Use Of WeChat Research Articles

Analysis of Criminal Activities Exploiting Social Media: With Special Regards to Criminal Cases of Wechat Fraud in Chinese Jurisdiction

Abstract Social media provide a more convenient way for daily communication and business transaction, while they are also exploited by potential criminals to perpetrate offenses of different natures. Fraud is one of the most frequently reported offenses, some of which involve the use of WeChat, an application now used by 846 million users worldwide. The article is designed to give a comprehensive statement of features, causes, and types of WeChat fraud currently existing in China. The article also formulates important countermeasures based on academic conclusions, law enforcement opinions as well as written criminal judgments collected from Chinese courts during the research.

Investigation and analysis of the current situation of the application of WeChat public account in higher vocational education

WeChat’s monthly activity has exceeded 1.1 billion, making it the APP with the largest number of users in China. In the new era, how to make good use of information technology, how to make it more immersed in the spirit of students, and realize the specific, normalized, and integrated path, has become an urgent problem for college ideological and political educators. Taking the students of higher vocational colleges as the research objects, using questionnaire survey and practical effect analysis to conduct research. The survey distributed 846 questionnaires, and analyzed the collected 820 sample data to understand the use of WeChat by vocational students, the use of the college’s WeChat public account, and the cognition and demand of the college’s WeChat public account. The WeChat public account has shown good results with wider coverage, faster dissemination, and stronger penetration. As one of the download forms of the Internet environment, it has a greater influence and has expanded new ideas, carried new tasks, took new missions of ideological and political education in colleges and universities.

Are All “Friends” Beneficial? The Use of Facebook and WeChat and the Social Capital of College Students in Macau

Facebook is the most popular social network site (SNS) globally, and WeChat is the top SNS in China, so few regions in the world exist where both SNSs are used simultaneously and are popular among the younger generation, and even fewer studies have been conducted on the comparison of the use of the two top SNSs. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the implications of using home country and global top SNSs for social capital among Chinese students from local (i.e., Macau SAR) and mainland China by adapting the analysis framework of the formation and maintenance of social capital—that is, to assess bridging, bonding social capital, and maintained social capital. A survey of undergraduate students at the only comprehensive public university of Macau ( N = 348) reveals that both Facebook and WeChat use are positively associated with bridging social capital and bonding social capital, yet only WeChat use has a significant and positive relationship with maintained social capital. In contrast, the time spent on Facebook has a strong negative relationship with bridging and bonding social capital. On-campus living also has a positive relationship with both bridging and bonding social capital. All this suggests that keeping social connections virtually and physically simultaneously might provide greater benefits for users.

Assessing a WeChat-Based Integrative Family Intervention (WIFI) for Schizophrenia: Protocol for a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial.

BackgroundSchizophrenia is a persistent and debilitating mental illness, and its prognosis depends largely on supportive care and systematic treatment. In developing countries like China, families constitute the major caregiving force for schizophrenia and are faced with many challenges, such as lack of knowledge, skills, and resources. The approach to support family caregiving in an accessible, affordable, feasible, and cost-effective way remains unclear. The wide-spread use of WeChat provides a promising and cost-effective medium for support.ObjectiveWe aim to present a protocol for assessing a WeChat-based integrative family intervention (WIFI) to support family caregiving for schizophrenia.MethodsWe will develop a WIFI program that includes the following three core components: (1) psychoeducation (WeChat official account), (2) peer support (WeChat chat group), and (3) professional support (WeChat video chat). A rigorous stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial will be used to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness, and cost of the WIFI program. The WIFI program will be implemented in 12 communities affiliated with Changsha Psychiatric Hospital through the free medicine delivery process in the 686 Program. The 12 communities will be randomized to one of four fixed sequences every 2 months during an 8-month intervention period in four clusters of three communities each. Outcomes will be assessed for both family caregivers and people with schizophrenia. Family caregivers will be assessed for their knowledge and skills about caregiving, social support, coping, perceived stigma, caregiver burden, family functioning, positive feelings, and psychological distress. People with schizophrenia will be assessed for their symptoms, functioning, quality of life, recovery, and rehospitalization. Cost data, such as intervention costs, health care utilization costs, and costs associated with lost productivity, will be collected. Moreover, we will collect process data, including fidelity and quality of program implementation, as well as user attitude data. Treatment effects will be estimated using generalized linear maximum likelihood mixed modeling with clusters as a random effect and time as a fixed effect. Cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from the societal perspective using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Qualitative analysis will use the grounded theory approach and immersion-crystallization process.ResultsThe study was funded in August 2018 and approved by the institutional review board on January 15, 2019. Preliminary baseline data collection was conducted in May 2019 and completed in September 2019. The WIFI program is expected to start in September 2020.ConclusionsThis is the first study to assess a WeChat-based mHealth intervention to support family caregiving for schizophrenia in China. The innovative study will contribute to the development of a more cost-effective and evidence-based family management model in the community for people with schizophrenia, and the approach could potentially be integrated into national policy and adapted for use in other populations.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04393896; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04393896.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/18538

Nationalism and political system justification in China: differential effects of traditional and new media

Drawing on system justification theory, this study examines the influence of political information obtained in different types of media on popular support for the Chinese political system through the mediation of nationalism. The analyses of the survey data demonstrated that obtaining political information from state-controlled media increased support for the political system through nationalist propaganda. The use of social media to obtain political information demonstrated contrasting effects. The exposure to political information through Weibo was negatively associated with political system support because of its negative effect on nationalism, whereas the use of WeChat to obtain political information had a positive effect on nationalism, thus increasing support for the political system.

The Prevalence of Smartphones and WeChat Use Among Older Adults With Chronic Disease in a Western China.

Telemedicine is a promising way to deliver patient education and health services, but access to information technology among potential patients is a prerequisite. This study surveyed the prevalence of smartphone use and the use of the Chinese social networking platform WeChat and Wi-Fi access in the homes of older adults in a western area of China. A convenience sample of 225 older adults with chronic diseases in two tertiary hospitals was interviewed regarding smartphone ownership, WeChat use, and access to Wi-Fi at home. Participant ability in performing the activities of daily living was also assessed. Logistic regressions were used to analyze the independently associated factors of smartphone ownership, WeChat use, and Wi-Fi access at home. The results show that the prevalence of smartphone use was 19.6%, only 8.9% of those surveyed used WeChat, but 39.6% had access to Wi-Fi at home. Education level was the only factor significantly associated with the three dependent variables. Ability in performing activities of daily living was positively correlated with access to Wi-Fi at home (odds ratio, 2.549; P = .011). It will be difficult to implement telemedicine through smartphones in such relatively poor areas of China. Better-educated older adults who are less dependent in performing activities of daily living are potential users of telemedicine.

The influence of WeChat use on driving behavior in China: A study based on the theory of planned behavior

Driving has become common, and distracted driving, especially that caused by WeChat use, is a significant cause of traffic crashes. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study analyzes self-reports from a sample of 286 drivers from China to explore the influence of different WeChat functions on driving behavior. The analyses reveal that the intention to use WeChat while driving can substantially predict the use of WeChat while driving. Moreover, drivers’ attitudes can effectively predict whether they will send texts, listen to voice messages, and send and browse pictures on WeChat while driving. However, drivers’ attitudes cannot effectively predict whether they will read texts or send voice messages on WeChat while driving. In recent years, WeChat has become a popular messaging software, and many drivers use it. Therefore, it is important and necessary to raise awareness among drivers about the dangers of using WeChat while driving.

Strangers in the Borderlands: WeChat and ethical ambiguity in Yunnan, China

Developed in 2011, WeChat integrated a digital wallet function two years later. It has since become a seemingly indispensable part of everyday life in China. Armed with this highly versatile app, users can now pay their bills, hail taxis, order food, book hotels, and even give alms to roadside beggars. However, research into WeChat sociality remains largely focused on the cities, and this urban bias obfuscates the social experiences of using WeChat for the vast number of people who still reside in rural regions. This article addresses this lacuna by presenting ethnographic data gathered in the remote mountains of Xishangbanna in Yunnan Province. Using the concept of strangership, we argue ethical ambiguity surrounds WeChat’s arrival. The app affords more contact with the outside world for otherwise-isolated villages, but not all contact with strangers has brought about positive economic and social changes. Would-be adulterers also make use of WeChat to find extramarital lovers. As such, this article contributes to the anthropology of strangership.

Examining associations between university students' mobile social media use, online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging

PurposeThe primary objectives of the article are to systematically investigate the effects of differentiated functions of WeChat use (social use and recreational use) on university students' online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from a web-based survey on a sample of 485 university students in mainland China. Correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) were implemented to address the corresponding hypotheses.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the social use of WeChat is positively related to online self-presentation, whereas recreational use is unrelated to such behavior. Additionally, the findings verify that online self-presentation is a significant predictor of both social support and sense of belonging. Furthermore, online self-presentation could mediate the influence of social use of WeChat on social support and sense of belonging.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, the study represents an initial effort to elucidate the joint impact of differentiated functions of WeChat use and online self-presentation on social support and sense of belonging. Practically, these findings identify the crucial mediation role of online self-presentation in assisting individuals to acquire social support and promote sense of belonging.Originality/valueAlthough mobile social media has brought dramatic revolutions in interaction and interpersonal behaviors, the empirically studies regarding the potential influences of its utilization are equivocal. These outcomes may shed meaningful light on the comprehending of unique characteristics of WeChat communication and how it could impact people's psychosocial development in the digital era.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SCENIC INTELLIGENT GUIDE SYSTEM BASED ON WECHAT APPLET

Abstract. In view of the incomplete information acquisition, low visit efficiency and poor travel experience in the traditional tourism mode, under the background of the widespread use of WeChat, the intelligent guide system based on WeChat applet was designed and developed.Firstly, the overall architecture of the intelligent tour guide system is designed, including the basic data end, the network transmission end, the WeChat platform end and the application server.Secondly, the basic functions of the intelligent tour guide system are introduced.Finally, the key techniques for implementing the tour guide system are analyzed. The tour guide system is easy to use, simple to develop, has a good promotion and application prospect, and provides a new method and idea for the design of other travel service systems.

Boundary Negotiation for Patient-Provider Communication via WeChat in China

Patient-Provider Communication (PPC) is crucial to the quality and outcome of healthcare practices. With the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), ICT mediated PPC has become increasingly commonplace, and has been extensively studied. However, prior research has primarily focused on the institutional use of ICTs for PPC, with institutional support and regulation, while the personal use of ICTs for this purpose has been mostly under-explored. This paper presents a qualitative study of the use of WeChat, a general mobile social application, that has been personally appropriated for PPC in China. Sixteen patients and seven physicians, who had experience using WeChat for PPC, were recruited and interviewed to gain an understanding from both perspectives on how WeChat was utilized for the communication purposes between them. We found that the use of WeChat helped to strengthen the relationship between patients and providers, and provided a psychological reassurance that the structure of the current Chinese health system doesn't provide. Most importantly, we found that the use of WeChat was dependent on the negotiation and management of boundaries that address various concerns associated with the use of ICTs for PPC, such as workload and safety. In this paper, we will highlight the boundary negotiation practices and discuss implications based on the findings.

Исследование практики цифровой коммуникации среди немецкоязычных экспатриантов в Китае: концепция исследования

The present paper develops the study design of a linguistic analysis of digital communication practices among German-speaking expats in China using WeChat. Within digital communication in China, the messenger application WeChat is the most widely used means of communication, boasting roughly one billion users. There has not been relevant linguistic research on communication making use of this application to date. We especially lack studies addressing the communication practices with WeChat by native speakers of German, who form a relatively large group of expatriates in China (20,000+ Germans alone), mostly working in the automobile industry. After a short introduction (1.) which addresses the relevant research question to be tackled, the previous research on WeChat is summarized (2.). The attention WeChat has received in the media of the German language area becomes visible, but we can also see that there is no systematic scholarly discourse focusing on the application just yet. This is followed by a section on the communicative features and functionality of WeChat (3.): here it is pointed out that WeChat has multiple functions which go significantly further than messaging applications such as WhatsApp provide their users. These features comprise e.g. online payment, GPS tracking and navigation, money transfers, and monetary gifts. Furthermore, WeChat combines features of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter. A thorough description of these features provides the basis for laying out the study design of the online survey (4.). The online survey comprises more than twenty questions on the use of WeChat with special regard to the expatriate setting in China. The paper ends with a section on the expected results (5.).

Clinical effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy on alcohol-dependent patients: an observation with the WeChat platform

BackgroundWith the continuous improvement of people’s material living standards, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is increasing. Alcohol dependence caused by alcohol addiction has become a widespread concern in society. As...

The Use of Social Media by Chinese Climate Journalists: A Case Study of COP21

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to probe into the social media use by Chinese climate journalists through the examination of their professional practices on social media. Taking COP21 as a case, the study conducted a survey from Chinese COP21 journalists and analyzed WeChat and Weibo posts from Chinese journalists and tweets from their UK and US colleagues. The results show the prevalent use of WeChat among Chinese journalists and the personalization of the social media content accordingly. Compared to their Western counterparts, the use of social media for professional purposes by Chinese COP21 journalists was relatively limited. Nevertheless, several patterns of using social media were identified. Specifically, Chinese journalists tended to more frequently express personal opinions, discuss work experience and favor conventional news sources of authority than UK and US journalists. The results also suggest that climate change in Chinese media discourse will remain more a policy-related issue instead of an environmental or scientific issue, with Chinese government playing a central role.

Online Rumor Transmission Among Younger and Older Adults

Social media not only leads to efficient dissemination of information but also facilitates the spread of rumors. However, it remains unknown whether and how WeChat use influences rumor transmission. Using a nationwide sample of Chinese adults ( N = 9,368), we applied a moderated mediation model to examine whether the relationship among WeChat use, rumor anxiety, and rumor transmission intention varies with age. Our findings show that frequent use of WeChat decreased young adults’ intention to transmit rumors by alleviating rumor anxiety, whereas in older adults, it increased this intention by increasing rumor anxiety. Among older adults, WeChat use had not only a direct effect on facilitating rumor transmission intention but also indirect effects through increased rumor anxiety. Our findings suggest that older adults are dissimilar from younger adults in terms of their level of vulnerability to believing rumors and the way they fall for rumors.

Engaging publics in the mobile era: A study of Chinese charitable foundations’ use of WeChat

WeChat, the most widely used social mobile application nowadays in China, marks the advent of a mobile communication age that has reshaped Chinese people’s lifestyles. Understanding Chinese nonprofits’ communication performance on WeChat is a nascent field of study that calls for public relations scholars’ attention and investigation. By observing the most transparent Chinese charitable foundations, this study conducted a quantitative content analysis to examine their use of WeChat for dialogic communication with publics. Particularly, this study examined the dialogic features employed on the official WeChat accounts of these foundations as well as the public engagement functions fulfilled by their WeChat posts. The findings indicate that the dialogic potential of WeChat has not been fully utilized by the Chinese foundations. The official accounts have been relatively successful in fulfilling the provision of useful information toward interested publics, but most of them still have not created a dialogic loop with their audience. The WeChat posts primarily act as information sources but also perform the salient function of calling upon actions. In addition, certain communication strategies were identified in the posts to attract audience attention and to promote organizational activities, such as the incorporation of multimedia content and popular online events.

Virtual Collectivity through Second Screen: Chinese Fans’ WeChat Use in Televised Spectatorship of European Football

This article explores Chinese fans’ use of WeChat in the televised spectatorship of European football. Drawing on the data from in-depth interviews and participant observations, I demonstrate how WeChat as a second screen affords a form of virtual collectivity among fans that transforms the individualized and rational viewing of television football. In particular, this virtual collectivity normalizes the privacy and propriety of emotional expressions and in turn refrains intimacy and sense of community among fans of the same club. I also argue that WeChat draws Chinese fans to this virtual collectivity during public game-viewing in real life, which disrupts the potential face-to-face interactions and solidarity among the onsite fans. This case offers implications for the role of second screens in the glocalization of sports consumption in reforming China.

Online social networking and subjective well-being: Mediating effects of envy and fatigue

The primary goal in this exploratory study is to test the theoretical relationships between social networking tools (i.e., Wechat), envy, fatigue and emerging adults' well-being. We conducted a survey of 503 Chinese university students who are regular Wechat users. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the extensive use of Wechat had both direct and indirect effects on their well-being and that the association between Wechat use and subjective well-being was mediated by envy. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms through which the use of online social networking tools is related to subjective well-being and suggest the need to attend to the psychological consequences of the extensive use of social networking tools.

Chinese parental involvement and class-based inequality in education: the role of social networking sites

ABSTRACTBased on an ethnographic study, this article presents the class-based disparities of Chinese parents’ usage of WeChat, the dominating social networking mobile application in China, in their educational involvement. We find that middle-class parents are the privileged ones who have exploited the use of WeChat not only as a medium for communication, but more as a mode of influence. Through WeChat, their various forms of capital are channelled to catalyse changes in their children's education. In contrast, working-class parents tend to act as absent participants in using WeChat for their educational involvement. We argue that WeChat has brought forth the consequence of widening the arena for winning or losing at the educational game for parents from different social classes. We call for corrective policies and guidelines on the usage of WeChat and other SNSs technologies in home–school dynamics.

Researching Chinese Tourists on the Move

ABSTRACTTime is scarce for most tourists. This posts challenges for fieldworkers when conducting face-to-face interviews with them. This is particularly pertinent to Chinese tourists. This paper explores the use of the social media app WeChat for mitigating the time pressures faced by researchers and tourists as subjects. Hugely popular in China, WeChat has rarely been explored within the literature as a tool for data collection. This paper addresses this dearth by taking an ethnographic approach and using our experiences and reflections on the multiple challenges we faced, particularly, but not exclusively on the limited time of Chinese travelers in Tasmania, Australia. This paper contributes to tourism methodology by critically assessing the potential use of WeChat for researchers. It extends the understanding of using social media as tools for qualitative data collection, and simultaneously considers the enhancement of the researcher’s wellbeing.