631 research outputs found

    Erosion Of Credibility: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Twitter News Headlines from The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, And USA Today

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    To entice and commodify social media news consumers, contemporary news organizations have increasingly relied on data analytics to boost audience engagement. Clicks, likes, and shares are the metrics that now guide the editorial process and shape decisions about content and coverage. As such, news headlines are regularly manipulated to attract the attention of those who quickly scroll through social media networks on computers and smartphones. However, few studies have examined the typologies of news content most likely to be manipulated in social media news headlines or the impact of news headline manipulation on news source credibility. For this research, source credibility theory has been updated for a practical application of today’s social media news landscape and used as a lens to examine the phenomenon, its impact on audience engagement, and association with traditional standards of journalism and credibility. A mixed methods content analysis was conducted of news headlines published on Twitter compared to headlines and content published on the websites of five traditional newspapers: the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. The results indicated that the typologies of news most likely to be manipulated for Twitter publication (opinion, politics, health/medical), were also the least credible. Conversely, typologies of news that were least likely to be manipulated for Twitter publication (international, consumer, disaster), were rated the most credible

    Does Protest Influence Political Speech? Evidence from UK Climate Protest, 2017-2019

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    How does protest affect political speech? Protest is an important form of political claim-making, yet our understanding of its influence on how individual legislators communicate remains limited. Our paper thus extends a theoretical framework on protests as information about voter preferences, and evaluates it using crowd-sourced protest data from the 2017-2019 Fridays for Future protests in the UK. We combine these data with ∼2.4m tweets from 553 legislators over this period and text data from ∼150k parliamentary speech records. We find that local protests prompted MPs to speak more about the climate, but only online. These results demonstrate that protest can shape the timing and substance of political communication by individual elected representatives. They also highlight an important difference between legislators' offline and online speech, suggesting that more work is needed to understand how political strategies differ across these arenas

    Defending the Establishment: Identifying the Forces that Undermine America’s Political Organizations

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    Academic analysis of the 2016 United States presidential election often credits political polarization for Donald Trump’s victory. But scholars have dedicated less attention to the electorate’s widespread and growing distrust of the nation’s political institutions. Trump both capitalized on and contributed to Americans’ skepticism of longstanding establishment institutions, including the media, political parties, and administrative agencies. In the same year, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) nearly won the Democratic presidential primary by calling for a political revolution. In the leadup to the election, the term “fake news” gained widespread popularity. Many modern voters consider political parties corrupt organizations that prevent government from operating efficiently. Millions of Americans came to believe a “deep state” of bureaucrats covertly control government. These ideas did not suddenly arise in 2016. They developed through decades of technological, social, and political changes that created an environment hostile to insiders. The United States remains one of the most stable, secure, and prosperous nations in the world. Americans should exercise caution before undermining the peripheral establishment institutions that organically developed to help build, stabilize, and structure the national purpose. This thesis considers why government distrust gained momentum over the last fifty years and how it impacts society. Anti-establishment rhetoric frequently goes unchallenged. This thesis defends the establishment

    Decoding the Real World: Tackling Virtual Ethnographic Challenges through Data-Driven Methods

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    Slava Ukraini: a psychobiographical case study of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public diplomacy discourse

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    Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u27s public diplomacy during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict was examined in this dissertation. Zelenskyy’s discourse emphasized his action-oriented traits, Ukrainian identity, and nationalism. The study employed LTA, and LIWC-22, for natural language processing analyses of Zelenskyy\u27s public speeches and diplomatic discourse. Zelenskyy demonstrated agency, adaptability, collaboration, and positive language patterns, suggesting confidence and optimism, according to the data. In addition, the research emphasizes how domestic and international factors influence state behavior, as well as how political demands, cultural, historical, and political factors influence Zelenskyy\u27s decision-making. This dissertation sheds light on a global leader\u27s psychobiographical characteristics, beliefs, and motivations during a crisis, thereby advancing leadership and conflict resolution. By incorporating transformational leadership theory into LTA, researchers can gain a better understanding of effective leadership and how it develops strong connections with followers. LTA, LIWC-22, and qualitative coding were used to identify themes and trends in Zelenskyy\u27s speeches. The findings show Zelenskyy\u27s linguistic and leadership traits in public diplomacy, emphasizing the importance of understanding leaders\u27 traits in foreign policy decision-making. Psychobiographical profiles aid scholars in understanding a leader\u27s political views on conflict, their ability to influence events, and how they accomplish their objectives. As a result, perceptions of the state as an actor, as well as foreign policy decisions, must consider the effect of individual leaders. Conclusions include the Brittain-Hale Foreign Policy Analysis Model, based on a heuristic qualitative coding framework; HISTORICAL

    Disinformation and Fact-Checking in Contemporary Society

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    Funded by the European Media and Information Fund and research project PID2022-142755OB-I00

    Political Advertising in Virtual Reality

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    This Article is about how biometric data collected through VR technologies will greatly exacerbate existing problems with political ad microtargeting. Commercially available VR devices can—and in some cases, must—be integrated with sensors that track users’ eyes, faces, hands, and bodies. Political campaigns will be able to leverage this data to target ads with extraordinary precision. Indeed, targeting ads with biometric data may well be the next step in the evolution of microtargeted political messaging—a practice that has contributed to a rise in disinformation, filter-bubbles, and privacy invasions. If this sounds like science fiction, it is closer than you may think. Ad platforms have a tremendous financial incentive to improve the accuracy of their predictions about user preferences; consumer researchers already use biometric monitoring to test advertisements; campaigns have long incorporated data about voters to shape messaging; and candidates are already experimenting with VR and related technologies. Nonetheless, a formidable obstacle awaits policymakers who try to curb this ad-targeting practice: The Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence. After examining the ad-targeting practices described above, this Article warns that current Speech Clause doctrine will cast doubt upon laws that limit political ad microtargeting. As a result, policymakers must take extraordinary care in designing such laws, and reformers must pursue private-sector solutions as well

    Exploring Sentiment Analysis on Twitter: Investigating Public Opinion on Migration in Brazil from 2015 to 2020

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    openTechnology has reshaped societal interaction and the expression of opinions. Migration is a prominent trend, and analysing social media discussions provides insights into societal perspectives. This thesis explores how events between 2015 and 2020 impacted Brazilian sentiment on Twitter about migrants and refugees. Its aim was to uncover the influence of key sociopolitical events on public sentiment, clarifying how these echoed in the digital realm. Four key objectives guided this research: (a) understanding public opinions on migrants and refugees, (b) investigating how events influenced Twitter sentiment, (c) identifying terms used in migration-related tweets, and (d) tracking sentiment shifts, especially concerning changes in government. Sentiment analysis using VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner) was employed to analyse tweet data. The use of computational methods in social sciences is gaining traction, yet no analysis has been conducted before to understand the sentiments of the Brazilian population regarding migration. The analysis underscored Twitter's role in reflecting and shaping public discourse, offering insights into how major events influenced discussions on migration. In conclusion, this study illuminated the landscape of Brazilian sentiment on migration, emphasizing the significance of innovative social media analysis methodologies for policymaking and societal inclusivity in the digital age

    The Democratization of News - Analysis and Behavior Modeling of Users in the Context of Online News Consumption

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    Die Erfindung des Internets ebnete den Weg für die Demokratisierung von Information. Die Tatsache, dass Nachrichten für die breite Öffentlichkeit zugänglicher wurden, barg wichtige politische Versprechen, wie zum Beispiel das Erreichen von zuvor uninformierten und daher oft inaktiven Bürgern. Diese konnten sich nun dank des Internets tagesaktuell über das politische Geschehen informieren und selbst politisch engagieren. Während viele Politiker und Journalisten ein Jahrzehnt lang mit dieser Entwicklung zufrieden waren, änderte sich die Situation mit dem Aufkommen der sozialen Online-Netzwerke (OSN). Diese OSNs sind heute nahezu allgegenwärtig – so beziehen inzwischen 67%67\% der Amerikaner zumindest einen Teil ihrer Nachrichten über die sozialen Medien. Dieser Trend hat die Kosten für die Veröffentlichung von Inhalten weiter gesenkt. Dies sah zunächst nach einer positiven Entwicklung aus, stellt inzwischen jedoch ein ernsthaftes Problem für Demokratien dar. Anstatt dass eine schier unendliche Menge an leicht zugänglichen Informationen uns klüger machen, wird die Menge an Inhalten zu einer Belastung. Eine ausgewogene Nachrichtenauswahl muss einer Flut an Beiträgen und Themen weichen, die durch das digitale soziale Umfeld des Nutzers gefiltert werden. Dies fördert die politische Polarisierung und ideologische Segregation. Mehr als die Hälfte der OSN-Nutzer trauen zudem den Nachrichten, die sie lesen, nicht mehr (54%54\% machen sich Sorgen wegen Falschnachrichten). In dieses Bild passt, dass Studien berichten, dass Nutzer von OSNs dem Populismus extrem linker und rechter politischer Akteure stärker ausgesetzt sind, als Personen ohne Zugang zu sozialen Medien. Um die negativen Effekt dieser Entwicklung abzumildern, trägt meine Arbeit zum einen zum Verständnis des Problems bei und befasst sich mit Grundlagenforschung im Bereich der Verhaltensmodellierung. Abschließend beschäftigen wir uns mit der Gefahr der Beeinflussung der Internetnutzer durch soziale Bots und präsentieren eine auf Verhaltensmodellierung basierende Lösung. Zum besseren Verständnis des Nachrichtenkonsums deutschsprachiger Nutzer in OSNs, haben wir deren Verhalten auf Twitter analysiert und die Reaktionen auf kontroverse - teils verfassungsfeindliche - und nicht kontroverse Inhalte verglichen. Zusätzlich untersuchten wir die Existenz von Echokammern und ähnlichen Phänomenen. Hinsichtlich des Nutzerverhaltens haben wir uns auf Netzwerke konzentriert, die ein komplexeres Nutzerverhalten zulassen. Wir entwickelten probabilistische Verhaltensmodellierungslösungen für das Clustering und die Segmentierung von Zeitserien. Neben den Beiträgen zum Verständnis des Problems haben wir Lösungen zur Erkennung automatisierter Konten entwickelt. Diese Bots nehmen eine wichtige Rolle in der frühen Phase der Verbreitung von Fake News ein. Unser Expertenmodell - basierend auf aktuellen Deep-Learning-Lösungen - identifiziert, z. B., automatisierte Accounts anhand ihres Verhaltens. Meine Arbeit sensibilisiert für diese negative Entwicklung und befasst sich mit der Grundlagenforschung im Bereich der Verhaltensmodellierung. Auch wird auf die Gefahr der Beeinflussung durch soziale Bots eingegangen und eine auf Verhaltensmodellierung basierende Lösung präsentiert

    Social Virtual Reality : Design and Potential for Social Exchange and Cohesion in Virtual Teams

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    Tieto ja viestintäteknologian (TVT) kautta tapahtuvan vuorovaikutuksen sujuvuus ja tehokkuus ovat tärkeäitä nykypäivän organisaatioille. Etätyön aikakaudella virtuaalitiimit ovat hajallaan ympäri maailmaa ja menestyksekäs yhteistyö ei välttämättä vaadi kasvokkain tapahtuvaa viestintää. Perinteiset etätyökalut ovat kuitenkin kaukana täydellisyydestä, erityisesti koskien niiden kykyä edistää sosiaalisten siteiden vahvistumista, tai tiimien koheesiota, jotka molemmat ovat tärkeitä virtuaalitiimien suorituskyvylle. Monet tutkijat ja ammattilaiset ennustavat, että kasvokkain tapahtuvan viestinnän puute voi merkittävästi vaikuttaa organisaatioiden pitkän aikavälin suorituskykyyn. Tämän väitöskirjan pääväite on, että monikäyttäjä-virtuaalitodellisuus (VR), jäljempänä sosiaalinen virtuaalitodellisuus (SVR), voi tarjota ratkaisun tähän ongelmaan. SVR:n potentiaali perustuu ajatukseen, jonka mukaan ihmisen kognitio on rakentunut luonnollisen, tilallisen vuorovaikutuksesta ja viestinnän ympärille. Organisaatiot ovat siksi yhä enemmän sijoittamassa SVR-teknologiaan, koska se pystyy simuloimaan tai muuttamaan lähes mitä tahansa kokemuksia, mukaan lukien kasvokkain tapahtuvan viestinnän. Emme kuitenkaan vielä tunne hyvin SVR:n mahdollisuuksia organisaation tai virtuaalitiimien viestintätehokkuuden parantamisessa. Aiemmat tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että tehokkaampi kommunikaatio on yksi SVR:n tärkeimmistä affordansseista organisaatioille, mutta sen potentiaalia henkilökohtaisen tai ryhmätason organisatorisen viestinnän edistämisessä ei ole tutkittu huolellisesti. Lisäksi aiemmat tutkimukset tunnistavat SVR:n kyvyn ei vain simuloida, vaan parantaa sosiaalista vuorovaikutusta muotoon, jolle ei ole vastineita todellisessa maailmassa, mutta emme vielä ymmärrä tämän vaikutusta ja potentiaalia organisaatioille. Väitöskirja ottaa kantaa tähän tutkimusaukkoon tutkimalla SVR:n potentiaalia henkilöiden välisessä, mikrotason sosiaalisessa vaihdannassa ja tiimityön koheesiossa, jotka molemmat ovat tärkeitä indikaattoreita tiimityön suorituskyvylle. Väitöskirja yhdistää laadullisia, teoreettisia, empiirisiä ja suunnittelututkimuksen (design research) menetelmiä suunnittelutoimintatutkimuksen (action design research) keinoin. Väitöskirja arvioi ensin, kuinka media synkronisuus edistää tai heikentää sosiaalista vaihtoa (eli luottamuksen ja vastavuoroisuuden välisiä prosesseja) organisaatiossa. Tämän jälkeen väitöskirja tutkii, kuinka virtuaalisten tiimien sosiaalista vaihtoa voidaan parantaa SVR:n avulla. Näitä havaintoja jatketaan tarkastelemalla SVR:n tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia virtuaalisen tiimin koheesion (eli tehtävä- ja sosiaalisen koheesion) syntymisessä. Näiden tutkimusten perusteella väitöskirja muotoilee useita konkreettisia suunnitteluperiaatteita SVR:lle virtuaalisten tiimien sosiaalisen vaihdon ja koheesion kontekstissa. Väitöskirja kuvaa myös SVR- teknologian laajempia hyötyjä organisaatioille ja antaa käytännön ohjeita niiden toteuttamiseen. Väitöskirja tarjoaa ymmärrystä siitä, kuinka SVR voi parantaa organisaation etätyötä ja kommunikaatiota lieventämällä tai poistamalla merkittäviä perinteisen ICT:n rajoituksia. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että SVR:n etuna on sekä lähes rajaton monipuolisuus sosiaalisena simulaationa että luonnollisuus tietoisen ja tiedostamattoman viestinnän välineenä. Nämä edut korostuvat erityisesti virtuaalitiimeissä ja tietotyön kaltaisessa etätyössä, jossa korostetaan osallistujien välistä korkeaa mentaalista ja henkilökohtaista yhteistyötä, sekä erilaisten näkökulmien yhteensovittamista. Väitöskirjan tulokset viittaavat myös siihen, että nämä hyödyt voidaan saavuttaa vain, jos organisaatiot keskittyvät SVR-teknologian jatkokehitykseen, sen materiaalisten ominaisuuksien ja toiminnallisuuksien edelleen kehittämiseen, sekä SVR:n integrointiin osaksi organisaation muita työvirtoja ja tietojärjestelmiä.The success of information and communications technology (ICT)-mediated interaction is vital for organizations. In the era of remote work, virtual teams are dispersed across the globe and successful collaboration does not necessarily require a face-to-face communication. However, conventional remote work tools are far from perfect, especially in terms of their ability to facilitate the strengthening of social ties, or team cohesion, which are considered crucial for the performance of virtual teams. Respectively, many researchers and practitioners predict that the lack of face-to-face communication can significantly affect organizations’ long-term performance. The main proposition of this dissertation is that multi-user virtual reality (VR) applications, hereafter social virtual reality (SVR), has the potential to provide a solution to this problem. The biggest promise of SVR relies on the premise that human cognition is built upon natural, spatial interaction, and communication. Organizations are thus increasingly investing in SVR technology, because of its ability to simulate or transform almost any experience, including face-to-face communication. However, we do not yet know much about SVR’s ability to facilitate organizational communication. Prior research has shown that communication is one of SVR’s key affordances for organizations, but its potential of facilitating interpersonal or group level communication has not been studied elaborately. Furthermore, prior studies recognize SVR’s ability to not only simulate, but enhance social interaction to something for which there is no equivalent in the real world, but we do not yet understand the impact and potential of this to organizations. This dissertation addresses to the research gap by investigating the potential of SVR in the context of social exchange and team cohesion of SVR-enabled virtual teams, both of which are important indicators of team performance. In terms of methodology, the dissertation employs an action design research (ADR) approach which combines qualitative, theory and review, empirical, and design science research (DSR) methods. The dissertation first evaluates how media synchronicity facilitates social exchange (i.e., patterns of trust and reciprocity leading to stronger social ties) in an organization. The dissertation then outlines how social exchange can be enhanced in SVR-enabled virtual teams. These observations are continued by examining the affordances of SVR in the emergence of team cohesion (i.e., task and social cohesion) in virtual teams. Based on these examinations, the dissertation proposes several design principles for SVR in the context of social exchange and team cohesion. The dissertation also describes the wider benefits of SVR technology for organizations and provides practical guidelines of how they could be realized. The dissertation provides an understanding of how SVR can enhance organizations’ remote work and communication practices by mitigating some of the most critical limitations of conventional ICTs. Results of the dissertation indicate that SVR's fundamental advantage is both its almost limitless versatility as a social simulation and naturalness as a means of conscious and subconscious communication. These advantages come to the fore especially in virtual teams and knowledge-intensive remote collaboration that emphasize high mental and personal alignment between participants. The results of the dissertation also suggest that these benefits can only be realized if organizations focus on the further development of SVR technology, its material properties, and integration of SVR with organizational workflows and information systems (IS)
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