology After Graduation.

The use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in medical education and postgraduate education is becoming more and more widespread across the world. A survey study was carried out in Turkey to collect information and raise awareness about the use of MOOCs for educational and training purposes in the field of otorhinolaryngology after graduation. The prepared survey questionnaire was published on the online communication platform of the Turkish Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Association, and volunteers were asked to fill-out the questionnaire by clicking the given link. A total of 210 volunteers participated in the survey study. Most of the volunteers (26.2%) were in the 36-40 age range. At the time of the study 53.8% of the volunteers were working as specialist doctors, 19.5% as residents, 10.5% as professors, 8.1% as associate professors, and 8.1% as assistant professors. Only 19 (9%) respondents ticked "yes" in response to the question "Are you familiar with the MOOC programs?" and only six (2.9%) of these respondents had attended a MOOC program. Evaluation of the correlation between academic title and awareness of MOOC programs showed that the instructors had a significantly higher level of MOOC awareness compared to the specialists and the residents (p=0.032). Results of the survey revealed that the use of MOOC programs in postgraduate otorhinolaryngology education was low and the volunteers were not well-informed about this practice.

Termination Without Explanation Contracts

Firms routinely terminate their contractual relationship with consumers. During 2019-2020, for example, Facebook terminated 5.4 billion accounts that were supposedly fake; WhatsApp announced that it is terminating 2 million user accounts per month for apparently spreading fake news; and Discord, an online communication platform, terminated 5.2 million user accounts for allegedly publishing spam and exploitative content. Terminating accounts that facilitate and promote fake profiles, fake news, spam, hatred, improper content or cheating makes sense. However, past incidents and consumer complaints indicate that firms often terminate their relationship with consumers without explanation, which is socially undesirable. First, if firms fail to explain to consumers the cause for termination, a hasty, unfounded, and erroneous is more likely to occur. Second, erroneous contract termination, fueled by lack of explanation, may generate significant costs to consumers. These may include the loss of sunk investments, emotional costs, and switching costs. Third, without explanation may be based on discriminatory, yet non-transparent factors. Such terminations may disproportionately target and harm vulnerable consumers, while eroding imperative societal values. Given these risks and costs, this Article marks the first attempt to systematically and empirically study the phenomenon we dub termination without explanation contracts; i.e., consumer agreements that allow firms to terminate their contract without disclosing the reason for termination. In doing so, the Article examines the contractual mechanisms of 500 sign-in-wrap contracts of the most popular websites in the United States. The results of our study show, inter alia, that the vast majority of these contracts are non-transparent without explanation contracts. We therefore propose to impose a duty to explain on firms. We also present a transparency index that captures key aggravating factors and can help tackle the issue from a holistic approach.

Impact of training and structured medication review on medication appropriateness and patient-related outcomes in nursing homes: results from the interventional study InTherAKT

BackgroundUncoordinated interprofessional communication in nursing homes increases the risk of polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use. This may lead to augmented frequency of adverse drug events, hospitalizations and mortality. The aims of this study were (1) to improve interprofessional communication and medication safety using a combined intervention and thus, (2) to improve medication appropriateness and health-related outcomes of the included residents.MethodsThe single-arm interventional study (2014–2017) was conducted in Muenster, Germany and involved healthcare professionals and residents of nursing homes.The intervention consisted of systematic education of participating healthcare professionals and of a structured interprofessional medication review which was performed via an online communication platform.The primary endpoint was assessed using the Medication Appropriateness Index MAI. Secondary endpoints were: cognitive performance, delirium, agitation, mobility, number of drugs, number of severe drug-drug interactions and appropriateness of analgesics.Outcomes were measured before, during and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inference-statistical methods.ResultsFourteen general practitioners, 11 pharmacists, 9 nursing homes and 120 residents (n = 83 at all testing times) participated.Overall MAI sum-score decreased significantly over time (mean reduction: -7.1, CI95% -11.4 – − 2.8; median = − 3.0; dCohen = 0.39), especially in cases with baseline sum-score ≥ 24 points (mean reduction: -17.4, CI95% -27.6 – − 7.2; median = − 15.0; dCohen = 0.86).MAI sum-score of analgesics also decreased (dCohen = 0.45). Mean number of severe drug-drug interactions rose slightly over time (dCohen = 0.17). The proportion of residents showing agitated behavior diminished from 83.9 to 67.8%. Remaining secondary outcomes were without substantial change.ConclusionMedication appropriateness increased particularly in residents with high baseline MAI sum-scores. Cognitive decline of participating residents was seemingly decelerated when compared with epidemiologic studies. A controlled trial is required to confirm these effects. Interprofessional interaction was structured and performance of medication reviews was facilitated as the online communication platform provided unlimited and consistent access to all relevant and updated information.Trial registrationDRKS Data Management, ID: DRKS00007900, date of registration: 2015-09-02 (retrospectively registered i.e. 6 weeks after commencement of the first data collection).

The Verbal Interaction Social Threat Task: A New Paradigm Investigating the Effects of Social Rejection in Men and Women.

In recent years, digital communication and social media have taken an indispensable role in human society. Social interactions are no longer bound to real-life encounters, but more often happen from behind a screen. Mimicking an online communication platform, we developed a new, fMRI compatible, social threat paradigm to investigate sex differences in reactions to social rejection. During the Verbal Interaction Social Threat Task (VISTTA), participants initiate 30 short conversations by selecting one of four predefined opening sentences. Two computerized interlocutors respond to the opening sentence mostly with negative comments and rejections toward the participant, which should induce social-evaluative threat. Physiological and subjective responses were measured, before, during, and after the VISTTA in 61 (29 male and 32 female) first year students who received either mostly negative (n = 31; threat group) or neutral comments (n = 30; control group). Two-level behavioral validation included social threat-induced mood changes in participants, and interlocutor evaluation. The latter consisted of multiple variables such as “willingness to cooperate” after every conversation, an overall fairness evaluation of interlocutors, and evaluations per reaction indicating how positive or negative it was received. We acquired additional physiological measures including cortisol assays via saliva samples, heart rate, and blood pressure. Confirming our hypotheses, peer rejection and exclusion during the VISTTA led to less willingness to cooperate and lower fairness evaluation of interlocutors. It also induced feelings of anger and surprise and lower happiness in the social-threat group. Women showed overall higher emotion ratings compared to men. Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, the VISTTA did not induce cortisol and heart rate increases. However, the stable cortisol response in women in the threat group does not follow the circadian decline and might reflect an endocrinological response. The decline in cortisol response in men in both the threat and control group could indicate faster habituation to the VISTTA. Taken together, these findings indicate effects of social-evaluative threat on a behavioral level, and more moderate effects on the emotional and physiological level. Sex differences in affective and cortisol responses may indicate that women are more susceptible for the social-evaluative threat than men. With a realistic implementation of verbal, interactive, and social components, the VISTTA is designed as an fMRI paradigm that can be applied to elucidate the neural representation of social-evaluative threat.

Support while control: the influence of embeddedness on virtual community participation

PurposeExploring the antecedents of members community participation is extremely important for virtual communities (VCs) research and practice. As an important social characteristic of individuals, social embeddedness has been proved as an important antecedent of many individual behaviors; however, few research has investigated the influence of virtual community members social embeddedness on virtual community members’ participation. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between social embeddedness and community participation in VCs.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducted empirical study to test the hypotheses. Based on existing scales, this research designed the questionnaire and used a web-based survey to collect the data from VCs in China. To avoid the common method bias, this study collected data at two different times. The final sample included 96 virtual community members from seven communities (community size ranging from 10 to 25) of Baidu Tieba, which is the largest Chinese online communication platform. And this paper used regression models to analysis the data.FindingsBased on social network theory, this paper found that virtual community members’ social embeddedness in their virtual community has a curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) effect on their community participation behaviors. And members’ perceived autonomy mediates the curvilinear (i.e. reversed U-shaped) relationship between social network embeddedness and community participation. Furthermore, member instability moderates the curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) main effect, such that the curvilinear relationship is weakened when member instability is high.Originality/valueDeparting from previous virtual community studies that examine antecedences of participation in linear logic, this study applied social network theory to create a complex, curvilinear, moderated mediation model. The result reveals a curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) relationship between virtual community members’ social embeddedness in the virtual community and their community participation. And this study also introduce autonomy as mediator and member instability as moderator. By testing the whole model between community members’ social embeddedness and community participation, this study contributes to deepen the understanding of social embeddedness and virtual community participation.

Social networking sites and learning in international relations: The impact of platforms

This article reports on a pilot undergraduate subject that incorporated a range of technology-enhanced learning approaches including online lectures, an online site for in and out of class communications, and strong encouragement for students to blog and use Twitter. This paper evaluates student engagement through the social networking sites (SNS), focusing on the online communication and content platform. We examine whether changing from an educationally oriented SNS platform to Facebook impacted on student engagement and feedback. To achieve this, both empirical data and qualitative student feedback were used.

Talking a team into being in online workplace collaborations: The discourse of virtual work

Digital communication technologies led to a revolution in how people interact at work: relying on computer-mediated communication technologies is now a must, rather than an alternative. This empirical study investigates how colleagues in a virtual team use synchronous online communication platform in the workplace. Inspired by the conceptualisation of web-based communication platforms as tool, place or context of social construction, we explore the discursive strategies that contribute to the construction of the team’s shared sense of purpose and identity, a collegial atmosphere and consequently lead to effective collaboration. The close analyses of real-life data from a multinational workplace provide insights into the everyday communication practices of virtual team members. Our findings supplement organisational literature based on etic observations of the effectiveness of virtual work and provide a basis for further theorisations about how communication technologies affect the ecology of and discourse practices in computer-mediated communication at work.

An Internet Water Army Detection Supernetwork Model

The emergence of Internet water armies has strongly affected the information quality of online communication platforms, thus disrupting the order of the Internet. Accurate detection of Internet water armies is therefore of great significance. Based on the supernetwork theory, a new Internet water army detection model is proposed in this paper, in which a supernetwork with four layers is established, including social subnetwork, information subnetwork, psychological subnetwork, and negative keyword subnetwork. Then, personal information of users, dissemination process of information, the transformation process of different psychologies, the similarity between different keywords, and the connections between different subnetworks are considered in the model. Thus, nine composite indexes are proposed, the majority of which are used for the first time in detecting Internet water armies. A dataset selected from the largest online communication platform in China, the Weibo website, is used to test the performance of the model. Four existing water army detection models introduced in previous studies are used to provide a comparison analysis. The results show that our proposed model has better performance in terms of accuracy and stability than the other four existing models, which thanks to the employment of the supernetwork theory. We believe that our proposed model could be helpful for information researchers to further understand the complex nature of Internet water armies, as well as for the government to better manage the Internet.

Understanding knowledge sharing in virtual communities: a network perspective

PurposeAs more and more people are beginning to take virtual communities (VC) as effective communication channels and the main places to get information and knowledge, understanding the factors that can support or hinder one’s knowledge sharing seems important for the management of VCs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents that influence people’s knowledge sharing in VCs, and to explore influence mechanism and the boundary condition of how the antecedent affect people’s knowledge sharing in VCs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted empirical research to test our hypotheses. The authors designed a questionnaire based on previous research and collected the questionnaires from seven VCs in China, including two specific topic-based forums in Baidu Tieba which is the largest Chinese online communication platform, three in traditional university bulletin board system (BBS) forums and another two based on instant messaging service. The final sample the authors got included 96 individuals. Then the authors used the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) technique to analysis the data.FindingsThe results suggest that community member’s attachment can be a strong indicator of his/her knowledge-sharing intention which will possibly lead to knowledge-sharing behavior. However, this effect can be contingent on individual centrality and community member fluctuations. In a stable community, those who are in the peripheral position are more likely to transfer their attachment into knowledge sharing because they have the intention to move into central positions and knowledge sharing can help them gain status. While in an unstable environment, it does not make any difference between people in different position in the social network.Originality/valueFirst, this paper reveals member’s attachment as the antecedent of people’s knowledge sharing in VCs. Second, this paper adopts a network perspective to construct the research model. And the basic point made is that knowledge sharing can be seen as a channel to attain status and centrality in a community. Thus, people who are in periphery positions are more likely to transfer their community attachment into knowledge-sharing intention. Third, this paper emphasizes the dynamic characteristic of members in VCs and proves the moderation effect of community member fluctuations.

Online Incivility: Exploring from Malaysian Academic Perspective

In the evolving globalization in Malaysia, many organizations employ online communication platform for faster decision making, easier collaboration on assignments and greater recognition of employees for achievement and rewards. However, this additional medium of communication posts a risk of uncivil online comments that can lead to lower unproductively among employees that reduces employees’ well-being and increases organizations costs. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the negative consequences of online incivility, in particular in Malaysia, considering aspect of negative moods as possible mediator in the relationship. In addition, problem solving conflict management styles is also discussed as a social support that may decrease the negative consequences of online incivility based from sound literature review. Plausible hypotheses are also then derived from the constructive arguments. This study is consistent with the objectives of Eleventh Malaysian Plan (2016-2020) and Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) to improve the nations’ well being and productivity from perceiving the positive and work harmony created. In practical, the study can help shape policies and guidelines involving human-technology interaction for the decision makers by incorporating aspects of human psychological well-being that can be affected by technology through the online paradigm.