Online Information-sharing Research Articles

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Information Sharing About Safety

The number of cannabis users is increasing worldwide and includes women, who may or may not make decisions about use before and during pregnancy depending on information received about safety. We investigated online information sharing about cannabis use during pregnancy. A consensual qualitative research approach was used to evaluate online discussions about cannabis use. Six thematic domains emerged: General Support, Advice/Directives, Personal Opinion/Experiences, Warnings, Judgment, and Comparisons of Use. Results showed that online posts regarding the safety of cannabis are often incorrect, unhelpful, and/or inconsistent. Understanding women’s concerns and information sharing is an important part of providing healthcare and ensuring the best possible outcomes for mother and baby.

A Game Theory Approach for Assisting Humans in Online Information-Sharing

Contemporary information-sharing environments such as Facebook offer a wide range of social and practical benefits. These environments, however, may also lead to privacy and security violations. Moreover, there is usually a trade-off between the benefits gained and the accompanying costs. Due to the uncertain nature of the information-sharing environment and the lack of technological literacy, the layperson user often fails miserably in balancing this trade-off. In this paper, we use game theory concepts to formally model this problem as a “game”, in which the players are the users and the pay-off function is a combination of the benefits and costs of the information-sharing process. We introduce a novel theoretical framework called Online Information-Sharing Assistance (OISA) to evaluate the interactive nature of the information-sharing trade-off problem. Using these theoretical foundations, we develop a set of AI agents that attempt to calculate a strategy for balancing this trade-off. Finally, as a proof of concept, we conduct an empirical study in a simulated Facebook environment in which human participants compete against OISA-based AI agents, showing that significantly higher utility can be achieved using OISA.

The Collaborative Production Management System of Power Enterprises Based on Online Information Sharing

With the development of online information sharing, high-tech equipment for collaborative production management of power enterprises emerges endlessly. Therefore, it is necessary to design the collaborative production management system of power enterprises based on online information sharing to meet the information sharing needs. In terms of the hardware, the B/S structure was built, and the computer was debugged with Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). In terms of the software, Hadoop horizontal architecture technology framework was designed, the physical deployment was carried out, the production management center module was designed, and the production operation chain was monitored and managed to realize the collaborative production management of power enterprises. The experimental results showed that the designed collaborative production management system of power enterprise had high reliability and friendliness, the highest reliability is 97.2%, the highest friendliness is 99.8%, which meets the current demand.

Research on the Influencing Factors of Online Information Sharing Behavior in Social Media Circle

Background/Objectives: This paper analyzes the impact of social media circle characteristics on online information sharing behavior, and tries to provide proposals for improving the operation level of social media circle. Methods/Statistical analysis: The purpose of this study is to identify the preceding studies on Online Information Sharing Behavior in Social Media Circle and to establish a hypothesis through it. For this purpose, important factors were derived through previous studies. Findings: Through previous studies, important factors such as Relationship intensity, Number of members, Trust (Members' platform trust, Members' moral trust of others, members' ability trust of others), and online information sharing behavior were found and a research model was derived. Improvements/Applications: As this study is a qualitative study, it seems that a quantitative study is needed in the future.

The design and evaluation of a theory-based intervention to promote security behaviour against phishing

Abstract This study examined the impact of fear appeal messages on user cognitions, attitudes, behavioural attentions and precautionary behaviour regarding online information-sharing to protect against the threat of phishing attacks. A pre-test post-test design was used in which 768 Internet users filled out an online questionnaire. Participants were grouped in one of three fear appeal conditions: strong-fear appeal, weak-fear appeal and control condition. Claims regarding vulnerability of phishing attacks and claims concerning response efficacy of protective online information-sharing behaviour were manipulated in the fear appeal messages. The study demonstrates positive effects of fear appeals on heightening end-users’ cognitions, attitudes and behavioural intentions. However, future studies are needed to determine how subsequent security behaviour can be promoted, as the effects on this crucial aspect were not directly observed. Nonetheless, we conclude that fear appeals have great potential to promote security behaviour by making end users aware of threats and simultaneously providing behavioural advice on how to mitigate these threats.

“My friend posted it and that’s good enough for me!”: Source Perception in Online Information Sharing

Abstract One of the solutions proposed to mitigate the impact of fake news is to train readers to be more critical of the material they encounter. While critical research and reading are indeed important skills to teach, the study of legends shows us that our acquisition of information—even that which we might call “news”—often comes from informal, conversational sources rather than from activities that we would label “research.” On social media, where the line between reading and conversing is especially blurred, the vetting of sources is complicated by the perception of exactly who or what the source of the information really is.

Building back better? Taking stock of the post-earthquake mental health and psychosocial response in Nepal

BackgroundThe World Health Organization’s ‘building back better’ approach advocates capitalizing on the resources and political will elicited by disasters to strengthen national mental health systems. This study explores the contributions of the response to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal to sustainable mental health system reform.MethodsWe systematically reviewed grey literature on the mental health and psychosocial response to the earthquake obtained through online information-sharing platforms and response coordinators (168 documents) to extract data on response stakeholders and activities. More detailed data on activity outcomes were solicited from organizations identified as most active in the response. To triangulate and extend findings, we held a focus group discussion with key governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in mental health system development in Nepal (n = 10). Discussion content was recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsWhile detailed documentation of response activities was limited, available data combined with stakeholders’ accounts suggest that the post-earthquake response accelerated progress towards national mental health system building in the areas of governance, financing, human resources, information and research, service delivery, and medications. Key achievements in the post-earthquake context include training of primary health care service providers in affected districts using mhGAP and training of new psychosocial workers; appointment of mental health focal points in the government and World Health Organization Country Office; the addition of new psychotropic drugs to the government’s free drugs list; development of a community mental health care package and training curricula for different cadres of health workers; and the revision of mental health plans, policy, and financing mechanisms. Concerns remain that government ownership and financing will be insufficient to sustain services in affected districts and scale them up to non-affected districts.ConclusionsBuilding back better has been achieved to varying extents in different districts and at different levels of the mental health system. Non-governmental organizations and the World Health Organization Country Office must continue to support the government to ensure that recent advances maximally contribute to realising the vision of a national mental health care system in Nepal.

The role of online information-sharing platforms on the performance of industrial symbiosis networks

From technical perspective, an important condition for developing industrial symbiosis (IS) is the match between waste supply and demand. Such a match is hampered by lack of information among companies, i.e., demand (supply) for waste exists but firms producing (requiring) that waste are not aware of such a demand (supply). Despite online information-sharing platforms are proposed to support the creation of industrial symbiosis networks (ISNs), related environmental and economic benefits are not in-depth investigated. This paper firstly aims to fill this gap.Although up-to-date literature recognizes lack of information-sharing as an IS barrier, in-depth analysis about the impact of sensitive information-sharing on the operations of IS is not addressed. This paper secondly aims at filling this gap.In this paper, we design an agent-based model to simulate the emergence and operations of self-organized ISNs in three scenarios: (1) no information-sharing platform; (2) a platform where companies provide information about their geographical location and the type and quantity of produced and required wastes; (3) a platform where companies provide sensitive information about the costs of operating IS. These scenarios are simulated in a numerical case study involving two kinds of IS businesses: (1) marble residuals used in concrete production; (2) alcohol slops used in fertilizer production.Results show that online platforms increase the economic and environmental performance of ISNs. Findings help practitioners to understand the importance of information-sharing and to clarify whether the information they consider as ‘sensitive’ is really sensitive or it is non-sensitive information that facilitates business-making.

Understanding cancer survivors' information needs and information-seeking behaviors for complementary and alternative medicine from short- to long-term survival: a mixed-methods study.

ObjectiveThe research examined complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information-seeking behaviors and preferences from short- to long-term cancer survival, including goals, motivations, and information sources.MethodsA mixed-methods approach was used with cancer survivors from the “Assessment of Patients’ Experience with Cancer Care” 2004 cohort. Data collection included a mail survey and phone interviews using the critical incident technique (CIT).ResultsSeventy survivors from the 2004 study responded to the survey, and eight participated in the CIT interviews. Quantitative results showed that CAM usage did not change significantly between 2004 and 2015. The following themes emerged from the CIT: families’ and friends’ provision of the initial introduction to a CAM, use of CAM to manage the emotional and psychological impact of cancer, utilization of trained CAM practitioners, and online resources as a prominent source for CAM information. The majority of participants expressed an interest in an online information-sharing portal for CAM.ConclusionPatients continue to use CAM well into long-term cancer survivorship. Finding trustworthy sources for information on CAM presents many challenges such as reliability of source, conflicting information on efficacy, and unknown interactions with conventional medications. Study participants expressed interest in an online portal to meet these needs through patient testimonials and linkage of claims to the scientific literature. Such a portal could also aid medical librarians and clinicians in locating and evaluating CAM information on behalf of patients.

The Determinants of Online Information Sharing Behavior Among Millennials in Malaysia

The Determinants of Online Information Sharing Behavior Among Millennials in Malaysia

Trust and online information-sharing in close relationships: a cross-cultural perspective

Culture has an essential influence on online trust building in close relationships. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of culture on interpersonal trust and online information-sharing in close relationships. A social dilemma game experiment was conducted by inviting close friend dyads from interdependent (that is, Chinese) or independent cultures (that is, German). Their trust and information-sharing performance in either online text chatting or face-to-face communication were examined. The results showed that in close relationships, Chinese participants had higher interpersonal trust and objective-sharing performance than German participants; Chinese trust and self-evaluated performance were not influenced by communication media; in comparison, German participants’ trust and self-evaluated performance significantly dropped online. The results confirmed that interdependent people are more relation-oriented in building their trust than independent people. Implications for online information-sharing management and the interface design were provided.

Seek or Provide: Comparative Effects of Online Information Sharing on Seniors’ Quality of Life

Seek or Provide: Comparative Effects of Online Information Sharing on Seniors’ Quality of Life

Affording to Exchange: Social Capital and Online Information Sharing

The potential harm and benefit associated with sharing personal information online is a topic of debate and discussion. Using survey methods (n=872), we explore whether attainment of social capital online relates to greater comfort with sharing personal information. We found that perceptions of bridging and bonding social capital earned from using Facebook are significant predictors of overall comfort levels with sharing personal information. This research raises timely questions about how the perceived benefits of social networking sites influence how personal information is shared online.

Online information-sharing: A qualitative analysis of community, trust and social influence amongst commuter cyclists in the UK

Research into the use and behavioural effects of travel information has concentrated on top-down information from transport providers, but little is known about the role of informal information, shared through word-of-mouth, in everyday travel behaviour. Social interactions about travel may exert not only an informational influence, whereby beliefs are updated based on the experience of other individuals, but also a more subtle normative influence: conveying information about norms of behaviour within a particular social milieu. This research aimed to explore, using a qualitative approach, the social processes which occurred when a group of 23 commuter cyclists interacted with one another through a specially designed, map-based website over six weeks, sharing their routes and other cycling-related information. Methods comprised observation of website interactions, participant questionnaires and semi-structured interviews; the analysis drew on the theory of normative and informational social influence, and self-categorisation theory. It was found that the process of sharing information could perform not only a functional role in diffusing instrumental travel information, but also a social one whereby perceived in-group membership and high levels of trust reinforced positive views of cycling as a commuter mode. Both roles were found to offer particular encouragement to those who were new to cycling or new to a particular workplace. This suggests that ‘user-generated’ information may hold potential as one of the tools for promoting sustainable travel within a group setting such as the workplace.

Copyright Infringement and the Second Generation of Social Media Websites: Why Pinterest Users Should Be Protected from Copyright Infringement by the Fair Use Defense

Early social media platforms have evolved into a new generation of online information-sharing. The focus of social media is shifting from user-created content to user-found content. This trend is shared by new versions of the original social media powerhouses and recent social media start-ups. For example, both Twitter and Facebook have made it easier for users to integrate photos and videos from the internet into their profiles. Additionally, new “second generation” social media platforms have expanded on this trend by focusing almost entirely on found content — especially pictures. The most recent product of this social media evolution is Pinterest. Pinterest debuted in late November 2009 and since then has exploded in its number of unique visitors per month. Pinterest has become an increasingly popular way for people to share interesting things found online. Pinterest focuses on photos, videos, products, and other interesting things found online, rather than original creation. Recently there has been concern that this emphasis on found content could expose users of second generation social media websites to significant legal liability. Ironically, the ease and visual appeal that created the public’s interest in Pinterest and other second generation social media websites, could turn out to be the largest impediment it their continued successes. With Pinterest’s growth and popularity comes a concern about widespread copyright infringement. This paper will evaluate the potential copyright infringement liability for Pinterest users. As this paper will demonstrate and predict, the statutory fair use defense would likely shield most Pinterest users from copyright infringement liability. Part I will introduce Pinterest and explain how it works. Part II will briefly discuss copyright law and how it would likely apply to Pinterest. Part III will analyze the applicability of the fair use defense to copyright infringement on Pinterest. Part IV will conclude by predicting that the fair use defense would protect most Pinterest users from copyright infringement liability.

Does the Type of Anonymity Matter? The Impact of Visualization on Information Sharing in Online Groups

Groups who share information in computer-mediated settings often have to deal with the issue of anonymity. Previous research has shown that only people with a prosocial orientation--that is, those whose main interest is to add to the benefit of the group as a whole--are willing to share information in anonymous situations. The willingness to share information by those people with a proself orientation--that is, those who put more emphasis on their personal benefit--can be increased by providing photographs of the other group members. The information-sharing behavior of prosocials, however, suffers from such a deletion of anonymity. In an online experiment, we examined how information-sharing behavior of proselfs may be increased without negatively influencing the information-sharing behavior of prosocials in an online setting. It was shown that even proselfs share information if the group members are visualized in a homogeneous way, while prosocials' information-sharing behavior is not impaired by this visualization. In addition, the results suggest that people's perceived homogeneity of the online group, as well as the importance of the collective goal, are the underlying processes of this effect. These results have important practical implications for the design of online information-sharing settings.

Not what you know, nor who you know, but who you know already: Examining Online Information Sharing Behaviours in a Blogging Environment through the Lens of Social Exchange Theory

This paper focuses on the extent to which online information sharing practice is socially motivated. A key interest is how knowledge of the existing social connections between actors may predict their information sharing behaviour when they move into an online environment, and the relative importance of these connections when set against other factors that may motivate online information sharing within a closed group. The examination of online information exchanges between members of a defined community of bloggers reveals that those with established off-line relationships are more likely to interact with one another when they move into an online environment than those who have not enjoyed earlier contact. The findings of the empirical study are evaluated with reference to social exchange theory, with acknowledgement of the importance of shared social capital as a prerequisite for the efficient operation of work-groups, both in face-to-face and online environments. It is concluded that social exchange theory can be deployed as a means of explaining online information sharing behaviours. The study findings have implications for the design of environments for purposes of online information sharing, especially in terms of the provision of substitutes for physical proximity in distributed organisations, the operation of reward systems, and expectations for communities to develop their own information sharing ecologies.

Evaluating a Blended‐Learning Course Taught to Different Groups of Learners in a Dental School

The purpose of this study was to present and evaluate a blended-learning course developed for undergraduate (B.D.S.), postgraduate, and diploma (hygiene and therapy) students at the University of Sheffield School of Clinical Dentistry. Blended learning is the integration of classroom face-to-face learning with online learning. The overall methodology used for this study was action research. The data were collected using three processes: questionnaires to collect contextual data from the students taking the course; a student-led, nominal group technique to collect group data from the participants; and a non-participant observer technique to record the context in which certain group and individual behaviors occurred. The online component of the course was accepted as a valuable resource by 65 percent of those responding. While online information-sharing occurred (31 percent of the students posted in forums), there was no evidence of online collaboration, with only 8 percent replying to forum postings. Accessibility of the online environment was one of the main concerns of the students at the nominal group sessions. Differences regarding overall engagement with the course between the student groups (years) were observed during the sessions. The majority of the students were satisfied with the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) course. No statistically significant differences between males and females were found, but there were differences between different student cohorts (year groups).