Social Events Research Articles

Festivals and digitalisation: a critique of the literature

Purpose This paper aims to a systematic literature review followed by a critical synthesis to unveil the underlying knowledge that shapes our understanding of festivals in the digital era. Findings reveal a diverse range of digital applications, such as social media, virtual technologies and event apps, used in festival contexts. Analysis also highlights the digital-influenced experiences of various stakeholders involved, particularly concerning brand, place, destination image and cocreation. The study emphasises the pressing need to investigate the role of generative artificial intelligence-based applications in festivals, pinpointing areas ripe for research such as representation and authenticity, community engagement and participation, memories and storytelling, as well as power and accessibility. By demonstrating how digital technologies intersect with festivity, this research opens new avenues for exploring the dynamic relationship between technology and cultural expression, advocating for a deeper understanding of their integration in the digital age.

How Social Identities Facilitate the Growth of Affective Political Polarization

This study explored the relationships between a selection of social identity factors and affective political polarization among adults in the United States. A broad selection of literature was reviewed and employed in informing a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of 2008 and 2020 American National Election Studies (ANES) survey data. Multiple regression was used to describe and quantify the relationships between selected variables and affective polarization within the datasets. These methods were paired with tests for differences in means in a comparative analysis of the 2008 and 2020 demographic and political environments, which revealed a statistically significant difference in the levels of affective polarization between the two years. Ideological polarization and ageing stood out as the factors that contributed most heavily to this this growth in affective polarization. Broadly, these findings suggested that demographic and psychographic shifts may have played a role in facilitating growth of affective political polarization across the years. Finally, a post-hoc analysis identified the growth of affective polarization as originating from increased hostility for political out-groups, highlighting the need for further research into other political, social, and economic events that may have triggered the growth of affective polarization.

Toward Cross-Lingual Social Event Detection with Hybrid Knowledge Distillation

Recently published graph neural networks (GNNs) show promising performance at social event detection tasks. However, most studies are oriented toward monolingual data in languages with abundant training samples. This has left the common lesser-spoken languages relatively unexplored. Thus, in this work, we present a GNN-based framework that integrates cross-lingual word embeddings into the process of graph knowledge distillation for detecting events in low-resource language data streams. To achieve this, a novel cross-lingual knowledge distillation framework, called CLKD, exploits prior knowledge learned from similar threads in English to make up for the paucity of annotated data. Specifically, to extract sufficient useful knowledge, we propose a hybrid distillation method that consists of both feature-wise and relation-wise information. To transfer both kinds of knowledge in an effective way, we add a cross-lingual module in the feature-wise distillation to eliminate the language gap and selectively choose beneficial relations in the relation-wise distillation to avoid distraction caused by teachers’ misjudgments. Our proposed CLKD framework also adopts different configurations to suit both offline and online situations. Experiments on real-world datasets show that the framework is highly effective at detection in languages where training samples are scarce.

Autonomy, Violence, and Consent in the Obstetric Field

Abstract Obstetric violence is a structural form of gender, medical, and sexual violence perpetrated by health providers and institutions during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. It can produce physical, psychological, and symbolic harm to pregnant/birthing people and their families. Obstetric violence results from structural conditions in the technocratic model of birth and the acceptance of biomedicine as the authoritative knowledge in health care. This phenomenon produces patients’ loss of autonomy and capacity to provide informed consent, which increases their vulnerability to unjustified medical procedures, resulting in negative birth experiences. In this paper, I argue that individual autonomy is necessary but not sufficient for legitimately consenting to obstetric care and preventing violence. The liberal framework of individual autonomy often ignores that childbirth is a social event where multiple individuals and cultural factors influence the consent process. Consequently, I discuss the role of relational autonomy in obstetric decision-making and describe some structural barriers that negatively intervene in this process. Finally, I propose that doulas and midwives can help nurture autonomy and caregiving skills in obstetric patients and health providers. This strategy protects the informed consent process, prevents obstetric violence, and can be effective in recentering childbirth in pregnant people and their families.

Residents’ trust, perceived benefits and support for mega-sporting events: insights from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to reveal the interrelationships between residents’ perceived trust, perceived social and personal benefits and event support intention for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The interrelationships were investigated over time.Design/methodology/approachData were collected twice (Time 1: 7–9 September 2021 and Time 2: 7–9 September 2022) using a panel design. Stratified online sampling was employed based on resident status, age and Olympic and Paralympic viewership (n = 714). Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the data.FindingsTrust strongly affected personal and social benefits at Time 1 and event support at Time 2. However, social benefits at Time 2 did not significantly influence event support at Time 2. The reciprocal effects of personal and social benefits at Time 1 and Time 2 were observed to be weakly related or not related.Practical implicationsBidding procedures often require public backing. Actors must explain how residents will be affected generally and which benefits might derive from the megasport event. Briefings would also boost event openness. Messages that locals can apply to their own lives are more important than explaining how society will change.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the literature by applying the concepts of trust and buy-in from social exchange theory to the context of mega-sporting events. The findings highlighted that the success of such events hinged on resident buy-in. Contrary to previous studies, this research clarified that while residents may have distrusted certain entities, they still supported the event, indicating that trust and buy-in operated independently.

Modeling of network public opinion communication based on social combustion theory under sudden social hot events.

Sudden social hot events spread rapidly in the Internet era, which can easily cause group behaviors. Therefore, studying the law of public opinion communication has important theoretical and practical significance for controlling public opinion. This paper constructs the DBUS (Divorced-Burning-Unburning-Stable) model according to the social combustion theory deduced from the analogy of natural combustion phenomena. This paper comprehensively considers the influence of individual characteristics and external environment on the dissemination of online public opinion, introduces indicators such as individuals' self-awareness ability, authority to reflect individual differences, and takes the surrounding individual influence as an external environment factor. Through simulations, we find that (1) the speed of public opinion communication and the dissipation speed are related to cognitive ability, conformity and the network structure; (2) the credibility of the government and the media and the transparency of the information released are the most important factors affecting the scale of public opinion communication; In addition, the rationality and effectiveness of the model established in this paper are verified by an example.

Dynamic modulation of social gaze by sex and familiarity in marmoset dyads.

Social communication relies on the ability to perceive and interpret the direction of others' attention, and is commonly conveyed through head orientation and gaze direction in humans and nonhuman primates. However, traditional social gaze experiments in nonhuman primates require restraining head movements, significantly limiting their natural behavioral repertoire. Here, we developed a novel framework for accurately tracking facial features and three-dimensional head gaze orientations of multiple freely moving common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus ). By combining deep learning-based computer vision tools with triangulation algorithms, we were able to track the facial features of marmoset dyads within an arena. This method effectively generates dynamic 3D geometrical facial frames while overcoming common challenges like occlusion. To detect the head gaze direction, we constructed a virtual cone, oriented perpendicular to the facial frame. Using this pipeline, we quantified different types of interactive social gaze events, including partner-directed gaze and joint gaze to a shared spatial location. We observed clear effects of sex and familiarity on both interpersonal distance and gaze dynamics in marmoset dyads. Unfamiliar pairs exhibited more stereotyped patterns of arena occupancy, more sustained levels of social gaze across social distance, and increased social gaze monitoring. On the other hand, familiar pairs exhibited higher levels of joint gazes. Moreover, males displayed significantly elevated levels of gazes toward females' faces and the surrounding regions, irrespective of familiarity. Our study reveals the importance of two key social factors in driving the gaze behaviors of a prosocial primate species and lays the groundwork for a rigorous quantification of primate behaviors in naturalistic settings.

Neural empathy mechanisms are shared for physical and social pain, and increase from adolescence to older adulthood.

Empathy is a critical component of social interaction that enables individuals to understand and share the emotions of others. We report a pre-registered experiment in which 240 participants, including adolescents, young adults and older adults, viewed images depicting hands and feet in physically or socially painful situations (vs. non-painful). Empathy was measured using imagined pain ratings and EEG mu suppression. Imagined pain was greater for physical vs. social pain, with young adults showing particular sensitivity to social pain events compared to adolescents and older adults. Mu desynchronisation was greater to pain vs. no-pain situations, but the physical/social context did not modulate pain responses. Brain responses to painful situations increased linearly from adolescence to young and older adulthood. These findings highlight shared activity across the core empathy network for both physical and social pain contexts, and an empathic response that develops over the lifespan with accumulating social experience.

Mass gathering events and COVID-19; lessons learnt from the 2020 European football championship.

Evidence about the impact of mass gatherings during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the number of disease cases and on the health-care systems of host countries is limited. Additionally, there have been few publications on the lessons identified from the adaptation of mass gatherings held during the pandemic, including the implementation of comprehensive public health and social measures aimed at reducing viral transmission. This article describes preparations made for the 2020 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2020) by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, UEFA and other stakeholders after the championship had been rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technical guidance on preparations for the football tournament and risk assessment tools were provided by WHO. A task force established by the WHO Regional Office for Europe conducted traditional and event-based disease surveillance before and during UEFA Euro 2020, monitored public health and social measures in the 11 host countries, and developed a risk communication and community engagement strategy that involved multimedia campaigns targeting news and social media, fans, athletes, event organizers and other stakeholders. The lessons and good practices identified during UEFA Euro 2020 are described to help guide preparations for future mass gatherings in health emergencies. Sharing data and recommendations on best practice from previous mass gatherings with the organizers and countries involved in planning for a major event is particularly important.

The evolution and causes of the change in the demographic model of Russia. Message 1. General assessment of historical, medical, social and demographic events

The demographic situation in different periods was determined by the general patterns of childbearing, epidemics and the state of society. In Russia, even against the background of great upheavals, population growth has been observed for several centuries with a high birth rate, which exceeded the total mortality rate. Epidemics, wars and political events of the twentieth century, as well as the change of priorities in the 1990s, left their mark and led to a decrease in the population. This analytical review is devoted to the evolutionary changes in the Russian population model. The main historical, medical, social and demographic events that dynamically affect the demographic situation in our country are considered. Special attention is paid to the factors influencing the decline in the population in the country, which must be taken into account when planning and implementing state and territorial programs to stimulate the birth rate, taking into account the main political and economic changes.

Social Media and Events: A Curated Collection of Articles Published in Event Management From 2015 to 2022

The advent of social media has transformed society in terms of the way information is created and disseminated. In professional and private spheres such as events, social media has evolved to be more than a tool for user-generated content but is also now a heavily adopted technological platform to create competitive advantage. This curated collection examines 21 articles published in Event Management from 2015 to 2022 and identifies the trends, concepts, contexts, and outcomes of social media in events to provide a snapshot of literature to date and what future directions of social media and event research would look like.

Sport Event Leveraging and Violence Against Women: The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and One Million Stars to End Violence

The connections between sport events and violence against women are an emerging area of research and align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5–Gender equality. This article explores the connection between sport event leverage initiatives and raising awareness about violence against women, through a case study of an arts and cultural initiative that ran in conjunction with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games: One Million Stars to End Violence (OMSTEV). Event leverage literature and a gendered lens informed our study. We focused on the official messaging of the initiative, as a key aspect in social event leverage. We conducted a document analysis of 30 documents including event reports, government media releases, and public media articles to explore how official messaging and media coverage reported the initiative to the broader public. We found official messaging and media coverage portrayed OMSTEV as a successful community engagement initiative that produced a beautiful artistic installation. However, the official reporting and media coverage failed to communicate in a way to raise the broader public’s awareness regarding violence against women. We provide suggestions for practice and research to better contribute to the value of sport events for targeted social causes.

Understanding smoking cessation process in Tunisia from 2020 to 2023: description of quit attempts

Abstract Background Many smokers attempt multiple cessation methods before seeking specialist intervention. This study aims to describe these prior cessation attempts and identify relapse factors to enhance support for these individuals. Methods Data from 440 patients consulting the Department of Epidemiology Statistics at Abderrahman Mami Hospital from 2020 to 2023 were analyzed. It included information on previous quit attempts, methods used, longest duration of abstinence, number of attempts, reaction to cessation, and reasons for relapse. Statistical description was conducted using IBM SPSS 25. Results Among participants, More than half of the smokers had previously attempted to quit smoking 63,4%, with an average of 2 attempts ± 1,7 (0-10 attempts) per patient. The majority of patients (86.8%) quit smoking without using substitution methods. Among those who resorted to substitution, nicotine replacement therapy was the most frequently used method (n = 30; 6.8%). The longest duration of abstinence averaged 8 years. The main reaction to smoking cessation among patients was an improvement in their health (9,1%). The most common reasons for relapse were psychosocial problems (5.5%), followed by relapses during social events (4.3%), and withdrawal symptoms (3%). Conclusions This study emphasizes the importance of considering each patient’s journey during their smoking cessation process. Analyzing these factors will enable better management of the cessation program with the patient, as well as a deeper understanding of their feedback regarding our program, ensuring long-term cessation success. Key messages • Failed spontaneous quit attempts prior to NRT initiation are prevalent among smoking patients. • Understanding failed spontaneous cessation attempts can guide the development of more effective strategies.

Identification of different types of nicotine product users: results from a cluster analysis

Abstract Background Smoking cessation interventions often target people that use nicotine products as one homogenous group. However, heterogeneity exists among people who smoke and/or use e-cigarettes. The aim of the current study was to characterize clusters of nicotine product users based on their use and motives. Methods The study included 2000 people who smoke and/or use e-cigarettes aged ≥18 years in the Netherlands. Respondents were recruited from a large survey-panel between August and October 2023. The questionnaire consisted of questions on demographics, product use/frequency, and motives to use nicotine products and motives to quit. A cluster analysis was used to identify the number and nature of subgroups reporting similar product behavior and/or motives. Analyses were weighted to correct for imbalances between the survey sample and the population of the Netherlands. Results Four clusters were identified. Cluster 1 ‘socially-influenced smoker’ (13%) had a greater proportion of men, participants indicated using a variety of products and often try a product if they have seen other people using it. Cluster 2 ‘party smoker’ (5%) was characterized by participants being young, mostly smoke during a social event, and indicated that drinking alcohol is a reason to smoke/use a nicotine product. Participants in cluster 3 ‘coping-driven smoker’ (43%) were more often women, use nicotine products to reduce stress, to relax and regulate mood. Cluster 4 ‘Inveterate smoker’ (39%) mainly contained participants of older age and endorsed smoking due to pleasure and habit and see smoking as part of their identity. The socially-influenced smoker had the highest intention to quit (67%), and the inveterate smoker the lowest (35%). Among all clusters, improving health was reported as most important reason to stop using nicotine products. Discussion Classifying nicotine product users into subgroups based on their use and motives could lead to more appropriate smoking cessation interventions. Key messages • People who use nicotine products are not a homogenous group, but can be divided into different clusters based on their product use and motives. • Classifying people that use nicotine products into subgroups based on their use and motives could lead to more appropriate smoking cessation interventions.

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions liberalization on air quality: a case study of Chongqing, Southwest China.

To mitigate the societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China implemented long-term restrictive measures. The sudden liberalization at the end of 2022 disrupted residents' daily routines, making it scientifically intriguing to explore its effect on air quality. Taking Chongqing City in Southwest China as an example, we examined the impact of restriction liberalization on air quality, identified potential sources of pollutants, simulated the effects of abrupt anthropogenic control relaxation using a Random Forest Model, and applied an optimized model to predict the post-liberalization pollutant concentrations. The results showed increases in PM2.5 (72.3%), PM10 (67.7%), and NO2 (21.9%) concentrations, while O3 concentration decreased by 20.5%. Although potential pollution source areas contracted, pollution levels intensified with northeastern Sichuan, interior Chongqing, and northern Guizhou being major contributors to pollutant emissions. Anthropogenic emissions accounted for 26.7 ~ 33% changes in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations while meteorological conditions contributed to 40.2 ~ 43.3% variations observed during the period. The optimized model demonstrated a correlation between predicted and observed values with R2 ranging from 0.70 to 0.89, enabling accurate prediction of post-liberalization pollutant concentrations. This study can enhance our understanding regarding the impact of sudden social lockdown relaxation events on air quality while providing support for urban air pollution prevention.

The experiences of unpaid carers of people living with dementia during the cost-of-living crisis: A reflexive thematic analysis.

Some carers have reported struggling to manage the additional costs of caring for someone with dementia, which has negatively impacted upon their financial resilience. Since 2021, this has been compounded by the cost-of-living crisis experienced in the United Kingdom. This crisis has been driven by sharp increases in energy prices and the prices of everyday basics such as food. This study aimed to better understand how unpaid carers, supporting and co-habiting with people living with dementia, experience the cost-of-living crisis, and the impact this has on their ability to provide care for the person living with dementia. Eleven carers supporting and co-habiting with people living with dementia in England, took part in two semi-structured interviews approximately 3 months apart between November 2022 and February 2023. All transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Carers reported having to make difficult and sometimes drastic decisions in reaction to the cost-of-living crisis and the uncertainty of future cost-of-living increases, such as using blankets and extra lays of clothing for them and the person living with dementia in place of using the heating system in their home, going without food so their loved one can eat, or even missing social opportunities. Some carers described aspects which they felt mitigated some of the negative impact of the cost-of-living crisis, such as being able to draw upon financial resources or their local authority providing social events which included a heated space with food. The cost-of-living crisis has led to carers having to make difficult decisions which created worry and anxiety. Findings indicate that many carers need financial support, and it would be beneficial for free social events to be organised which provide a heated space and food, where carers and people living with dementia can socialise with others.

Educational needs of the EAES young surgeons.

Surgical residency programs are facing ongoing challenges since the pandemic. The Young Member (YM) Task Force of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) has been created to support surgical residents and surgeons under 40, promoting activities that could be useful for young surgeons and to improve networking between members of different countries. This project aimed to explore educational needs among European surgical residents to inform the EAES curriculum for young surgeons. Within the EAES surgical society, the YM developed a survey to capture residents' views on their professional needs. Different aspects were considered, from demographic information to the major topics of interest on a professional side. Semi-automatic answers and personal suggestions have been gathered and considered for the analysis. Data were captured from 386 respondents across 57 different countries, major responders were represented by the group of 31-35years old (40%). Considering professional growth, young surgeons rely on scientific research (56%), but they struggle finding adequate support of facilities. In the education and training section, fellowships and hands-on-courses (27%) were the most proficient activities. Mentorships and webinars were important to develop leadership, as well as social events to build up a professional network. This project has identified young surgeons' educational and professional needs that can inform the EAES future projects and activities.

Exploratory Study on Various Types of Leisure Activities of Indian Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder- A Qualitative Analysis

The purpose of this study was to identify the important components of leisure and to comprehensively assess various leisure time activities, that entail the overall well-being of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with indispensable demanding care of children with autism. A cross-sectional design with interpretivism and an inductive approach on a sample of 61 mothers of children with ASD, in India was used to explore various leisure time activities. Mothers engaging in the leisure of individual choice for self-replenishment, social connectedness, and happiness in life despite the demanding care of the child with autism were identified. The face, content, and construct validity are maintained in its preliminary stage. This study aimed to explore various leisure activities in the lives of mothers of children with ASD. The 7 categories of Leisure activities (LA) are Entertainment activities, Outings, Social events, Sports and physical exercises, Homemaking and other fruitful involvements, Arts, and intellectuals, Resting and relaxation, as diversionary activities to energize, divert, and relax as fun and free-time identified in the context of Indian mothers.

Literature and Mysticism in the Wake of Silvano Panunzio: From The Divine Comedy to the European Literature of the Twentieth Century

This article introduces one of the forgotten figures of religious and literary studies: the Italian scholar, philosopher, metaphysician, poet and writer Silvano Panunzio (1918–2010). His contribution has so far been relegated to the margins of academic debate, and, currently, there are no academic studies on his work, in which mysticism plays a pivotal role. Panunzio believed that the transcendental and mystical dimension is fundamental for fully understanding the social, cultural, historical and political events of humanity. Another relevant aspect of his work is the importance he gave to literature and its relationship with mysticism, as in the case of Dante’s Divine Comedy or other European and Eastern writers and poets, such as Goethe, Shakespeare, Ibn Arabi and Dostoevsky. Significantly, Panunzio saved from oblivion the work of a forgotten man of letters of the nineteenth century, Gabriele Rossetti (1783–1854), who proposed the first symbolic and esoteric interpretation of Dante’s literary production and of European medieval love literature. Raising awareness of the intellectual amnesia around the figure of Silvano Panunzio may be a useful contribution to future research, both in the field of religious and literary studies.

The Semiotic Dimension of Men's Fashion in Modern Eras

This research was conducted to study the semiotic relationship between historical men's costumes in modern times from the 17<sup>th</sup> to the 19<sup>th</sup> century and some functional (the intended function of the costume) and aesthetic (the art of fashion design) values. From a semiotic perspective, the research sample was determined by studying and analyzing four men's costumes in each of the three centuries. It was divided into four periods from the beginning to the 1920s, from the 1920s to the 1950s, from the 1950s to the 1970s, and from the 1970s to the end of the century. The research relied on the historical-analytical approach in addressing concepts related to the semiotics of historical men's fashion. This research aimed to: Describe and analyze men's fashion in modern eras from the 17<sup>th</sup> to the 19<sup>th</sup> century, clarify the symbolic significance of the form of men's fashion clothing in modern eras and its relationship to the functional values represented by the intentional function of the costume from a semiotic perspective and explain the symbolic significance of the form of men's fashion in modern eras and its relationship to the aesthetic values represented in the art of fashion design from a semiotic perspective. The results of the study were the following: The clarity of the symbolic significance of the form of men's fashion clothing and its relationship to the functional values represented in the intentional function of the costume, the aesthetic values defined in the art of fashion design from a semiotic perspective, and the reflection of historical, social, political and religious events, customs and traditions semiotically on the function of men's fashion and the art of its design.