Social Media Research Articles

Developing a core outcome set for interventions in people with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol

IntroductionThere is no standardised national guidance on clinical management for people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and therapeutic interventions are limited. Understanding what outcomes are important and meaningful to...

Do you think medicines can be prescribed in a more eco-directed, greener way? A qualitative study based on public and prescriber focus groups on the impact of pharmaceuticals in Scotland’s water environment

ObjectivesThis qualitative study explored public and prescriber awareness of pharmaceutical pollution in the water environment and eco-directed sustainable prescribing (EDSP) as a mitigation strategy to reduce the environmental impact of...

Protecting privacy on social media: mitigating interpersonal conflicts through identity masking and suspended use, with a mediating role of privacy concerns and online information disclosure awareness

Protecting privacy on social media: mitigating interpersonal conflicts through identity masking and suspended use, with a mediating role of privacy concerns and online information disclosure awareness

“Fertility fear” on Chinese social media: The disciplined female reproductive bodies and resistance towards motherhood

ABSTRACT Despite China’s shift to the ‘comprehensive two-child’ policy in 2019, fertility rates continue to decline. This study examines the discourse of ‘fertility fear’ (kongyu 恐育) among young, unmarried Chinese women, particularly on social media platforms like Weibo, RED, and Douban. By analysing trending hashtags such as #Marriage and Fertility Fear, the study explores the anxieties surrounding motherhood. Anchored in the theoretical frameworks of biopolitics and feminist studies on motherhood, it explores historical and current state controls over female reproductive autonomy. The study discusses how patriarchal norms and societal pressures enforce strict reproductive timelines, stigmatizing deviations and maintaining gender inequalities. Online discourses often blame male irresponsibility for reproductive fears while overlooking systemic issues like inadequate family policies and capitalist labour dynamics. Moreover, the antithetical narrative dichotomy between childless women and mothers reflects a broader rejection of traditional motherhood constructs, with the latter criticized for capitulating to patriarchal dictates. By dissecting the ‘fertility fear’ discourse, this study illuminates the interplay between state policies, societal norms, and personal agency in reproductive decisions. It provides insights into the evolving dynamics of gender, motherhood, and female autonomy in post-reform China, emphasizing the need to address both individual and structural aspects of reproductive governance.

Social media actors: perception and optimization of influence across different types

Social media actors: perception and optimization of influence across different types

Patient education on Instagram? Structured content analysis of the hashtag "obstructivesleepapnea".

Instagram ranks among the most used social media platforms worldwide. An increasing number of posts are dedicated to specific medical topics, such as sleep medicine. The educational content of these posts is largely unknown. Therefore, a structured content analysis of posts linked to the hashtag "obstructivesleepapnea" was conducted, as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) represents the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. The hashtag "obstructivesleepapnea" was entered into Instagram's search field. The first linked post was selected and then subdivided into visual content and text content for systematic analysis with a focus on educational information on OSA. Demographic factors of the post such as likes, hashtags and the posting account were also included in the analysis. The data collection was completed for N = 150 consecutive posts. 37.3% of the visual content and 32.7% of the text content addressed educational information on OSA. In both subgroups, the most frequently discussed aspects were OSA symptoms, comorbidities, and therapy (visual content: 50.0%, 39.3, and 41.1%, respectively; text content: 42.9%, 44.9%, and 24.9%, respectively). The most common (professional) background of the account, as self-stated by the holder, was dentists (29.5%). Additional sleep medicine content was posted by 34.3% of all accounts. Instagram offers informative content about OSA and is therefore a potential source for patient education. However, the content available is often poorly organized and in most cases incomplete. Patients may have difficulty categorizing the information provided to benefit from it.

The Italian Version of the Escapism Social Media Scale (ESMS): Adaptation, Validation, and Psychometric Evaluation

The Italian Version of the Escapism Social Media Scale (ESMS): Adaptation, Validation, and Psychometric Evaluation

Online profiling of volunteers in public health emergencies: insights from COVID-19 in China

BackgroundDuring public health emergencies, the diverse backgrounds of volunteers pose numerous management challenges. This study aims to develop an online profiling model of volunteers using social media data to achieve a more comprehensive and objective understanding of them.MethodsIn the proposed model, the study designed five profiling tags: basic information, sentiment, topic features, interest preferences, and online social engagement. K-Modes clustering was employed to implement the profiling. To validate the feasibility of the model, an empirical study was conducted using Weibo data from 1,070 volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, resulting in the online profiling of these volunteers.ResultsFour categories of volunteers could be identified: Public Affairs Pioneers (32.4%), Diary Record Lurkers (32.8%), Social Topic Sharers (20.9%), and Fashion and Entertainment Influencers (13.9%). Overall, volunteers were predominantly female, generally interested in entertainment, relatively satisfied with their volunteer work, and possessed a sense of social responsibility. The four categories of volunteers exhibited distinct characteristics in terms of interests, online social behavior, and influence.ConclusionsThe proposed online profiling model objectively captures the characteristics of volunteers during public health emergencies. The four volunteer categories identified through the empirical results provide a multidimensional and comprehensive understanding of volunteers. For different volunteer categories, official agencies can tailor their recruitment, management, and training strategies to better suit the specific needs and strengths of the volunteers, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of volunteer engagement and ensuring volunteers are well-prepared and supported in their roles.

The Role of Social Media Sentiment in Predicting Stock Returns: An Econometric and Text Analytics Approach

The Role of Social Media Sentiment in Predicting Stock Returns: An Econometric and Text Analytics Approach

Impact of immigration-specific stress on safety attitudes: a national cross-sectional study on overseas qualified nurses in Japan

BackgroundMany countries have addressed the global issue of nursing shortage by recruiting overseas nurses who are also qualified in the host country. Nevertheless, such nurses may encounter various obstacles in...

Seeking abortion medications online: experiences from a mystery client study in Colombia

ObjectivesWhile Colombians gained broad legal access to abortion in 2022, people still lack knowledge about its availability and face variable quality of care at health facilities. This study sought to...

Social Media Activism in Tanzania: Exploring @MariaSTsehai and @fatma_karume Use of X to Influence Socio-political Change

Social Media Activism in Tanzania: Exploring @MariaSTsehai and @fatma_karume Use of X to Influence Socio-political Change

Censorship and Freedom of Expression in the Age of Social Media

Censorship and Freedom of Expression in the Age of Social Media

Practices and perceptions of social media’s risks, ethics, and regulations on campus: A model from Cairo University

Practices and perceptions of social media’s risks, ethics, and regulations on campus: A model from Cairo University

How Authoritative Media and Personal Social Media Influence Policy Compliance Through Trust in Government and Risk Perception: Quantitative Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Previous studies on public compliance with policies during pandemics have primarily explained it from the perspectives of motivation theory, focusing on normative motivation (trust in policy-making institutions) and calculative motivation (fear of contracting the disease). However, the social amplification of a risk framework highlights that the media plays a key role in this process. This study aims to integrate the motivation theory of compliance behavior and the social amplification of risk framework to uncover the "black boxes" of the mechanisms by which normative motivation and calculative motivation influence public policy compliance behavior through the use of media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a web-based survey of 2309 Chinese citizens from December 4, 2022, to March 21, 2023. We treated the public's policy compliance behavior during the pandemic as the dependent variable. Media use, specifically the use of authoritative media and "we-media," that is, personal social media accounts and media platforms operated by individuals, was set as the independent variable. Trust in government, representing normative motivation, and risk perception, representing calculative motivation, were included as mediating variables. A structural equation model was constructed and analyzed using Stata. First, the mediation effect of trust in government indicates that the use of authoritative media can enhance trust in government, which significantly increases individuals' policy compliance behavior (β coefficient=0.108, 95% CI 0.080-0.135; P<.001). Second, the mediation effect of risk perception shows that the use of we-media heightened individual risk perception, thereby significantly enhancing policy compliance behavior (β coefficient=0.012, 95% CI 0.002-0.021; P=.02). Third, the study revealed the "paradox of trust": the chain mediation effect in which authoritative media increased trust in government and reduced risk perception, ultimately decreasing policy compliance behavior (β coefficient=-0.005, 95% CI -0.009 to -0.001; P=.008). By combining the motivation theory of compliance behavior with the social amplification of risk framework in risk communication, we found that trust in government, as a normative motivation, operates through authoritative media, while risk perception, as a calculative motivation, promotes compliance behavior through we-media. In addition, in major crises, the public's use of authoritative media can lead to the paradox of trust: on the one hand, trust in the government increases policy compliance; on the other hand, this trust reduces risk perception, thereby decreasing compliance behavior. Authoritative institutions need to balance providing authoritative information with maintaining the public's risk perception.

A Network Analysis of the Relationship between Dark Triad Traits and Social Media Addiction in Adults

A Network Analysis of the Relationship between Dark Triad Traits and Social Media Addiction in Adults

Content and quality of web-based health information for the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children: A systematic evaluation

Web-based health information can support health-related decisions if it is of high quality, i. e. accurate, understandable and barrier-free. Our study systematically searched for German-language, web-based health information on the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children and assessed their content and quality. In July 2022, four researchers conducted a systematic Google search for German-language web-based health information (HI) on the prediction and prevention of food allergies in children. They searched independently of each other with a predefined search algorithm. Two independent reviewers analyzed the data using qualitative and quantitative content analysis (step/analysis 1) and assessed the quality of HI (step/analysis 2) using a comprehensive criteria catalog (transparency, text design, content, language, presentation of frequencies and statistical information, visualization, and accessibility). The systematic search yielded 59 websites, which were provided by nine sectors. The most frequent sectors were "Health portals and expert opinions" and "Guidelines/scientific and medical specialized information" (22 % each). The content analysis (step 1) showed, among other things, that the topic of prediction was only implicitly addressed. 49 materials (83 %) contained guideline-compliant information. However, there were also 26 materials (44 %) whose content was not in line with the current S3 guideline on allergy prevention. Quality assessment (step 2) revealed that only a small number of the 43 HI received good or very good ratings regarding the transparency (n = 3, 7 %) and content (n = 9, 21 %) criteria. The criterion concerning frequencies and statistical information was rated good or very good quality in only 11 HI (26 %). Almost all HI met the quality criteria for language (n = 38, 88 %), text design (n = 43, 100 %), and visualization (n = 43, 100 %). None of the evaluated HI was given a good or very good rating in terms of accessibility criteria. The analysis by sector revealed only minor differences (Mean of the seven criteria: 56-69 %). The quality of the available web-based health information on the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children is highly heterogeneous. There is need for improvement in terms of accessibility, content (e. g., selective presentation of prevention measures), and transparency (e. g., missing details of contacts). Further research is needed for expanding the user perspective and analyzing social media in the context of prediction and prevention of food allergies in children.

Optimalisasi Peran Humas Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Citra dan Kepercayaan Publik di Era Digital

The development of information and communication technology in the digital era has transformed how schools build their image and public trust. School Public Relations (PR) plays a strategic role as a liaison between schools and the community, responsible for delivering information, maintaining reputation, and fostering mutual trust. This study aims to explore how school PR can optimize its role in the digital era. The research methods include interviews with PR practitioners, analysis of school social media activities, and document reviews related to communication policies. The findings reveal that social media plays a crucial role as the primary platform for building a school's image, enabling broader and more interactive communication with the community. Additionally, transparency in information dissemination is critical for enhancing public trust, particularly through effective and responsive crisis information management. The study concludes that mastering digital communication strategies, including social media literacy and information management, is essential for school PR professionals. This article also provides recommendations to enhance PR competencies, such as digital literacy training and the development of adaptive communication strategies, to address the challenges of the digital era.

Patients' Perceptions of the Efficacy, Safety, and Quality of the Evidence of Medicinal Cannabis: A Survey of Australian Cancer Patients.

Despite the increased demand for medical cannabis (MC), MASCC guidelines state that there is insufficient evidence of its efficacy and safety. Although research has explored medical professionals' perceptions of MC, there is to our knowledge minimal research exploring patients' perceptions, particularly in an Australian cancer setting. A survey of Australian cancer patients attending oncology outpatient clinics was performed. Patients were ≥ 18 years and had a confirmed diagnosis of cancer (solid or hematological). A total of 413 patients were approached between April 2019 and March 2020 out of which 82% (350) consented to participate. A total of 19% (67/350) were using MC. Despite being used for symptom control, such as pain (61%), and, in some cases for perceived anticancer activity (12% to cure, and 16% to slow the cancer), only a minority of users believed that the evidence was of high quality for these indications (28% for physical benefits and 29% for anticancer activity). Nonusers were even more skeptical of the evidence for these indications (17% and 11%, respectively). Only a minority of patients (31% of users and 8% of nonusers) accessed information on MC from clinicians. Most instead relied on resources such as TV, friends, family, social media, and websites. This study demonstrates current real-world cancer patients' perceptions on the evidence for MC, the sources of information used to shape their health beliefs, and compares users to nonusers. The results highlight the need for treating teams to combat potential misinformation that patients may be accessing about MC and provide information on treatments with stronger evidence.

Analysing expression of loneliness and insomnia through social intelligence analysis

BackgroundLoneliness and insomnia are mutually occurring conditions. This paper investigates whether keywords depicting loneliness and insomnia are expressed together on social media. Understanding loneliness through data fills the gaps or...