The Journal of Social Media in Society
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Rumor Has It: Examining the Effects of Facebook Addiction on Political Knowledge Gullibility
Get PDFPolitical rumors, half-truths and unfortunate candid comments from candidates spread like wildfire across the social media spectrum, meaning social channels require constant care and maintenance. The purpose of this study is to examine how Facebook addiction can affect levels of gullibility to online political rumors. Prior to the 2012 elections, more than 500 respondents participated in a survey designed to measure gullibility to online political rumors. Respondents reported levels of addiction to Facebook and were asked to determine the validity of 20 statements regarding President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. The statements varied in their level of accuracy, some obviously rumor, others seemingly true, but all originated from Internet sources and were disseminated by various Facebook users. In separate survey sections, political knowledge and the political activity of the users Facebook “friends” were measured. Results indicated that both Facebook addiction and gullibility decreased with age and the two variables have a strong correlation between them.
Facebook and its Disappearing Posts: Data Collection Approaches on Fan-Pages for Social Scientists
No full textFacebook fan-pages are channels of institutional self-representation that allow organizations to post content to virtual audiences. Occasionally, posts seem to disappear from fan-pages, puzzling page administrators and posing reliability risks for social scientists who collect fan-page data. This paper compares three approaches to data collection (manual real-time, manual retrospective, and automatic via NVIVO 10®) in order to explore the different frequencies of posts collected from six institutional fan-pages. While manual real-time collection shows the highest frequency of posts, it is time consuming and subject to manual mistakes. Manual retrospective collection is only effective when filters are activated and pages do not show high posting frequency. Automatic collection seems to be the most efficient path, provided the software be run frequently. Results also indicate that the higher the posting frequency is, the less reliable retrospective data collection becomes. The study concludes by recommending social scientists to user either real-time manual collection, or to run a software as frequently as possible in order to avoid biased results by ‘missing’ posts
Facebook As A Campaign Tool During The 2012 Elections: A New Dimension To Agenda Setting Discourse
Get PDFThe social networking site Facebook has risen to become an important campaign tool for politicians while also raising new questions about how its use is reshaping the agenda setting paradigm. This research examines the extent to which the Facebook messages of presidential nominees during the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign were transferred to the online public on Facebook and, via a two-step flow, to the greater citizen’s agenda. Findings demonstrate that in their political campaigns on Facebook, politicians are successfully transferring their first- and, to a lesser extent, second-level agendas to the Facebook public agenda, which largely mirrors the greater public agenda.
Am I Disclosing Too Much? Student Perceptions of Teacher Credibility via Facebook
Get PDFThis study examined the effects of teacher self-disclosure via Facebook on perceived teacher credibility. Undergraduate students (N=92) were randomly assigned to view one of the eight versions of the Facebook webpage of a teacher (either male or female) that involved two types of self-disclosure: images of alcohol drinking, and a narrative with emotionally-loaded language. The credibility ratings of the teacher indicated that revealing information about alcohol consumption and emotional problems concerning a personal relationship negatively influence student perception of teacher credibility. However, several gender differences emerged, indicating that an inherent bias exists in perceptions of credibility and appropriate self-disclosure. Specifically, male teachers were perceived more credible than female teachers in general. Moreover, the emotionally-loaded self-disclosure did not influence the female teacher's credibility, but did reduce the male teacher’s credibility. Credibility was also influenced by the physical attractiveness of the teacher and the belief whether it is acceptable for a teacher to have Facebook profile.
Writing On the Wall: Social Media the First 2,000 Years
Get PDFBook Review over Tom Standage's book Writing On the Wall: Social Media the First 2,000 Year
Media and Identity in the Margins: The Garifuna Response to Social Media
No full textThe purpose of this research is to understand how social media is affecting the identities of indigenous cultures. Using natives of Central America with ancestral roots in Africa as research subjects, this research explores how the Garifuna culture experiences social media and how these media influence cultural perceptions. Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted in the United States and Honduras. The results of those interviews indicate that media can aid individuals within the Garifuna culture to reconcile their three identities (Black, Hispanic, and American) and thereby form a stronger sense of self. This research suggests that new media might create a type of triple consciousness within cultural perception
Facebook, YouTube and Instagram: Exploring Their Effects on Undergraduate Students’ Personality Traits
Get PDFResearch presented in this article examines the effects of social media usage on Norman’s (1963) five-factor personality traits. Drawing upon the Five-Factor Model of personality traits, a research model that examines the effect of social media on personality traits was developed. The validated model provides evidence of the effects of Facebook, YouTube and Instagram usage on Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience.
The Looking Glass Lens: Self-concept Changes Due to Social Media Practices
Get PDFThis study brought an enduring social psychology theory into the era of mass self-communication. Cooley’s (1902) looking glass self posits that the self-concept is built, in part, by how a person sees him- or herself and, in part, by the reaction of others. For social media producers, neither the reflection nor others’ judgment needs to be imagined. Digital media can serve as a mediated mirror and social media sites provide the space where others’ judgments are clearly posted. YouTube producers were asked if they had come to see themselves differently since posting to the mega-media site and, if so, how. Forty-six participants reported self-concept changes ranging from being more accepting of their physical appearance to gaining confidence from overcoming the sting of negative comments to being empowerment due to a new role within a global, digital environment. The combination of media and media sharing platforms can serve as a digital looking glass lens.
Perceived Benefits of Participation in the “Class of” Facebook Pages
Get PDFGiven its popularity, institutions are looking for ways to capitalize on Facebook to market, recruit, and engage students during the admission and matriculation processes. One approach is the development of “Class of” Facebook pages for admitted students. This interpretivist case study explores first-year students' perceptions of participating in a regional research university's "Class of" Facebook page. Uses and Gratification theory is used to identify the student needs being met through the use of these pages. Findings included students' benefit from these pages by seeking information, learning normative behaviors and developing a sense of community.
Social Media Discourse and Genetically Modified Organisms
Get PDFThe objective of this research was to analyze themes of the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) debate to investigate if sentiment could be segregated by geography, and in the GMO debate contest, to recognize how individuals interact with each other to form online connections. In all datasets, sentiment surrounding GMOs was negative. Via Netlytic (a cloud-based social media and networks analyzer) Twitter data was collected in real time. Dataset collection periods ranged between 6 to twelve days in continuous segments from November 2013 to February 2014. During this period, significant anti-GMO interactions were formed within networks, reinforcing the importance of social media in issue analysis.