Online Public Forums Research Articles

Exploring collaborative writing among large groups in online distance learning through a public forum and private chat tool

Abstract This study explored how collaborative writing, an often-used instructional strategy in second language (L2) learning, intersects with large-group dynamics, and investigated their potential impact on the quality of writing outcomes in an online distance learning course. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research scrutinized intra-group interaction processes in two large groups undertaking a computer-assisted language learning writing assignment and evaluated the impact of these interaction processes on their writing products. Data from discussions in both a public online forum and a private social communication platform (WeChat) were collected, systematically coded, and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively based on language functions. Data collection also included an assessment of the written products and follow-up group interviews. The findings indicate distinct interaction patterns between high-performing and low-performing groups, characterised by an expert/participant pattern and a dominant/passive pattern, respectively. Additionally, insights from the interviews shed light on these interaction patterns and the potential impact on student learning outcomes. The study suggests practical implications, highlighting the importance of task design in promoting high levels of collaborative knowledge construction to enhance students’ writing skills and L2 language learning in large-group settings.

“Empathy for children is often missing”: a mixed methods analysis of a German forum on COVID-19 pandemic measures

BackgroundThe pandemic and its preventive measures disrupted daily routines and posed unforeseen obstacles for families. Users of public online forums chronicled these challenges by freely expressing their sentiments in unrestricted text-length formats. We explored a German COVID-19 forum to understand family perspectives and experiences of pandemic measures, particularly in terms of testing and vaccinating children. Our findings aim to inform future epidemic health policies.MethodsWe retrieved all 11,207 entries from a COVID-19 forum during its lifespan (June 2020 - December 2021), posted during the height of the pandemic. We classified the entries into topic clusters including general pandemic situation, testing, or vaccination using state-of-the-art text embeddings and clustering algorithms. The clusters were selected based on the research’s aims and analysed qualitatively using a health policy triangle framework.ResultsUsers generally appreciated pandemic public health safety measures for everyone’s protection, yet voiced concerns about inconsistent policies and disproportional disadvantages for children compared to other societal groups, like the elderly. Non-compliers were overwhelmingly regarded with skepticism and critiqued. Users found COVID-19 (exit) strategies and information about the benefits of vaccination unclear. This created hurdles for parents and caregivers in navigating their children’s school and social life. Users endorsed vaccinating children mainly for “normalising” children’s lives rather than for their physical health benefits. Some users suggested prioritising teachers and early childhood educators on the vaccination eligibility list to speed up a return to “normality”.ConclusionsDuring pandemics, governments should prioritize addressing the societal and mental health needs of children by implementing participatory and family-oriented public health measures for schools and kindergartens. Clear communication coupled with consistent design and implementation of safety measures and regulations, would be crucial for building trust in the general population and for ensuring compliance regarding testing and vaccination. Communicating the benefits and risks of vaccinating children is of paramount importance for informed decision-making among parents. In future epidemics, computer-aided analysis of large online qualitative data would offer valuable insights into public sentiments and concerns, enabling proactive and adaptive epidemic responses.

Experiencing COVID-19 on the spectrum: perceptions of healthcare access among autistic adults during a global pandemic and implications for social workers

ABSTRACT The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) required substantial changes in socialization to mitigate the spread of the virus. Stay-at-home and social distancing mandates required changes in work, school, and healthcare access for autistic adults. This qualitative online netnographic study utilized a public online forum to examine 1,102 posts detailing the experiences of COVID-19 by autistic adults from March 2020 to December 2020. We found two main themes related to seeking behavioral health services and seeking support related to service delays and barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for social work practice and supporting autistic people in navigating healthcare access are discussed.

Assessing ChatGPT's Responses to Otolaryngology Patient Questions.

This study aims to evaluate ChatGPT's performance in addressing real-world otolaryngology patient questions, focusing on accuracy, comprehensiveness, and patient safety, to assess its suitability for integration into healthcare. A cross-sectional study was conducted using patient questions from the public online forum Reddit's r/AskDocs, where medical advice is sought from healthcare professionals. Patient questions were input into ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), and responses were reviewed by 5 board-certified otolaryngologists. The evaluation criteria included difficulty, accuracy, comprehensiveness, and bedside manner/empathy. Statistical analysis explored the relationship between patient question characteristics and ChatGPT response scores. Potentially dangerous responses were also identified. Patient questions averaged 224.93 words, while ChatGPT responses were longer at 414.93 words. The accuracy scores for ChatGPT responses were 3.76/5, comprehensiveness scores were 3.59/5, and bedside manner/empathy scores were 4.28/5. Longer patient questions did not correlate with higher response ratings. However, longer ChatGPT responses scored higher in bedside manner/empathy. Higher question difficulty correlated with lower comprehensiveness. Five responses were flagged as potentially dangerous. While ChatGPT exhibits promise in addressing otolaryngology patient questions, this study demonstrates its limitations, particularly in accuracy and comprehensiveness. The identification of potentially dangerous responses underscores the need for a cautious approach to AI in medical advice. Responsible integration of AI into healthcare necessitates thorough assessments of model performance and ethical considerations for patient safety.

A Semantic Analysis of Cross-Linguistic Mondegreens: Implications on How Filipinos Interpret Meanings

Historical evidence reveals that mishearing words have contributed to language enrichment. Presently, such mishearing persists in the form of mondegreens, which are quite pervasive in the field of songs. However, most studies on this phenomenon have primarily focused on phonology, leaving its scope explored insufficiently. This qualitative study aimed to investigate other aspects of mondegreens, especially their semantic dimensions. Grounded on the theory of linguistic relativity and semantic fields, the methods of this paper analyzed 131 unique English lyrics from about 5,000 message threads on public online forums and news websites using content analysis. Data mining was used to verify the content analysis, which was done through intercoder validation. It was found that mondegreens caused the lyrics to either be semantically anomalous or semantically sound, albeit with changes in meaning. Six processes were identified for the semantically anomalous changes, while seven were identified for the semantically sound changes. Even more, the major implication this has on the understanding of Filipinos is that no matter what genre/ semantic field the songs belong to, they most likely would be shifted to the field of humor or comedy. Despite this tendency for humor shifting, this shows language indigenization and enrichment and reflects the positive Filipino spirit.

Carers' experiences and perspectives of the use of anticholinergic medications in people living with dementia: Analysis of an online discussion forum.

There is concern about the use of anticholinergic medications in people living with dementia (PLWD). Such medicines may increase cognitive decline and may be associated with higher mortality in PLWD who take these medicines. The aim of this study was to analyse data from an online dementia discussion forum to explore the experiences and perspectives of PLWD and carers about the use of anticholinergic medicines in this population. Following receipt of ethical approval, archived discussions (posts) from Dementia Talking Point, a fully public online forum for anyone affected by dementia, created and maintained by the Alzheimer's Society, were searched from the date of inception to January 2022 using a range of search terms including commonly used anticholinergic medicines. Posts, including any of the search terms, were assessed for relevance and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Five hundred and fifty unique posts were analysed, all of which had been provided by carers, with no posts attributed to PLWD. The themes that encompassed carers' experiences were (1) motivators of prescribing, (2) perspectives on the process of prescribing and (3) the outcomes of prescribing. The dominant motivator of prescribing was the management of noncognitive symptoms, pre- and postdiagnosis of dementia. Carers' perspectives on the process of prescribing were informed by an assessment of the risk-benefit of starting a medication and shared decision-making between the carer and healthcare professional to a greater or lesser degree. The outcomes of prescribing were observing the effects of the medicines, which in turn influenced whether prescribing was reviewed and continued unchanged, continued but amended, reinitiated if the medicine had been previously stopped or discontinued (the process of deprescribing). This study has provided unique insights into carers' experiences and perspectives about the use of anticholinergic medications in PLWD, highlighting how commonly these medications are prescribed for PLWD and carers' concerns about their use. There is a clear need for carers and PLWD to receive information about these medicines and healthcare professionals to consider how to optimise the use of these medicines to avoid adverse effects. This work was informed by findings from previous research studies focusing on optimising medicine use for people with dementia in primary care, in which interviews were conducted with PLWD, their carers and primary healthcare professionals. Although not strictly patient and public involvement, we utilised the feedback provided by key stakeholders to inform the research questions and aim/objectives of this study.

FOSTERING THE DIGITAL GENERATION: CHALLENGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS DURING THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (IR4.0) EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE

This paper deliberates on the construction of the digital generation in contemporary times across various aspects of life, emphasizing the imperative for concerted efforts to advance the nation's capabilities for competitive positioning on the global stage. The research objectives explore the role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in fostering digital technology advancements. Steps toward digital technology progression necessitate interventions such as prioritizing technology-centric courses for students. Discussed issues encompass (i) the role of HEIs in advancing technology, (ii) the significance of digital technology utilization, (iii) the impact of digital technology development among students, and (iv) factors influencing the rapid evolution of technology in tandem with the pace of the era. Data for the study were gathered from diverse sources, including research findings in journals, scholarly writings, online news sources, public forums, and reference books. The study successfully identifies means through which the digital generation can be nurtured, guiding them through appropriate channels to discern the positive and negative ramifications of digital revolution actions in the present generation. The use of digital technology holds potential benefits for users, enhancing individual knowledge and fostering critical thinking skills. The application of digital technology can significantly impact the technological development among graduates, empowering them with digital proficiency. These skills prove invaluable in employment pursuits, given the ubiquitous incorporation of digital technology across various professions today. The rapid technological advancements driven by factors such as high curiosity towards technology have led the younger generation to explore and employ various digital tools, such as smartphones. Amidst efforts to cultivate the digital generation, challenges emerge, with one prominent issue being the misuse of digital technology. Study findings reveal that various initiatives, particularly governmental efforts, have been undertaken to address digital technology misuse, contributing to cybercrimes and online fraud. Consequently, societal perceptions towards digital technology have become increasingly negative. These challenges impede governmental endeavors to foster a digital generation. Thus, in alignment with the identified issues, this study underscores the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in realizing the nation's vision to produce an advanced digital generation in the present era.

The different faces of online support: A thematic analysis of responses to help-seeking related to depression and suicidal ideation in public online forums

Help-seeking related to depression and suicidal ideations is frequent in internet forums. Forum threads concerning these topics often receive much interest through active replies but are also read by numerous passive users. Previous research indicates that such interactions may be helpful for the help-seeker, even if the underlying mechanisms are less clear. Meanwhile, some studies also suggest that online forum interactions can be less helpful or have a negative impact on the help-seeker. This study examines how online help-seeking is responded to through a qualitative thematic analysis of 72 discussion threads comprising 1,475 posts. We identify six themes that characterize different types of responses: Giving Tips, Teaching, Coaching, Consoling, Sharing One’s Own Experiences, and Bullying. These response types represent different strategies in their attempts to provide help, but sometimes also appear less helpful or even malicious. The responses are heterogeneous and often contradictory, with very different tones, spanning over varied suggestions and topics, leaving the help-seeker to interpret and make sense of the messages.

The impact of depression forums on illness narratives: a comprehensive NLP analysis of socialization in e-mental health communities

While depression is globally on the rise, the mental health sector struggles with handling the increased number of cases, especially since the pandemic. These circumstances have resulted in an increased interest in the e-mental health sector. The dataset is constituted of 67 857 posts from the most popular English-language online health forums between 15 February 2016 and 15 February 2019. The posts were first automatically labelled (biomedical vs. psy framing) via deep learning; second, the time series of framing types of recurring forum users were analysed; third, the clusters of biomedical and psy patterns were analysed; fourth, the discursive characteristics of each cluster were analysed with the help of topic modelling. Five ideal-typical patterns of forum socialization are described: the first and the second clusters express the developing of a ‘recovery helper’ role, either by opposing expert discourses or by identifying with the psy discourses; the third cluster expresses the acquiring of a substantively diffuse, uncertain role; the fourth and fifth clusters refer to a trajectory leading to the incorporating of a biomedically framed patient role, or a therapeutic psy subjectivity. Elements of data collection that potentially undermine representativeness: online forum users, open and public forums, keyword search. The trajectories identified in our study represent various phases of a general forum socialization process: newcomers (cluster 3); settled patient role (cluster 4) or psy subjectivity (cluster 5); recovery helpers (cluster 1 and 2).

EMPOWERMENT OF THE MALAY LANGUAGE: ISSUES, RATIONALES AND CHALLENGES OF THE MALAYSIAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

The focus of the discussion in this paper is about the use of the Malay language among plural societies in Malaysia. This writing attempts to cover the empowerment of the Malay language that is being worked on by the Ministry of Higher Education, which includes (i) the mastery of the Malay language regardless of race or ethnicity, (ii) the ability and authority of the Malay language, (iii) the organization and strengthening of programs to dignify the Malay language, and (iv) the use of the Malay language as the medium of communication. The use of a qualitative approach in this writing utilizes secondary sources such as research results in journals, scholarly writing, online news sources and public forums. The results of the study found that (a) the use of English today as the first medium in speech is a contributing factor to the lack of use of the mother tongue among the multi-ethnic community in Malaysia and instils an individualistic attitude., (b) the use of the Malay language in the private sector has not been prominent because there are a few parties who think that the Malay language has a low commercial value in the business sector, (c) Malay language empowerment programs play a vital role in catalysing the fluency of students as well as the administrative parties at the school and university level so that, issues such as lack of fluency and the dignity of the use of the Malay language as an official language that should be mastered by every Malaysian citizen can be improved and streamlined and (d) If Malay is not used as a medium of instruction, it is unlikely that it will be able to stand majestically on the world stage. As a result, drastic measures must be taken to ensure that the empowerment of the Malay language is in line with the country's development and does not fall solely on the shoulders of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The study's direction looks at the continuation of the impact of the Malay language's empowerment as a language of unity and one of the mediums that play a role in realising our country's aspirations, which is to create racial harmony.

EMPOWERING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MALAY LANGUAGE AS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMISSION AND ELEMENT OF IDENTITY

The discussion in this paper refers to the effort to empower Malay language as a communication transmission bridge that is a significant element of Malaysian identity. The issues refined in this discussion refer to (i) The significance of the mother tongue as the language of knowledge in educational institutions, (ii) The balance between the use of Malay and English in HEIs, (iii) Efforts to uphold the Malay language as the national language, and (iv) The use national language in the public service sector. The application of a qualitative approach in this writing utilizes secondary sources such as research results in journals, scholarly writing, online news sources and public forums. The results of the study found that the government plays a critical role in the continued use and position of the Malay language by the people of this country and should be empowered by all parties. The rationale in the effort to dignify the Malay language is the maintenance of the nation state as enshrined in the national constitution which declares the Malay language as the official language of the country. The direction of this study is to pioneer the efforts of various parties in taking responsibility for preserving and empowering the mother tongue regardless of different backgrounds, religions and beliefs, in order to nourish the elements of identity, improve the quality and quality of the use of the national language, while maintaining the image of self-identity, race, and country. This is because in the face of global competition, the Malay language should be a bastion to defend the strength of the Malay nation's identity.

THE PRACTISE OF PATRIOTISM AS CITIZEN APPRECIATION ELEMENT: MAINTAINING THE INTEGRATION OF UNITY AND TOGETHERNESS IN THE FACE OF COVID-19 CALAMITIES

The focus of the discussion in this paper refers to the practice of patriotism as an element of citizen appreciation in maintaining the integration of unity and togetherness. This writing tries to cover the national issues closely related to patriotism in an effort to create a harmonious country where Malaysian practice and embody the spirit of patriotism. Among the matters argued are (i) Factors contributing to the unification of various races such as the basis of integration, economics, the concept of pluralism, tolerant of culture and language and political integration, (ii) The issue of combating & overcoming the health crisis due to the economic crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic in an effort to form national community and (iii) the issue of unity among the people to deal with Covid-19. The use of a qualitative approach in this writing utilizes secondary sources such as research results in journals, scholarly writing, online news sources and public forums. The results of the study found that patriotic spirit plays a critical role in encouraging the community to unite, especially in the face of calamities such as the Covid-19 pandemic, thus realizing the responsibility of being a citizen who wants to see our country continue to survive in any situation. The direction of the study looks at the continuity of the impact of the appreciation of citizens in togetherness for the sake of Malaysia's vision to become a united country in the aspect of cooperation and unity among various races, in addition to giving birth to a society that is united, obeys and loves the country.

Trapped in My Roles as a Woman With No Help: Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Chinese Women.

An understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences is a crucial first step toward shaping effective responses. However, relevant knowledge among Chinese women is scant. This study described Chinese women's IPV experiences by analyzing 46 posts shared by 42 women on a public online forum. Five overarching themes were identified using conventional qualitative content analysis: being trapped in my roles, no power in the relationship, the struggles are real but I need to tolerate, I want to leave but have no help, and hope for the future. This study has important implications for future research, practice, and education.

Community Under Surveillance: Impacts of Marginalization on an Online Labor Forum

A breadth of literature has examined how gig workers use online forums. The past literature focuses primarily on how gig workers for mainstream corporate platforms leverage forums. Yet, marginalization, stigma, censorship, and criminalization all shape how people, including gig workers, use digital technology. In this work, we seek to take a first step toward understanding how marginalized, stigmatized, digitally censored, and in some cases criminalized gig workers leverage the affordances of online public forums to build community and increase their welfare. To do so, we conduct a qualitative analysis of 4,000 posts and 25,851 comments shared over four months in a large online public forum used by sex workers for peer support. Sex workers sit at the intersection of multiple marginalized communities, and thus offer a lens into the broader use of forums by marginalized labor communities. Our findings offer insight into how these workers use moderation to preserve their safety and community. Further, we highlight similarities and differences between how this community utilizes the forum platform and prior scholarship on the use of online forums by gig workers.

Humor Reduces Online Incivility

Abstract Online incivility is a persistent issue facing many news and social media platforms. To better understand it, we examined whether humorous content reduced online incivility and whether the (in)civility of another user might mitigate or amplify this effect in two experiments (Study 1, N = 122; Study 2, N = 208). Participants in both experiments read an online opinion article about an instance of negative stereotyping and provided a comment on a simulated online news forum. The first study manipulated article humor (humorous vs. not humorous). The second study manipulated humor and the (in)civility of a previous user’s comment (civil vs. uncivil). In both studies, humor-reduced incivility. Anger mediated this effect. Source liking mediated the positive effect of humor on reducing anger. The (in)civility of a previous comment did not affect these results. Overall, the findings point to the value of humor and anger reduction in managing online incivility. Lay Summary Online incivility is a common occurrence in online public forums. This article investigated factors that may reduce incivility in two online experiments. The first experiment tested whether humor reduced anger and subsequently the incivility of participants’ comments towards a negative stereotype-challenging op-ed article. The second experiment tested whether exposure to civil and uncivil previous user comments influenced the civility of participants’ comments. Humor was found to reduce online incivility by reducing feelings of anger and increasing liking towards the author in both experiments. Exposure to another user’s comment, whether civil or uncivil, did not appear to influence the civility of participants’ comments, suggesting that article content is a more likely trigger for online incivility.

Abortion Stigma and Its Relationship with Grief, Post-traumatic Stress, and Mental Health-Related Quality of Life After Abortion for Fetal Anomalies.

Background:Despite the prevalence of abortion stigma in the United States, few studies have examined the relationship between stigma and psychological well-being postabortion among women who undergo abortion for fetal anomalies.Materials and Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional study of women who underwent second-trimester abortion for pregnancy complications to assess the association between abortion stigma and psychological outcomes. We asked women to retrospectively report self-judgment and perceived community condemnation at the time of their abortion and evaluated present-day grief, post-traumatic stress, and self-reported mental health. We recruited participants using Facebook, Craigslist, and other public online forums. We used multivariable linear regression to evaluate relationships between abortion stigma and psychological outcomes. In adjusted models, we controlled for covariates that were associated with the outcome at a level of p < 0.1.Results:Adjusted models, including 80 women, revealed that higher self-judgment at the time of abortion was significantly associated with increased postabortion grief (β = 2.5 and p = 0.02). Self-judgment was not associated with statistically significant differences in post-traumatic stress or mental health. There was no association between perceived community condemnation and psychological outcomes.Discussion:Abortion stigma may be associated with increased postabortion grief, but does not appear to be associated with differences in post-traumatic stress or mental health. Investigating how different preprocedure counseling methods can impact self-judgment might inform future interventions aimed at improving psychological outcomes postabortion.Implications for Practice and/or Policy:Abortion providers should consider that women who display signs of self-judgment may be at higher risk for increased grief after pregnancy termination for fetal anomalies or maternal complications.

Views and Beliefs of Vitiligo Patients in Online Discussion Forums: A Qualitative Study.

Individuals with chronic illnesses turn to online communities to engage in asynchronous peer-to-peer exchanges to better understand and manage their disease. Messages and advice exchanged by online users with vitiligo are not well characterized. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the content exchanged by individuals with vitiligo in online forums. An interpretive research paradigm was utilized to assess public online forum content. A systematic search using the phrases online forum vitiligo support, vitiligo online message board, and vitiligo forums identified 39 relevant forums; 9 of them met inclusion criteria, with 382 total anonymous users. Major themes and subthemes included vitiligo disease management, homeopathy/home remedies, psychosocial impact, public perceptions, and camouflage/concealment.

Social Media as a Tool to Educate Plastic Surgeons on Patients' Concerns Before and After Cosmetic Breast Surgeries.

The rapid evolution of the social media platform has had a major effect on the field of medicine. To identify patterns, trends and patients' concerns before and after aesthetic surgeries involving breast implants, by analyzing social media posts. We examined comments posted on popular Israeli online public forums between January 2019 and May 2021, regarding: breast augmentation, mastopexy-augmentation and breast implant removal. During the study period, 561 comments were posted on the three forums investigated: 165 pre-operative and 396 post-operative. In the pre-operative period, the main interests were implant size, type and location, as discussed in 69 posts (42%). During the first two months post-operative, questions reflected concerns regarding post-operative instructions, wound management and asymmetry: 76 (43%), 59 (34%) and 27 (16%), respectively. These topics continued to be in focus up to one year post-operative. Beyond the first post-operative year, patients' main interests were breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (25 posts, 28%), capsule formation (23 posts, 26%) and systemic effects (23 posts, 26%). Social media harnessing to identify patterns, trends and patient concerns pre- and post-aesthetic breast surgeries is a novel approach. Misinformation was common, particularly in comments posted more than one year post-operative. Four topics that especially concerned patients in the immediate and late post-operative period were asymmetric results, breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, capsule removal and systemic effects. We advise surgeon and plastic surgeon societies to issue position papers on controversial subjects, to counter the dissemination of potentially misleading information. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

'Waiting with Bated Breath'

'Waiting with Bated Breath'

Detecting adherence to the recommended childhood vaccination schedule from user-generated content in a US parenting forum.

Vaccine hesitancy is considered as one of the leading causes for the resurgence of vaccine preventable diseases. A non-negligible minority of parents does not fully adhere to the recommended vaccination schedule, leading their children to be partially immunized and at higher risk of contracting vaccine preventable diseases. Here, we leverage more than one million comments of 201,986 users posted from March 2008 to April 2019 on the public online forum BabyCenter US to learn more about such parents. For 32% with geographic location, we find the number of mapped users for each US state resembling the census population distribution with good agreement. We employ Natural Language Processing to identify 6884 and 10,131 users expressing their intention of following the recommended and alternative vaccination schedule, respectively RSUs and ASUs. From the analysis of their activity on the forum we find that ASUs have distinctly different interests and previous experiences with vaccination than RSUs. In particular, ASUs are more likely to follow groups focused on alternative medicine, are two times more likely to have experienced adverse events following immunization, and to mention more serious adverse reactions such as seizure or developmental regression. Content analysis of comments shows that the resources most frequently shared by both groups point to governmental domains (.gov). Finally, network analysis shows that RSUs and ASUs communicate between each other (indicating the absence of echo chambers), however with the latter group being more endogamic and favoring interactions with other ASUs. While our findings are limited to the specific platform analyzed, our approach may provide additional insights for the development of campaigns targeting parents on digital platforms.