Engaging audiences on social media: Identifying relationships between message factors and user engagement on the American Cancer Society’s Facebook page

In this study, a content analysis was conducted with posts from American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Facebook page to explore the relationship between message relevance, source characteristics, and message features with the number of likes, comments, and shares received by them. Limited Capacity Model for Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) was used as the theoretical foundation for the study. Findings showed that cancer-related posts received more likes, comments and shares than posts that were not related to cancer. Also, posts by the American Cancer Society received more likes, comments, and shares than other source categories. Findings also indicated that though message features were related to likes, comments, and shares, the nature of relationship and the role of different features varied with each measure. Overall, findings highlight the role of motivational activation through message factors in eliciting user response in social media environments.     

The effects of social media virality metrics,message framing,and perceived susceptibility on cancer screening intention: The mediating role of fear

Social media platforms are increasingly playing a vital role in the process of dissemination and sharing of health information. The present study investigated whether and how online health information and virality metrics associated with social media platforms jointly shape persuasive outcomes in the context of cancer screening promotion. One important area of research on cancer screening promotion concerns loss-versus-gain message framing, which has highlighted the persuasive advantage of loss framing relative to gain framing. Given this, we examined how social media virality metrics, loss-versus-gain message framing, and perceived susceptibility influence message-evoked fear and intention to perform colonoscopy in the context of colorectal cancer screening. Results from an online experiment showed that loss framing, relative to gain framing, led to greater message-evoked fear when the message was presented with high-virality metrics, and this pattern was particularly pronounced among those with low perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer. Furthermore, a formal test of moderated mediation showed that the indirect effect of loss framing on colonoscopy intention through message-evoked fear was significantly moderated by perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer when the message was presented with high-virality metrics. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Using a serious game to communicate risk and minimize psychological distance regarding environmental pollution

Persuading individuals to engage in pro-environmental behavior is challenging. Interactive media, such as virtual environments and video games, present opportunities to minimize psychological distance and bolster perceived risks associated with environmental threats. In this experiment, we tested the effects of a serious game that allowed users to engage in environmental cleanup. In the virtual environment, participants (N = 190) navigated down a polluted river that was described as geographically and temporally close or distant. The affordance of interactivity, specifically contingency, was also manipulated. Results revealed that feeling psychologically close to the environment led to greater risk perception, which in turn led to more environmental behavior and greater support for environmental policy in the days following the experiment. In terms of interactivity, higher perceptions of contingency led to greater self-efficacy, which also led to more environmental behavior and greater support for environmental policy after the experiment. We discuss implications for environmental communication, science communication, and other prosocial persuasion efforts using interactive media such as serious games and virtual reality.     

Third-Person Effects and the Environment: Social Distance, Social Desirability, and Presumed Behavior

Previous research has documented third-person effects (persons presuming that others will be more susceptible to media effects than they themselves are) and explored moderators such as social desirability (the effect reverses when the media effects are undesirable) and social distance (the effect increases as the social distance from the self increases). In a study of environmental news coverage, the authors observed the general third-person effect and the moderating role of social desirability; however, they also found that social distance affected presumed influence in complex ways reflecting varying perceptions of issue relevance for the comparison groups. A new variable, presumed behavior (the presumed effect of media coverage on others' behavior), was found to be independent of presumed influence and to offer improved prediction of perceivers' behavioral intentions.     

Young Voters' Responses to the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election: Social Identity,Perceived Media Influence,and Behavioral Outcomes

Hostile news perceptions, perceived media influence, and behavioral outcomes among Republicans and Democrats were examined before and after the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Predictions were grounded in social identity/self‐categorization theories, and influence of presumed influence. Hostile news perceptions were greater among Republicans, especially Fox News viewers. Third‐person perceptions (TPPs) for ingroup and outgroup (own party, other party) varied based on media message (debates, news, spin, polls, comedy) and party affiliation. TPPs were larger for the outgroup than the ingroup, but only for Republicans. Following the election, changes in media perceptions were related to the election outcome and interpersonal discussion. Greater perceived influence on outgroup voters was associated with stronger support for censorship, and a lower voting likelihood among Democrats.     

Facebook ads not working in the same way: The effect of cultural orientation and message construals on consumer response to social media ads

The research examined the impacts of psychological distance and message type on social media by cultural orientation. This research assessed social media usage and construal levels on Facebook pages in two cultures (Individualism – the U.S. vs. Collectivism – South Korea). While the U.S. participants had different levels of construals in two Facebook pages (News Feed vs. Timeline), the Korean participants did not. Further, the results demonstrated that for U.S. Facebook users, the different distances from the two Facebook pages impact their evaluation of ad messages framed with different construal terms: In News Feed that U.S. users feel distant from, an ad message framed with high construal terms (vs. low construal terms) was more effective. In Timeline that U.S. users feel proximal to, an ad message focusing on low construal terms (vs. high construal terms) led to more favorable response. However, Korean Facebook users did not exhibit varying psychological distances from those two Facebook pages. Rather, they consistently preferred high-level construal messages regardless of where the ad messages were posted. The importance of this study is the suggestion that cultural orientation and social media usage need to be considered for the development of particular ad messages that engage social media users across the globe.     

The influence of textese on adolescents’ perceptions of text message writers

Text messages are characterised by a casual language style, ‘textese’ (e.g., c u on thurs). This study investigated adolescents’ perceptions of the use of different levels of textese in digital messages which varied in their intended recipient (friend, teacher). Grade 8 students in Australia (N = 90, aged 13–14 years) each read six text messages purportedly written by a fellow student, and rated the extent to which they agreed (on a 7-point Likert scale) that the message writer was intelligent, paid attention to detail, used an appropriate writing style, and was friendly. Overall, participants rated message senders most favourably on all measures when they used no textese, and least favourably when they used high levels of textese. This pattern was even stronger when messages were addressed to teachers rather than same-aged friends. The findings suggest that adolescents are sensitive to both writing style and recipient when considering digital messages.     

The impact of message appraisals of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty on information seeking and electronic word-of-mouth intentions of US female consumers

The current study examines how an empowered public engages in information seeking and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) behavior due to emotions elicited from their message appraisals of an inspiring branding campaign. Using cognitive appraisal theory as a framework, the current research assumes that the women with higher problem recognition and involvement will be more likely to engage in information seeking and eWOM behavior through positive affect. Using a representative sample (N = 530) randomly drawn from Qualtrics’ panel data, it uses a structural equation modeling approach to test the proposed appraisal-based behavior model. The results indicate that participants’ information seeking and eWOM behavior are adaptive responses to the emotions elicited by message appraisals. The results also show that situational variables influence the message appraisals of intrinsic pleasantness and goal-conduciveness dimensions.     

Relative persuasiveness of gain- vs. loss-framed messages: a review of theoretical perspectives and developing an integrative framework

A significant body of literature has examined the relative persuasiveness of gain- vs. loss-framed messages. Despite the amount of research, when and why one message frame may be more persuasive than the other is not fully understood. This article provides a review of theoretical perspectives that have been proposed to explain message framing effects. It then reports on an analysis of published articles conducted to ascertain which theories are most often employed in message framing research. Finally, building upon existing theories, this article advances a preliminary integrative framework that delineates crucial factors determining the relative persuasiveness of gain vs. loss frames.     

Online identities and social influence in social media gambling exposure: A four-country study on young people

Social media tends to gather users around social cliques consisting of similar-minded individuals and shared identities. These online group processes can have significant influence on user behavior, which is alarming when considering risky behaviors such as gambling. This study examined how online clique involvement predicts young people’s interest in gambling content and following observed group norms on social media. Survey respondents were 15–25-year-olds from Finland (n = 1200), the United States (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192) and Spain (n = 1212). A self-reported measure of online clique involvement and a gambling-related social media vignette experiment were utilized. The results show that online clique involvement was related to higher interest in gambling content. Content liked by a majority gathered more interest, indicating conformity to a group norm. This finding was especially true among participants with past involvement in online cliques, and the association was strongest in South Korea. The tendency to participate in online clique behavior creates a potentially risky setting when encountering online gambling content, because it may accentuate the effect of observed group norms. Interacting with gambling content increases the visibility of such content due to algorithmic filtering technologies, which can fuel gambling-related intentions and behaviors, and normalize gambling.     

Newspaper Coverage of Intimate Partner Violence: Skewing Representations of Risk

How media portray intimate partner violence (IPV) has implications for public perceptions and social policy. Therefore, to better understand these portrayals, this study content analyzes a nationally representative sample of newspaper coverage of IPV over a 2-year period and compares this coverage to epidemiological data in order to examine the implications of the discrepancies between coverage and social reality. Stratified media outlets across the country were used to obtain a representative sample of daily newspapers based on their designated market areas, resulting in 395 IPV-related articles. Results show that newspaper framing of IPV tends to be heavily skewed toward episodic framing. In addition, there are significant differences between our data and epidemiological estimates, particularly in the coverage of homicide and use of alcohol and illegal drugs, which may skew public perceptions of risk. Implications for public perceptions and social policy are discussed.     

Association between psychosocial well-being and problematic social media use among Finnish young adults: A cross-sectional study

The aim of the study was to identify associations between problematic social media use (PSMU), type of internet activity, various background factors, psychosocial factors (mood, fear of missing out, need to belong, social relationships) and the COVID-19-pandemic’s impacts on social media use among young adults in Finland. Data were collected from 381 young adults aged 18–35 (M = 26.01; SD = 4.55) in Finland through a web-based survey conducted during the autumn of 2020. PSMU was identified using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Nine types of social media platform used were considered. Information about health-related factors was assessed using Beck Depression Inventory scale and a further single question. Social factors were measured using the Fear of Missing Out scale, the Single Item Need to Belong scale, and social engagement scale. 9.8 % of participants were found to exhibit PSMU. Younger people and women were more prone to PSMU. Social networking sites were the most used platform and were more strongly related to PSMU. Social media engagement, depression, fear of missing out and the effects of the pandemic on social media use were all positively and significantly associated with PSMU. These results may facilitate the development of guidelines for healthy social media use, and early detection of PSMU.     

Third-Person Effect and Internet Pornography: The Influence of Collectivism and Internet Self-Efficacy

Within the context of Internet pornography, a survey of both U.S. and South Korean college students ( N = 232) examined the influence of individualism-collectivism and media self-efficacy on the third-person effect. Two findings emerged: First, this study demonstrates the third-person effect of the Internet for the first time within Western culture. Participants perceived that Internet pornography's negative effect was greater on others than themselves, and this third-person perception predicted support for Internet censorship. Second, although prior research failed to support conjecture that culture shapes third-person perception, these data show culture as an important antecedent; collectivism diminished third-person perception and subsequent support for Internet pornography censorship. The impact of Internet self-efficacy was not substantial. The influence of collectivism on the third-person effect generally and public perceptions of Internet pornography in particular signals its import to scholars interested in social policy and social influence.     

The internet ecological perception,political trust and political efficacy of Chinese netizens

Political efficacy is an important indicator of political democracy. As the Internet, especially social media, has grown and evolved, it has greatly changed the Chinese public’s political perceptions. Chinese Internet governance has shifted the mode of “vague governance” and “subsequent punishment” from traditional political governance into the Internet ecology. Chinese citizens’ speech criteria and means of political participation depend largely on their perceptions of the political ecology. Based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Jiangsu Province (N = 1558) in 2013, this paper discusses the impact of Internet ecological perception and political trust on netizens’ political efficacy. The results show that netizens’ perceptions of Internet ecology had significantly positive effects on external political efficacy but no significant effects on internal political efficacy. Netizens’ perceptions of Internet ecology positively affected their political trust, which in turn had significant, positive effects on both internal and external political efficacies.     

French Abstract

This article integrates priming and framing into a cognitive-processing model that illustrates how the effects of watching a presidential debate might be influenced by a priming message as it interacts with an individual's schema. We examine how the frame of postdebate news analysis primes audience reflection on a previously viewed segment from the 2004 presidential debates (a process we identify as "primed reflection"). Results show that the influence of postdebate news analysis is a function of the interaction between the news-analysis frame (policy vs. performance) and the individual-level factors, namely, political knowledge and propensity to reflect on media content.     

Social participation of the elderly in China: The roles of conventional media,digital access and social media engagement

China is the most rapidly aging country and has the largest aging population in the world. However, social participation is an important intervention to boost the active and healthy aging. The present study investigated the effects of media usage, together with social-demographics and health variables, on Chinese older adults. Drawing upon a national research project with a representative sample (N = 1,399) of older adults (55+) from 58 cities in China, the research findings revealed that conventional media, digital access and social media usage had positive effects on older adults’ informal social participation, while age moderated the relationship between informal social participation and digital access, particularly regarding access to tablet PCs and smartphones. Moreover, conventional media, digital access and social media engagement largely explained seniors’ formal social participation regardless of their social-demographic backgrounds. Finally, the roles of conventional media and digital media in older adults’ social participation are discussed.     

Social media jealousy and intimate partner violence in young adults’ romantic relationships: A longitudinal study

Social media have profoundly transformed young adults’ social interactions, especially within their romantic relationships. For instance, jealousy induced by the partner's activity on social media can cause conflicts that can escalate into controlling and aggressive behaviors. Previous cross-sectional studies show significant links between social media jealousy and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. However, the directionality of these associations has not yet been examined using longitudinal designs. This study investigated the associations between social media jealousy and IPV perpetration in young adults’ romantic relationships over a year. Two samples, one composed of 111 couples (n = 222) and one composed of 286 individuals involved in a romantic relationship, completed online questionnaires at two time points over one year. Results of cross-lagged panel analyses were replicated across samples and suggested that the intra-individual association between social media jealousy and IPV perpetration is bidirectional and positive over time. Results also indicated a negative association between a person’s IPV perpetration at Time 1 and their partner’s online jealousy at Time 2. These findings highlight the reciprocal and dyadic influences of social media jealousy and IPV and provide a better understanding of the potential risks associated with social media use in young adults’ romantic relationships.     

Harnessing the persuasive potential of data: The combinatory effects of data visualization and interactive narratives on obesity perceptions and policy attitudes

Data visualization has become a useful tool for website designers to effectively present complicated statistical information. In the context of health communication, however, the collective nature of aggregated data may hinder users from empathizing with individuals who suffer from a health issue. This study attempts to provide a solution to the limitation, by adding an interactive personal narrative to visualization of obesity data. Given the lack of empirical research that investigates why data visualization influences user engagement, the current study examines interactivity as an underlying mechanism. The level of interactivity in data visualization (low vs. high) was varied, along with the level of interactivity in a narrative of an obese character (low vs. high) in a 2?×?2 factorial-design experiment with 385 valid participants. Results showed that increased message interactivity for the narrative, presented with increased modality interactivity for data visualization, led to a greater empathic perception of obese individuals’ hardships and greater perceived severity of obesity, and less defensive responses to the website. As a result, high interactivity in data visualization showed significant indirect effects on participants’ attitudes toward policy change, only when presented with the highly interactive narrative.     

A mini imitation game: How individuals model social robots via behavioral outcomes and social roles

In past works, social robots have been designed to mimic human appearances and behavior. However, little is known about how human beings may imitate social robots. Drawing on social cognitive theory and the Media Equation, this study focuses on the modeling effects of social robots in an environment protection context. A lab experiment (N = 128) with a between-subjects factorial design was conducted to examine how social robots’ behavioral outcomes and social roles affected individuals’ modeling behavior. This study suggested that social robots’ positive behavioral outcomes were effective in evoking users’ modeling tendencies serially through social presence and identification or only through identification. Robots’ mere presentation of behavior with no outcomes exerted effects serially through social presence and identification. Additionally, assigning social robots an instructor role led to users’ modeling behavior serially through users’ perception of robots’ expertise and credibility. The study analyzed the psychological mechanisms behind users’ modeling behavior.     

SPREAD: Improving network security by multipath routing in mobile ad hoc networks

We propose and investigate the SPREAD scheme as a complementary mechanism to enhance secure data delivery in a mobile ad hoc network. The basic idea is to transform a secret message into multiple shares, and then deliver the shares via multiple paths to the destination so that even if a certain number of message shares are compromised, the secret message as a whole is not compromised. We present the overall system architecture and discuss three major design issues: the mathematical model for the generation and reconstruction of the secret message shares, the optimal allocation of the message shares onto multiple paths in terms of security, and the multipath discovery techniques in a mobile ad hoc network. Our extensive simulation results justify the feasibility and the effectiveness of the SPREAD approach.