Effects of anonymity,media richness,and chat-room activeness on online chatting experience

This paper investigates the factors that affect users’ communication satisfaction within a virtual community, in particular, an online chat room. A research model consisting of 3 aspects—psychological, technological and environmental—is developed to examine effects of anonymity, media richness and activeness of chat room on social presence, privacy concern, and further communication satisfaction. We leverage on well established theories such as self awareness, SIDE model, social presence, and the institutional theory theories to make our arguments. Results from a survey conducted to test our model suggests that higher self anonymity decreases privacy concern, while higher others anonymity increase in privacy concern. We also confirm that richer media leads to an increase in social presence, which, in turn, influences privacy concern negatively. Lastly, results support that privacy concern and social presence are determinants of communication satisfaction in online chatting

Virtual knowledge sharing in crowdsourcing : measurement dilemmas

Jednym z stosunkowo nowych obszarów badań współczesnej nauki o zarządzaniu jest crowdsourcing oraz zachodzące w nim wirtualnym dzieleniu się wiedzą. Jest ono definiowane jako rozpowszechnienie wiedzy przez społeczność wirtualną, informowanie innych, podawanie jej do wiadomości publicznej, oczekiwanie, że inni tę wiedzę skomentują, rozszerzą i uzupełnią. Takie dzielenie się wiedzą jest szczególnie istotne dla współtworzenia, partycypacji czy uzyskiwania innowacyjnych pomysłów przez organizację. Jednak, pomimo jego pozytywnego wpływu na organizację, dotychczas nie było ono przedmiotem kompleksowych badań. Artykuł przedstawia istniejący dorobek w zakresie sposobów pomiaru społecznościowego dzielenia się wiedzą w ramach crowdsourcingu. W opracowaniu można też znaleźć wyjaśnienia, dlaczego warto badać wirtualne dzielenie się wiedzą.One relatively new area of contemporary science research on management is crowdsourcing and virtual knowledge sharing occurring within it. It is defined as the dissemination of knowledge by a virtual community, informing others, making it public, expecting that others will comment on this knowledge, expand and complete it. Such a sharing of knowledge is particularly important for co-creating, participating, or acquiring innovative ideas by an organization. However, despite its positive impact on the organization, it has not been the subject of comprehensive research so far. This article presents the existing output in the scope of the ways of measuring community knowledge sharing within crowdsourcing. In this elaboration, explanations as to why it is worth studying virtual knowledge sharing may be found

Communication Balance in the Telematic Society and Users’ Technical Imagination

Diese Studie ist eine explorative Forschungsarbeit die darauf abzielt, Stimmen und Ansichten von NutzerInnen sozialer Medien, im Zusammenspiel mit dem theoretischen Gerüst von Flussers Kommunikationstheorie, zu beleuchten. Konkreter gesprochen wird diese Studie empirisch untersuchen, wie Menschen soziale Medien als dialogische Kommunikationsmedien im Vergleich zu Massenmedien als diskursives Kommunikationsmedium wahrnehmen und nutzen. Auf Ergebnissen empirischer Untersuchung beruhend, wird diese Studie die Folge davon für das Kommunikationsgleichgewicht erschließen. Diese Studie führte ein Fokusgruppeninterview mit koreanischen NutzerInnen sozialer Medien durch. Insgesamt wurden für das Interview 24 koreanische NutzerInnen von sozialen Medien durch das Stichprobenverfahren befragt. Die Befragten waren KoreanerInnen in den 20igern bis 30igern, die in der Provinz Seoul und Gyeonggi, Südkorea, leben. Die Analyse des Inhaltes wurde gemäß der Methode der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse (Mayring, 2000) durchgeführt. Diese Studie erweist, dass die Entwicklung von sozialen Medien uns die Möglichkeit für das Wachsen von dialogischer Kommunikation gibt, um ein Gegengewicht zur Dominanz des diskursiven Medienkomplexes zu sein. Nicht desto trotz ist um dieses Ideal zu erzielen noch viel zu beheben. Es scheint dringend und wichtig für die Entwicklung von sozialen Medien zu sein, die Techno-Imagination des Nutzers herauszubilden, wenn man die Ergebnisse dieser Studie betrachtet. Die Forschung über die Nutzerwahrnehmung und -Aktivität von sozialen Medien hat verdeutlicht, das dass Potential von sozialen Medien durch die Techno-Imagination des Nutzers voll ausgeschöpft werden kann. Die Wege öffnen sich für uns entweder zu einer telematischen Gesellschaft, wo die diskursive und dialogische Kommunikation ausgeglichen ist oder zum Totalitarismus, der von einem diskursiven Medienkomplex, wie Flusser darlegt, dominiert wird. In welche Richtung wir gehen hängt von den Bemühungen ab den aktiven Nutzer mit Techno-Imagination zu entwickeln.:1. Introduction to the Study 1.1 The Problem Statement and Purpose of Study 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Structure of the Thesis 2. Flusser’s Theory of the Telematic Society 2.1 Major Themes of Flusser’s Communication Theory 2.1.1 Proposition of Communication 2.1.2 Historical Typology of Communication 2.1.3 Balance of Communication 2.2 Imbalance in Communication in the Age of Technical Images 2.2.1 A Mechanism and a Function of Technical Images 2.2.2 The Media System in the Age of Technical Images 2.2.3 Domination of Technical Images and Mass Deception 2.3 Prospects for Communication Balance in the Telematic Society 2.3.1 A Communication Structure of the Telematic Society 2.3.2 Users of the Telematic Society 2.3.3 Socio-Cultural Characteristics of the Telematic Society 3. Development of the Telematic Society 3.1 Current State of the Telematic Technology 3.1.1 The Emergence of Social Media 3.1.2 A Growth in Social Media Users 3.2 The Development of Dialogical Media Culture 3.2.1 Diversification of Information Media Use 3.2.2 A Growth of Dialogical Information Activity 3.2.3 The Development of Networked Political Activism 3.3 Current Obstacles to the Telematic Society 3.3.1 Users’ Passivity in Social Media 3.3.2 New Power Concentration of the Web 3.3.3 The Rise of National Webs and Danger of State’s Control on the Web 4. Users’ Perception and Practice in the Telematic Society 4.1 Research Method and Analysis 4.2 Analysis of Focus Group Interviews 4.2.1 Use of Social Media 4.2.2 Users’ Perception and Evaluation of Social Media 5. Implication of Users’ Technical Imagination and Communication Balance 5.1 A Typology of Social Media Users and Technical Imagination 5.1.1 Critical Active Users 5.1.2 Pragmatic Users 5.1.3 Critical Information Seekers 5.1.4 Skeptical Users 5.1.5 Conservative Users 5.2 Implication for Communication Balance 5.2.1 Possibility of the Growth of Telematic Users 5.2.2 Promotion of Users’ Competences for Communication Balance 6. Conclusion and Recommendations for Further Study 6.1 Conclusion 6.2 Recommendations Bibliography Appendix Abstrac

The Amateur: Digital Transindividuation in South Korea

This thesis inquires into the cultural-political constitution of what are commonly known as the Amateur and Amateurism, terms which need to be seen from a new perspective in the digital era. The discussion begins with whether amateur production of culture and media and the role of monetary compensation are changing upon the emergence of the Web and digital technologies. Amateur productions networked to online audience communities are here understood using Simondon’s concepts of individuation, recently re-interpreted by Stiegler and Virno, as transindividual activities that realise human potential in newly structured society and politics. At the same time, however, it is not overlooked that such transindividual activities are technologically mediated by cognitive capitalist digital platforms specialised in mediating and monetising user-created content. Thus, the formation of gift culture around production and circulation of amateur content is discussed with its relationship to the commodity economy on such platforms. In this context, live streaming videos from Afreeca TV and Web-cartoons (Webtoons) have been selected as case studies to investigate audiovisual content production of professional-like amateurs on South Korean-based digital platforms, specifically during the candlelight rallies of 2008 and the impeachment proceedings of 2017. Conducted over three years, a variety of empirical studies on the multimedia interaction between amateur producers and their audience community provides a critical analysis of how the amateur's individual, self-fulfilling activities are transformed into the gift culture-based transindividual and competitive commercial activities and are embedded in the logic of cognitive capitalism. The counter-commercial movement of the amateur self-publishers concerned with the transindividuality of the memory technics is also presented. Their dedication to materalise individual and collective memories through paper-book publishing evokes the original value and ethos of amateurism devoted to the diversity of culture and life

Abundant information resources online, equalized development? Using the internet for learning and the mitigation of unequal occupational mobilities

This study explores the possibility that using the internet for learning mitigates the inequality of occupational mobility between rural migrant workers, a disadvantaged group in cities, and their advantaged counterparts, urban resident workers, in urban China. To investigate the mitigation of unequal occupational mobilities, this study examines, a) the extent to which using the internet for learning offers greater labour market benefits for the disadvantaged – rural migrant workers, and b) the extent to which rural migrant and urban resident workers have equal use of the internet for learning. This study uses quantitative and qualitative data in a complementary manner, with the quantitative analysis (data from China Family Panel Studies) being used to offer more rigorous results of comparison and the qualitative findings (data from 24 additional semi-structured interviews) being used to enrich explanations to interpret the observed comparative results. The results show a ‘negative selection’ phenomenon in using the internet for learning. That is, while rural migrant workers seem to be able to get more labour market benefits from learning online, they are actually less likely to use the internet for learning in the first place. As such, the results do not show that using the internet for learning mitigates the inequality of occupational mobility between the two groups. Structural inequalities cause rural migrant workers more excluded from using the internet for learning in the first place. The stronger ‘learning-mobility' relationship for rural migrant workers merely reflects their deprivation of skill- and non-skill-related resources for occupational attainment in the urban labour market. The ‘negative selection’ phenomenon in using the internet for learning demonstrates the way that pre-existing structural inequalities are constantly being reproduced with new manifestations in an ever-changing world

The Psychology of Study Success in Universities

Universities around the world are under increasing pressure to maintain high levels of graduation and to make study processes as efficient as possible, with teachers and students struggling to meet the expectations placed upon them as a result. The Psychology of Study Success in Universities asks whether it is possible to meet these demands at the same time as protecting the well-being of students. Drawing on an extensive and detailed analysis of study success in universities in Finland, the authors of this thought-provoking work argue that universities should be more concerned with students’ satisfaction and place greater weight on students’ perceptions of the elements that enhance or hinder their success. The book provides a multi-dimensional picture of the student-related and teaching-related factors that promote study success. Giving voice to graduate students, including those enrolled on a PhD, the authors look at the resources that students have at their disposal in order to establish what inspires and motivates the students, what slows them down, and what kinds of experiences students have of successful studies. Määttä and Uusiautti present a wealth of high-quality research showing that good teaching and successful study processes can be secured by immediate and caring interaction, flexible and student-centred teaching and supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration between teachers. The Psychology of Study Success in Universities is essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education and psychology, as well as for those interested in positive psychology, student well-being and pedagogical studies.Peer reviewe

Plumbing the depths: stories, e-portfolios; pedagogy, ownership

Over the course of this academic year, a colleague and I implemented an eportfolio pilot with 82 students aged 17 to 50 on a team-taught 30-credit Level 1 core course on behalf of the University of Greenwich. The students are studying for a degree in Education Studies and come from a wide range of backgrounds. The module comprises elements of PDP interwoven with lectures on contemporary education issues and was originally designed as a paper-based course. The pilot navigated the PebblePad system as part of a wider trial of a number of different systems by the university. This paper presents the results of research combining mixed methodologies mainly allied to the interpretive paradigm but incorporating elements of critical theory. The research evaluates the differing experiences of students and lecturers using this e-portfolio system for learning, teaching, reflection and assessment. Methods used include initial and final student reflections, surveys, interviews and critical analysis including the narrative ‘soundings’ of sample experiences from student blogs and visual analysis of some student portfolios. We used the PebblePad as a mini VLE, uploading course documents and lecture presentations and sending messages as well as creating online gateways for formative and summative assessment submission. It was accessed externally to the university systems. In a scaffolded process, students constructed and submitted blogs and e-portfolios composed of a number of assets. The process of interactions with an eportfolio system has raised substantial and complex challenges for course design and learning outcomes relating to pedagogy and assessment as well as challenges of implementation, resistance to change and around concepts of ownership. As a commentary on academic practice, an element of personal reflection on the project and the research is included in the form of a dialogic interlocution with these narratives, raising questions about the way in which we might use e-portfolios in Higher Education and considering how we evaluate online learning. As a process of evaluation, the research does not offer hypotheses or answers as such but aims to create space for different views by raising complex questions and challenges for consideration in the process of contextualising and making sense of the users’ different experiences, of plumbing the depths. Drawing on diverse genres and media the paper presents the results of the research and samples some of the work produced

Social technologies and collective intelligence

Social Technologies and Collective Intelligence is a monograph written by 24 international researchers in the field of Social Technologies and edited by prof. dr. Aelita Skaržauskienė from Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania. As an academic discipline, social technologies is a highly interdisciplinary research field that focuses on applying existing ICT as well as newly emerging technologies to improve society. This work highlights the dominance of the non-technological social aspect of technology and its interaction with people, emphasizing the institutional power of Collective Intelligence through soft technology. By going through the book, the reader will gain insight and knowledge into the challenges and opportunities provided by this new exciting research field. Scientists will appreciate the comprehensive treatment of the research challenges in a multidisciplinary perspective. Practitioners and applied researchers will welcome the novel approaches to tackle relevant problems in their field. And policy-makers will better understand how technological advances can support them in supporting the progress of society and economy. The book is divided into six parts, each dealing with a well-defined research area at the intersection of Social Technologies and Collective Intelligence. Instead of being split up five ways among particular groups of collaborating authors, each individual author contributes to all five parts of the book their specific knowledge and insights, which makes this monograph a truly collaborative effort and a prime example of collective intelligence

War and Peace in American Seduction: Seduction Communities, Heterosexual Masculinity, and Mediated Intimacy in New York City

Don Juan clearly didn’t need any training in flirting skills, but many American men feel they need help. In nearly every major city of North America exists a seduction community: a community of men who train each other to pick up women. Along with digital means for meeting strangers, these communities have emerged over the past 15 years from a subculture to become a globalized industry in seduction training spanning from Brooklyn to Beijing. From online forums and subscription-based clubs to week-long intensive training courses known as bootcamps, hundreds of thousands of men participate in these groups at different levels of engagement. This dissertation asks, what gender does seduction training produce? Based on original ethnographic fieldwork carried out in New York City between 2015-2016, this dissertation explores how and why men pursue seduction training – and what becomes of them and their social relationships. I argue that seduction is a form of mediated intimacy that envisions the other person as a stage for self-aggrandizement. Two things follow: one, seducers lose out on the sense of human connection that they originally intended to get. Two, seduction training becomes less about seducing women than about masculine self-help. In other words, it’s about men learning to have connections and build relationships with other men that give them a meaningful sense of identity. In fact, seduction training both reproduces and contradicts cultural norms of so-called hegemonic masculinity in the U.S. It does so because these men experience culturally-specific ambivalences around norms of self-help – including ideas of freedom, dependency, and addiction – in ways that complicate heteronormative masculine identities. I furthermore assert that self-fashioning through seduction training invokes ideas of work and play to differentiate contradictory ethics of persuasion and self-expression, and that these ideas in turn instantiate different technologies of embodiment that reproduce inequalities between men along lines of race and class