6,140 research outputs found

    Friend Network as Gatekeeper: A Study of WeChat Users' Consumption of Friend-Curated Contents

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    Social media enables users to publish, disseminate, and access information easily. The downside is that it has fewer gatekeepers of what content is allowed to enter public circulation than the traditional media. In this paper, we present preliminary empirical findings from WeChat, a popular messaging app of the Chinese, indicating that social media users leverage their friend networks collectively as latent, dynamic gatekeepers for content consumption. Taking a mixed-methods approach, we analyze over seven million users' information consumption behaviors on WeChat and conduct an online survey of 216216 users. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests that friend network indeed acts as a gatekeeper in social media. Shifting from what should be produced that gatekeepers used to decide, friend network helps separate the worthy from the unworthy for individual information consumption, and its structure and dynamics that play an important role in gatekeeping may inspire the future design of socio-technical systems

    Breaking down bias

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    What is bias? A review of the library literature reveals no attempts to define the concept. Nor does it reveal systematic attempts to develop interventions that teach the identification and evaluation of bias. Current pedagogical approaches (checklists and bias charts) tend to assume a self-evident definition that categorises bias as unquestioningly bad and disqualifying. Current approaches, however, fail to recognise the cognitive complexity of decoding bias within a source. A decoding process includes identifying the type of bias, determining an objective baseline, recognising biased features, and analysing bias’s impact. Based on work done from several fields—argumentation theory, media bias, media literacy, and history education—this paper proposes an operational definition of bias and a practical framework for conceptualising a process to identify and evaluate bias. This paper will explore the limitations of this framework, as well as existing source evaluation paradigms. If librarians want to prepare individuals to participate in a post-truth society, where disinformation weaponises bias by appealing to emotions and beliefs rather than facts, an inclusive and nuanced conception of bias is a necessary component of library instruction

    HOW COULD WE TRANSFORM EATING ALONE INTO MORE OF A SOCIAL EXPERIENCE?

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    Studies have revealed that living alone and eating alone lead to negative psy- chological impacts on older adults such as feeling of loneliness, and nutrition problems such as apathy about the food and decreases in food consumption. I am studying the behavior of elders’ to- ward food by comparing their behavior while eating alone vs eating in groups. Elders living alone in an independent housing facility were interviewed and four of them completed surveys on food choice, dietary patterns and food related activities. Research results have shown that elders are less motivated to embrace food activities when they eat alone. I want to explore how we might transform eating alone into more of a social experience in order to motivate elders to be more interested in meals and enhance their food intake. Based on the results from the research, I designed an elder-friendly application for elders to nd companionship while having meals. My goal is to help elders participate in meaningful and satisfying activities in- volving food and thereby construct a better quality of later life

    OK Cupid, Stop Bumbling around and Match Me Tinder: Using Dating Apps Across the Life Course

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    Social connectedness, sex, and intimacy are all factors associated with positive aging, facing individuals in society across the life course. Phenomenal technological developments in the 21st century have led to the increased use of smartphones, mobile apps, and dating apps for a myriad of services, and engagements. This paper focuses on two specific cohorts’ who have the opportunity to engage with dating apps, older adults and young citizens with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and highlights issues related to the intersection of technology, societal constructions of age, disability, and online dating

    Chinese Immigrant Parents' Perspectives about Using the Internet to Access Health and Education Related Information for Their Children with Special Needs

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    As parents rely more on the Internet for information, it provides a potentially more efficient and affordable format for directly reaching a large number of families with evidence-based health and education related information for their children with disabilities. Little is known, however, about Internet information seeking patterns for parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This pilot study explored Chinese-American immigrant parents' perspectives about using the Internet to access health and education related information for their children with disabilities. A survey was developed and conducted through a large community service center in the Western United States. Fifty two parents completed the survey and results suggested that challenges and barriers within the context (i.e., channels, culture) of the Internet limited parents from accessing meaningful and high quality information. Implications for research and practice are provided

    Journal of Applied Communications 100(3) Full Issue

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    Journal of Applied Communications 100(3) - Full Issu

    Surveying Persons with Disabilities: A Source Guide (Version 1)

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    As a collaborator with the Cornell Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. has been working on a project that identifies the strengths and limitations in existing disability data collection in both content and data collection methodology. The intended outcomes of this project include expanding and synthesizing knowledge of best practices and the extent existing data use those practices, informing the development of data enhancement options, and contributing to a more informed use of existing data. In an effort to provide the public with an up-to-date and easily accessible source of research on the methodological issues associated with surveying persons with disabilities, MPR has prepared a Source Guide of material related to this topic. The Source Guide contains 150 abstracts, summaries, and references, followed by a Subject Index, which cross references the sources from the Reference List under various subjects. The Source Guide is viewed as a “living document,” and will be periodically updated
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