Online Social Interaction Research Articles

The porous boundaries of public and private messages: Solidarity networks of Latin American food delivery workers in NYC

In this article, I argue that indigenous Latin American food delivery workers organize to defy information and knowledge asymmetries by utilizing technology built to mediate online social interactions. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, this paper investigates transnational modes of community-building and network formation and examines how these networks are instrumental for delivery workers in New York City to exercise agency, forge their narrative, and resist platform control by resisting, pushing, and extending a variety of digital and communication technologies. I analyze how public and private means of communication facilitate and constrain social forms of organization by mapping how delivery workers communicate and engage collectively both in the physical and the digital worlds. My research reveals two platforms that workers use to share information: one that operates inwards (WhatsApp) and another that operates outwards (Facebook). These channels represent opposite sides of the spectrum between public and private and synergize to form a transnational distributed knowledge network to shape and interpret the collective identity of Latin American delivery workers. Overall, this article sheds light on how the flow of information through different spaces and times enables delivery workers to construct a place for subversion and negotiation with roles assigned to them by broader socio-political forces.

Age-gender differences in the relationships between physical and mental health

Previous studies have identified that smoking, exercise and breadth of social interaction mediate the strong associations between physical and mental health. However, these studies have been restricted to older populations, have not explored differences by gender, and have not considered online social interaction. We explore how the effects of four mediators (exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction) of the two-way relationships between past and future physical and mental health vary across eight age and gender groups. We use data from a representative sample of the UK population consisting of 175,779 observations on 41,995 adults from Understanding Society (UKHLS) between 2009 and 2019. Within a mediation framework, we estimate the percentage of the total effects that can be explained by the proposed mediating factors. We show that exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction are significant mediators of the effect of mental health on future physical health. In-person social interaction is the largest of these, accounting for 2.3% of the total effect. Smoking, in-person and online interaction are significant mediators of the effect of physical health on future mental health. Again, in-person interaction is the largest of these, accounting for 3.0% of the total effect. The percentages of the total effects mediated by each factor differ substantially by age and gender. Seeking to avoid the harmful effects of poor physical health on future mental health should focus on increasing physical activity in older men, and on increasing in-person social interaction in both men and women. Seeking to avoid the harmful effects of poor mental health on future physical health should focus on increasing physical activity and in-person social interaction in older men and women, and on reducing smoking in younger men and women.

Overcoming Social Interactions Stress During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Role of Individuals’ Mobility and Online Emotional Support

The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the shift from in-person (offline) social interactions to online interactions and its consequences on social support and stress attracted scholarly attention. However, much less is known about how individuals’ prior mobility experiences have influenced coping with this shift. In the present research, we hypothesized that people with mobility experiences should already be more familiar with, and could profit more from, online social interactions before the pandemic, which might buffer against the negative impact of the pandemic on the emotional social support they obtained and the stress they felt during these interactions. In order to investigate this issue, we collected data ( N = 875) in Germany during the lockdown between April and May 2021. We measured mobility by introducing a novel approach that encompasses the act of moving houses (both within a country and internationally), commuting patterns, and nationality (migration background). Participants also reported the frequency of their online and offline interactions (before and during the lockdown), as well as the emotional support they obtained from online and offline interactions and the stress felt during lockdown interactions (as compared to before the lockdown). Results provide quantitative evidence in support of the main hypothesis especially regarding migration background. We discuss the relevance of these findings for research on migration and mobility.

Authenticity and Performance: An Analysis of the Influence of Strong and Weak Relationships on Users' Self-Presentation in Social Media

The rise of online social media has led to a shift in peoples social interactions from offline to online platforms. Online social interaction has become an integral part of societal interactions. Platforms like WeChat Moments and Tik Tok offer distinctive social channels, providing a platform with a more diverse audience. As a result, individuals can present their performances to audiences with different levels of relationship strength. This paper aims to explore the differences in self-presentation motivations and strategies when facing audiences with different levels of relationship strength on WeChat Moments and Tik Tok. This paper analyzes the impact of relationship strength on self-presentation, exploring the influence of strong and weak relationships on college students self-presentation in social media. Based on the survey and interview results, the paper compares the differences and connections in self-presentation of college students on WeChat Moments and Tik Tok. The findings indicate that the images users present on social media are closely related to their relationship with the audience. Users adjust their self-presentation strategies based on the composition ratio of strong and weak relationships in the social platform. Furthermore, users perform different degrees of impression management, presenting different levels of authenticity. Users also assign different levels of importance to different audiences and adopt different image correction strategies based on the level of importance. Moreover, in response to the findings of the study, the paper highlights the problems that exist in social media interaction and makes targeted recommendations for the development of online social interaction.

Competition Dynamics in the Meme Ecosystem

Creating and sharing memes is a common modality of online social interaction. Because of the prevalence of memes, an abundance of research focuses on understanding how memes are shared and perceived within their online social environment and in what ways they differ from other modalities of online communication. In the present work, we present findings that suggest a relationship between how memes are introduced, shared, and diminish in online social systems and the behavior of biological species within an ecosystem. Framed by this perspective, we borrow ecological methodologies and concepts like resource availability, speciation, and competition to study human attention, creativity, and sharing dynamics (respectively) over a large collection of memes shared on Reddit. Specifically, we find that the population of memes has scaled almost exactly with the total amount of content created over the past decade. We find a consequence of limited human attention in the face of a growing number of memes is that the diversity of memes has decreased at the community level, albeit slightly, in the same period. A further consequence is that the average life span of memes has decreased dramatically, which is further evidence of an increase in competition and a decrease in a meme species’ primary resource: human attention. From this work, we have found reasonable preliminary support for linking memes to species and, thus, meme research to ecological research. We believe that future research should work to strengthen this relationship and transfer more methodologies to meme and information research from ecology.

Feeling, thinking, and not seeing: how images engage and disengage in an information-saturated world – a neurophenomenological perspective

ABSTRACT We can no longer realise images solely through semiotic theories of interpretation and judgement fixed to earlier modes of communication, such as print. Instead, we engage with images through various networked digital devices and online social interactions. These engagements offer many possible experiences with images, some of which we have agency and others that are purely autonomic and some interactions resembling a healthy-bodied manifestation of visual agnosia or the loss of ability to recognise and identify. This paper utilises research from the ‘Fast Image’ study, a study of graphic design students and practitioners and their views on photographic image use, comparing print and online media. The author uses an interpretive approach supported by mixed data-gathering methods, including photo-elicitation, interviews and semi-structured questions. This discussion encourages advancing visual literacy and visual culture discourses to incorporate a Neurophenomenological approach toward understanding the effects of emerging technologies and viewing environments on photographic image use. These effects include sensory and cognitive responses to images and the influences of external stimuli on our phenomenological apprehension of images.

중년 성인의 자기개념명확성과 SNS중독경향성의 관계

Objectives The purposes of this study were to examine the mediating effect of preference for online social inter-action and the moderating effect of coping strategy in the relationship between self-concept clarity and SNS ad-diction proneness of middle-aged adults.
 Methods To achieve the purpose of the study, an online survey was conducted targeting middle-aged adults across the country, and the final 374 data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and the Process Marco program. First, the subjects' general characteristics and SNS use-related characteristics were identified, and the correlation be-tween each variable was analyzed. Second, the mediation effect was verified through hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping. Third, Aiken-West hierarchical regression analysis was performed to confirm the moderating effect and moderated mediation effect.
 Results The results of the study are as follows: First, lower self-concept clarity of middle-aged adults resulted in higher perceived preference for online social interaction. Second, the analysis verified the mediating effect of preference for online social interaction in the relationship between self-concept clarity and SNS addiction proneness. Third, in the relationship between preference for online social interaction and SNS addiction prone-ness, the analysis verified the moderating effect of avoidance, which is one of the sub-factors of the coping strategy.
 Conclusions This study revealed that the self-concept clarity of middle-aged adults affected SNS addiction proneness. In addition, this study is meaningful in that it is necessary to clarify the self-concept of middle-aged adults in the counseling and to help them use an effective coping strategy.

Frankfurt School Legacy and the Critical Sociology of Media: Lifeworld in Digital Capitalism

Just as the Frankfurt School responded to the radicalisation of the working class in Germany and the rise of post-war consumerism in the United States, today, we are confronted by platform monopolies, automated hyper-consumption and technological control. Critical approaches to digital media have exposed the structural coupling of Internet use and capital accumulation for almost two decades. However, many authors building on this tradition can struggle to understand how online social interaction is controlled beyond the worn-out critique of false consciousness or beyond conceptualising all digital activity mediated by data as labour. This paper will attempt to theoretically untangle the Marxian ontology of labour and the Frankfurt School-inspired critique of everyday life. This is not just theoretical nit-picking. Society becomes completely dominated if we accept no difference between wage labour and lifeworld activities. Each contains its internal struggles. The value form regulates both in different ways.

Do Locations of Employment and Residence Influence whether People Use Virtual Social Networks? A Case Study of Residents in Wuhan, China

High-speed information technology development has made virtual social networking (VSN) a social interaction trend. Studies have been carried out to investigate the spatial clustering characteristics of the locations where there is online social interaction, but they have not yet concentrated on the geographic phenomenon associated with the distribution of occupational and residential locations of citizens who use VSN. According to usage statistics gathered from China Unicom for people living in the Wuhan metropolitan development area, there are geographical characteristics for the sites of employment and residence of virtual social application (VSA) users. Compared with people who live or work in the central city, suburban citizens are more willing to conduct virtual social networking, and those who are most likely to do so are concentrated in the suburbs 20–30 km from the main city. Additionally, we used geographically weighted regressions to evaluate the relationship between the density of physical social facilities and the possibility of the usage of VSAs, revealing the influence of various conventional social conveniences on the propensity to use the VSA. Residents are more inclined to engage in VSN in places where traditional social interaction is inconvenient, particularly in suburbs, indicating that VSN is an addition to traditional social interaction. Nonetheless, neither an improvement in, nor the replacement of, VSN activities is apparent in places where conventional socializing is practical. This study identified the clustering of virtual social users’ places of employment and residence in metropolitan areas and concluded that virtual social interaction offers new social channels for people who lack access to adequate physical social facilities; that is, it complements traditional social interaction. These results can deepen the understanding of the relationship between traditional social interaction and VSN. They also offer a fresh viewpoint on facility planning for the potential future creation of a more balanced and diverse social interaction environment through the joint planning of virtual and physical social facilities.

All by myself: examining social media’s effect on social withdrawal and the mediating roles of moral disengagement and cyberaggression

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how the constructs of false self, preference for online social interaction (POSI), compulsive internet use (CIU), and online disinhibition affect social withdrawal in a social media context. The mediating effects of moral disengagement and cyber aggression are also tested.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using an online survey (n = 533) from consumers in Japan. This study used structural equation modeling and PROCESS to examine the proposed relationships.FindingsThe study revealed that false self positively affects moral disengagement while online disinhibition positively affects cyber aggression and moral disengagement. Preference for online social interaction and compulsive internet use both positively impacts social withdrawal. Cyber aggression and moral disengagement were established mediators between false self/ Preference for online social interaction/ compulsive internet use/ online disinhibition and social withdrawal.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough restricted to cyberaggression, owing to the reciprocal relationship between cyber victimization and cyberaggression, cyber victimization can be included for further study. This study expands the understanding of social withdrawal within the context of social media.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, policies and programs that address mental health that build self-esteem, self-confidence and reduce anxiety ought to be undertaken. Managing and formulating guidelines on anonymity should also be taken into consideration.Originality/valueThis research demonstrates the crucial constructs that affect social media users negatively from the aspects of cyberaggression, moral disengagement and social withdrawal. It also establishes the importance of mental health in reducing adverse effects from social media.

Vulnerable and grandiose narcissism differentially predict phubbing via social anxiety and problematic social media use

ABSTRACT ‘Phubbing’ refers to the phenomenon where people ignore social partners in a face-to-face situation by focusing on their phones. Narcissism, a personality trait characterised by entitled self-importance, has strong influences on interpersonal relationships. As the mechanism through which narcissism may affect the development of phubbing is unclear and most relevant studies have been conducted in Western countries, we proposed and empirically tested a theoretical model that links narcissism to phubbing in China. Chinese participants (N = 322; 181 women and 141 men) completed a survey in the Chinese language. Path analyses largely confirmed the proposed hypothetical model. The main findings showed that vulnerable narcissism directly predicted more phubbing behaviour and also indirectly via increased social anxiety, preference for online social interaction (POSI), social media use (SMU) for mood regulation, and compulsive SMU. Also, grandiose narcissism indirectly predicted less phubbing behaviour via reduced social anxiety, POSI, SMU for mood regulation, and compulsive SMU. The findings, therefore, elucidate the mechanisms by which the two subtypes of narcissism differentially predispose people to phubbing in China, with vulnerable narcissism predisposing people to more phubbing and grandiose narcissism to less phubbing. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Exploring the impact of cyberbullying and cyberstalking on victims' behavioural changes in higher education during COVID-19: A case study

This study explores cyberbullying and cyberstalking in higher education from the victims' perspective. It presents a novel contribution byutlising a convenience sample of students and staff in a university setting in England. Their perceptions as victims were collected through a semi-structured online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. This temporal setting helps to explore how external traumatic events, collective restrictions, and increased internet use affect online social interactions. A quantitative method is employed to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of human behaviour and factors that contribute to changes in the everyday lives of victims. Despite the exploratory nature of this study, the empirical insights provide valuable contributions that can inform the development of innovative best practice and evidence-based policies to support victims in higher education.

Examining the Impact of Phubbing Behaviors on Toxic Disinhibition in Online Social Interactions

Examining the Impact of Phubbing Behaviors on Toxic Disinhibition in Online Social Interactions

The relationship between preference for online social interaction and affective well-being via compulsive dating app use: The moderating role of algorithmic beliefs

This study examined whether preference for online social interaction (POSI) was related to poorer affective well-being via compulsive dating app use and whether algorithmic beliefs attenuated the negative association between compulsive use and affective well-being. An online survey among Chinese dating app users (N = 361) was conducted. The sample included participants aged 18–60, with the majority (89.47%) falling within the 18–35 age range (M = 29.19, SD = 6.02). Women comprised a slightly larger proportion (56.2%) of the sample than men (43.8%). Results of the survey revealed that POSI was positively associated with compulsive use, which was positively related to post-dating app joviality. Furthermore, the relationship between algorithmic beliefs and post-dating app sadness was only significant among individuals with a low level of algorithm beliefs. The findings extended prior research on social network sites to dating apps and demonstrated the potential positive relationship between technology use and transient emotional states. Furthermore, our results suggest that algorithmic beliefs, which essentially reflect human-technology relations, may affect interpersonal communication outcomes on dating apps.

Factorial validity of the problematic social media use scale among Chinese adults

The Problematic Social Media Use Scale (PSMUS) is a promising self-report measure assessing problematic use of social media among adolescents and adults. However, data concerning its psychometrics are still scant, and adaptation in Eastern cultures is missing.This study aimed to test the factorial structure, internal consistency, and external validity of the Chinese version of the PSMUS in a sample of 672 adults (31% males) aged between 18 and 58.A series of confirmatory factor analyses supported the bifactor structure of the PSMUS, including a general factor and five specific independent components, namely preference for online social interactions, mood regulation, cognitive preoccupation, compulsive use, and negative outcomes. Hierarchical Omega supported the presence of a general factor, and also ancillary indexes suggested that the questionnaire is not strictly unidimensional.Subsequent structural equation modeling testing the incremental contribution of each PSMUS facet in predicting negative emotional states showed that, above and beyond the general factor, only one of the five dimensions (i.e., negative outcomes) significantly links to our criterion measure further support the use of an overall PSMU score. Moreover, results support the external validity of the questionnaire, given its positive association with depression, anxiety, and stress scores.The Chinese version of the PSMUS is a psychometric sound instrument to assess the level of PSMU in adults. Future research may evaluate the cross-cultural validity of the bifactor model and its associations with other assessment methods.

Sleep quality and in-person versus online social interaction during the early COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: Impact on affect and interpersonal needs among young adults.

We examined relationships among sleep quality and forms of social interaction (in-person vs. online) as predictors of change in affect and interpersonal needs (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness) - correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors - during the early COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. New York City undergraduates (N = 58) from four public colleges completed a baseline survey and daily diaries up to 30 days in April-June 2020. Adjusting for relevant covariates, better sleep quality and in-person communication predicted greater positive affect and lower negative affect over time, but online social interaction only predicted greater positive affect and did not predict negative affect. Better sleep quality predicted lower perceived burdensomeness but not thwarted belongingness. Both in-person and online social interaction - but not total hours on social media - predicted lower thwarted belonging and perceived burdensomeness. Greater hours spent on social media each day lessened the relationship between in-person interaction and positive affect and lessened the buffering effect of in-person interaction on perceived burdensomeness. Improving sleep quality and increasing in-person interaction may ameliorate psychological variables that increase risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, when in-person interaction is limited, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, online social interaction might be encouraged - depending on the nature of the interactions - to increase positive affect and buffer against suicide-related factors.

한국판 온·오프라인 사회적 거부민감성 척도(O2S3)의 타당화

Objectives The purpose of this study is to validate Andrews, Khin, Crayn, Humphreys and Schweizer's to online and offline social sensitivity scale (O2S3) for Korean.
 Methods To this end, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 113 people aged 18 to 30 using the preliminary O2S3 scale as survey data, and a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on 250 people aged 18 to 30 living across the country using the final Korean online and offline social sensitivity scale(K-O2S3).
 Results First, unlike the original scale, the Korean version of the online and offline social sensitivity scale(K-O2S3) consisted of a total of 17 questions, and three low-income factors were identified: online social interaction (6 questions), social investment (6 questions), and concern for recognition of others (5 questions). Second, convergence validity was confirmed through correlation analysis between the Korean version of the online and offline social rejection sensitivity scale (K-O2S3), depression anxiety stress scale-21 (K-DASS-21), internalized shame scale (ISS).
 Conclusions Based on this study, it is expected that it will help counseling and clinical scenes by more in-depth understanding of rejection sensitivity, which is an important variable in forming positive interpersonal relationships as well as individual psychological health.

Adolescents and Trust in Online Social Interactions: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.

Social media have become increasingly embedded in adolescents' daily lives. Although these contexts have been widely studied, how trust in online relationships is built among adolescents is still an unexplored issue. By adopting the theoretical socio-cognitive model of trust, this study aims to explore the components of online trust as far as today's teenagers are concerned. The study involved 10 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 (M = 15.5). The data were collected using individual semi-structured, audio-recorded, and faithfully transcribed interviews. A deductive-inductive content analysis carried out with the NVivo10 software was performed on the textual material. Results show that adolescents seem to be aware of online trust value in "selecting" peers to be trusted. To protect themselves from the risks they are exposed to, they choose to interact with peers/friends who are already known in real life or are similar to them in terms of interests, ways of thinking, passions, and age. Additionally, others' competencies and willingness play an important role in adolescents' evaluations and decisions to rely on others online. The results of this study could be useful for developing awareness-raising interventions on the risks that adolescents are exposed to in order to promote "safe" relationships of trust and emphasize the possible positive use of technologies (e.g., by building online trust relationships using peer "safe" models).

An exploratory study into the interplay of coolness and maladaptive social media use: Identifying profiles of addiction-like symptoms among Jamaican users

This research article examines the interplay between coolness and maladaptive social media use among Jamaican users. In addition, it explores profiles of addiction-like symptoms among social media users in Jamaica and identifies the prevalence of maladaptive use. A total of 180 participants from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, completed a self-administered survey that assessed engagement, maladaptive social media use, coolness, and preference for online social interaction. The Bergen's Social Media Addiction Scale was utilized to measure maladaptive social media use, while the inner and outer cool questionnaire and the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale assessed coolness and preference for online social interaction, respectively. Latent profile analysis was employed to identify latent subgroups based on maladaptive behavior patterns, as well as perceptions of coolness. The results revealed two latent subgroups based on coolness perception (high perceived coolness and average perceived coolness) and three latent subgroups based on maladaptive behavior (high-risk, low-risk, and no risk). An empirical cutpoint for the BSMAS was found to be 18, which suggested a 27.8% prevalence of maladaptive social media use in Jamaica. Gender differences were observed in maladaptive use and preference for online social interaction, with females exhibiting higher levels of both. The findings also indicated significant relationships between engagement levels, coolness dimensions, and maladaptive social media use risk profiles. Overall, this study sheds light on the complex relationship between coolness, social media use, and addiction-like symptoms, providing insights into the Jamaican context.

“She’s Pretty in Her Pictures but in Real Life She’s Ugly”: School Pupils Negotiating the Blurred Boundaries between Online and Offline Social Contexts

Online social interaction has become integral to contemporary social life, adding new dimensions to how young people learn, interact, and perceive themselves and one another. We present findings from a yearlong ethnographic study within a Scottish state secondary school to explain pupils’ informal social relationships. We particularly investigate how school pupils experience social life inside and outside of school in relation to presenting themselves on social media and consider how they negotiate the overlap between their online (social media) representations and offline (school) encounters with their peers. Our findings evidence that pupils engaged in self-presentation within and across online and offline social contexts, whilst experiencing pressure to ‘keep up appearances’ between the two. The online environment afforded pupils greater control over self-presentation, especially in relation to bodily appearances. Here, pupils had time and tools to construct idealised fronts and to amass online capital. In some circumstances, this capital could have exchange value within offline environments. However, young people were at continual risk of having their carefully constructed identities discredited when in an in-person setting. We explore these issues in relation to pupil health, wellbeing, and learning, and we consider how educators may respond.