The Journal of Social Media in Society
Not a member yet
200 research outputs found
Sort by
An Evaluation of Fitspiration Viewing and Exercise Behavior in College Students
Get PDFSocial media is widely used by college students, and is used for retrieving health information. “Fitspiration” (fitness and inspiration) pages are common on many popular social networking sites. Fitspiration pages have been previously associated with short term motivation for exercise and decreased body satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which viewing fitspiration pages may influence exercise behaviors for college students. Additionally, this study sought to explore if particular types of fitspiration pages can encourage increased exercise. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey approach and was distributed to college students at a large Midwestern university. About half of the students viewed fitspiration pages, and students who viewed fitness pages reported exercising more than those who did not. Students who viewed fitspiration pages also reported exercising for muscle-gain, enjoyment, fitness, reduced stress, and feeling better. CrossFit pages and professional fitness organization pages were associated with increased exercise. Students did not report feeling motivated by fitspiration. Additional research is needed to explore the relationships between fitspiration page viewing and fitness goals, and identify additional reasoning for viewing these pages
Cyberactivism and Empowerment: Egyptian Women’s Advocacy to Combat Sexual Harassment
No full textThe active political participation and remarkable presence of women during Egypt’s January25th revolution in 2011 raised expectations that Egypt would witness improvement in women’s civic engagement and empowerment. Sexual harassment is a problem that is often ignored as many Egyptian women refuse to report sexual harassment due to a culture of silence and shame coupled with this taboo issue. This paper highlights the case of Egyptian women’s digital activism efforts and initiatives to combat sexual harassment empowered by digital tools and social media. Drawing from Egyptian women’s cyberactivism battle against sexual harassment, the paper argues that social media and online technology have empowered Egyptian women and provided them with virtual spaces to communicate and bring attention to such serious societal epidemic . The paper’s goal is to demonstrate how Egyptian women utilized social media and virtual online spaces as nontraditional advocacy tools to demand human dignity, and social justice rights.
Social Media Addiction and Formal Writing Skills among Mass Communication Students in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria
No full textThis study was carried out on the influence of social media chatting on formal writing habit among university undergraduates. Literature has reported bot adverse and no effect of social media on students' writing habit. Findings vary from time to time and from place to place. This current study looks at a direction that had rarely been looked at by earlier researchers- the influence of social media on formal writing skills of Mass Communication students in a private university in south-western Nigeria. Using a multi-level sampling technique involving purposive, stratification and total population sampling, 143 answer scripts of a first-year writing course in the Department of Mass Communication were examined through content analysis. The study found that in the case of Mass Communication students, social media do not have such overwhelming adverse influence as associated with it on the writing competence of undergraduate students. Among all types of social media chat language, graphones rank highest in use among the study population. Many other factors, including writing training, interplay with social media to cause the poor writing competence among university undergraduates. It was then recommended that further research is conducted in this area of enquiry to unveil specific areas yet untrodden. Colleges and tertiary institutions should institute courses that can improve the writing skills and the ability of the students
An Exploration of Activities, Reasons, and Barriers of Using Social Media for Food Allergy Management
Get PDFManaging food allergies can be overwhelming for affected individuals. Social media (SoMe) may serve as a platform for individuals with food allergies to access and share useful information. This study investigates SoMe use among adults with food allergies. Fifty individuals with food allergies answered a series of open-ended questions related to their SoMe use behaviors. The answers were used to develop an online anonymous survey, which was completed by 319 individuals with food allergies. Results indicate that SoMe users mainly use SoMe to gather updated information about food allergies and hear somebody else’s experiences and advices about food allergies. Lack of privacy, concerns about reliability of the information, and lack of efficiency were barriers to the use of SoMe. Those who were younger, had an allergic reaction in restaurants in the past, and who were newly diagnosed with food allergy were more likely to engage in SoMe use for food allergy related purposes. SoMe administrators may seek strategies to remove barriers and share information from credible resources to benefit those in need of such information
Cultivating Global Citizens through Study Abroad and the Use of Technology with Undergraduate Social Work Students
Get PDFThis article examines factors of successful use of faculty-led short-term study abroad programs as a teaching strategy in promoting cultural humility among undergraduate social work students. Key attributes that influence improved cultural awareness in social work students are detailed, including the use of social media prior to, during and after travel abroad. Undergraduate social work students (n=8) participated in a summer course including travel to Costa Rica. Description of the teaching techniques and strategies are described pre-travel, in-country and post-travel. Two measures are described given to students pre-travel and post-travel to assess cultural flexibility, adaptability, openness and personal autonomy. These include the Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) and the Short Term Study Abroad Survey. Results included all of the students reporting a change in their world view, attitude changes as a result of in- home stays, and agency visits. There was a significant difference on the CCAI on the Personal Autonomy subscale
From “About Me” to “About We”: Therapeutic Intentions of Black American Women’s Natural Hair Blogs
Get PDFPsychological support is not confined to therapists’ offices, but also transfers to social media forums for Black American women. Black American women bloggers with natural hair care practices have participated in asynchronous computer-mediated communication, where discussion is based around caring for oneself and one’s hair. There is a dearth of research about the role of the Black American female hair bloggers in setting out therapeutic intentions for their online community. Through investigating the theory of PsychoHairapy (Author, year; Author, year) that argues that hair can be an entry point into psychological interventions, this study investigated therapeutic intentions represented by Black American women on their natural hair blogs. Through a content analysis of the “About me” section of the top 40 visited natural hair blogs, 4 independent raters identified that 93% of the bloggers represented at least one therapeutic intention. The results suggest that the blogs serve as a forum for informal support group work derived from the bloggers own lived experiences, fulfilling dual roles of peer and expert. This study provides evidence that natural hair blogging can integrate formal and informal techniques of health promotion, resulting in promoting psychological support for a population otherwise marginalized.
Conspiracy Theories and Flat-Earth Videos on YouTube
Get PDFThe advent of digital user-created media platforms such as YouTube has made possible the spread of a wide range of information without the constraints of traditional mass media such as editorial gatekeeping. This democratized user-created media environment provides an outlet for subject matter that would otherwise not receive broad exposure–including material that seeks to discredit specific scientific findings and science as a whole. The present paper examines YouTube videos that advocate the idea of a flat earth and tests for conspiratorial ideation using a version of the Conspiratorial Mentality Questionnaire (Bruder, Haffke, Neave, Nouripanah, & Imhoff, 2013). The research finds that flat-earth videos significantly outnumbered debunking videos, were almost twice as long on average and were more likely to include conspiracy ideation, science denial and religious thought and to reference other social media. On the other hand, debunking videos were more likely to reference established science and enjoyed greater favorability ratings from viewers
Contemporary Perspectives: The Impact of Social Media on the Field of Human Resources Management
Get PDFThe Winter 2019 edition of the journal is our first special issue. The objective of this special issue is to explore current research in both social media (SM) and human resource management (HRM) by examining the intersection of these two fields of study. Articles are presented that investigate ways social media is used to provide greater or more meaningful outcomes for organizations, by use or integration of SM in organizational HRM programs and practices, or for individuals as they use SM to explore facets of the employment life cycle including recruiting, onboarding, development, retention, and retirement
Stuck on Social Media: Predicting Young Adults’ Intentions to Limit Social Media Use
Get PDFConcerns of social media overuse warrant examinations of factors influencing the use of these technologies. While studies have characterized people’s adoption and use of social media, few have examined factors that would drive individuals to limit their use. This study uses an extended theory of planned behavior to predict intentions to limit social media use. A survey of 216 college students asked participants to report their intensity of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat use, as well as attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions to limit social media use. Findings indicate that the standard theory of planned behavior constructs successfully predicted participants intentions to limit social media use, while intensity of use was mediated by social norms. The study suggests that participants’ emotional connectedness toward social media is an antecedent of certain variables, such as perceived social norms, which in turn predicts their intent to limit use of these media.
Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest – Book Review
No full textThis review critiques Zeynep Tufekci's Twitter and Tear Gas: The power and fragility of networked protest. Tufekci offers a volume that explores the different ways in which protests and social movements function in the 21st century. With the advent of social media and social networks, Tufekci builds her analysis on her expertise as a social scientist, an activist, and a computer programmer, thus producing a book that is accessible for academics, researchers, organizers, and activists alike