The Journal of Social Media in Society

How do consumers engage with sustainability?

Danielle Sponder Testa — 2023-12-31

This study explored consumer engagement with sustainable fashion brands (SFB), sustainably aware fashion brands (SAB), and traditional fashion brands (TAB) across visually-based (Instagram) and text-based (Twitter) social media platforms. A mixed methods approach was utilized including qualitative content analysis for classification of social media posts and multiple regression analysis for hypothesis testing. Results demonstrated that themes impacted consumer engagement via likes and comments in dissimilar manners. For instance, sustainable post significantly affected consumer engagement at the α = .05 level through visual medium but not through text-based medium. Further, the visually-based and text-based platform significantly moderated post theme and consumer engagement. As new social media platforms emerge and sustainability is woven into the threads of the fashion system, insights may be utilized by academicians and practitioners to build lasting relationships with consumers.

The overlooked role of social norms in problematic smartphone usage

Tasnim Farzana — 2023-12-31

Objective: Smartphones have provided many benefits for society, but these benefits have come at some cost. Researchers have identified a number of problematic smartphone usage (PSU) behaviors associated with greater impulsiveness and excessive reassurance seeking, particularly among younger people, women, and minoritized groups. Here, we sought to extend this research by (1) examining whether these findings replicate in slightly older demographic groups, (2) determine whether perceived social norms are a substantial driver of PSU, and (3) confirm that using smartphones specifically for social media is associated with PSU. Method: We conducted an online survey on 183 participants recruited through Prolific. The participants in the present study were significantly older (by about 9 years) compared to a previous study. Results: Previous findings were replicated on our older sample. Perceived social norms regarding smartphone use had a large association with PSU. We found that using one’s smartphone primarily for TikTok (rather than social media or streaming more generally) was associated with greater PSU. We found no evidence that PSU is linked with depression. Nor did we find evidence that the relationship between age and PSU is mediated by age-related decreases in impulse control, as previous researchers had theorized.

Online ranking system effects on perceived fairness

Tyler Horan — 2023-12-31

The gig economy, which is also referred to as the sharing or on-demand economy, involves the use of online platforms to offer and find short-term work, goods, and services on a flexible basis. These platforms, which allow freelancers and independent contractors to connect with clients in need of their services, have gained widespread popularity in recent years. However, the gig economy has been the subject of much controversy, particularly regarding the fairness of platform rating systems and their impact on workers' income and job security. This article presents an analysis of the distribution of fairness and perceived satisfaction with ranking systems in these work markets, and discusses the ways in which these systems may lead to unfair outcomes for workers. It also examines the effects of these systems on workers' income and job security, and investigates the potential influence of factors such as gender, age, and employment status on the fairness of these rating systems. The article suggests directions for further research on this topic and considers the implications of these findings for policymakers and practitioners.

Politics, jokes, and banter amid tragedy

Paul Bleakley — 2023-12-31

The mass shooting in May 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was another reminder of the tragic impact of gun violence in the United States of America. As happens in the aftermath of such incidents, the Uvalde shooting prompted robust public discourse around not just the event itself, but the causes and potential solutions to gun violence. In this article, we examine a somewhat unusual element of this discourse: the use of sarcasm and mocking to convey partisan arguments on social media. Using a dataset of 2,182 Twitter replies to mainstream media posts about the case (n=14), this research isolates sarcastic and mocking tweets to assess prevalence, as well as the specific characteristics of the dark humor observed. The relationship between political ideology and sarcastic and/or mocking rhetoric is discussed, as is the connection between pre-established ‘disaster scripts’ and sarcastic responses to the same on social media.

Is social media the new employment referral?

Rochelle Parks-Yancy — 2023-12-31

Referrals are individuals’ whose employment suitability for desired roles has been validated referrers. Traditionally, referrers were individuals whom referrals know in real life (IRL). Referrers are also known to hiring authorities and can vouch for the referrals’ employment credentials. Hence, referrals’ employment applications are viewed more favorably than applicants who are not referrals. However, the internet/social media also serves as a referrer for applicants’ employment qualifications. That is, people’s employment attributes can be validated by their internet/social media activity and engagement with followers. They may not know their followers IRL and hiring authorities may not know the applicants’ followers IRL, either. Nevertheless, applicants’ internet/social media engagement can serve as a referral for their qualifications. This study investigates how early career individuals perceive internet/social media activity as evidence of applicants’ employment attributes and, thus, a referral method for employment opportunities. The study broadens research on referrals by including applicants’ internet/social media activity and provides practical strategies to enhance early career individuals’ employment strategies.

Can social media research solve the puzzle of paranoia?

Liz Johnston — 2023-12-31

This paper summarizes the current research available on gangstalking and calls for coordination between social media, psychology and criminology researchers. Gangstalking is a novel persecutory belief system; victims believe they are harassed by a group of unknown stalkers, perhaps connected with the mafia, CIA or law enforcement. Victims describe themselves as targeted individuals (TIs). Counselors report an increasing number of clients who identify as TIs, while police departments have recieved numerous calls for help from TIs. Gangstalking is connected to violence; many shooters in mass shooting incidents believed they were being gangstalked and lashed out in self defense. However, there are very few papers in the psychology and criminology literature about gangstalking. TIs are often dismissed as paranoid. However, paranoia is a puzzle, because there is no coherent psychological theory or workable treatment for paranoia. TIs post prolifically on social media and also spend excessive time online researching gangstalking. Thus, social media is the main information source about gangstalking and has allowed the concept to spread globally. In addition, social media research using Internet sources is currently exploring gangstalking, providing a deeper understanding of gangstalking and TIs. Thus, social media contributes to the problem of gangstalking, while social media research may illuminate gangstalking, help solve the puzzle of paranoia and contribute to developing interventions to help TIs.

Social media and anxiety

Vincent Jeevar — 2023-12-31

The presence of social media has increased significantly in the past 20 years. From a fledgling novelty in the late 1990s to 2022, social media has grown from 5% of the population using social media in 2005 to 72% in 2021 (Pew Research Center, 2021). Social media has rapidly become a primary method of communication and news content. Although there are benefits, especially in the form of staying in contact with loved ones, the convenience of remote relationships has come at a cost. Social media allows almost limitless access to graphic content including drug use, violence, suicide, and sexual content (Bark’s Annual Report, 2020). Furthermore, increased screen time and access to social media has contributed to the declining well-being of teens (Twenge, 2020), and amount of sleep (Hale et al., 2018) with 65.8% of middle and high school students reporting 7 or fewer hours of sleep (RemedyLive, 2020), which in turn increases anxiety (McMakin & Alfano, 2015; Goldstein et al., 2013).

The current study was conducted with 47 students over 14 days. Participants were split into two groups. In the first week one group was asked to continue with using social media and news applications (SMNA), and the second asked to stop. The roles were switched in the second week.

The findings showed a statistically significant relationship between SMNA use and self-reported levels of anxiety. Not only were these results significant, but the results were almost immediate upon cessation of SMNA use.

The impact of advertising irritation on purchase intention among social media users

Ronald Coyle — 2023-12-31

This study looks at how brand awareness quantitatively impacts consumers’ purchase intentions while simultaneously assessing whether advertising irritation detracts consumers’ purchase intent. Data was collected from 335 study participants via an online questionnaire. Study participants consisted of a purposive sample of consumers over 18 years old with a presence on other social media platforms in addition to Facebook (e.g., TikTok, internet forums, Metaverse, etc.). A cleansed data set was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling via the software SmartPLS. Key findings show that brand awareness positively impacts purchase intention among online consumers. Furthermore, this study alludes to the importance of the further study of demotivating variables (e.g., advertising irritation). This study contributes to advertising irritation literature and provides a structure to better understand what drives consumers to dislike advertising more. Marketing managers can use data from the research to better understand purchase intention drivers and demotivating factors among consumers using social media.

Megaphone or muzzle?

Alec Tefertiller — 2023-12-31

Recent polling results suggest voters might be hesitant to express their voting intentions in presidential elections, despite the vibrant social media activity of candidate supporters. Using a national, representative survey, this study sought to determine if the spiral of silence influenced social media sharing, or if other factors encouraged the sharing of political endorsements. Based on the study findings, the best predictors of social media sharing intentions were opinion leadership and bridging social capital, with social capital exerting the greatest influence.

Why do health professionals create content on social media?

Noha Atef — 2023-12-31

Objective: While there are clear potential benefits for viewers of health videos, much less is known about why health professionals create content on platforms like YouTube. This article therefore explores the uses (or motivations) and rewards (or gratifications) these health professionals associate with using YouTube to publish video content, or vlogs, about health information. Method: We applied reflexive thematic analysis to data from in-depth interviews and focus groups with 12 popular Egyptian ‘physician vloggers’ (i.e., physicians, pharmacists, and psychologists with many YouTube subscribers). Informed by Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), we examined what motivated these health professionals to vlog on YouTube and the rewards, or gratifications, they received from doing so. Findings: Physician vloggers used YouTube to achieve self-focused goals, such as to develop their professional brands and save time in their offline work, as well as society-focused goals, such as to spread medical awareness for illness prevention, address cultural and social stigma around mental health, and offer free medical advice to those who need it. In return, vlogging on YouTube gratified participants with a sense of influence, recognition, and professional fulfilment, as well as with opportunities to build digital communication skills and deepen medical knowledge. Implications: Findings extend limited work on UGT to a context in which users create and share content, not just to consume it and, in doing so, furthers our understanding of what motivates health professionals to share content on YouTube. The results could be used to encourage medical professionals to pursue vlogging for health communication.

Anything but me

Iveta Imre — 2023-12-31

This study examines how SNS use intensity, specifically social routine integration and social integration and emotional routine, correlate with social capital, as well as how privacy concerns impact the relationship between SNS use intensity and social capital. Findings support that social capital correlates with both factors on the use intensity scale. Only the accuracy factor was a significant predictor of bridging capital while both accuracy and control, and collection proved significant for bonding capital.

Demographic factors influencing the sharing of fake news in Brazil

Mauricio Moura — 2023-12-31

This paper presents additional theoretical, qualitative, and empirical evidence to understand the profiles of Brazilian citizens that share political fake news online and their potential motivations. The study introduces exclusive data collection through a national telephone survey, a taylormade focus group, and quantitative multivariate modeling. The qualitative exploration exposed fake news sharing motivations such as social approval, attention attraction, or strong feelings. The empirical results show that income level (especially Brazilian middle class), religious preferences (mostly evangelicals), and online frequency of exposure to fake news are key profile drivers for sharing fake news.

“I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much”

Yoseph Mamo — 2023-12-31

The development of interactive social media platforms has expanded how disability is communicated or shared with the public. Despite the potential of social media to challenge and educate nondisabled people's understanding of disability, little empirical research has been conducted in this area. In this study, we analyzed comments from a YouTube video from a seminal TED Talk by the late Australian disability rights activist, educator, and comedian Stella Young. The video titled "I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much | Stella Young" had accumulated 1,374,878 views, 22,000 likes, and 975 interactions (comments and responses) at the time of the analysis. Our findings suggest that most individuals who left public comments on the video viewed it favorably. They identified as being connected to, in agreement with, or being (un)ironically inspired by Young's talk. However, approximately 14% explicitly disagreed with Young's ideas during her TED Talk, and 7% directly criticized her ideas or appearance. Comments like these reproduce and perpetuate the same types of oppression and marginalization that occur in society.

Instagram and adolescence

Kristen Hinshaw — 2023-12-31

Adolescents have been notably increasing their use of social media in recent years and much speculation has gone into how these digital, social realms might impact their development. Meta’s Instagram, a social networking site used for sharing pictures and videos, has been an influential app among adolescents and contains features that may be particularly attractive to teens as it caters to the unique characteristics of their developmental stage. This paper examines the similarities between common characteristics of adolescence and characteristics of the app Instagram, and how the app’s features may influence adolescent development. Unlike other reviews that have focused solely on the negative aspects of social media apps like Instagram, this paper focuses on identifying both the potential negative impacts as well as the positive impacts of Instagram on adolescent development and provides recommendations to practitioners, parents, and policy makers on how to best navigate youth through an online social world.

The Women of the Far Right

Brendan Carrell — 2023-12-31

The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization by Eviane Leidig is a thorough and incisive account of the crucial role that women play in shaping and directing the online and social media discourse of the Far Right.

Perfect: Being Judged on Social Media

Stephanie Ray — 2023-12-31

Perfect: Being Judged on Social Media by Rosalind Gill explores the challenges of social media on the rising Gen Z generation of women. Gill highlights the pressure of taking and creating the “perfect picture” and the anticipation of peer feedback before a post is made.

Understanding the Digital Era

D'Andrea Coulter — 2023-12-31

Generation Z: Social Media, Technology, and New Generations by Ahmet Atay and Mary Z Ashlock, explores technology, social media and digital media on Generation Z’s and Millennials’ relationship with it.