Computer-mediated Communication Research Research Articles

The reciprocity of social media engagement and collective actions: A longitudinal study on Ukrainian refugees

This study examined the effect of social media engagement on collective action intention to help Ukrainian refugees. This study proposes a dynamic, transactional model that draws upon computer-mediated communication research and the dynamic dual pathway model of collective action (DPPM) to investigate the impact of two types of social media engagement, namely actions and cues, on intergroup helping. The model aims to achieve two objectives: First, it examines the mediating role of anger and collective efficacy, the two parallel psychological mechanisms proposed by DPPM, in the effects of action and cues on collective action intention. Second, it tests the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between collection action intention and social media actions and cues over time. A three-wave longitudinal survey of U.S. adults was conducted after the Russian-Ukrainian War started. Longitudinal mediation analyses showed that social media action predicted greater collective action intentions indirectly through collective efficacy but not anger. Social media cues did not predict collective action intentions through collective efficacy or anger. Collective action intentions, in turn, increased subsequent social media actions and cues, forming a positive feedback loop. The effect of social media actions on collective action intention was stronger than that of social media cues.

Szanse i ryzyka kształcenia online dla akademickiej relacji mistrz – uczeń

The article describes the opportunities and risks of Master – Student relation in the academic, online learning setting. The article begins with the analysis of Master – Student relation by presenting issues regarding the traditionally interpreted person of the master as well as by presenting the obstacles and expectations faced by students. Further on, advantages and disadvantages of computermediated communication (CMC) of the relation are discussed. Based on the research in CMC which, includes the hyper-personal model and the Media Naturalness Theory, the ambivalence of building an authentic, based on the ethical foundations, and a long-lasting interpersonal relationship, is shown. Finally, key risk areas are discussed, in particular reductionist online learning models implemented by the neoliberal agenda in university education, and doubts about the effectiveness of value-oriented education in a virtual environment.

Efficacy constructs in media use and effects: organizing and appraising the literature

ABSTRACT Efficacy constructs play central roles in health, political, computer-mediated, environmental, and mass communication research. In this review, we sought to organize and evaluate the efficacy concepts that have accumulated in media effects scholarship. First, we characterize how media effects researchers have studied efficacy constructs, both as perceptions and as message features. We discuss key conceptual and methodological issues for each efficacy construct. Second, we offer a conceptual matrix that puts prominent efficacy constructs in conversation with one another. We conclude with recommendations for media scholars studying efficacy. Ultimately, our review underscores the need for greater clarity and consistency in the study of efficacy as a predictor, outcome, mechanism, and moderator of media use and exposure.

Rethinking Communication in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

AbstractThis article introduces the special issue of Human Communication Research (HCR) exploring the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in communication. It situates the six articles in this issue along conceptual dimensions drawn from human–computer interaction (HCI) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) research. It also underscores the importance of typologizing AI’s involvement in human communication by building on traditional distinctions such as mass versus interpersonal communication. In doing so, it describes how AI can fulfill analogous roles as either communicator or mediator in both contexts. This article also discusses the six articles and draws out common themes, most notably the tension between human agency and machine agency caused by the arrival of AI. It concludes by expressing optimism for the discovery of new concepts, frameworks and issues as we study both the positive and negative influences of AI on the process and effects of human communication.

Dezinhibicija u onlajn komunikaciji studenata i implikacije u nastavi stranog jezika

Research in computer-mediated communication has pointed to online disinhibition effect, i.e., a tendency to interact with less restraint when online than in face-to-face contacts. The current study explores the presence and level of disinhibition in online communication among university students and sets it in the context of synchronous online foreign language learning. To this end, 284 university students who took a course in English as part of their study programs participated in the research. A quantitative approach employing a survey design was adopted and the results were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistical tests in SPSS 25. The findings show that the overall level of online disinhibition is rather low among the participants-the students self-report they feel inhibited when using the internet and communicating online. It also shows that male students tend to be more disinhibited in online communication than females. Two factors, the ability to immerse themselves in online learning surroundings and the use of headphones while attending lessons online are found to produce higher disinhibition levels. The findings imply that the affective domain deserves special attention in creating and conducting online language courses and that the digital environment requires a specific student-centered approach that is yet to be explored and defined.

Familiars in a Strange Land

Familiars in a Strange Land

I’m an Aθenian too: διαγραφηματικές πρακτικές στο αστικό γλωσσικό τοπίο της Αθήνας

In this paper we examine practices of translanguaging and linguistic hybridization in the urban landscape of Athens. Our study focuses on phenomena of translanguaging that emerge from the mobilization of primarily graphemic resources, also known as trans-scripting. We pay particular attention to cases of vernacular respellings of English-related forms in the Greek script (e.g. engreek or Hellenized English) and propose a cross-contextual approach to their study, drawing on insights from research in computer-mediated communication, multilingualism and linguistic landscapes. Our analysis shows how such respellings become indexically related to ideological stances and identity positions in contemporary social-mediatized societies.

Can social network sites facilitate civic engagement? Assessing dynamic relationship between social media and civic activities among young people

PurposeThe primary goal of this article is to review the existing studies and offer clarity regarding the association between social media adoption and youth civic engagement.Design/methodology/approachThis research systematically summarizes and reviews 42 original articles published from 2010 to 2019 with an objective of offering insightful results. Additionally, a theoretical framework was carefully designed by adopting various conceptions from citizen participation and computer-mediated communication research literature.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that social media usage could generally have a positive correlation with civic participation among younger generations. Moreover, the result also highlights that certain functional features of social media uses including using social media for news consumption and expression could significantly predict civic engagement.Originality/valueDespite the ever-growing importance of social media technologies, investigations on their differential, nonlinear and even inconsistent effects on civic engagement remain theoretically ambiguous and empirically unsubstantiated. The study represents one of the first scholarly attempts to review, summarize and analyze the extant research evidence from the past ten years.

The Influence of Regulatory Focus on Media Choice in Interpersonal Conflicts

People’s choices of (electronic) communication channels are central to the quality of communication—and sometimes detrimental to their actual communication goals. However, while factors influencing media choice are abundant, potential means to intentionally influence these choices are scarce within computer-mediated communication research. We explore the role of regulatory focus as one possible factor to understand and influence media choice in interpersonal conflicts. Regulatory focus theory proposes two motivational systems, promotion (i.e., needs for nurturance and growth) and prevention (i.e., needs for safety and security), that account for differences in preferred strategies for goal-pursuit. In a vignette-based study, we manipulated the situational regulatory focus (promotion or prevention) and surveyed participants’ preferred media choice for a hypothetical conflict scenario. Our results show that the induction of a dominant prevention focus (vs. promotion focus) leads to a shift in preference towards leaner communication media and channels that establish a higher subjective buffer between sender and receiver (e.g., text-messaging over calling). We elaborate on how these findings contribute to the understanding of media choice in interpersonal conflicts and point out potential ways to influence behavior through the design of communication technologies. Limitations of the present study and future research opportunities are discussed.

Interoperability of interpersonal communications services – A consumer perspective

The European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) enables competent authorities to introduce interoperability obligations also for number-independent interpersonal communications services (NI-ICS) such as Facebook Messenger, LINE, Skype, WeChat and WhatsApp. Under such an obligation, consumers could interact not just with users of the NI-ICS where they have a user account themselves, but also with users of all then interoperable NI-ICS. While with traditional electronic communications services (ECS) economic theory and consumer interests align as regards interoperability since multi-homing across various operators is the exemption, it is not yet clear whether that is also true for NI-ICS for which multi-homing is the norm. Our paper draws on an online survey of n = 2044 consumers in Germany covering traditional ECS, email and 22 other NI-ICS to address this issue from a consumer point of view. We find that people proactively use the boundaries between communications services to compartmentalize their social contacts according to relationship closeness. Our finding echoes indications provided in a rich stream of computer-mediated communication (CMC) research and in particular psychological theories of relationship development. Specifically, people appear to follow a finely tuned cultural code implying a hierarchical order of communications services used depending on the closeness of the contacts. Consequently, our results provide a complementary explanation of how and why certain groups of social ties converge to a specific (set of) communications service(s) beyond network effects and shed a critical light on current policy debates around an interoperability obligation for interpersonal communications applications. They highlight that an interoperability obligation for NI-ICS would likely not be in line with consumer interests.

Are We Moving Towards Convergence or Divergence? Mapping the Intellectual Structure and Roots of Online Social Network Research 1997–2017

AbstractOnline social networks (OSNs), comprised of varying types of relations among actors that interact through social technologies, are widespread in today’s media environment. However, questions remain whether we are moving towards convergence within the sub-disciplines of communication and with other disciplines in OSN research. This article pursues two interrelated goals. First, it performs a bibliometric analysis of existing scholarship on OSNs in the past 20 years, highlighting both the convergence and divergence of inquiry on OSNs in computer-mediated communication (CMC) research. Second, based on the results of the bibliometric analysis, it articulates an agenda for future CMC research. Specifically, we advocate for a social network approach that will bridge various theoretical frameworks and disciplinary/sub-disciplinary boundaries, for employing the communication network taxonomy, for greater effort to integrate traditional and computational approaches within and beyond social network analysis, and for addressing a greater diversity of institutional contexts.

Laughing online: Investigating written laughter, language identity and their implications for language acquisition

Research in computer mediated communication and sociolinguistics, have increasingly highlighted the concept of establishing an “online identity” through specific language use. However, while emojis...

The roles of ingroup identification and implicit bias in assessing the effectiveness of an online diversity education program

ABSTRACTDiversity education is increasingly recognized as important to the health of a university, however, little empirical work has examined the intergroup processes at play and the effectiveness of online diversity education on college students. This research utilized a repeated-measures mixed factorial design to examine the implicit and explicit effects of online diversity education delivered at a large public university during the course of a semester. The study design was informed by intergroup contact, social identity, and computer-mediated communication research. Findings contribute to theorizing about intergroup processes in the reception of and learning from diversity education and point to practical avenues for employing online diversity education in higher education. Recommendations are made for practitioners interested in designing and delivering diversity training online in an interactive learning environment.

Computer-Mediated Communication in the L2 Writing Process

As current computer-mediated communication (CMC) research is omnipresent in the foreign/second language (L2) writing process, a synthesis of the research in this realm is needed to better understand and inform the current pedagogical practices with technology in language classrooms. This article presents a review of 38 studies identifying the major characteristics of CMC use in L2 writing process and aspects of L2 writing where CMC is embedded. The findings indicate that a variety of CMC-embedded L2 writing tasks were mainly integrated in the drafting and revising/editing stages of writing. Also, there has been a clear shift in recent years from blogs and wikis to other CMC tools, such as Google Docs, Facebook, Skype, and instant messaging. Also, existing CMC research on the L2 writing process mainly focuses on improvement in L2 writing ability/production, complexity/accuracy/fluency (CAF) measures, interactivity in L2 writing, and learners' editing/revision strategies. Finally, this review discusses pedagogical implications and offers suggestions for future research on CMC and L2 writing.

Functional and emotional traits of corporate social media message strategies: Behavioral insights from S&P 500 Facebook data

Drawing from literature regarding public engagement, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), computer-mediated communication research, and emotion psychology, this study examines the effects of companies’ social media communication strategies on public engagement behaviors as indexed by post likes, shares, and comments. Specifically, it investigates how corporate Facebook posts’ functional traits (functional interactivity and vividness) and emotional traits (emotion presence, valence, and strength) impact public engagement online. Through data mining and computer-assisted sentiment analysis of 33,379 posts from 106 Standard & Poor 500 companies’ Facebook accounts, this study finds a negative effect of functional interactivity but a positive effect of vividness on engagement. It also shows that emotional traits overall yield stronger public engagement outcomes. Two-way interactions between emotional and functional features are also detected. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Investigating Instagram as an EFL Learning Tool

Research on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) has informed us that the adaptation of new technologies helps in overcoming some of the challenges faced in language classrooms; such as the limited classroom time (Cardoso & Collins, 2016). In light of CALL, MALL, and CMC research, the purpose of this corpus driven study was to investigate the potential of the Instagram platform in learning English as a foreign language (EFL): particularly whether the type of Instagram post (vocabulary or grammar) had an effect on the amount of learners’ EFL output, the output accuracy, and the amount of feedback the learners received. The data was collected from authentic EFL use from the comments section of 15 Instagram accounts that were targeting the Saudi learners as their population. A total of 140 comments were analyzed (70 for vocabulary and 70 for grammar). A non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was carried out and indicated a statistical significance Z (140)= -2.38, p. = 017 for output, with a relatively small effect size (d = .438), showing that vocabulary posts elicited more output from the commenters. However, post types did not have any influence on learners’ output accuracy and the amount of feedback they received. From a pedagogical standpoint, teachers are encouraged to use social media as means for creating language practice opportunities, and as a source of extra input outside the classroom.

Investigating Instagram as an EFL Learning Tool

Research on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) has informed us that the adaptation of new technologies helps in overcoming some of the challenges faced in language classrooms; such as the limited classroom time (Cardoso & Collins, 2016). In light of CALL, MALL, and CMC research, the purpose of this corpus driven study was to investigate the potential of the Instagram platform in learning English as a foreign language (EFL): particularly whether the type of Instagram post (vocabulary or grammar) had an effect on the amount of learners’ EFL output, the output accuracy, and the amount of feedback the learners received. The data was collected from authentic EFL use from the comments section of 15 Instagram accounts that were targeting the Saudi learners as their population. A total of 140 comments were analyzed (70 for vocabulary and 70 for grammar). A non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was carried out and indicated a statistical significance Z (140)= -2.38, p. = 017 for output, with a relatively small effect size (d = .438), showing that vocabulary posts elicited more output from the commenters. However, post types did not have any influence on learners’ output accuracy and the amount of feedback they received. From a pedagogical standpoint, teachers are encouraged to use social media as means for creating language practice opportunities, and as a source of extra input outside the classroom.

Cultivating Effective Communication in Healthcare: The Case of Q&A Websites

Question-and-answer (Q&A) websites in health domains have become virtual places where information and advice can be sought and obtained. Such virtual encounters with different linguistic communities have increasingly become the norm for young people who rarely undergo regular medical examinations. For this category of people, the Internet is the electronic gateway to confidential advice and information on health issues. In this regard, Q&A websites, such as Kinsey Confidential, Go Ask Alice! , and The Teenage Health Freak offer a unique and novel vantage point from which to survey both how young people think and talk about their own health, and how health professionals engage in new modes of communication to provide health advice and information. In order to scrutinize adolescents and health professionals’ communicative behavior, this study not only has the potential to provide linguistic data for the expanding field of research in computer-mediated communication (CMC), but it could also prove meaningful to health professionals themselves and policymakers. It adopts a corpus-based approach to discourse analysis to provide quantitative evidence of the occurrence of qualitative patterns of discourse and language use in Kinsey Confidential, Go Ask Alice! and The Teenage Health Freak corpora, particularly in Q&A posts on health issues such as birth control and pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and gender and sexual orientation. Findings show how unfamiliar young people still are with regards to sexual health. While some misconceptions and prejudices can be ascribed to popular myths and rumors, much of this lack of knowledge is due to a scarcity of successful educational interventions and policy initiatives. For this reason, investigating how healthcare providers interact with adolescents online can lead us to new ways of thinking about successful relationships between patients and healthcare providers, and helps us prepare future educational models that incorporate online communication and consider how young people think about and participate in these language communities.

What Is Seen Is Who You Are: Are Cues in Selfie Pictures Related to Personality Characteristics?

Developments and innovation in the areas of mobile information technology, digital media and social networks foster new reflections on computer-mediated communication research, especially in the field of self-presentation. In this context, the selfie as a self-portrait photo is interesting, because as a meaningful gesture, it actively and directly relates the content of the photo to the author of the picture. From the perspective of the selfie as an image and the impression it forms, in the first part of the research we explored the distinctive characteristics of selfie pictures; moreover, from the perspective of the potential reflection of a selfie image on the personality of its author, in the second part we related the characteristics of selfie pictures to various personality constructs (e.g., Big Five personality traits narcissism and femininity-masculinity). Important aspects of selfies especially in relation to gender include the tilt of the head, the side of the face exhibited, mood and head position, later related also to the context of the selfie picture. We found no significant relations between selfie cues and personality constructs. The face-ism index was related to entitlement, and selfie availability to neuroticism.

Reflecting on Connecting: Meta-Analysis of Differences Between Computer-Mediated and Face-to-Face Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure is a key concept in computer-mediated communication CMC theory and research, but disagreement exists about the impact of CMC, relative to face-to-face FtF communication, on self-disclosure. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing self-disclosure in CMC and FtF communication to summarize and clarify existing research. We also examined potential moderators of this difference-measure of self-disclosure, study design survey or experiment, interaction context task or social, type of CMC text-based or video-based, and interaction length. Overall, self-disclosure was higher in FtF communication than in CMC. Measure of self-disclosure, study design, and type of CMC moderated this difference. Findings suggest mixed support for predictions derived from key CMC theories and a need for CMC theory to more explicitly address self-disclosure.