Use Of Online Social Media Research Articles

Anatomy education for the YouTube generation.

Anatomy remains a cornerstone of medical education despite challenges that have seen a significant reduction in contact hours over recent decades; however, the rise of the "YouTube Generation" or "Generation Connected" (Gen C), offers new possibilities for anatomy education. Gen C, which consists of 80% Millennials, actively interact with social media and integrate it into their education experience. Most are willing to merge their online presence with their degree programs by engaging with course materials and sharing their knowledge freely using these platforms. This integration of social media into undergraduate learning, and the attitudes and mindset of Gen C, who routinely creates and publishes blogs, podcasts, and videos online, has changed traditional learning approaches and the student/teacher relationship. To gauge this, second year undergraduate medical and radiation therapy students (n = 73) were surveyed regarding their use of online social media in relation to anatomy learning. The vast majority of students had employed web-based platforms to source information with 78% using YouTube as their primary source of anatomy-related video clips. These findings suggest that the academic anatomy community may find value in the integration of social media into blended learning approaches in anatomy programs. This will ensure continued connection with the YouTube generation of students while also allowing for academic and ethical oversight regarding the use of online video clips whose provenance may not otherwise be known.

Anatomy Education for the YouTube Generation

Anatomy remains a cornerstone of medical education despite challenges that have seen a significant reduction in contact hours over recent decades; however, the rise of the YouTube Generation, or GenC, offers new possibilities for anatomy education. GenC, which consists of 80% Millennials, actively engage with social media and integrate it into their education experience. Most are willing to merge their online presence with their degree programs by engaging with course materials and sharing their knowledge freely using these platforms. This integration of social media into undergraduate learning, and the attitudes and mindset of GenC has changed traditional learning approaches and the student / teacher relationship. To gauge this, second year undergraduate medical and radiation therapy students (n = 73) were surveyed regarding their use of online social media in relation to anatomy learning. The vast majority of students had employed web‐based platforms to source information with 78% using YouTube as their primary source of anatomy‐related video clips. These findings suggest that the academic anatomy community should consider integrating social media into blended learning approaches in anatomy programs. This will ensure continued connection with the YouTube generation of students while also allowing for academic and ethical oversight regarding the use of online video clips whose provenance may not otherwise be known.

Underage access to online alcohol marketing content: a YouTube case study.

With the proliferation of the Internet and online social media use, alcohol advertisers are now marketing their products through social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. As a result, new recommendations have been made by the Federal Trade Commission concerning the self-regulation of digital marketing strategies, including content management on social and digital media sites. The current study sought to determine whether alcohol companies were implementing the self-imposed mandates that they have developed for online marketing. Specifically, we examined whether alcohol companies were implementing effective strategies that would prevent persons under the minimum legal drinking age in the USA from accessing their content on YouTube. We assessed 16 alcohol brands (beer and liquor) associated with the highest prevalence of past 30 day underage alcohol consumption in the USA. Fictitious YouTube user profiles were created and assigned the ages of 14, 17 and 19. These profiles then attempted to access and view the brewer-sponsored YouTube channels for each of the 16 selected brands. Every underage profile, regardless of age, was able to successfully subscribe to each of the 16 (100%) official YouTube channels. On average, two-thirds of the brands' channels were successfully viewed (66.67%). Alcohol industry provided online marketing content is predominantly accessible to underage adolescents. Thus, brewers are not following some of the self-developed and self-imposed mandates for online advertising by failing to implement effective age-restriction measures (i.e. age gates).

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Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the use of online social media as a way to engage and motivate students in language learning. Design/methodology/approach – Presents a case study in which students of English for Specific Purposes first use Moodle, a learning management system, as the basis for course instruction and then supplement this with the use of Facebook for course discussions and access to supplementary materials. Findings – For today’s university students, social media online are an integral part of their everyday experience. Twitter, Facebook and so on let them share interests and enthusiasms with a network of friends. They use web-based tools – email, blogs and chatrooms – every day to discuss what they are doing with like-minded people. All the more surprising then that online social media are not widely used in language teaching. After all, to learn a language successfully, the individual has to use it to interact with other people. So why not use these social networks to involve and motivate language learners? Research limitations/implications – An exploratory study that indicates opportunities for further research into the extent to which online social media can facilitate the development of students’ language skills. Practical implications – Demonstrates the value of using a familiar social networking site in language learning to supplement more structured learning. Shows that when used in this way, Facebook can encourage active student participation and increase the sense of community among course participants. Social implications – Draws attention to the increase in engagement among language students when they can choose when and how to interact outside of the constraints of the formal learning environment. Originality/value – Suggests reasons why online social media should be more widely used in language teaching in higher education. Offers evidence for the benefits of combining this with a more formal learning platform.

Social networking versus facebook advertising to recruit survey respondents: a quasi-experimental study.

BackgroundIncreasingly, social contact and knowledge of other people’s attitudes and behavior are mediated by online social media such as Facebook. The main research to which this recruitment study pertains investigates the influence of parents on adolescent alcohol consumption. Given the pervasiveness of online social media use, Facebook may be an effective means of recruitment and intervention delivery.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of study recruitment via social networks versus paid advertising on Facebook.MethodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental sequential trial with response rate as the outcome, and estimates of cost-effectiveness. The target population was parents of 13-17 year old children attending high schools in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Recruitment occurred via: method (1) social recruitment using Facebook, email-based, social networks, and media coverage followed by method (2) Facebook advertising.ResultsUsing a range of online and other social network approaches only: method (1) 74 parents were recruited to complete a survey over eight months, costing AUD58.70 per completed survey. After Facebook advertising: method (2) 204 parents completed the survey over four weeks, costing AUD5.94 per completed survey. Participants were representative of the parents recruited from the region’s schools using standard mail and email.ConclusionsFacebook advertising is a cost-effective means of recruiting parents, a group difficult to reach by other methods.

The Maoming Anti-PX Protest of 2014

China has witnessed several peaceful and successful anti-PX (para-xylene) protests in Xiamen, Dalian, and Ningbo in recent years. However, the protest in Maoming in 2014 turned out to be a noteworthy exception. By using participant observation and indepth interview data, this article raises the following observations: first, in spite of official propaganda, Maoming citizens actually understand the environmental risk of PX production because of their personal experiences with existing pollution as well as from their knowledge of the Xiamen incident. Secondly, the Maoming protest proceeded in a less organised manner, which explains its violent tendencies. Finally, the large-scale protest was able to proceed without the support of mainstream media and the middle class due to the use of online social media and local knowledge of the urban terrain.

Online social media applications for constructivism and observational learning

<p>Web 2.0 technologies have a range of possibilities for fostering constructivist learning and observational learning. This is due to the available applications which allow for synchronous and asynchronous interaction and the sharing of knowledge between users. Web 2.0 tools include online social media applications which have potential pedagogical benefits. Despite these potential benefits, there is inadequate utilization of online social media applications in learning management systems for pedagogical purposes. Reasons cited for the limited uptake of online social media applications in learning management systems include the lack of consideration regarding the pedagogical benefits of these applications (Christie & Garrote-Jurado, 2009, pp. 273-279). There is limited information regarding experiences of the use of online social media that foster constructivist and observational learning. Using a qualitative meta-ethnographic approach, this article explores the experiences of students and instructors regarding online social media applications for constructivism and observational learning. Constructivist criteria (Baviskar, Hartle, & Whitney, 2009, pp. 543-544) and observational learning, based on Bandura’s (2001, pp. 265-299) social cognitive theory, formed the theoretical grounding for this research. The findings suggest that discussion forums are ideal for the stimulation of constructivism and observational learning in online learning programmes. </p>

“Being the Best We Can Be”

To examine attitudes, self-reported behaviors, and intended actions related to medical students' use of online social media after an educational intervention. In 2011, 180 first-year medical students at the Keck School of Medicine participated in a required two-hour session on the relevance of online social media use to professionalism. Students submitted postsession written reflections about their online presence and professional roles. The authors qualitatively analyzed and coded these reflections for emerging themes. They also examined postsession evaluations and conducted a four-month follow-up survey to identify changes in students' online social networking behaviors. All 180 students submitted written reflections and postsession evaluations. The authors identified 10 theme categories within three domains (immediate action, intended future action, value change) from the reflections. The most common themes were "role awareness" (144/539), "did nothing" (94/539), and "intention to edit" (84/539). On a scale of 1 to 5, students rated the overall session quality at 3.92 (standard deviation 0.28). Sixty-four percent (115/180) of the students responded to the follow-up survey. Of those, 40% (46/115) reported editing or changing their Web presence after the session, and 24% (28/115) anticipated spending less time on online social networking. Attending a required session in a professionalism course led to thoughtful reflection, increased professional role awareness, and intention to edit and monitor future online presence among first-year medical students. After four months, students reported continued monitoring and editing of their online presence. Future studies should examine whether reinforcement throughout training is needed to maintain vigilance.

The relationships among attachment style, personality traits, interpersonal competency, and Facebook use

Among emerging adult populations, the increasingly prevalent use of online social media, such as Facebook, and its relationship to individual personality traits and interpersonal relationships are of growing interest to researchers. The current study sought to investigate how attachment style, personality traits based on the Five Factor Model, and self-esteem were related to perceptions of interpersonal competency and Facebook use. Using data collected from 463 emerging adults in college, we conducted three hierarchical multiple linear regression models which suggested that (a) extraversion was positively related to Facebook use, (b) attachment style, extraversion, agreeableness, and openness were positively related to two aspects of interpersonal competency, and (c) Facebook use was negatively related to competence with initiating interpersonal relationships. Future directions for research and practical implications are also discussed.

Understanding adolescent sport participation through online social media

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the potential role and use of online social media to influence sport participation in youth aged 12 to 17 years by responding to two specific research questions: what is the nature of the online “marketplace” among youth?; and what is the nature of adolescent sport behavior as revealed through activities on online social media?Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines and then implements the research methodology of netnography to achieve its purpose. Netnography involves a researcher joining an online forum, e‐tribe or other open‐source social media to observe and record the discussions for analysis.FindingsThe overarching finding is that online discourse related to sport participation among youth is very limited. When discussion does take place, five themes emerge: benefits, advice‐seeking, finding common interests, learning new sports, and challenges.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides impetus for future work in the content area and in the use of the netnography method. It is limited by the lack of online content on the topic area by the target group.Practical implicationsThe paper's results provide important understanding, direction and guidance to sport administrators working for government, sport organizations and organizations who market their products and services to youth through sport.Originality/valueThis paper is original in two respects: the use of netnography as the research method in this context, and the focus on social media and sport participation in youth.

Investigating instructional strategies for using social media in formal and informal learning

Despite the high popularity of personal use of online social media, a low percentage of students and instructors use them for educational purposes. This qualitative study explores the use of social media among faculty in the discipline of public administration in the United States. Eight instructors participated in telephone interviews about their experiences and perceptions of using social media for teaching and learning. Instructors perceive that informal learning using social media could be facilitated by instructors and integrated into formal learning environments for enriched discussions, increased engagement, and broad connections. This study provides qualitative empirical support for social learning theories while offering strategies for and examples of how social media can be used to connect formal and informal learning.

Personal Identity and the Self in the Online and Offline World

The emergence of social networking sites has created a problem of how the self is to be understood in the online world. As these sites are social, they relate someone with others in a network. Thus there seems to emerge a new kind of self which exists in the online world. Accounting for the online self here also has implications on how the self in the outside world should be understood. It is argued that, as the use of online social media has become more widespread, the line between the two kinds of self is becoming fuzzier. Furthermore, there seems to be a fusion between the online and the offline selves, which reflects the view that reality itself is informational. Ultimately speaking, both kinds of selves do not have any essence, i.e., any characteristic inherent to them that serves to show that these selves are what they are and none other. Instead an externalist account of the identity of the self is offered that locates the identity in question in the self's relations with other selves as well as other events and objects. This account can both be used to explain the nature of the self both in the online and the offline worlds.

Internet and social media use by patients in a comprehensive cancer center.

e19594 Background: Internet searches for health information are increasingly popular with American adults; 80% of Americans with Internet access search for health information. The use of social sites (Facebook or Twitter) doubled in those > age 50 in 2010. Understanding these quickly growing media could help improve information for cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to learn how cancer patients find and use information on cancer. Methods: We surveyed adult cancer patients (n = 1,282) at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2010 (response rate=75%). This pen and paper survey took 15 minutes to complete and assessed use of computers, Internet, social media, and usefulness of these information sources. Data analysis includes bivariate associations with Chi2 statistics. Results: Overall, 88% of respondents reported using the Internet with 93% of Internet users reporting broadband Internet access. Rates of Internet use were similar across diagnoses: breast cancer 91%, prostate cancer 86%, leukemia 88%. Young age and formal education were related to higher rates of Internet use. Overall, 47% of online patients reported using social media sites (44% Facebook, 5% MySpace, 4% Twitter). Most were relatively new users of social media (50% began in the past 2 years). Rates of social media use differed by cancer diagnoses: breast cancer 50%, leukemia 48%, prostate cancer 31%. Overall, 82% of patients reported that the Internet was useful or very useful in finding information about cancer. Only 30% of patients reported social media was a useful source of cancer information. Conclusions: Our study shows that a majority of patients have broadband access and use the Internet. A substantial proportion of patients also reported use of online social media. Rates of Internet are similar for patients across a range of cancer diagnoses, while social media use varied. However, the usefulness of cancer information from these sources is deemed limited by respondents. There may be great opportunity to increase the usefulness of online cancer information, especially via online social media channels. Future work could assess Internet and social media use by patients in a wider range of settings or in population-based samples of cancer patients.

Tenure and promotion in the age of online social media

Online social media tools are fast becoming an important and integral part of the academic life. However, there is very little hard data on why and how scholars are using them. This paper presents the results of our ongoing study on how academics are using these new tools for communication and information dissemination. We specifically look at how scholars themselves view the role that online social media might play in the tenure and promotion process at academic and research institutions. The results of our study find that the use of online social media is currently not widely recognized by most research institutions as part of their tenure and promotion review process. However, according to our interview data, this will likely change in the future as more and more scholars turn to these new tools to aid them in their professional endeavors. The trending changes found in this study are important not only for the future of scholarly knowledge and information dissemination, but also for the changes it will bring to universities' tenure and promotion policies and to publishers of scholarly work.

Digital journalism and online public spheres in South Africa

This article explores and evaluates the growth of digital journalism in South Africa, within the context of increased use of online social media in the field. Increasingly, local activists are using mobile and online social networking to promote their events and causes, and reach their constituencies. Similarly, journalists are using digital media to practise their craft, reach new audiences, and sometimes even to change the notion of who practises journalism, as in the case of citizen journalism. South African journalists, via community media and sometimes even tabloid newspapers, have long embraced the notion of civic or community journalism, framing news ‘in a way that facilitates people thinking about solutions, not just problems and conflict’ (Hoyt 1995). With the rise of Web 2.0 and increased access to the Internet, digital journalism in South Africa has spread to include a strong focus on user-generated content, with traditional news media using Twitter and other social media to generate reader feedback. Similarly, the Mail & Guardian ‘Thoughtleader’ blog, originally designed for socalled J-bloggers, is another example of the ‘convergence’ between journalism and social media. The article provides an overview of emerging trends and theories in the South African context, focusing particularly on the public sphere created by bloggers, the citizen journalism of MyNews24.com and journalists' engagement with online social media. Furthermore, the article reflects on the possibility that online news sites and blogs may represent a space for the creation of online public spheres in South Africa.

To Tweet, or Not to Tweet: Gender Differences and Potential Positive and Negative Health Outcomes of Adolescents’ Social Internet Use

Adolescents and young adults are avid Internet users. Online social media, such as social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace), blogs, status updating sites (e.g., Twitter) and chat rooms, have become integral parts of adolescents' and young adults' lives. Adolescents are even beginning to enter the world of online dating with several websites dedicated to "teenage online dating." This paper reviews recent peer-reviewed literature and national data on 1) adolescents use of online social media, 2) gender differences in online social media and 3) potential positive and negative health outcomes from adolescents' online social media use. We also examine parental monitoring of adolescents' online activities. Given that parental supervision is a key protective factor against adolescent risk-taking behavior, it is reasonable to hypothesize that unmonitored Internet use may place adolescents' at significant risk, such as cyberbullying, unwanted exposure to pornography, and potentially revealing personal information to sexual predators.