Media Information Research Articles

Media exposure to climate change information and pro-environmental behavior: the role of climate change risk judgment

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the relationships between exposure to climate change information in traditional and modern media, cognitive and emotional aspects of climate change risk judgment, and pro-environmental behavior (PEB).MethodA cross-sectional online study was conducted on a quota sample of 1,075 participants (51.9% women) aged 18–79 years. Participants self-reported their exposure to climate change-related information in traditional (e.g. television) and modern media (e.g. social networks), cognitive assessment of climate change risk, level of worry about climate change, and the frequency of PEB.ResultsStructural equation modeling showed a good fit for the parallel mediation model, involving cognitive risk judgment and worry as mediators between exposure to climate change information in traditional and modern media and PEB. Exposure to climate change information in traditional media had indirect effect on PEB through heightened worry, but not cognitive risk judgment. In contrast, exposure to climate change information in modern media had no indirect effect on PEB.ConclusionSince the link between exposure to climate change information in traditional media and PEB has been shown to be mediated by climate change worry, it is important to enhance the coverage of climate change in traditional media in Croatia, taking care to offer solutions to reduce possible negative impact on people’s well-being.

Information management in social media to promote engagement and physical activity behavior

Social media can be an effective tool to foster values and lifestyles such as physical activity. However, it is still largely unknown what type of social media information helps to promote physical activity practices. This research aims to (1) identify the combination of variables that explain social media engagement in physical activity (SME-PA) and its relationship with physical activity behavior and (2) determine what type of social media content posted on social media could be most effective in promoting physical activity behaviors. Using a quasi-experimental and an experimental study, the findings showed that the conditions of high levels of information availability, social ties, trust in social media information, and opportunity seeking were present and combined in three of the four solutions (77% of the cases). SME-PA was correlated with the intention to improve physical fitness, and the physical shape, the type of benefit associated with physical activity practice and the gender of the person in the photo practicing physical activity were found to be relevant variables for improving the physical activity-related behavior of social media users. Finally, several implications are proposed to improve the administration of social media content for SME-PA.

Spirit Mediums and the Art of Suggesting Stories

Fredrik Barth called attention to two ways ritually transmitted knowledge gains value: knowledge he associated with the figure of the ‘Guru’ valued for being widely shared versus knowledge associated with the figure of the ‘conjurer’ or ‘initiator’ valued for the opposite reason. In this article, I argue that there is another kind of ritual knowledge-transmitter who holds an appropriately ‘in-between’ position: the spirit medium. During ‘demonstrations’, mediums in the Spiritualist tradition offer signs from the spirit world for their audiences to recognise in relation to their deceased loved ones. Whereas Gurus (in Barth’s typology) are likely to be storytellers and conjurers are not, mediums are distinct for telling what I call ‘protonarratives’. Protonarratives are character sketches joined with allusions to events or signs that suggest stories. They are not narrative in form, but can evoke stories that live in listeners’ memories. Keywords: narrative, protonarrative, ritual, knowledge, Fredrik Barth, Spiritualism, Australia

Managing the E-commerce Data Deluge through Text Analytics and Web Management (Overview of Amazon.com)

Today, more than 80% of the big data handled in the e-commerce industry is text and unstructured data. Text analytics is an automated process for analyzing text and extracting useful information from it. It can discover trends and relationships in data. Web analytics is the collection, processing, and analysis of data in order to draw conclusions to optimize usability on a website. Web analytics can be used to improve the usability of a site by analyzing user behavior patterns such as time spent on the site, abandonment rates, most frequently accessed products, click-through rates, etc. It can also help analyze the interests of different user demographics, as it tracks granular details such as user demographics, age and gender, geography, and devices used as data. In order to obtain UpToDate information, the business can utilize business intelligence for real-time data processing, then they can practice stream analysis to analyse continuous flow of data. For instance, the business can collect instant information in Twitter or other social media and analyse it by using social media analysis. For website management, business can practice web analysis to analyse the customer’s behaviours. Tracking the customer’s activity, page view and conversion rate is important for business to analyse how to improve the website performance. Text analytics of comments received on Amazon can be used to group text data and produce results in terms of word frequency distribution and sentiment analysis. Text analytics could be used for decision making, improving service quality, and developing new business models.

Implementation Studies Documentation in Media and Culture Studies

Documentation is like a time machine as it facilitates the process of returning to history for future generations. ,The objective of this paper is to review the documentation in media and cultural studies. This paper discusses the importance of implementing documentation to create a culture that contributes to education. . Using digital literacy is one of the ways of documentation to strengthen media and culture as the community needs a culture that has rich literature and references to science. In media and cultural studies, documentation can be performed in various ways such as, archives, newspapers, magazines, books, videotapes, and audio. This can provide valuable information and data for understanding media and culture in the past, present, and future. Documentation also helps in understanding the changes in media and culture, influence the media on culture, and vice versa. Documentation helps researchers to identify various elements important in media and culture, such as messages conveyed, values carried, and patterns formed behavior. This study uses a method in the documentation that covers the election inclusion and exclusion criteria, in Indonesia. Keywords: study documentation, media, culture

Empowering pro-environmental behavior in tourists through digital media: the influence of eco-guilt and empathy with nature.

In the digital economy era, leveraging digital media to foster tourists' pro-environmental behavioral intention (TPEBI) has become crucial in the field of sustainable tourism. While existing studies have mainly focused on the driving mechanism of TPEBI within physical tourism contexts, the correlation between digital media information sharing and TPEBI remains unclear. Our study employs the cognitive-affective-conative framework to construct a theoretical model, considering eco-guilt and empathy with nature as mediating variables. It aims to explore the influencing mechanism of destination environmental information sharing through digital media on TPEBI from a presence perspective. Thereby, two scenario experiments were designed: Study 1 examined the impact of different formats of destination environmental threat information presentation on digital media on the sense of presence, while Study 2 explored the influencing mechanism of presence on TPEBI based on the conclusions of Study 1. Results indicate that (1) vivid and visible presentation formats of destination environmental threat information on digital media enhance individuals' sense of presence; (2) sense of presence positively influences TPEBI; and (3) eco-guilt and empathy with nature mediate between presence and TPEBI. These findings not only contribute to theoretical and empirical research on digital media information sharing in sustainable tourism but also offer guidance for governments and tourism destinations to effectively stimulate TPEBI through digital media, achieve the sustainable development of destinations.

Rational or altruistic: the impact of social media information exposure on Chinese youth's willingness to donate blood.

Non-remunerated blood donation is the main approach for various medical institutions to get the source of blood supply, but the blood supply shortage is still a problem in today's society. Social media has become the main approach of information acquisition for youth groups nowadays, and the information on social media will have an impact on people's behavioral decisions. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the correlation between social media exposure to relevant information about blood donation and the willingness of youths to donate blood. We collected data from 455 questionnaires through an online questionnaire and structural equation modeling was constructed for validation. Data were analyzed for reliability, validity, and demographic differences using IBM-SPSS 26.0, and IBM-SPSS-AMOS 26.0 was used for model fit analysis and path analysis. The results of the study showed that there was a positive correlation between social media exposure to relevant blood donation information and willingness to donate blood (β = 0.262, p < 0.001), altruism (β = 0.203, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.170, p < 0.001). While there was also a positive correlation between attitude toward blood donation and self-efficacy (β = 0.560, p < 0.001), there was no positive correlation between it and willingness to donate blood (β = -0.180, p = 0.786). There was also a positive correlation between altruism and willingness to donate blood (β = 0.150, p < 0.05) and attitude toward blood donation (β = 0.150, p < 0.001). Similarly, there was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and willingness to donate blood (β = 0.371, p < 0.001). Exposure to more information related to blood donation on social media can increase the willingness of the youth population to donate blood, while exposure to information related to altruism and self-efficacy on social media can also enhance young people's attitudes toward blood donation, while further strengthening their willingness to donate.

Streamlining social media information retrieval for public health research with deep learning.

Social media-based public health research is crucial for epidemic surveillance, but most studies identify relevant corpora with keyword-matching. This study develops a system to streamline the process of curating colloquial medical dictionaries. We demonstrate the pipeline by curating a Unified Medical Language System (UMLS)-colloquial symptom dictionary from COVID-19-related tweets as proof of concept. COVID-19-related tweets from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022 were used. The pipeline includes three modules: a named entity recognition module to detect symptoms in tweets; an entity normalization module to aggregate detected entities; and a mapping module that iteratively maps entities to Unified Medical Language System concepts. A random 500 entity samples were drawn from the final dictionary for accuracy validation. Additionally, we conducted a symptom frequency distribution analysis to compare our dictionary to a pre-defined lexicon from previous research. We identified 498480 unique symptom entity expressions from the tweets. Pre-processing reduces the number to 18226. The final dictionary contains 38175 unique expressions of symptoms that can be mapped to 966 UMLS concepts (accuracy = 95%). Symptom distribution analysis found that our dictionary detects more symptoms and is effective at identifying psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, often missed by pre-defined lexicons. This study advances public health research by implementing a novel, systematic pipeline for curating symptom lexicons from social media data. The final lexicon's high accuracy, validated by medical professionals, underscores the potential of this methodology to reliably interpret, and categorize vast amounts of unstructured social media data into actionable medical insights across diverse linguistic and regional landscapes.

HOW INFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS NEUROLOGISTS’ MEDICAL PRESCRIPTIONS

Neurologists must critically evaluate social media information, due to the possibility of misinformation influencing their prescriptions. Misinformation on these platforms may mislead patients into seeking unproven treatments. Neurologists should educate their patients about the prevalence of inaccurate information online and promote the use of credible health websites. They must also stay updated with recent research, establish guidelines for discussing internet research with patients, and collaborate with human-computer interaction professionals for better results. A cautious approach towards social media can ensure accurate prescriptions and mitigate potential harm to patient care.

Vaccination games and imitation dynamics with age structure combining perceived payoffs and media information

We propose an age-structured model based on game theory to investigate the dynamics of imitation in vaccination decisions. In our model, the rate at which individuals switch vaccination strategies is proportional to the perceived payoffs and media information. We analyze the existence and local stability of equilibria and demonstrate the possibility of Hopf bifurcation. Additionally, we establish the global stability of boundary equilibria and the persistence of the disease. The theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations. This model can be applied to study vaccination behavior among individuals of different ages and infectious disease stages, providing insights for the formulation of effective public health policies.

INVESTIGATING LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF SHORT NEWS ARTICLES: A SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS

This study investigates the linguistic features of short news articles, aiming to identify patterns and trends in language use within this genre. Using a corpus-based approach, we analyze a diverse collection of short news pieces, focusing on lexical, syntactic, and discourse-level characteristics. Our findings shed light on the unique linguistic strategies employed in the concise communication of information in the news media.

Social Media and Nutritional Guidelines in Pregnancy.

Nutrition impacts health outcomes of pregnant people and their fetuses. Discussing nutrition with patients may be challenging for health care providers. In this vacuum, patients use social media for health information during pregnancy. Little is known about the type and quality of nutrition information that is available on social media. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the pregnancy nutrition messages contained in social media videos for content and evaluate the information's concordance with evidence-based guidelines. A review of current social media video content for nutrition in pregnancy was conducted across 4 platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Content analysis was used to descriptively and categorically analyze the social media video content. In the 62 social media videos reviewed, most were not consistent with established guidelines, were inaccurate, or presented a homogenous and unrealistic image of the pregnant person. Four categories of nutrition in pregnancy social media information emerged: what to eat, what not to eat, what I ate: aspirational, and what I ate: rebellion. Few videos were produced by health care organizations. Some were produced by anonymous organizations, with the majority made by pregnant or postpartum people. Many were testimonial or confessional in style. Despite regulations requiring identification of paid posts and advertisements, it was difficult to discern if videos were authentic sharing of patient experiences or advertisements. There is incorrect and incomplete information on social media surrounding nutrition in pregnancy. Professional guidelines for nutrition in pregnancy are available but are not as accessible to patients as social media videos. Social media use is associated with disordered eating and increased risk of anxiety and depression. However, targeted interventions by health care providers that use social media platforms have been successful in the distribution of credible health information. Midwives and other health care providers should share evidence-based nutrition recommendation with patients to facilitate meaningful conversations around nutrition in pregnancy during in person and online interactions.

Utilization of ICT-based Learning Media: Differentiated learning in SDGs

This research is motivated by the need for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) based learning media that should be taken seriously in learning. In addition, it is sustainable with the orientation of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in education, namely Goal 4: Quality education - Ensure appropriate and inclusive quality education and encourage lifelong learning opportunities for all people, and promote education for sustainable development. The purpose of this research is to analyze how the utilization of media in learning, the fulfilment of learning media according to the needs of students with differentiated SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) with ICT-based learning media (Information and Communication Technology), and analysis of problem solving that will be met by alternative solutions in learning media literature. This research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. Data collection was conducted using purposive sampling technique by determining the sample based on certain considerations. The sample in this study was 144 students from various levels spread across Greater Bogor. Based on the results of the research that has been conducted, it can be described that Information and communication technology in learning has not been fully utilized by teachers. This has an impact on the work produced by students through media utilization. The utilization of learning media based on information and communication technology (ICT) fosters the active role of students in working on learning. It can be concluded that using ICT-based learning media could lead the students to optimize their learning outcome, skills through differentiated learning pertaining to SDGs.

Women’s attitudes towards genital aesthetic surgery and the effects of social media: A qualitative study in the context of Türk Muslim women

Aim: In the study, it was aimed to determine Türk Muslim women’s attitudes towards genital aesthetics procedures and investigate the effects of social media in this regard. Methods: In the collection of the data, the semi-structured interview technique, which is a qualitative method, was used. The study was completed with 11 women. The collected data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. Results: As a result of the content analysis, 4 main themes and 10 subthemes were determined. The main themes were: (1) reasons for genital aesthetics procedures (childbirth-related problems, sexuality), (2) attitudes (the woman’s attitudes, society’s attitudes, beliefs), (3) obstacles and expectations (obstacles and expectations related to health service provision, scientific obstacles and expectations, privacy), and (4) social media (information, its effects on concerns). Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that women associated genital aesthetics procedures with sexuality and childbirth, they though these procedures should be performed in line with women’s needs, their beliefs would not prevent them from having these procedures in case they needed them, they had economic and systemic expectations regarding the subject in the provision of health services, and they mentioned the positive effects of social media in informing women and reducing concerns. It is recommended that health service providers make attempts to create appropriate environments and opportunities through which women can easily access information about genital aesthetics procedures, they inquire about women’s sexuality while providing care, and they have adequate information about genital aesthetics procedures.

Perceptions of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Health misinformation on social media can negatively affect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, undermining clinical care and public health efforts. Therefore, it is vital to better understand the public's experience with health misinformation on social media. The goal of this analysis was to examine perceptions of the social media information environment and identify associations between health misinformation perceptions and health communication behaviors among US adults. Analyses used data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (N=6252). Weighted unadjusted proportions described respondents' perceptions of the amount of false or misleading health information on social media ("perceived misinformation amount") and how difficult it is to discern true from false information on social media ("perceived discernment difficulty"). Weighted multivariable logistic regressions examined (1) associations of sociodemographic characteristics and subjective literacy measures with misinformation perceptions and (2) relationships between misinformation perceptions and health communication behaviors (ie, sharing personal or general health information on social media and using social media information in health decisions or in discussions with health care providers). Over one-third of social media users (35.61%) perceived high levels of health misinformation, and approximately two-thirds (66.56%) reported high perceived discernment difficulty. Odds of perceiving high amounts of misinformation were lower among non-Hispanic Black/African American (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.407, 95% CI 0.282-0.587) and Hispanic (aOR 0.610, 95% CI 0.449-0.831) individuals compared to White individuals. Those with lower subjective health literacy were less likely to report high perceived misinformation amount (aOR 0.602, 95% CI 0.374-0.970), whereas those with lower subjective digital literacy were more likely to report high perceived misinformation amount (aOR 1.775, 95% CI 1.400-2.251). Compared to White individuals, Hispanic individuals had lower odds of reporting high discernment difficulty (aOR 0.620, 95% CI 0.462-0.831). Those with lower subjective digital literacy (aOR 1.873, 95% CI 1.478-2.374) or numeracy (aOR 1.465, 95% CI 1.047-2.049) were more likely to report high discernment difficulty. High perceived misinformation amount was associated with lower odds of sharing general health information on social media (aOR 0.742, 95% CI 0.568-0.968), using social media information to make health decisions (aOR 0.273, 95% CI 0.156-0.479), and using social media information in discussions with health care providers (aOR 0.460, 95% CI 0.323-0.655). High perceived discernment difficulty was associated with higher odds of using social media information in health decisions (aOR 1.724, 95% CI 1.208-2.460) and health care provider discussions (aOR 1.389, 95% CI 1.035-1.864). Perceptions of high health misinformation prevalence and discernment difficulty are widespread among social media users, and each has unique associations with sociodemographic characteristics, literacy, and health communication behaviors. These insights can help inform future health communication interventions.

Decentralized credit scoring: Black box 3.0

AbstractMuch like traditional credit scoring, decentralized credit scoring calculates a borrower's creditworthiness, but the fully automated process is executed on the blockchain by Decentralized Finance (DeFi) platforms. Originally, DeFi emerged as an alternative to the centralized traditional finance (TradFi) system; however, decentralized credit scoring combines DeFi data and traditional data that include a wide range of information sources, from traditional credit reports to social media information. Despite their fairness‐oriented narrative, an examination of the business models of the protocols and entities operating in this space reveals that these hybrid scores are subject to the same algorithmic distortions that have been observed in traditional and alternative credit scoring models. Moreover, decentralized credit scores present their own distinctive set of fairness issues. Particularly, both upgrade to smart contracts and their reliance on external algorithms, known as oracles, which feed outside data, introduce heightened potential for error and bias in the credit scoring process. These “black box 3.0” issues can result in opaque automation of biased processes and perpetuate social injustices, requiring regulatory intervention to strengthen the linkage points between DeFi and TradFi and better protect consumers from the black box 3.0 consequences of decentralized credit scores.

Influence of Media Credibility and Information Quality on Visiting Interest: An Analysis of the @WonderfulIndonesia Instagram Account on Millennial Travelers

Tourism in Indonesia holds significant potential, with domestic tourism being a primary focus for the government. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia has developed the "Wonderful Indonesia" branding, utilizing the @WonderfulIndonesia Instagram account to promote domestic tourism. This study examines the impact of media credibility and information quality on millennials' interest in visiting domestic tourist destinations, using the @WonderfulIndonesia account as a case study. Utilizing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) theory, the research emphasizes the importance of persuasive message delivery through digital platforms. Data were collected from a survey of 30 respondents and analyzed using validity, reliability, and multiple regression tests with SPSS 26. Results indicate that media credibility and information quality account for 31.6% of the variance in visiting interest, demonstrating a significant positive relationship. However, 69.4% of the variance is influenced by other factors, suggesting the need for further research into variables such as media exposure and content attractiveness.

A Study of Adolescents' Behavioral Responses to Public Events and Guidance Trends in Social Media Platforms

With the popularization and development of social media, adolescence has become an important platform for adolescents to express their views, exchange information and participate in society. The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth adolescents' behavioral responses to public events on social media and their guiding trends and to analyze adolescents' motivations for using social media, the manifestation of public events on social media, the application of social movement theories in social media research, and the modern transformation of public sphere theories. Using a mixed-methods design that combines quantitative and qualitative data analysis, this study provides a comprehensive picture of adolescents' behavioral patterns, motivations for participation, and social impact on social media, as well as their roles and challenges in public discourse. The study revealed that adolescents respond to a variety of types of public events, including posting, commenting, sharing, and engaging in hashtags. Adolescents' interactive behaviors on social media information diffusion, opinion formation, and social mobilization are important social impacts of adolescents' social media behaviors. They accelerate the spread of information through sharing and retweeting, participate in the discussion of public issues and have a direct impact on the formation of public opinion. In addition, social media has become an effective tool for mobilizing social action, and adolescents promote practical action and participation in public issues by interacting with and organizing online activities. This study proposes a series of coping strategies, including improving users' media literacy and information discernment, social media platforms to strengthen the regulation and auditing of information dissemination, and the government and the community to strengthen the regulation and governance of the social media field. This study provides new perspectives for understanding adolescents' social participation in the digital age, showing how social media, as a new public sphere, affects public discourse, social mobilization, and the formation of civic identity. The findings not only provide rich empirical material for sociological theories but also provide valuable insights for promoting social public participation, improving information quality, and advancing social progress. Future research can further explore the impact of social media on adolescents' social participation in different cultural and social contexts, as well as how to optimize the efficacy of social media as a platform for public discourse and social mobilization through educational and policy interventions.

Analyzing Burn-Related Content on Social Media Platforms: A Study of Creator Types, Content Focus, and Engagement Metrics.

Social media offers a readily available, cost-effective way for medical experts to disseminate knowledge and shape public health outcomes but also allows for the spread of misinformation. This study aims to analyze burn-related material on social media by creator, content type, and engagement. Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) were queried with the following search terms: "burn," "burn injury," "burn recovery," and "burn treatment." Identified accounts were then manually screened for relevance. Year of creation and engagement metrics were collected. Accounts were categorized by content and creator type. Data was reported using descriptive statistics and visualized graphically to explore trends. Our search yielded 434 profiles, 234 of which met inclusion criteria. TikTok had the most engagement at a median of 43,500 followers per account, with 38.3% of accounts focusing on individual experiences of burn survivors primarily on personal accounts (48.3%). In contrast, content on Facebook was related to promotion of medical services (36.9%), where the most represented creator type was medical centers (33.6%). Nonprofits made up 40.4% of accounts on Twitter/X and more than a third of the content focused on patient advocacy, support, or burn prevention (36.5%). Important topics like burn education, prevention, and social support are lacking on major social media platforms. Engagement from burn care organizations and burn experts on social media is necessary. The findings of this study may guide advocates in the burn community on where and how to disseminate information in social media.

Information dissemination behavior of self-media in emergency: Considering the impact of information synergistic-hedging effect on public utility

In the context of emergency, besides handling the incident itself, controlling public opinion is also crucial. Self-media, as a crucial channel for the public to access information, controlling its dissemination behavior is key to public opinion management. Given the complexity of self-media information dissemination, we propose an evolutionary model for social media information dissemination behavior based on complex network theory and evolutionary game theory. Firstly, aiming at the synergistic and hedging effects of information dissemination, we use the utility function to depict the public's information demand. Next, based on the public's information needs, evolutionary game theory is introduced to analyze the information dissemination behavior between two self-media entities. Lastly, we map the dissemination behavior of self-media onto network space, analyzing the information propagation behavior of self-media within a complex network. The study shows that the probability of self-media disseminating positive information increases with the rise of the positive information synergistic effect and decreases with the increase of the negative information synergistic effect. When positive and negative information coexists, the dissemination behavior of self-media depends on the influence size of positive and negative information. With the improvement of government credibility, the probability of self-media disseminating positive information decreases slightly at first, and then increases rapidly. When the government's penalties increase, the probability of self-media disseminating positive information quickly rises. The changes in noise intensity have an uncertain impact on the positive information dissemination behavior of self-media. Compared with other factors, self-media is more sensitive to government credibility and punishment.