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Analysis of definitions of media literacy
Get PDFThis study provides an analysis of how the term “media literacy” has been defined by authors of articles published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education. It generates answers to two questions: (1) To what extent does there appear to be a shared meaning for the term “media literacy” across authors who publish articles on this topic, and (2) When authors cite definitions of media literacy, which sources do they use most often? The findings of this content analysis reveal that there are a great many definitions being used for media literacy as well as a large number of sources being cited for those definitions. This study uncovered more than 400 definitional elements, which were then organized into a six-category scheme that reflects the full span of thinking exhibited by authors of the 210 articles published in this journal
Client Relationships, Analyst Coverage, and Earnings Management
No full textSYNOPSIS: Financial analysts have two important roles in the capital market. In addition to their informational role, which has been widely studied, they play an important monitoring role. Similar to their informational role, their monitoring role might be negatively affected when they face conflicts of interest. Using a sample of Chinese firms, we show that if analysts are under pressure (i.e., housed in a brokerage firm where specific mutual funds hold large positions in a company covered by the analyst), their role in lowering the firm earnings management activities is significantly compromised. We find that the closer the business relationship between the mutual fund and the brokerage firm, the greater the firm earnings management. Our findings caution investors and regulators to heed the impact of client pressure on analysts’ roles in financial markets
Antecedents of blatant benevolence on social media
No full textWith the rise of social media in people’s lives, the tendency to donate through social media platforms has increased tremendously. The positive attitudes of social media users towards online charity initiatives, such as ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, are also gaining traction. Therefore, it is of great value for the charitable organizations to identify the motivational factors that encourage social media users to participate in blatant benevolence. Drawing on costly signalling and self-presentation theories, this study undertakes a multi-method approach with the aim to explore social media users’ motivation of posting prosocial behaviour on social media platforms by identifying the antecedents of blatant benevolence. Using the interview data from 126 social media users, the study first applies rigorous grounded theory analysis to identify factors that lead to blatant benevolence, and subsequently employs a survey method approach, comprising data from 342 social media users, to empirically test the factors identified. Our findings show that desire for social network enhancement and warm glow attainment are the significant drivers that motivate people to post prosocial behaviours on social media. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings for social media behaviour researchers and charity organizations are also discussed in the paper
Individual, Household, and Community Drivers of Dengue Virus Infection Risk in Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand
No full textBACKGROUND: Dengue virus (DENV) often circulates endemically. In such settings with high levels of transmission, it remains unclear whether there are risk factors that alter individual infection risk. METHODS: We tested blood taken from individuals living in multigenerational households in Kamphaeng Phet province, Thailand for DENV antibodies (N = 2364, mean age 31 years). Seropositivity ranged from 45.4% among those 1-5 years old to 99.5% for those \u3e30 years. Using spatially explicit catalytic models, we estimated that 11.8% of the susceptible population gets infected annually. RESULTS: We found that 37.5% of the variance in seropositivity was explained by unmeasured household-level effects with only 4.2% explained by spatial differences between households. The serostatus of individuals from the same household remained significantly correlated even when separated by up to 15 years in age. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that despite highly endemic transmission, persistent differences in infection risk exist across households, the reasons for which remain unclear
Measuring the implementation of media literacy instructional practices in schools: community stakeholder perspectives
Get PDFInterest in media literacy education is increasing across the United States and around the world but little is still known about the prevalence of various instructional practices used to implement it in elementary and secondary schools. Surveys and semi-structured interviews with a statewide quota sample of education stakeholders included school leaders, educators, librarians, elected public officials, parents, and members of the community in all 24 school districts in Rhode Island. Results show that only a few instructional practices are implemented with most or nearly all students in the state. However, the implementation of various media literacy instructional practices varied considerably from one community to another but these differences were not due to the size of the community, its geographic location, or its socioeconomic status. Nearly half the variance in instructional practices can be accounted for by obstacles including technology limitations, school policies, academic priorities, perceptions of students, and educator response
Building a Global Community: An Intercultural Communication Perspective
Get PDFBuilt on the author\u27s previous work, this paper lays down a theoretical framework for building a global community from an intercultural communication perspective. The rapid development of new media in recent decades has accelerated globalization and transformed human society into a highly interconnected place through changing the way people think and interact. This indicates that a global society is gradually emerging due to the convergence of new media and globalization trend in the 21st century. However, the emergence of a global society does not necessarily mean that a new sense of community will follow. This paper calls for using community to replace society and employs the three elements of home , i.e., relation, process and meaning, to theorize the concept of global community . The author argues that the global community is a new cultural home, which can be analyzed from four perspectives, including the contextuality of intercultural communication, boundary game, boundary wisdom, and global ethics of intercultural communication study
Social and behavioral vulnerability, pregnancy, and negative mental health outcomes in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic
Get PDFThe novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the general U.S. population. Extant literature has increasingly linked social vulnerabilities, risky behavior, and limited social and psychological resources to the growing mental health crisis during the virus\u27s spread. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of pertinent social vulnerabilities and subjective risk factors for both men and women on mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, isolation) with a closer examination of the influence of pregnancy during the pandemic on mental health. The sample included 740,640 respondents participating in the U.S. Covid-19 Trends and Impact Survey that was deployed between February and March 2021. Descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares regression models are presented with a focus on the factors that shape negative mental health outcomes, particularly on the disparities between pregnant and non-pregnant women relative to men, but also subjective/perception factors (e.g., fear/worry) and social vulnerabilities. Results show that pregnant women were at significantly greater risk of negative mental health outcomes at this stage of the pandemic than either men or non-pregnant women. Overall, respondents who were younger, without children in the household, unemployed, worried generally about infection or their finances, or had ever tested positive for Covid were also more likely to report feelings of anxiety, isolation, and depression than their counterparts. Pregnant women may be especially vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and isolation during the pandemic and our findings suggest the importance of developing targeted mental health support for this sub-population
Artificial Intelligence and Journalism: An Agenda for Journalism Research in Africa
No full textGlobally, newsrooms are adopting various forms of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the newsgathering, production and distribution process. Western countries and China, in particular, are leading the innovation of AI in newsrooms—testing technologies that include machine learning, automated content creation and moderation and speech-to-text programs. The adoption of AI in newsrooms, and research of its impact, has predominantly focused on Western countries. Although some African countries have begun incorporating AI into sectors such as government agencies, health, education and finance, little information exists about how newsrooms on the continent are using AI technologies. In this paper, we propose a research agenda to advance the scholarship and understanding of the use of AI in African newsrooms and its implications for journalism in Africa. Through a systematic search of databases, we examine the current use of AI in newsrooms in Africa, along with a review of the opportunities and challenges it presents for journalists. We also present a comprehensive examination and discussion about the theoretical frameworks being used to examine newsroom processes—and the opportunities to adapt those theories to analyse the use of AI in African-led scholarship. Also included in the study are recommendations for addressing methodological challenges related to the use of AI in newsrooms
Tracing the path of carbon export in the ocean though DNA sequencing of individual sinking particles
No full textSurface phytoplankton communities were linked with the carbon they export into the deep ocean by comparing 18 S rRNA gene sequence communities from surface seawater and individually isolated sinking particles. Particles were collected in sediment traps deployed at locations in the North Pacific subtropical gyre and the California Current. DNA was isolated from individual particles, bulk-collected trap particles, and the surface seawater. The relative sequence abundance of exported phytoplankton taxa in the surface water varied across functional groups and ecosystems. Of the sequences detected in sinking particles, about half were present in large (\u3e300 μm), individually isolated particles and primarily belonged to taxa with small cell sizes (\u3c50 µm). Exported phytoplankton taxa detected only in bulk trap samples, and thus presumably packaged in the smaller sinking size fraction, contained taxa that typically have large cell sizes (\u3e500 μm). The effect of particle degradation on the detectable 18 S rRNA gene community differed across taxa, and differences in community composition among individual particles from the same location largely reflected differences in relative degradation state. Using these data and particle imaging, we present an approach that incorporates genetic diversity into mechanistic models of the ocean’s biological carbon pump, which will lead to better quantification of the ocean’s carbon cycle
A tale of two spring blooms in a northeast estuary of the USA: how storms impact nutrients, multiple trophic levels and hypoxia
No full textWe explore how anomalously strong winter storms, superposed with managed nitrogen reduction, impacted the 2010 and 2018 spring blooms in the Narragansett Bay (41.62° N, 71.35° W). Anomalously strong winter storms preceding spring of 2010 and 2018 increased annual nutrient inputs above the long-term average annual values for the year, causing a large phytoplankton bloom in spring 2010 and a massive winter-spring bloom in 2018. Flooding from the stronger storm in 2010 caused a smaller increase in primary productivity than the smaller storms prior to spring 2018, probably due to increased flushing rates during the 2010 storm. Neither storm enhanced hypoxia the following summer. During both summers, hypoxia was typical of minimal-hypoxia years, indicating that managed nitrogen reduction which is strongest during summer, remained adequate even in the aftermath of organic inputs from large storms during the colder months. Additionally, some commercially fished species appeared to increase after the storm events. Storm nutrient impacts on commercial species suggest that increasing nitrogen inputs from treatment facilities in colder months might enhance Bay fisheries for squid and hard clam without diminishing summer water quality