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Article
Publication date: 5 January 2024

Zizhong Zhang

Hair loss is often overlooked but psychologically challenging. However, the emergence of online health communities provides opportunities for hair loss patients to seek social…

Abstract

Purpose

Hair loss is often overlooked but psychologically challenging. However, the emergence of online health communities provides opportunities for hair loss patients to seek social support through self-disclosure. Nevertheless, not all disclosures receive the desired support. This research explores what patients disclose within the community and how their health narrative (content, form and linguistic style) regarding self-disclosure influences the social support they receive.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigated a 13-year-old online support group for Chinese hair loss patients with nearly 240,000 members. Using structural topic modeling, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, and a negative binomial model, the research analyzed the content of self-disclosure and the interrelationships between social support and three narrative dimensions of self-disclosure.

Findings

Self-disclosures are classified into 14 topics, grouped under analytical, informative and emotional categories. Emotion-related self-disclosures, whether in content or effective word use, receive deeper social support. Longer and image-rich posts attract more support in quantity, but not necessarily in quality, while cognitive words have a limited impact.

Originality/value

This study addresses the previously overlooked population of hair loss patients within online health communities. It employs a more comprehensive health narrative framework to explore the relationship between self-disclosure and social support, utilizing unsupervised structural topic modeling methods to mine text. The research offers practical implications for how patients seek support and for healthcare professionals in developing doctor-patient communication strategies.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2023

Zheshi Bao and Yun Zhu

Online reviews derived from peer communications have been increasingly viewed as an important approach for consumers to gather pre-purchase information. This study aims to examine…

Abstract

Purpose

Online reviews derived from peer communications have been increasingly viewed as an important approach for consumers to gather pre-purchase information. This study aims to examine factors affecting online reviews adoption in social network communities and then indicates the underlying mechanism of this process based on an extended information adoption model (IAM).

Design/methodology/approach

Using the data collected from 242 users of a social network community via an online survey, the proposed model is empirically assessed by partial least squares-based structural equation model (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results show that both perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity are drivers of online reviews adoption in social network communities. Meanwhile, community identification is not only an antecedent of diagnosticity and serendipity perceived by community members, but also motivates source credibility which, in turn, positively influences argument quality. Finally, the importance of argument quality and source credibility in reviews adoption process is also presented.

Originality/value

This study extends the IAM and enriches the literature regarding online reviews adoption. It deepens the understanding of serendipitous experiences and community identification in social networking context by addressing their important roles in the authors' extended IAM.

Details

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2022

Li Cheng, Gege Fang, Xiaoxue Zhang, Yuxiang Lv and Lingxuan Liu

This research aims to discover the relationship between social media usage (SMU) and the critical thinking ability (CTA) of university students, and to answer the question that…

1536

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to discover the relationship between social media usage (SMU) and the critical thinking ability (CTA) of university students, and to answer the question that whether social media dependence (SMD) affects the development of CTA, and thus providing a reference for the social media access strategy of academic libraries from the perspective of media information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The research data were collected via 300 valid questionnaires whose respondents are students from three universities in China. Multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select the respondents, which guarantees statistical representativeness. A pre-test was conducted to ensure the validity of the questionnaire.

Findings

It is shown that the total score of CTA and the six sub-dimensions are significantly positively correlated with SMU, but strongly negatively correlated with SMD. Based on the mediating effect testing, it is discovered that the degree of SMD can affect the promoting relations between the usage intensity of social media (UISM) and CTA. Clearly, SMU is a double-edged sword. While it narrows the digital gap in terms of accessibility, it widens the digital gap in terms of usage.

Originality/value

The differences in SMU have a significant impact on the development of CTA of university students. This inspires us to consider the ability of “using social media in a balanced way” as an important evaluation and training direction when inquiring media literacy. As social media is becoming a critical channel in cultivating individual's thinking skills, it is highly suggested that the amount of time spent on reading fragmented information on the internet should be controlled.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Xizhu Xiao and Wenyuan Yang

While much research has examined the effect of media literacy in combatting misinformation, whether and to what extent news media literacy influences misinformation-related…

Abstract

Purpose

While much research has examined the effect of media literacy in combatting misinformation, whether and to what extent news media literacy influences misinformation-related behaviors (i.e. misinformation sharing, misinformation correction) and the mediating effect of news media skepticism in the process remain less explored. Moreover, this line of research has extensively focused on a polarized information context (e.g. the USA) with less attention to a context where news information is more regulated and centralized. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a survey study of 720 Chinese adults.

Findings

This study reveals that greater new media literacy predicts higher misinformation correction behaviors, but fails to predict caution in sharing misinformation. Findings further demonstrate a nuanced mediating effect of news media skepticism that challenges previous assertions about its protective role. That is, higher news media literacy is associated with lower news media skepticism; lower skepticism is in turn related to lower misinformation sharing and greater misinformation correction.

Originality/value

The current study integrates news media literacy and news media skepticism in understanding misinformation-related behaviors. Findings generally speak to the tangible benefits of news media literacy in helping motivate corrective actions among the general public. However, this study also strikes a cautious note that future investigations of news media skepticism would benefit from a cultural perspective. Its connections with perceptions and effects on behaviors could vary according to different types of media and political landscapes.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2023-0172

Details

Online Information Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 January 2024

Syed Aasif Ahmad Andrabi and Fayaz Ahmad Loan

The purpose of this study is to apply altmetrics and bibliometric indicators on the top 100 most mentioned articles published related to the sustainable development goal (SDG)-13…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to apply altmetrics and bibliometric indicators on the top 100 most mentioned articles published related to the sustainable development goal (SDG)-13, Climate Action.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used the Altmetric Explorer’s SDGs filter to extract the most mentioned articles belonging to Climate Action and their other characteristics, such as DOI, titles, tools mentioning them and their demographic descriptions. The same set of papers was searched in the Dimensions database to extract them in the format importable in R-studio to check the distribution of papers across various journals and identify their subject category, countries and institutions publishing these papers. Further, SPSS was used to check the correlation between altmetric attention score (AAS) and citations.

Findings

The results of the paper showed the mean of AAS and the citations received by the articles was 3,556.35 and 304.04, respectively. Twitter has been the most used social media platform for mentioning the research related to climate action, covering 88.1% of the total mentions. The Twitter and the News mention demographics show the USA contributing the most tweet mentions (15.2%) as well as news mentions (57.65%) to the papers. Also, the USA has solely published 49 papers from the total papers selected for the study. The papers were published in 31 journals most of them belonging to the quartile first (Q1) category and primarily belonged to the subject category “Earth Sciences.” Pearson’s correlational method showed a significant but low positive correlation between AAS and citation counts (r = 0.365, p = <0.001) and a strong positive correlation between the citations and Mendeley readership counts (r = 0.907).

Originality/value

The research is original in nature and discovered very interesting results about climate action using altmetric and bibliometric techniques.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Sudarsan Desul, Rabindra Kumar Mahapatra, Raj Kishore Patra, Mrutyunjay Sethy and Neha Pandey

The purpose of this study is to review the application of semantic technologies in cultural heritage (STCH) to achieve interoperability and enable advanced applications like 3D…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review the application of semantic technologies in cultural heritage (STCH) to achieve interoperability and enable advanced applications like 3D modeling and augmented reality by enhancing the understanding and appreciation of CH. The study aims to identify the trends and patterns in using STCH and provide insights for scholars and policymakers on future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

This research paper uses a bibliometric study to analyze the articles published in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS)-indexed journals from 1999 to 2022 on STCH. A total of 580 articles were analyzed using the Biblioshiny package in RStudio.

Findings

The study reveals a substantial increase in STCH publications since 2008, with Italy leading in contributions. Key research areas such as ontologies, semantic Web, linked data and digital humanities are extensively explored, highlighting their significance and characteristics within the STCH research domain.

Research limitations/implications

This study only analyzed articles published in Scopus and WoS-indexed journals in the English language. Further research could include articles published in other languages and non-indexed journals.

Originality/value

This study extensively analyses the research published on STCH over the past 23 years, identifying the leading authors, institutions, countries and top research topics. The findings provide guidelines for future research direction and contribute to the literature on promoting, preserving and managing the CH globally.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

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. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2024

Rafael Borim-de-Souza, Yasmin Shawani Fernandes, Pablo Henrique Paschoal Capucho, Bárbara Galleli and João Gabriel Dias dos Santos

This paper aims to analyze what Samarco and Brazilian magazines speak and say about Mariana’s environmental crime. Discover their doxa in this subject. Interpret the speakings…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze what Samarco and Brazilian magazines speak and say about Mariana’s environmental crime. Discover their doxa in this subject. Interpret the speakings, sayings and doxas through the theories of the treadmills of production, crime and law.

Design/methodology/approach

It is a qualitative and documental research and a narrative analysis. Regarding the documents: 45 were from public authorities, 14 from Samarco Mineração S.A. and 73 from Brazilian magazines. Theoretically, the authors resorted to Bourdieusian sociology (speaking, saying and doxa) and the treadmills of production, crime and law theories.

Findings

Samarco: speaking – mission statements; saying – detailed information and economic and financial concerns; doxa – assistance discourse. Brazilian magazines: speaking – external agents; saying – agreements; doxa – attribution, aggravations, historical facts, impacts and protests.

Research limitations/implications

The absence of discussions that addressed this fatality, with its respective consequences, from an agenda that exposed and denounced how it exacerbated race, class and gender inequalities.

Practical implications

Regarding Mariana’s environmental crime: Samarco Mineração S.A. speaks and says through the treadmill of production theory and supports its doxa through the treadmill of crime theory, and Brazilian magazines speak and say through the treadmill of law theory and support their doxa through the treadmill of crime theory.

Social implications

To provoke reflections on the relationship between the mining companies and the communities where they settle to develop their productive activities.

Originality/value

Concerning environmental crime in perspective, submit it to a theoretical interpretation based on sociological references, approach it in a debate linked to environmental criminology, and describe it through narratives exposed by the guilty company and by Brazilian magazines with high circulation.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2024

Wei Wang, Haiwang Liu and Yenchun Jim Wu

This study aims to examine the influence of reward personalization on financing outcomes in the Industry 5.0 era, where reward-based crowdfunding meets the personalized needs of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the influence of reward personalization on financing outcomes in the Industry 5.0 era, where reward-based crowdfunding meets the personalized needs of individuals.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes a corpus of 218,822 crowdfunding projects and 1,276,786 reward options on Kickstarter to investigate the effect of reward personalization on investors’ willingness to participate in crowdfunding. The research draws on expectancy theory and employs quantitative and qualitative approaches to measure reward personalization. Quantitatively, the number of reward options is calculated by frequency; whereas text-mining techniques are implemented qualitatively to extract novelty, which serves as a proxy for innovation.

Findings

Findings indicate that reward personalization has an inverted U-shaped effect on investors’ willingness to participate, with investors in life-related projects having a stronger need for reward personalization than those interested in art-related projects. The pledge goal and reward text readability have an inverted U-shaped moderating effect on reward personalization from the perspective of reward expectations and reward instrumentality.

Originality/value

This study refines the application of expectancy theory to online financing, providing theoretical insight and practical guidance for crowdfunding platforms and financiers seeking to promote sustainable development through personalized innovation.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2023

Neha Pandey, Sudarsan Desul, Raj Kishore Patra and Mrutyunjay Sethy

Menstruation poses psycho-physiological challenges globally due to a lack of awareness, unhygienic practices and social stigma. This paper aims to assess the existing body of…

Abstract

Purpose

Menstruation poses psycho-physiological challenges globally due to a lack of awareness, unhygienic practices and social stigma. This paper aims to assess the existing body of research on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on seminal works published in the Scopus Database from 1946 to 2023 for extensive bibliometric analysis, involving 756 bibliographic records analyzed through Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software. The authors use thematic analysis to identify core research themes and sub-themes, coupled with a critical review of the most highly cited articles within each thematic category.

Findings

The research into MHH has consistently grown since 2010, with a notable surge in the past five years. Among all countries, the USA emerges as the most active contributor, boasting the highest number of publications and citations. In terms of organizations, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine takes the lead with 54 articles. Further, PLOS ONE and Waterlines were the most productive and influential journals, respectively. The thematic analysis identifies key research foci, including tampons, menstrual health, sanitation, hygiene and bleeding.

Research limitations/implications

Further research could be initiated in areas of menstrual education and awareness, menstrual product safety and effectiveness and menstrual disorders and treatments to address the concerns especially encountered by women from developing countries.

Originality/value

This research provides a comprehensive analysis of 77 years of MHH research, offering valuable insights into key areas of concern and guiding future research directions, ultimately addressing critical global health challenges.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

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