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1 – 10 of over 8000
Article
Publication date: 30 October 2023

Yonghwan Kim

This study examined how likeminded Facebook comments with incivility and without supporting evidence influence readers' evaluations of the commenter and online political…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examined how likeminded Facebook comments with incivility and without supporting evidence influence readers' evaluations of the commenter and online political participation intention. This study also investigated whether the indirect effect of exposure to uncivil comments and comments without evidence on online political participation through evaluations of the commenters is contingent on the strength of partisanship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a 2 (uncivil comments vs civil comments) × 2 (comments without supporting evidence vs comments with supporting evidence) factorial design with a scenario about reading similar viewpoints about the gun control issue in Facebook comments.

Findings

The results showed that compared to exposure to civil agreeing comments, exposure to uncivil likeminded comments resulted in higher levels of negative evaluations of the commenters, which in turn decreased willingness to participate in political activities online. Exposure to comments without evidence led to more negative evaluations of the commenters, but it did not significantly influence online political participation. In addition, the strength of partisanship did not significantly moderate the indirect effect of exposure to uncivil comments and comments without evidence on online political participation through evaluations of the commenters.

Originality/value

Although previous studies have demonstrated the significant effects of incivility and reasoned argument, little is known about whether and how people evaluate ingroup members' comments that are uncivil and lacking reasoned arguments. Most of these studies have examined incivility in political contexts, but few have extended the context to the effect of likeminded comments, especially when the comments are uncivil and lack supporting evidence. The current study aims to fill this gap in the literature.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 48 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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Article
Publication date: 22 November 2023

Atousa Noei and Mohammad Akbari

In online shopping, there is often a risk due to the inability to check the products. As a result, it can reduce the impact of factors affecting the intention to buy online, which…

Abstract

Purpose

In online shopping, there is often a risk due to the inability to check the products. As a result, it can reduce the impact of factors affecting the intention to buy online, which is a significant point in e-commerce. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the evidence and the perceived usefulness of a store site on the existing risk and online participation of customers for online shopping.

Design/methodology/approach

The statistical population of this research is people who have had the experience of online shopping at the Digikala store. The research method was descriptive-survey and the samples were randomly selected. A questionnaire was also used to collect information. Structural and statistical analysis of the model was done by SmartPLS3 software.

Findings

In this research, the authors found that the perceived usefulness (benefits of the site) has a favorable effect on the online participation of customers. It can also reduce the risk of online shopping. This research suggests good ways to increase sales to those who have a store site. The present research provides useful findings for those who sell their products online.

Originality/value

This research specifically examines the interaction of customers with sellers and can be a help for progress in e-commerce. In this study, perceived risk and participation as mediating variables, information and perceived usefulness on the site as independent variables and online shopping intention a dependent variables. This research was done about Digikala's online store. The results were obtained with the participation of customers in completing the questionnaire. Then the theoretical model and the background of the research are examined and then the hypotheses are evaluated according to the statistical results and finally, the research results and limitations are stated.

Details

Journal of Contemporary Marketing Science, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2516-7480

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2023

Manyang Zhang, Han Yang, Zhijun Yan and Lin Jia

Doctor–medical institution collaboration (DMIC) services are an emerging service mode in focal online health communities (OHCs). This new service mode is anticipated to affect…

Abstract

Purpose

Doctor–medical institution collaboration (DMIC) services are an emerging service mode in focal online health communities (OHCs). This new service mode is anticipated to affect user satisfaction and doctors' engagement behaviors. However, whether and how DMIC occurs is still ambiguous because the topic is rarely examined. To bridge this gap, this study explores doctors' participation in DMIC services and its effects on their online performance, as well as its effect on patients' evaluation of them on OHC platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose hypotheses based on structural holes theory. A unique dataset obtained from one of the most popular OHCs in China is used to test the hypotheses, and difference-in-differences estimation is adopted to test the causality of the relationship.

Findings

The results demonstrate that providing DMIC services improves doctors' online consultation performance and patients' evaluations of them but has no significant effect on doctors' knowledge-sharing performance on OHC platforms. Doctors' knowledge-sharing performance and consultation performance mediate the relationship between participation in DMIC services and patients' evaluation of doctors. Regarding doctors' participation in DMIC services, its impact on doctors' consultation performance and patients' evaluation of them is weaker for doctors with higher professional titles than for doctors with lower professional titles.

Originality/value

The findings clarify the value creation mechanisms of online collaboration between doctors and medical institutions and thereafter facilitate doctors' participation in DMIC services and enhance the sustainable development of OHCs.

Details

Internet Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2023

Andrea Szabó and András Déri

Political participation of young people has been examined, but there is a lack of research about how these participation forms are interpreted and what counts as participation for…

Abstract

Purpose

Political participation of young people has been examined, but there is a lack of research about how these participation forms are interpreted and what counts as participation for young people. The study aims to identify discourses of political participation in Hungary, where the COVID-19 restrictions during 2020–2021 have confined young people's everyday interactions and political activism to the online space for an extended period. The authors’ asteroid-effect hypothesis suggests that new discourses of political participation have become more widespread, which may have reinterpreted the previous dynamics between online and offline participation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyse the results of six focus groups and eight interviews with young people conducted between 2021–2022 through discourse analysis.

Findings

The qualitative results show that to intellectualise the everyday discourses of youth political participation, extending its classical theories is worthwhile. While online participation has not emerged as a paramount, positive interpretational framework, a new discourse of political participation has emerged, making conversation a fundamental act.

Originality/value

While the results are limited to Hungarian youth, the strong appearance of participation as a communicative action can have consequences to theoretical approaches of political participation. The authors believe that COVID-19 restrictions had a significant role in this change, because family talks became more politicised.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 January 2024

Mamta Sharma, Taruna Dubey and Hardeep Chahal

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to examine the influence of the quality of online classes on student satisfaction and student loyalty; second, to explore the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to examine the influence of the quality of online classes on student satisfaction and student loyalty; second, to explore the mediating role of student participation between online classes and student satisfaction; third, to examine the mediating role of student satisfaction between online classes and student loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data is collected from the postgraduate students in Jammu and Kashmir, India. A descriptive research design was applied to collect the primary data via Google questionnaire with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind to maintain social distance.

Findings

The result reveals that online classes and student participation positively affect student satisfaction. Student participation is a partial mediator between online classes and student satisfaction, with 0.393 Variance Accounted For (VAF). In comparison, it is a full mediator between online classes and student loyalty with 0.96 VAF.

Research limitations/implications

The current study was restricted to postgraduate students, while future research could include research scholars, graduate students, and others. Only government institutions in Jammu and Kashmir were employed for the present study. The study may eventually be expanded to include private universities and more states.

Practical implications

The suggested approach can help teachers, students, policymakers and administrators. The study emphasizes the crucial elements of student engagement and happiness, which must be prioritized to improve online teaching and learning effectiveness and win over students' loyalty.

Originality/value

The study tested the conceptual framework of an integrated approach connecting online classes, student participation, student satisfaction and student loyalty. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, as it was the need of the hour to come out of such a crisis in the future. The present study can also provide a roadmap for transformation from physical to virtual classrooms.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2024

Xiang Gong, Zhenxin Xiao, Xiaoxiao Liu and Matthew K.O. Lee

Active participation is critical to the survival and development of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game community. However, this issue has not received much attention…

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Abstract

Purpose

Active participation is critical to the survival and development of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game community. However, this issue has not received much attention in the information systems literature. To address this issue, we develop a tripartite model that accounts for the roles of behavioral dedication, constraint, obligation mechanisms on active participation in the MOBA community.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model is empirically validated by online survey data among 971 users of a popular MOBA community.

Findings

The results show that perceived enjoyment, perceived escapism, and affective commitment are key behavioral dedication factors, which further promote active participation in the MOBA community. In addition, past investment, self-efficacy for change, and calculative commitment are important behavioral constraint factors, which ultimately influence active participation in the MOBA community. Finally, subjective norm, group norm, social identity, and normative commitment are influential behavioral obligation factors, which in turn facilitate active participation in the MOBA community.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of active participation in the MOBA community and offers practical guidance for promoting active participation in the community.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 February 2023

Min Qin, Wei Zhu, Jinxia Pan, Shuqin Li and Shanshan Qiu

Enterprises build online product community to expect users to contribute: opinion sharing (content contribution) and product consumption (product contribution). Previous…

Abstract

Purpose

Enterprises build online product community to expect users to contribute: opinion sharing (content contribution) and product consumption (product contribution). Previous literature rarely focused on both. The purpose of this paper is to explain user contribution mechanism by identifying content contribution and product contribution.

Design/methodology/approach

This research chose Xiaomi-hosted online product community (bbs.xiaomi.cn) and Huawei-hosted online product community (club.huawei.com) where users can freely share ideas and buy products at the same time. Data were crawled from 109,665 community users to construct dependent variable measurement, and 611 questionnaires were used to verify research hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that both cognitive needs and personal integration needs have a significant positive impact on browse behavior; social integration needs and hedonic needs have a significant positive impact on content contribution behavior. Browse behavior not only directly affects but also indirectly influences product contribution through content contribution behavior.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this research provide community managers with useful insights into the relationship between content contribution and product contribution.

Originality/value

This study explains the formation mechanism of user product contribution and reveals the relationship between user content contribution and product contribution in online product community. This paper provides a different way of theorizing user contributions by incorporating uses and gratifications theory into the “Motivation-Behavior-Result” framework.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 76 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2024

Hyunseok Song, Kevin K. Byon and Paul M. Pedersen

To extend research into sport consumer behaviors related to online sports betting, this study is designed to identify and examine the relationship between online sports betting…

Abstract

Purpose

To extend research into sport consumer behaviors related to online sports betting, this study is designed to identify and examine the relationship between online sports betting motivations and online sports betting intentions. By applying a push-pull framework from online sport consumption and gambling studies, nine motivations to engage in online sports betting were identified. These motivations were hypothesized to motivate online sports betting intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A quota sampling technique based on the sports bettor demographics available in the American Gaming Association (AGA, 2019) and the Pew Research Center (2022) obtained a total of 550 completed surveys that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. For data analyses, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to examine the measurement model and the hypothesized model, respectively.

Findings

The results revealed that four motivations (i.e. monetary gain, excitement, convenience and negative technology-readiness) were related to online sports betting intention, while five motivations (i.e. sport fandom, positive technology-readiness, impulsivity, socialization and promotion) were not.

Originality/value

The results provide foundational theoretical knowledge of what motivates sports fans to participate in online sports betting. Furthermore, the findings assist practitioners in their allocation of resources by enhancing their understanding of online sports betting motivations.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2024

İrem Buran, Şenay Sabah and Akin Koçak

This study aims to investigate the impact of online collective feminist actions on social media participation and the perceived value of social media as part of the social…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of online collective feminist actions on social media participation and the perceived value of social media as part of the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA).

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methodology is used. Within the SIMCA model in the context of feminist collective actions, social identity, group-efficacy and fear predicted the intention of online collective action participation in the first part (quantitative) of the study. Contrary to predictions, the influence of anger on the intention to participate in collective action was negative. In-depth interviews are conducted in the study’s second (qualitative) part to investigate why individuals do not participate in collective actions despite their anger at violence against women.

Findings

The concept of online feminist collective action, from the perspective of the SIMCA model, deals with violence against women in the context of social marketing, revealing the importance of online collective actions as an antecedent of social media participation and the perceived value of social media. The possible causes of the negative impact of anger, which is an important emotion within the framework of the SIMCA model, on online feminist collective action were determined, and a contribution was made to the social marketing literature in the context of women’s rights.

Originality/value

The study makes three major contributions to the literature. First, women’s rights are addressed in the context of online collective action, an issue that has received little attention in social marketing. Second, in the context of the social identity theory of collective action, online collective feminist action and its predecessors are addressed. Finally, the Turkish case is used to highlight the probable causes of anger’s negative impact on collective action.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2024

Nguyen Khanh Doanh

This study analyzes whether farmers' incomes increase as they participate in online groups.

Abstract

Purpose

This study analyzes whether farmers' incomes increase as they participate in online groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzed interview data from 673 farming households in three mountainous provinces of northern Vietnam, utilizing the propensity score matching (PSM) method.

Findings

The empirical results reveal that farmers participating in online groups, particularly those engaged in 1–3 groups, experience an increase in their income attributed to the three advantages of sharing-accessing-saving (SAS) information. Farming households engaged in online groups earn higher incomes, ranging from equivalent to 25.78 to 26.96 USD, in comparison to those who do not participate. Notably, farmers participating in 1–3 online groups outpace their counterparts in 4–5 groups in terms of income.

Research limitations/implications

This study exclusively focuses on examining farmers' total income derived from all their agricultural activities and does not quantify the specific impact of online group participation on the income generated by each product. Furthermore, it is important to note that the PSM method has the potential to introduce bias due to unobserved factors, such as social networks and local culture. Consequently, future research should prioritize the segmentation of income from individual agricultural products, distinct from the overall income, to gain a more nuanced understanding of each product’s sensitivity to information exchanged in online groups. Simultaneously, accounting for unobserved factors is crucial to obtain unbiased estimates.

Originality/value

This study represents the inaugural exploration into the comparison of farmers' incomes within a novel context – participation in digital-based groups. Furthermore, it extends the inquiry by delving into the correlation between the number of online groups joined and farmers' income. The empirical findings indicate that farmers may benefit the most by limiting their participation to a select few groups that align with their information needs and analytical abilities.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

Keywords

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