Social Media Research Research Articles

Identifying content unaware features influencing popularity of videos on YouTube: A study based on seven regions

Predicting the popularity of User Generated Content (UGC) is a subject of interest to the Internet service providers, content makers, social media researchers, and online advertisers. However, it is also a challenging task due to multiple factors that influence social networks' content popularity. This work utilizes the Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to identify the features that contribute towards a video to enter into the trending category on YouTube. It examines the data generated by a video and its potential to get trending. For this, the present work utilizes AI for feature prediction. An AI-based methodology is presented that assesses the impact of various content-agnostic factors regarding video popularity in seven different regions, including Canada, France, Germany, India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. A dataset is extracted from YouTube for these regions, and feature selection techniques are executed on the datasets to extract important attributes. A class label is assigned to each video, and the dataset is profiled having one of the two class labels, i.e., trending or non-trending. The top three features for each video (region wise) are obtained. It is observed that the trending behavior is dissimilar in different regions. Finally, three classifiers, namely, artificial neural networks, k-Nearest Neighbor, and support vector machine, are trained to predict if a video can get into the trending category on YouTube. The proposed solution is compared with two closely related state-of-the-art methods. This work is useful for content creators and YouTubers to make their video trending and more appealing.

Quality of life, illness perceptions, and parental lived experiences in TANGO2-related metabolic encephalopathy and arrhythmias.

TANGO2 disorder is a rare genetic disease with multi-system effects that causes episodic crises. Quality of life and psychosocial effects of this rare disease have not previously been studied. To examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL), illness perceptions, and lived experience, we surveyed 16 children and 31 parents of children with TANGO2 disorder identified via a disease-specific social media group and research foundation email distribution list. We assessed HRQoL by parent proxy-report and child self-report using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™). Parental perceptions of their child's condition were assessed using the revised illness perceptions questionnaire adapted for TANGO2 disorder (IPQ-R-TANGO2). To collect qualitative data on parents' lived experience, we used novel open-ended survey questions. Parent proxy-reported (n = 29) physical (78.4 (21)) and psychosocial health (73.4 (12.8)) were highest among toddlers with TANGO2 disorder. Parent proxy-reported physical health was lowest in young adults (34.4 (35.4)), and psychosocial health was lowest in teens (40.8 (10.8)). When compared to previously published PedsQL™ scores in healthy children, parent-proxy reported summary and scale scores for TANGO2 patients were significantly lower (all p < 0.001). Parents' IPQ-R-TANGO2 responses (n = 26) suggested that parents perceived significant negative consequences of the disease. Parents'open-ended survey responses (n = 21) highlighted that they derived support from the TANGO2 community. This study characterizes HRQoL in patients with TANGO2 disorder across a range of ages, identifies potential targets for HRQoL improvement, and provides valuable insight into the psychosocial effects of TANGO2 disorder on patients and their families.

Internet and social media research by parents of pediatric otolaryngologic patients

PurposePublic access to medical information has increased dramatically with the growth and accessibility of the Internet. The goal of this study is to characterize how parents use the Internet to understand and make decisions about their child's otolaryngologic surgery. Materials and methodsA survey was distributed to parents of pediatric patients undergoing otolaryngologic procedures to assess if and how parents gather information about their child's surgery. Results105 parents completed the survey. 59.4% of parents gathered online information about their child's surgery. 86% of these parents used Google, 36% used YouTube, 16% used Wikipedia, and 9% used a hospital website. Most searched for general information about the surgery, followed by risks, pain/recovery, and specifics about the surgery. 69% reported that the information found influenced the healthcare decisions they made for their child. 86% felt the information was trustworthy. 21% discussed the information with their child's surgeon. 17% gathered information about their child's surgeon, of which 73% were interested in the surgeon's experience. 69% reported this influenced their choice of surgeon. ConclusionsMost parents of pediatric otolaryngologic patients use the Internet to gather information about their child's surgery, view that information as accurate, and use that information to make healthcare decisions. However, less than one quarter of parents discuss the information with their child's surgeon. It is critical to understand how parents use the Internet for healthcare information so otolaryngologists can better direct their patients' parents to appropriate and accurate resources.

Review: Digital Black Feminism, by Catherine Knight Steele

Review: <i>Digital Black Feminism</i>, by Catherine Knight Steele

Corporations' Owned Social Media Narrative

<roman><b>Introduction:</b></roman> Social media have been widely used for corporation-generated narratives. Corporate communication entails a &#x201C;storytelling process&#x201D; and a narrative perspective. Corporate narrative has taken on new forms with the emergence of social media, which is the object of this study and called corporations&#x2019; owned social media narrative (COSMN). To our knowledge, however, no research has systematically investigated studies on COSMN. Our study provides a synthesized review on the strategies and functions of COSMN. <roman><b>Research questions:</b></roman> 1. What are the general characteristics of studies on COSMN&#x003F; 2. What strategies are usually adopted by corporations via their social media narrative&#x003F; 3. What functions do corporations intend to achieve by their social media narrative&#x003F; <roman><b>Methodology:</b></roman> We conducted an integrative literature review of studies on corporations&#x2019; owned social media narrative based on journal articles from the database of the Web of Science Core Collection. After retrieving 25 articles in accordance with our research purpose, we conducted a qualitative content analysis to describe general characteristics of the literature and identify narrative strategies and functions. <roman><b>Results and conclusions:</b></roman> When corporations undertake advertising, branding, and social networking activities (among others) on social media, they tend to use form-based narrative strategies (technical strategy and formality strategy), content-based narrative strategies (broadcasting strategy, reacting strategy, engaging strategy, and emotional strategy), and medium-based narrative strategy (transmedia strategy) to achieve functions of market communication, technical communication, and public relations work (identity construction, impression management, stakeholder endorsement, corporate social responsibility communication, and crisis communication). This integrative literature review provides theoretical implications for corporate social media research and practical implications for digital marketing practitioners.

Developing Self-Advocacy Skills through Machine Learning Education: The Case of Ad Recommendation on Facebook

Facebook users interact with algorithms every day. These algorithms can perpetuate harm via incongruent targeted ads, echo chambers, or "rabbit hole" recommendations. Education around the machine learning (ML) behind Facebook (FB) can help users to point out algorithmic bias and harm, and advocate for themselves effectively when things go wrong. One algorithm that FB users interact with regularly is User-Based Collaborative Filtering (UB-CF) which provides the basis for ad recommendation. We contribute a novel research approach for teaching users about a commonly used algorithm in machine learning in real-world context -- an instructive web application using real examples built from the user's own FB data on ad interests. The instruction also prompts users to reflect on their interactions with ML systems, specifically Facebook. In a between-subjects design, we tested both Data Science Novices and Experts on the efficacy of the UB-CF instruction. Taking care to highlight the voices of marginalized users, we use the application as a prompt for surfacing potential harms perpetuated by FB ad recommendations, and qualitatively analyze themes of harm and proposed solutions provided by users themselves. The instruction increased comprehension of UB-CF for both groups, and we show that comprehension is associated with mentioning the mechanisms of the algorithm more in advocacy statements, a crucial component of a successful argument. We provide recommendations for increased algorithmic transparency on social media and for including marginalized voices in the conversation of algorithmic harm that are of interest both to social media researchers and ML educators.

Adjusting for Confounders with Text: Challenges and an Empirical Evaluation Framework for Causal Inference

Causal inference studies using textual social media data can provide actionable insights on human behavior. Making accurate causal inferences with text requires controlling for confounding which could otherwise impart bias. Recently, many different methods for adjusting for confounders have been proposed, and we show that these existing methods disagree with one another on two datasets inspired by previous social media studies. Evaluating causal methods is challenging, as ground truth counterfactuals are almost never available. Presently, no empirical evaluation framework for causal methods using text exists, and as such, practitioners must select their methods without guidance. We contribute the first such framework, which consists of five tasks drawn from real world studies. Our framework enables the evaluation of any casual inference method using text. Across 648 experiments and two datasets, we evaluate every commonly used causal inference method and identify their strengths and weaknesses to inform social media researchers seeking to use such methods, and guide future improvements. We make all tasks, data, and models public to inform applications and encourage additional research.

Alcohol Portrayals on Social Media (Social Media)

Alcohol Portrayals on Social Media (Social Media)

Developing and sustaining a social media ecosystem in speech-language pathology: Using innovative qualitative methods to visualise and cultivate a social media garden

Purpose: Qualitative research methods, grounded in an inductive analytic paradigm, increasingly inform clinical practice in the field of speech-language pathology. Social media research, often including qualitative methods, provides a valuable way to connect and listen to the voices of people with communication disabilities. With growing empirical evidence on the ways that people with communication disabilities use social media, and recognition of both benefits and limitations of its use, it is important to consider what will support clinicians to translate this work conceptually and safely into clinical practice. Method: In this paper, we use the tools of metaphor and arts-based knowledge translation to promote the translation of evidence into social media practice. Results: With social media being an important ecosystem to grow and nurture in speech-language pathology, a “picturing a social media garden” metaphor is proposed to further research translation. The metaphor will be used to frame strategies for applying qualitative techniques for speech-language pathologists to consider how to use social media in clinical and professional practice, as well as citing supporting literature to guide further reading. Conclusion: The suggested approaches could augment existing methods of assessment and intervention for people with communication disabilities and provide support for clinicians who want to develop their own strategy for using social media, build a vibrant social media ecosystem, and integrate social media interventions into their clinical services.

Developing Reporting Guidelines for Social Media Research (RESOME) by Using a Modified Delphi Method: Protocol for Guideline Development.

BackgroundSocial media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are being increasingly used to deliver public health interventions. Despite the high level of research interest, there is no consensus or guidance on how to report on social media interventions. Reporting guidelines that incorporate elements from behavior change theories and social media engagement frameworks could foster more robust evaluations that capture outcomes that have an impact on behavior change and engagement.ObjectiveThe aim of this project is to develop, publish, and promote a list of items for our Reporting Guidelines for Social Media Research (RESOME) checklist.MethodsRESOME will be developed by using a modified Delphi approach wherein 2 rounds of questionnaires will be sent to experts and stakeholders. The questionnaires will ask them to rate their agreement with a series of statements until a level of consensus is reached. This will be followed by a web-based consensus meeting to finalize the reporting guidelines. After the consensus meeting, the reporting guidelines will be published in the form of a paper outlining the need for the new guidelines and how the guidelines were developed, along with the finalized checklist for reporting. Prior to publication, the guidelines will be piloted to check for understanding and simplify the language used, if necessary.ResultsThe first draft of RESOME has been developed. Round 1 of the Delphi survey took place between July and December 2021. Round 2 is due to take place in February 2022, and the web-based consensus meeting will be scheduled for the spring of 2022.ConclusionsDeveloping RESOME has the potential to contribute to improved reporting, and such guidelines will make it easier to assess the effectiveness of social media interventions. Future work will be needed to evaluate our guidelines’ usefulness and practicality.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/31739

Methods to Establish Race or Ethnicity of Twitter Users: Scoping Review.

BackgroundA growing amount of health research uses social media data. Those critical of social media research often cite that it may be unrepresentative of the population; however, the suitability of social media data in digital epidemiology is more nuanced. Identifying the demographics of social media users can help establish representativeness.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify the different approaches or combination of approaches to extract race or ethnicity from social media and report on the challenges of using these methods.MethodsWe present a scoping review to identify methods used to extract the race or ethnicity of Twitter users from Twitter data sets. We searched 17 electronic databases from the date of inception to May 15, 2021, and carried out reference checking and hand searching to identify relevant studies. Sifting of each record was performed independently by at least two researchers, with any disagreement discussed. Studies were required to extract the race or ethnicity of Twitter users using either manual or computational methods or a combination of both.ResultsOf the 1249 records sifted, we identified 67 (5.36%) that met our inclusion criteria. Most studies (51/67, 76%) have focused on US-based users and English language tweets (52/67, 78%). A range of data was used, including Twitter profile metadata, such as names, pictures, information from bios (including self-declarations), or location or content of the tweets. A range of methodologies was used, including manual inference, linkage to census data, commercial software, language or dialect recognition, or machine learning or natural language processing. However, not all studies have evaluated these methods. Those that evaluated these methods found accuracy to vary from 45% to 93% with significantly lower accuracy in identifying categories of people of color. The inference of race or ethnicity raises important ethical questions, which can be exacerbated by the data and methods used. The comparative accuracies of the different methods are also largely unknown.ConclusionsThere is no standard accepted approach or current guidelines for extracting or inferring the race or ethnicity of Twitter users. Social media researchers must carefully interpret race or ethnicity and not overpromise what can be achieved, as even manual screening is a subjective, imperfect method. Future research should establish the accuracy of methods to inform evidence-based best practice guidelines for social media researchers and be guided by concerns of equity and social justice.

Online Hate Speech: User Perception and Experience Between Law and Ethics

‘Governance’ of online hate speech (OHS) has become a buzzword in social media research and practice. Inputs from a plethora of stakeholders, international organisations, platforms, governments, and NGOs are discussed by academics, (social) media executives and lawmakers around the globe. In these discussions, the opinions of users remain underexplored, and data on their experiences and perceptions is scarce. The present paper focuses on five case studies of model OHS postings in the context of the Austrian OHS governance system. For these case studies, 157 respondents assessed in an online survey whether a posting should be deleted according to their own ethical standards, whether they believed that this posting was currently punishable under Austrian criminal law, and whether it should be punishable. Furthermore, respondents indicated how they deal with OHS in their daily lives when confronted with it on digital platforms. Using social sciences, human rights, and criminal law approaches, we found that OHS-awareness among our respondent group was high and that there is a preference for state regulation, i.e., punishability under national criminal law, and for the deletion of OHS postings. Simultaneously, readiness for counter-speech and reporting of postings for deletion remains relatively low. Thus, OHS postings are hardly ever answered directly or forwarded to specialised organisations and/or the police. If OHS postings are reported, it is mostly done via the channels of the respective platform.

How are mothers negatively affected and supported by following parenting-related Instagram profiles? A mixed-methods study

Many parents use social media to seek knowledge about child development and parenting, but parents are an understudied population in social media research. In this study, we use a mixed-methods approach to examine mothers' experience of following three different types of Instagram profiles: InstaParents, i.e. influencers sharing their personal experiences with parenthood, professional profiles disseminating knowledge about parenting and child development, and a university-based profile disseminating knowledge about child socioemotional development. The participants were 270 mothers with children aged 0–6 years, who completed an online questionnaire regarding their experience and use of Instagram. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to examine associations between mothers' social comparison orientation and their experience of following the different types of profiles. Content analysis of mothers' responses to open-ended questions was used to examine how mothers were negatively affected and supported by the different profiles. Results showed that mothers with higher levels of social comparison orientation were more negatively affected by following all three types of profiles, but also more supported by following InstaParents. The content analysis suggested that mothers were negatively affected by InstaParents by making upward comparisons and supported by making horizontal comparisons. Mothers were supported by professional profiles, including the university-based profile, by improved knowledge, but these profiles could also lead to a decreased sense of parenting competence. Results inform professionals in relation to how to support mothers through content on Instagram and how to talk to mothers about their digital use and well-being.

Narratives, Myths and Sense of Place in the Public Image of Three Festivals in Bulgaria

The object of this study is the public image of three local festivals in Bulgaria: the Festival of Rose in Kazanlak, July Morning in Kamen Bryag and the Festival of Peppers, Tomatoes, Traditional Foods and Crafts in Kurtovo Konare. The public image of the three festivals is decomposed to the following elements for the sake of the analysis: narrative (history, myth), human factor, sense of place and public communication. The methods included participant observations, in-depth interviews, desk research of scientific literature, online and social media. The study revealed that the Festival of Rose in Kazanlak is part of an integrated cultural and tourist product, identified with the good local governance. July Morning in Kamen bryag, once a celebration of an alternative sub-society, has been commercialized towards fragmented (dispersed) festive events which obscured the sense of community and the sense of place affiliated with the initial phenomenon. Local farmers with their inherent sense of identity, agrarian knowledge and willingness to associate at a local level, play a central role in the publicity of Kurtovo Konare Fest. Local festivals share a distinctive feature: striving for the well-being of the local community. The result is an increase in the reputation of the region, attracting of media attention, awakening of the real estate market, spatial rehabilitation, improvement of road infrastructure, expansion of tourism opportunities and strengthening of networks for civic participation. This abstract is based on results within the project “Local Festivals: A Resource of Local Communities for Coping with Crises”, funded by the National Scientific Fund of Bulgaria – Ministry of Education (KP-06-H45 / 5 of 30.11.2020).

Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC

In writing Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC, Jennifer McClearen brings together her positionality as a feminist media scholar and as an athlete practicing martial arts for fourteen years within a community that includes MMA fighters and fans. Her research takes into account the surprising inclusion of women in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) while also exploring how UFC functions as a millennial sports media brand. Central to McClearen's study is her concept of “branded difference,” denoting the marketing strategies used to brand particular UFC fighters on the basis of their visible and articulated differences of gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality.Branded difference marked a significant shift for UFC, which, upon its launch, marketed itself as a means of testing an athlete's masculinity across various martial arts. Brutality was promoted as a key attribute, and while much has changed since its founding in 1993, UFC still sees brutality as a characteristic of elite athletes in its competition. Yet, in an effort to expand their target audience, UFC sought to appeal to millennials as a large, upcoming segment of consumers for sports entertainment. McClearen details the necessary qualities of a millennial sports brand, primarily a need to create connections with an audience that is digital, global, and diverse.In chapter 2, McClearen directs her analysis to the phenomenon of UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, a former Olympic medalist in judo. She uses affect theory to examine Rousey's emotional impact on audiences, beginning with a brief reflection on her own experience at a UFC event in Brazil. She cautions, however, that the seeming empowerment of women through mixed martial arts is more complex than it may appear. UFC chose millennial women as a target audience and leveraged branded difference to create a responsive fandom for fighters like Rousey and Liz Carmouche, her first UFC opponent. Undeniably, inclusion is a socially significant value in today's media culture, as UFC marketing experts saw in their outreach to Latinx and African American audiences before launching the women's fighting divisions, which ran counter to the longstanding ethos of UFC as a test of masculinity. McClearen effectively argues throughout the book that UFC president Dana White shifted his perspective with the realization that Rousey could display femininity and belligerence simultaneously.UFC uses the slogan “we are all fighters” as a means of branded difference. The slogan was first used on a t-shirt for a fundraiser following the Pulse tragedy in 2016. Proceeds were donated to LGBTQ+ organizations in Las Vegas, where UFC is headquartered. The slogan readily embraced any fighter and any audience to which it is applied as a promotion. McClearen argues that by its inclusivity, “we are all fighters” compels an emotional connection with fans as well. Nonetheless, the category of difference is evacuated when it is universalized.In UFC's dispatching of the American Dream as a metaphor for the success of the female fighters in their ranks, McClearen notes that branded difference works best when it coincides with ways those fighters are “just like us”: Jessica Andrade might be a lesbian who grew up poor in Brazil, but she is also ambitious and determined. The promotional messages posit that when our values are the same, they are more significant than our cultural differences. That UFC fighters Andrade and Liz Carmouche both identify as lesbians feeds back into UFC's desire to connect with gay and lesbian fans as well as millennials who are tolerant of and may advocate for gender diversity.McClearen conducted interviews with nine female UFC fighters to research the role of social media in sharing news and developing fandoms in order to gain visibility, as they hoped to be selected to fight for the UFC. The labor of promotion, then, is shifted from the UFC to the fighters, an additional burden for uncontracted athletes. Interviews and evidence from social media research indicate that the fighters who gain most from their social media presence are those who successfully perform “the athletic labor of (White) femininity” (127). The emotional labor that women face as a result of harassment on social media is addressed as well, with fighters expressing varying degrees of tolerance for the inappropriately sexualized and abusive messages they receive.Fighting Visibility demonstrates that female fighters are encouraged to imagine opportunities for professional success through UFC despite several significant ways in which these athletes are exploited. UFC positions the success of Ronda Rousey as something for both athletes and fans to emulate, following the notion that “if you can see her, you can be her.” Yet McClearen's research shows that Rousey's success is exceptional and only portrayed as typical, rendering opportunity a likely facade.

Telegram and Digital Methods

Telegram and Digital Methods

Ethical considerations in social media analytics in the context of migration: lessons learned from a Horizon 2020 project

The ubiquitous use of social platforms across the globe makes them attractive options for investigating social phenomena including migration. However, the use of social media data raises several crucial ethical issues around the areas of informed consent, anonymity and profiling of individuals, which are particularly sensitive when looking at a population such as migrants, which is often considered as ‘vulnerable’. In this paper, we discuss how the opportunities and challenges related to social media research in the context of migration impact on the development of large-scale scientific projects. Building on the EU-funded research project PERCEPTIONS, we explore the concrete challenges experienced in such projects regarding profiling, informed consent, bias, data sharing and ethical approval procedures, as well as the strategies used to mitigate them. We draw from lessons learned in this project to discuss implications and recommendations to researchers, funders and university ethics review panels. This paper contributes to the growing discussion on the ethical challenges associated with big social data research projects on migration by highlighting concrete aspects stakeholders should be looking for and questioning when involved in such large-scale scientific projects where collaboration, data sharing and transformation and practicalities are of importance.

Understanding Public Perceptions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Infodemiology Study of Social Media.

BackgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmental contaminants that have received significant public attention. PFAS are a large group of human-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. Human exposure to PFAS is a growing public health concern. Studies suggest that exposure to PFAS may increase the risk of some cancers and have negative health impacts on the endocrine, metabolic, and immune systems. Federal and state health partners are investigating the exposure to and possible health effects associated with PFAS. Government agencies can observe social media discourse on PFAS to better understand public concerns and develop targeted communication and outreach efforts.ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study is to understand how social media is used to share, disseminate, and engage in public discussions of PFAS-related information in the United States.MethodsWe investigated PFAS-related content across 2 social media platforms between May 1, 2017, and April 30, 2019, to identify how social media is used in the United States to seek and disseminate PFAS-related information. Our key variable of interest was posts that mentioned “PFAS,” “PFOA,” “PFOS,” and their hashtag variations across social media platforms. Additional variables included post type, time, PFAS event, and geographic location. We examined term use and post type differences across platforms. We used descriptive statistics and regression analysis to assess the incidence of PFAS discussions and to identify the date, event, and geographic patterns. We qualitatively analyzed social media content to determine the most prevalent themes discussed on social media platforms.ResultsOur analysis revealed that Twitter had a significantly greater volume of PFAS-related posts compared with Reddit (98,264 vs 3126 posts). PFAS-related social media posts increased by 670% over 2 years, indicating a marked increase in social media users’ interest in and awareness of PFAS. Active engagement varied across platforms, with Reddit posts demonstrating more in-depth discussions compared with passive likes and reposts among Twitter users. Spikes in PFAS discussions were evident and connected to the discovery of contamination events, media coverage, and scientific publications. Thematic analysis revealed that social media users see PFAS as a significant public health concern and seek a trusted source of information about PFAS-related public health efforts.ConclusionsThe analysis identified a prevalent theme—on social media, PFAS are perceived as an immediate public health concern, which demonstrates a growing sense of urgency to understand this emerging contaminant and its potential health impacts. Government agencies can continue using social media research to better understand the changing community sentiment on PFAS and disseminate targeted information and then use social media as a forum for dispelling misinformation, communicating scientific findings, and providing resources for relevant public health services.

Top tips for using social media in research

Catherine Stephen and Liz Halcomb offer advice for nurse researchers on building an online network, growing your own community, promoting your and others’ work, and being a good digital citizen

Offline aesthetic design of restaurants and consumers' online intention to post photographs: A moderated mediation model

Consumers' motivation for photograph posting as a taste expression practice on social media platforms from an offline aesthetic perspective has been neglected in the literature. We explored the influential mechanisms in this relationship using positive emotional arousal and self-expression as mediators and centrality of visual servicescape aesthetics as a moderator. Data were collected from 273 consumers who had recently dined in well-designed restaurants in China and used social media. The results support the direct and indirect role of offline aesthetic design in consumers' formation of the intention to post photographs of their dining ambience on social media, and the partially moderating role of their aesthetic trait. Theoretical and practical implications for hospitality management and social media research are discussed.