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Misperceptions hinder our ability to effectively respond to health crises such as the COVID-19. We aimed to examine the dynamic influences between information exposure, information trust and misperceptions during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we focused on the relative influence of exposure to COVID-19-related information via social media versus interpersonal offline communication.

The current study conducted a two-wave national survey of US adults in May and June of 2020 with a two-week time interval. A professional polling firm recruited participants, and 911 and 679 respondents participated in the first and the second wave survey, respectively. To test proposed hypotheses, researchers conducted path analyses using AMOS 27.0.

Findings show that individuals exposed to COVID-19-related information via social media are likely to hold increased misperceptions. In contrast, exposure to COVID-19-related information offline did not elicit any effects on misperceptions. The exposure to information on social media was positively associated with trust in that information, which, in turn, contributed to an increase in misperceptions. Furthermore, when examining the effects of misperception, it was found that misperceptions increased the likelihood of individuals being exposed to and having trust in COVID-19-related information on social media. The findings provide valuable insights into the role of social media as a platform where a detrimental cycle thrives, shaping the formation of misperceptions and cultivating a heightened dependence among individuals with elevated misperceptions.

The current study significantly extends the findings of prior research by examining the differential effects of social media and interpersonal communication offline on misperception and by revealing the intricate dynamics between information exposure and misperception by focusing on the role of trust. The findings emphasize the detrimental role of social media in generating a vicious information cycle. That said, seemingly superficial discussions about health crises within a social media environment rich in misinformation can contribute to fueling a self-reinforcing loop, making it challenging to effectively counteract misperceptions.

Research into older adults' use of social media remains limited. Driven by increasing digitalisation in China, the authors focus on Chinese older adults (aged 60–75)’ use of WeChat.

This study used a qualitative interpretive approach and interviewed Chinese older adults to uncover their social practices of WeChat use in everyday life.

By using social practice theory (SPT), the paper unfolds Chinese older adults' social practices of WeChat use in everyday life and reveals how they adopt and resist the drastic changes in Chinese society.

The study contributes to new understandings of SPT from technology use by emphasising the dynamic characteristics of its three elements. The authors synthesise both adoptions and resistance in SPT and highlight the importance of understanding three elements interdependently within specific contexts, which are conditioned by structure and agency.

As an unhealthy dependence on social media platforms, social media addiction (SMA) has become increasingly commonplace in the digital era. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of SMA research and develop a theoretical model that explains how different types of factors contribute to SMA.

Considering the nascent nature of this research area, this study conducted a systematic review to synthesize the burgeoning literature examining influencing factors of SMA. Based on a comprehensive literature search and screening process, 84 articles were included in the final sample.

Analyses showed that antecedents of SMA can be classified into three conceptual levels: individual, environmental and platform. The authors further proposed a theoretical framework to explain the underlying mechanisms behind the relationships amongst different types of variables.

The contributions of this review are two-fold. First, it used a systematic and rigorous approach to summarize the empirical landscape of SMA research, providing theoretical insights and future research directions in this area. Second, the findings could help social media service providers and health professionals propose relevant intervention strategies to mitigate SMA.

Informal learning networks are critical to response to calls for practitioners to reskill and upskill in off-site construction projects. With the transition to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social media-enabled online knowledge communities play an increasingly important role in acquiring and disseminating off-site construction knowledge. Proximity has been identified as a key factor in facilitating interactive learning, yet which type of proximity is effective in promoting online and offline knowledge exchange remains unclear. This study takes a relational view to explore the proximity-related antecedents of online and offline learning networks in off-site construction projects, while also examining the subtle differences in the networks' structural patterns.

Five types of proximity (physical, organizational, social, cognitive and personal) between projects members are conceptualized in the theoretical model. Drawing on social foci theory and homophily theory, the research hypotheses are proposed. To test these hypotheses, empirical case studies were conducted on two off-site construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Valid relational data provided by 99 and 145 project members were collected using semi-structured interviews and sociometric questionnaires. Subsequently, multivariate exponential random graph models were developed.

The results show a discrepancy arise in the structural patterns between online and offline learning networks. Offline learning is found to be more strongly influenced by proximity factors than online learning. Specifically, physical, organizational and social proximity are found to be significant predictors of offline knowledge exchange. Cognitive proximity has a negative relationship with offline knowledge exchange but is positively related to online knowledge exchange. Regarding personal proximity, the study found that the homophily effect of hierarchical status merely emerges in offline learning networks. Online knowledge communities amplify the receiver effect of tenure. Furthermore, there appears to be a complementary relationship between online and offline learning networks.

Proximity offers a novel relational perspective for understanding the formation of knowledge exchange connections. This study enriches the literature on informal learning within project teams by revealing how different types of proximity shape learning networks across different channels in off-site construction projects.

The existing hospitality and tourism literature indicates a discrepancy in the findings related to the socio-demographic variables' impact on hotel employees' socio-emotional factors and behavioral outcomes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of this topic.

Using a questionnaire, primary data were gathered from hotel employees in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India from February to June 2022. A total of 416 valid responses collected through offline mode were used in the data analysis. Multiple linear regressions were done using SPSS V.29.

The findings show that the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents significantly affect socio-emotional factors at work as well as interpersonal deviance and organizational deviance.

Policymakers and hotel managers can implement training and development programs that assist hotel employees with diversified socio-demographic attributes in handling stress, developing their emotional intelligence and minimizing workplace deviance. The study also provides hotel managers with actional recommendations to reduce work–family conflict, social disparity among employees and their emotional exhaustion.

The study adds to the literature with a comprehensive framework regarding the role of various socio-demographic traits in fostering interpersonal deviance, organizational deviance and socio-emotional factors at work.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2023-0304

In this study, we drew on the theories of social exchange and social learning and hypothesized that the online social capital (SC) and offline SC of social networking affect the online self-disclosure (OSD) of individuals through social self-efficacy (SSE).

After retrieving 514 valid questionnaires, we used structural equation modeling to analyze the data.

The results indicated that the users’ SSE affected their OSD, and that both online and offline bridging and bonding SC increased their SSE. However, online bonding SC directly affected their OSD, whereas online bridging SC did not considerably affect their OSD. Given these findings, we presented both theoretical and practical implications to elucidate SSE and OSD behavior from the perspective of online and offline bridging and bonding SC.

In this study, we drew on theories of social exchange and social learning to examine the effects of online and offline bridging and bonding SC on users’ SSE and OSD on SNSs. Given the importance of SC and SSE in social relationships and the effects of OSD on SNSs, our goal was to provide SNS marketers with a thorough understanding of how to facilitate SSE and OSD from the perspective of online and offline bridging and bonding SC.

Traditional payment systems based on cash and bank cards are being replaced by new innovative formats. This research analyzes the success factors in the adoption by customers of Bizum, a peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payment system widely used in Spain. This study proposes a theoretical framework based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model and includes the analysis of the moderating effect of perceived risk and the mediating effect of perceived trust.

To achieve the proposed objectives, an online questionnaire was administered to 701 Spanish smartphone users, potential users of the proposed P2P payment systems.

The results show that perceived usefulness is the most important predictor of intention to use. Additionally, a medium predictive relevance performance of the proposed model is found.

This research contributes to a more holistic understanding of the adoption of P2P payment systems and provides new business opportunities that companies can exploit through the use of this technology.

以現金和銀行卡為基礎的傳統支付系統、正被嶄新而又富創意的模式取代。本研究擬分析驅使消費者使用Bizum的成功因素 (Bizum 是一個在西班牙得到廣泛使用的P2P移動支付系統) 。本研究以刺激-有機體-反應模型為基礎, 建議了一個概念框架;研究亦擬分析感知風險的調節作用, 以及感知信任的中介效應。

為達研究目標, 研究人員處理了701名西班牙智慧型手機使用者回答的網上問卷, 這些使用者是本研究提出的P2P支付系統的潛在用戶。

研究結果顯示、感知有用性是消費者會否使用P2P支付系統最重要的預測因素。研究結果亦顯示、本研究建議的概念框架的預測能力水平屬中等。

本研究使我們對驅使消費者使用P2P支付系統的因素更全面地了解;研究也使企業可透過使用這技術, 為自己創造新的商機。

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap by researching the direct effects of media and personal characteristics on online participation in climate change, indirect effects when mediated by interpersonal communication and personal characteristics as predictors of media communications as sources of information about climate change.

A structured questionnaire is distributed to collect data about the uses of communication sources and online responses toward climate change by using a quota sampling technique. The structural equation modeling by using Smart PLS 4 is used to explore the effects’ size.

Small levels of direct and indirect effects are found. Direct effects are found in online newspapers, YouTube, television news, personal relevance toward climate change and political interest in online participation in climate change. Indirect effects are found of WhatsApp on online climate participation through interpersonal communication. Personal relevance toward climate change has motivated respondents to take information about climate change from Facebook. Climate skepticism is found among respondents who have received information from television news/talk shows, printed newspapers and WhatsApp.

University teachers in Pakistan will have to work on educational strategies to increase the knowledge of university students about energy generation through carbon and renewable energy sources.

The results of this study highlight the communicative-cultural dimensions of online discourse about climate change in the context of the less-researched country of Pakistan. This is the first study of researchers’ knowledge that comprehensively defines the digital media ecology in the context of climate change considering Pakistan.

This study aims to understand the reasons for individuals switching from traditional banks to Internet-only banks and examine how switching intentions differ between Generation X and Generation Z. Notably, Generation Z, being digital natives, exhibits distinct characteristics compared to Generation X, who often referred to as digital immigrants. Given the technology-driven nature of Internet-only banks, a multi-group analysis between these two generations was conducted.

This study utilizes Bansal’s push–pull–mooring model as a framework to analyze switching intention. The study collected survey data from 383 Korean participants, consisting of 198 participants from Generation Z and 185 participants from Generation X.

The findings indicate that low satisfaction and discomfort are factors that push people to leave traditional banks. Specifically, Generation Z shows a significantly higher inclination to leave traditional banks due to discomfort. On the other hand, relative advantage, compatibility, observability and trialability are factors that pull people to switch to Internet-only banks. Generation X is more likely to consider adopting Internet-only banks when compatibility is high and complexity is low.

This study is the first to explore unique motivators for Generation Z, such as their discomfort with interpersonal interactions in the retail banking sector. These findings challenge earlier research emphasizing human interaction’s importance in technology adoption, offering insights into their future adoption of contactless services.

People's socializing behavior in social networking services (SNS) presents dramatically different features, forming differentiated online social interaction patterns (DOSIP) in SNS. This study aims to explore the relationships between users' multidimensional psychological needs and multiple social interaction patterns in SNS.

Based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and use and gratifications (U&G) theory, the authors develop the research model to examine the effects of psychological needs on DOSIP. A survey is used to collect the data of SNS users' social interaction. The authors adopt structural equation modeling–neural network (SEM-NN) integrated method to examine the research model.

Need to belong, need for self-esteem, need for social contact, need for emotional expression, need for cognition, and need for external-esteem have significant influences on both active and passive social interactions respectively.

Based on the categorization of DOSIP into six types in terms of the level of activity and disclosure of social interaction, the authors construct an integrated research model of multidimensional psychological needs to multiple social interaction patterns, and validate the antecedents of DOSIP from the perspective of psychological needs.