Communication, information, and knowledge in a coworking space

Since the early 2000s, a new type of working environment has developed in which individual workers--usually in a technology profession--share office space in a large, open, nontraditional environment that transcends traditional organizational boundaries. These new environments, called coworking spaces, present opportunities for communication, information sharing, and knowledge creation because of their open physical environments, the reduced presence of organizational barriers, and as a result of intentional efforts of the leaders of coworking spaces to encourage collaboration, While there is a substantial body of knowledge focused on how workers share information and build knowledge in traditional workplaces, there is little academic research on these novel coworking environments. This study examines the lived experiences of members of a specific coworking spaced located in the Phoenix, Arizona area in the United States. Through interviews with key informants, this study evaluates the communication channels that members of a coworking space use to share information and uses the Noaka SECI model to determine the types of information sharing and knowledge creation that happen at the space. This study finds that members of the coworking space heavily lean toward using in-person communication and next-generation instant messaging to share information, and that they primarily create knowledge through combining the explicit knowledge of members to create new explicit knowledge. The findings of this study lead to specific implications for researchers to further examine knowledge. The findings of this study lead to specific implications for researchers to further examine the communication channels used in coworking spaces, especially next-generation instant messaging tools. The researcher also recommends specific steps that leaders of coworking spaces can follow to improve the level of involvement of members of their spaces, and to position non-profit spaces favorably against competing for-profit coworking spaces

Microbloggers’ motivations in participatory journalism: A cross-cultural study of America and China

This phenomenological study focuses on the motivations of participatory journalists contributing on microblogs such as Twitter and Weibo. Although online user behavior and motivations have been studied before, few studies have examined motivations of participatory journalists from their own perspective. Moreover, this study is one of the few to explore participatory journalists across different cultures (U.S. and China). The author conducted a total of 13 in-depth interviews with participatory journalists on microblogs from both countries and used a qualitative analysis method to identify the themes and patterns that emerged. Motivations such as earning respect, technology early adoption, self-expression, relationship building, self-enhancement, branding and image building, and financial gain were discussed. De-motivational factors such as time constraints and self-censorship were presented. Motivational differences between the two groups of participants, including what the microblog account represents and the role of participatory journalists, were explained by cultural differences collectivism versus individualism and power distance. Limitations and future research were also discussed

Does Verbal Irony Affect the Perceived Credibility of Web Pages?

To date, there has been no research on the negative effects of using irony on the Web. This research explores the effect of irony on the perceived credibility of education, government, blog, and microblogging Web sites. In Experiment 1, government and educational Web sites were shown to have high perceptions of credibility, and low perceptions of irony. Past research suggests that users should not be able to recognize irony on education or government Web sites, because the site iteself is not ironic. However, Experiment 3 showed that irony was recognized on all sites. This recognized irony lowers the perieved credibility of education and government Web sites. Contrary to predictions, the blog and mircroblogging sites that do not incorporate irony did not have higher ratings of credibility

Attributing rhetorical agency: Corporate social media interactions on Twitter

This study uses concepts of rhetorical agency to analyze how corporations communicate effectively or ineffectively with their customers on social media. While literature from the fields of business, marketing, and public relations has addressed corporate social media more generally, there is a lack of information about how corporations should consider rhetorical concerns when structuring messages to their customers. Technical and professional communication studies have also explored the topic of social media, but have yet to closely analyze corporate social media responses to customer complaints. To conduct this study, I combined concerns from both business and technical and professional communication to reveal how companies and customers attribute agency to one another, and how insight from these interrelated fields creates a foundation for future research involving corporate social media communication. In this study, I analyzed two customer service Twitter accounts to determine how rhetorical agency was at work within customer complaint interactions. The findings from this analysis demonstrate that companies do not always communicate in ways that allow for mutual attributions of agency. I argue that customers and companies must be able to view one another as capable of action in order for successful communication to occur

Intensity and Pattern of Use of the Instagram Social Media Among 196 Junior High School Students at Cilangkap, East Jakarta

This research was conducted to determine the intensity and patterns of Instagram usage among the students of 196 Junior High School in Cilangkap, East Jakarta. The subjects in this study, the 7th and 8th grade students, were chose based on purposive techniques. The theory used in  this research as the foundation of thinking is the Theory of Media Literacy and concepts thats  relevant to this research. This qualitative approach uses descriptive qualitative methods. The analysis technique in this study is the qualitative data analysis technique from Hubermas by making a reduction and categorization of the results of the data collected through non-participant observation and in-depth interviews with the research subjects. The categorized data is then displayed in narrative form. The results of this study describe the intensity and patterns of Instagram uses among junior high school students in 7th and 8th grade as the  "now generation" or generation Z. Keywords: Intensity, usage pattern, Instagram DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/82-03 Publication date: August 31st 201

Information Needs of Korean Immigrants in the United States: Selection and Use of Social Media

This mixed-method study investigates the information needs of Korean immigrants on social media and their selection and use of social media for finding information in the United States. The study was designed to answer six research questions: 1) What are the top types of information needs on social media that Korean immigrants fulfill during their everyday lives in the United States?; 2) What types of social media do Korean immigrants most frequently use during their everyday lives in the United States for different types of information needs?; 3) Are there any relationships between the types of social media Korean immigrants select and demographic factors, Information Communication Technology (ICT) experience level, cultural factors, and information needs?; 4) What factors influence the selection of types of social media among Korean immigrants?; 5) How do Korean immigrants use social media for finding information during their everyday lives in the United States?; 6) What factors influence Korean immigrants’ social media use for information seeking in their everyday lives in the United States? Data collection involved questionnaires, diaries, and interviews with 111 Korean immigrant participants completing questionnaires and 16 selected for diaries and interviews. Quantitative and qualitative methods, including descriptive statistic, Chi-square test of independence, and open coding, were used for analysis. In particular, descriptive analysis was utilized to identify education as the top information need on social media in RQ1. In RQ2, it was observed that Social Network Services (SNS) were most commonly used, while YouTube was popular for education, monitoring, and health information. The researcher investigated the relationship between social media types, demographic factors, ICT experience level, cultural factors, and information needs in RQ3 and revealed that there was a relationship between them by Chi-square test. In RQ4, the researcher identified factors influencing social media selection, such as social network influence, cultural preference, information needs, information quantity, and information format, using open coding. In RQ5, it was found that Korean immigrants primarily employed searching a keyword within a social media or clicking or subscribing to feeds/notifications to gather information. In RQ6, factors affecting social media use, such as algorithms, features, relevance of search results, and speed of information delivery, were identified. The study uncovered information needs among Korean immigrants and shed light on their predominant needs on social media. Moreover, the study presented a theoretical model for Korean immigrants\u27 selection and use of social media platforms. It offered practical recommendations to cater to the information needs of Korean immigrants, such as algorithm optimization, improved search functionality, and language support. The study\u27s limitations were acknowledged, and recommendations for future research were provided

Cuing Collective Outcomes on Twitter: A Qualitative Reading of Movement Social Learning

In this article, we explore the process of movement social learning on Twitter. Previously described as the diffusion and social validation of innovation pertaining to collective outcomes through the practice of retweeting, movement social learning is unpicked with a combination of trace and interview data. We examine language use in retweets associated with the UK People’s Assembly Against Austerity with the aim to form an understanding of how such learning is cued. We argue that retweeters make visible and transmit insights into collective outcomes and ways of attaining them. They maintain a flow of information that sustains a pool of knowledge about the movement. At the same time, they construct a selective discursive environment where the public voicing of conflict can help clarify the scope of participation in a movement

How does the Chinese government use social media to react to social crisis: a content analysis

Professional project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Journalism from the School of Journalism, University of Missouri--Columbia.In order to examine the Chinese government's strategies and stances reflected on its social media account during a social crisis, this research uses a content analysis of 391 Weibo posts from four official government accounts. The researcher uses one-way ANOVA, Chi-square and independent-sample t test to compare the strategies and stance reflected in different phrases and between two types of government accounts. The results reveal that the Chinese government tended to adopt an accommodative stance towards social crisis. Among four government accounts, the posts from government-controlled media accounts showed a less accommodative stance. Moreover, posts from government-controlled media accounts are more likely to try explaining the cause of crisis, while the posts government-agency accounts are making promises for the future like establishing policies to secure a better environment and clean the air. Finally discussion focuses on the speculations that might lead to the results.Includes bibliographic references