The Journal of Social Media in Society
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Recasting the Disney Princess in an Era of New Media and Social Movements
No full textIn seeking to “critique the works created during Disney’s second revival” and “[examine] the political economy of a major global company and brand (p. 5)”, this collection of analyses takes the reader on a journey from the personal impact of representation to the in-depth critique of what they say about the communities depicted
Digital Media Platforms and Education: The Uses of Social Networking in the UAE and China
No full textYoung people today are growing up in a digitalized environment. What challenges do they face in navigating this content-rich, symbolic environment? In this article, the researcher reviews university students' perceptions of media literacy by examining the use of social networking platforms (SN) in academic settings. The researcher distributed 1200 surveys evenly split between Chinese and UAE students and 998 were returned and analyzed. The findings reveal that while many students believe that media literacy should become a priority in modern curricula, this urgency is not felt by the majority of students. The researcher reviews current views and methodologies in the literature related to media literacy and its status in current pedagogy. The study draws from gravitation theory to place the use of SN tools within a broader background of communication. The Uses and Gratification Theory is also invoked to explain how SN was made attractive to campus activists and protesters in the two countries
Underneath the Filter Bubble: The Role of Weak Ties and Network Cultural Diversity in Cross-Cutting Exposure to Disagreements on Social Media
No full textWhile the idea of the filter bubble, in which people are sheltered from challenging and disagreeable news, is a valid concern for democracy, it requires much theoretical sophistication and empirical support. This paper explores the extent and scope of filter bubble effects, employing the concept of “cross-cutting exposure,” or exposure to disagreeable viewpoints, on social media. Survey analysis of 271 Facebook users suggests they do get exposed to cross-cutting information frequently, and that cross-cutting information was more likely to come from weak ties, or acquaintances and strangers in their network, as opposed to strong ties of friends and families. Furthermore, those who have ethnically and religiously more diverse networks were more likely to be exposed to cross-cutting information. Taken together, it is argued that the current concern for the filter bubble is rather exaggerated and that one’s network characteristics, such as network compositions and cultural diversity, can influence the degree of the filter bubble
“Oh, Snap!”: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Analyzing the Dark Side of Snapchat
No full textSnapchat, a multimedia messaging application, has over 300 million users and is currently the third most popular social media platform for young adults. Despite its popularity and unique ephemeral content, few studies examine how Snapchat is related to mental and relational health. The goal of this study therefore is to employ a mixed-methods approach to examine the dark side of Snapchat, paying close attention to how the behaviors and ephemeral content on this platform may be detrimental for young adults’ mental health and the quality of their romantic relationships. Quantitative data comes from 118 undergraduate students who completed an online survey. Qualitative data comes from 10 undergraduate students who participated in one-on-one, in-depth interviews and another 11 students who participated in two focus groups. Results reveal that intensity of Snapchat use is associated with lower mental health. Additionally, spending time on Snapchat, communicating with others on Snapchat, monitoring ex-partners on Snapchat, and using the Snap Map feature are associated with increased jealousy in romantic relationships. In short, Snapchat appears detrimental for young adults’ mental health and romantic relationships. The study concludes with practical advice for Snapchat users that may promote mental well-being and healthy romantic relationship development
Self-perception, Personality, and Observed Activity on Snapchat
No full textThis study investigated the frequency of Snapchat activity (i.e., posting stories, change in user score) and the content of Snapchat stories in relation to self-perception (i.e., narcissism, self-esteem, fear of missing out (FoMO), loneliness). Participants were 138 undergraduates (19 males, 119 females) with active Snapchat accounts. FoMO and some aspects of narcissism were related to certain indices of Snapchat activity (i.e., posting stories, using captions, including videos in stories), but these relations were relatively weak in magnitude. This study indicates that for more immediate, short-term social media formats, relatively stable personality or self-perception constructs may be of limited relevance. To the extent that narcissism and FoMO are relevant for Snapchat use, they may reflect self-enhancement or connectedness motives, respectively
A Real-Time Observation Approach for Assessing the Impact of Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance
No full textThe increase in the use of social media among students has led to investigation on its effect on academic performance. Existing studies conducted on this subject matter showed two contradictory opinions among researchers. While some researchers agreed that social media has negative impact on the students’ academic performance, others concluded that it has positive impact on the students’ academic performance. However, these studies relied on surveys carried out using questionnaires, which provide approximate estimates. In this study, a real-time observation approach devoid from the use of questionnaire was proposed. In addition, a time management equation was developed to further evaluate the impact of social media on the students’ academic performance. The results from the study showed that the use of social media has significant negative effect on the academic performance of the students
#Fitspiration and Mental Health for LGBTQ+ College Students
No full textIntroduction – Fitspiration (fitness inspiration) on social media is associated with increased risk for decreased self-esteem and body satisfaction, along with restricted and disordered eating. Historically, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating also are associated with certain groups in the LGBTQ+ community. This study sought to identify if fitspiration viewing differed between LGBTQ+ college students and their peers, and if prevalence of body satisfaction, disordered eating, and body dysmorphia differed between groups.Methods – This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Students at a small Midwestern university completed this survey, which was approved by a university IRB. The survey was distributed in person, and included sections on exercise behavior, social media use, body image, and disordered.Results – A total of 429 students completed this survey, including 54 (13.5%) who identified as LGBTQ+. There were no differences in fitspiration viewing tendencies or self-esteem between LGBTQ+ students and their peers. With regard for body satisfaction, fitspiration viewers responded slightly less favorably, while more LGBTQ+ students reported being “not at all” satisfied with their body. Being LGBTQ+ was demonstrated to be associated with having body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and nearly 30% of LGBTQ+ students had scored indicating BDD. This was unaffected by viewing fitspiration, however. Fitspiration viewers did, however, have significantly higher scores for restrained eating and eating concerns than those students who don’t view fitspiration. LGBTQ+ students who view fitspiration had the highest eating concern scores reported.Discussion – Overall, there were few statistically significant differences between LGBTQ+ students and non-LGBTQ+ students and fitspiration viewers and non-viewers. Fitspiration played a role in eating concerns, as has been previously demonstrated, but being LGBTQ+ and viewing fitspiration seems to have the greatest concern. Future studies should explore qualitatively the experiences of LGBTQ+ students on social media, and assess if increased visibility online is leading to a decrease in many negative health outcomes experienced by LGBTQ+ people
Drowning Out the Message Together: Analysis of Social Media Comments on a Political Sex Scandal
No full textThis study content analyzed online comments on Fox News and CNN’s YouTube platforms related to news stories on the 2017 special election for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. Republican candidate Roy Moore attracted widespread media attention one month prior to the election – after being accused of sexual misconduct for alleged relationships decades before his run for U.S. Senate. Comment threads were polarized on the two ideologically different forums (CNN and Fox News) as well as within these forums. The latter indicated a crossover effect or the tendency of social media users to leave comments on an ideologically opposing forum. Regardless of being “native” or crossovers, commenters tended to drown out reporters’ messages by introducing new discussion topics. Through the examination of the most popular comments, this study argues for the need for a more nuanced approach to understanding audience gatekeeping in today’s polarized media environment. The article highlights the importance of monitoring online comments to understand the power of the audience to exercise control over the direction of social media commentary
Facebook Reactions: How are They Used and Which Personality Factors Predict their Use?
No full textThe recent expansion of Facebook’s ‘like’ to six emotional reactions (love, haha, wow, sad, angry) represents the first update related to feedback, allowing users to respond to shared content, in almost a decade. We surveyed 260 Facebook users to investigate how reactions are utilized and what type of online content (status updates, pictures, links, timehops and events) they are used to respond to. We also measured Big Five personality and narcissism. Users were most likely to react using like, followed by positive reactions (love, haha, wow), and were least likely to employ the negative reactions sad and angry. Status updates and pictures were the types of content most likely to be responded to, and events least likely. Neuroticism, extraversion and openness positively predicted, and narcissism negatively predicted, utilization of reactions, and likelihood of responding. Results are discussed in relation to established online norms and the affordances of Facebook features
Invasive Job Hiring Practices and Social Media Data Usage Knowledge on Job Intentions
No full textSocial media data are being used to evaluate potential job applicants. Its use is controversial and widespread. Facebook users’ job intentions to accept a position were reduced when invasive data usage was employed. More knowledgeable users about how social media data can be used exhibited higher job intentions. An interaction revealed less knowledgeable users about how social media data is used had reduced job intentions when confronted with an invasive hiring practice. This relationship is not present for more knowledgeable users when invasive hiring practices are used.