The Dark Side of Positive Social Influence

Social influence in the form of social norms has been widely used to transform behaviors, and is argued to be especially efficacious in the context of health related activities. However, can such externally induced compliance produce negative outcomes? When individuals feel compelled to conform to the behavior of the majority, does it lead to an unexpected backfire effect? We conducted a randomized field experiment of more than 10,000 individuals for a two-month period on an online physical activity community to examine if there is a dark side to social influence. We studied the effect of social norms on users’ goal setting and goal achievement behavior. While social influence increases the rate of goal setting, strikingly, we also observe a dark side to social influence in that such influence yields lower rates of goal achievement. Our findings have important implications for the design of interventions in the context of mHealth technologies

The influence of users' Dark Triad on knowledge contribution behaviour on social Q&A sites

The users' knowledge contribution behavior is the driving force for the sustainable development of the social Q&A sites. This kind of user behavior is affected by various factors, among which users' personality traits are the prominent ones. The dark triad is a theory on the dark side of personality. This article explores the influence and mechanism of users' dark triad on their knowledge contribution in social Q&A sites. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 301 users with experience in social Q&A sites. The survey data were then analyzed by hierarchical regression and Bootstrap analysis. The dark triad significantly affects knowledge contribution on social Q & A sites. Online self-disclosure plays a completely mediating role in the relationship between the dark triad and knowledge contribution. The relational psychological contract has a moderating role between online self-disclosure and knowledge contribution. This study argues that the dark triad has a positive effect on knowledge contribution behavior in socialized Q&A communities by constructing a model of mediated effects that are moderated. The dark triad shows its altruistic side in the context of social Q&A sites. The role of the dark triad in different knowledge-intensive contexts should be viewed dialectically in future research. Based on these findings, we put forward some suggestions for encouraging users' knowledge contribution behavior in the social media context.Peer Reviewe

The double-edged sword of social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic: demographical and cultural analyses

Purpose This exploratory research aims to (1) investigate the bright and dark sides of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) explore the impact of demographic factors on social media usage; and (3) assess the effects of cultural dimensions on social media usage. Design/methodology/approach The data are collected through an online survey. Factors derived from grounded theories and models such as affordance theory and Hofstede\u27s cultural framework were considered. Spearman correlation and nonparametric analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results revealed that social media usage was positively associated with healing and affiliation, and negatively associated with self-control. There are also positive associations between social media usage and sharing information related to COVID-19 without verification, perceived reliability of COVID-19 information on social media and relapse. The impact of demographic and cultural factors indicated significant effects of gender, age, marital status, educational level, power distance and collectivism on social media usage, sharing information, perceived information reliability, healing and affiliation. Originality/value This study contributes to technology affordances by examining social media\u27s positive and negative affordances in a new context (COVID-19 pandemic). From the positive side, this study explores the use of social media for healing and affiliation. As for the negative impact of social media during the pandemic, this study assesses the user\u27s addiction to social media use (relapse) and perception of the social media information reliability and information sharing without verification. It is among few research endeavors conducted in a non-Western country. This study also examines the influence of demographic and cultural factors on social media users. The results provide insights for both researchers and policymakers regarding social media usage

Social media induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and phubbing: Behavioural, relational and psychological outcomes

The penetration of smartphones and the subsequent social media use in modern workplaces have drawn scholars’ attention towards studying their influence on employees. This is a nascent yet critical field of study because initial inquiries have confirmed the significant adverse implications of smartphone and social media use for employee well-being and productivity. Acknowledging the need to better explicate the consequences of the so-called ‘dark side’ of social media use at work, we examine the association of FoMO and phubbing with both psychological (i.e. work exhaustion and creativity) and relational (i.e. workplace incivility) employee outcomes. We tested our proposed hypotheses, which rest on the theoretical tripod of the theory of compensatory Internet use, the limited capacity model and regulatory focus theory, through structural equation modelling (SEM) of data collected from 243 working professionals in the United States (US). The results suggest that FoMO has a positive association with phubbing, which, in turn, is positively associated with both psychological and relational responses. In addition, our analysis reveals the moderation effect of promotion focus on the association between phubbing and creativity. In comparison, we observe no moderation effect for prevention focus on any of the proposed associations. Our findings provide new insights into the impact of smartphone and social media use on employees and offer important implications for theory and practice.publishedVersio

The dark side of employee referral bonus programs : potential applicants’ awareness of a referral bonus and perceptions of organizational attractiveness

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of potential applicants’ awareness of employees being rewarded for referrals on organizational attractiveness, based on credibility theory and the multiple inference model. In a first study (N=450), final-year students were less attracted to the organization when they knew employee referrals were rewarded, which was partially explained by lower credibility perceptions. Moreover, varying the specific characteristics of the referral bonus program (i.e., timing, size, type, recipient) did not improve potential applicants’ perceptions of credibility and attractiveness. A second study (N=127) replicated the negative effect of referral bonuses on organizational attractiveness and found that it could be explained by both potential applicants’ inferences about the referrer’s other-oriented motive and lower referrer credibility. Whether employees explicitly stated their referral reason was bonus-driven or not did not affect these results

The Dark Side of the Self-Determination Theory and Its Influence on the Emotional and Cognitive Processes of Students in Physical Education

Amongst the main objectives of physical education (PE) classes is the consolidation of healthy lifestyle habits in young people and adolescents. Nonetheless, these classes can also provide the basis from which adverse experiences are generated which affect students’ perceptions of these classes. Previously conducted studies have focused on motivational processes and not on emotional processes, nor on the way in which students learn. The objective of the present study was to explore the dark side of the self-determination theory, its influence on emotional intelligence and the meta-cognitive strategies of students. Methodology: A total of 1602 young people undertaking secondary education participated, with self-reported ages between 13 and 19 years. The following questionnaires were utilized: Controlling Coach Behaviors Scale, Frustration of Psychological Needs in PE classes Scale, Emotional Intelligence in PE Scale and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. A structural equation model was developed which explained causal associations between the study variables. Results: Psychological control positively predicted each one of the sub-factors of frustration of psychological needs. Frustration of psychological needs negatively predicted emotional intelligence. Finally, emotional intelligence positively predicted meta-cognitive thinking. Conclusions: The influence and importance of the teaching style adopted by teachers is indicated, in addition to the effect of students’ psychological experiences on emotions and learning strategie

Physical Education Classes as a Precursor to the Mediterranean Diet and the Practice of Physical Activity

Physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet are remaining unresolved issues among young people. According to the World Health Organization, young people do not get enough exercise during the week, and physical education classes are the best way to promote healthy habits. This study aims to analyze how the role of the teacher influences the frustration of psychological needs, coping strategies, motivation, and the adoption of healthy eating habits through the Mediterranean diet and the regular practice of physical activity. The study involved 1031 boys and 910 girls between the ages of 13 and 18. To explain the relationships between the different variables included in this study, a model of structural equations has been developed. The results showed that autonomy support negatively predicted the frustration of four psychological needs. The failure to meet four psychological needs negatively predicted resilience. Likewise, resilience positively predicted autonomous motivation, and this positively predicted the Mediterranean diet and the practice of physical activity. Thus, the results obtained in the present study are in line with those of various studies wherein physical education classes were seen to help consolidate healthy living habits

The moderating role of prosocial motivation on the association between family-supportive supervisor behaviours and employee outcomes

This paper examines how family-supportive supervisor behaviours (FSSBs) are associated with employees’ in-role job performance and perceived promotability, and how prosocial motivation moderates these associations. Drawing on the norm of reciprocity from social exchange theory; we propose that FSSBs are positively associated with employees' in-role job performance and perceived promotability. Furthermore, building on the Work–Home Resources model (W-HR model), we propose that family performance of employees may be a mediator between FSSBs and employees' work outcomes. Expanding our model, we integrate an individual difference, prosocial motivation and propose that prosocial motivation may influence the associations between FSSBs and employee outcomes via family performance in such a way that the indirect effect of family performance is negative for subordinates with high prosocial motivation and this indirect effect is positive for employees with low prosocial motivation. Using matched dataset of 187 supervisor–subordinate dyads across four organizations located in Chile, Argentina and the Philippines; our findings from multi-level analyses reveal a direct positive association between FSSBs and in-role job performance and perceived promotability. However, family performance did not mediate the associations between FSSBs and employees' outcomes. Interestingly, our results revealed that for subordinates characterized by high (vs. low) prosocial motivation, the mediation of family performance between FSSBs and work outcomes weakens (vs. strengthens). Our focus on prosocial motivation also underlines the dark side of showing concern for others

Turbulence, Turmoil, and Termination: The Dark Side of Social Networking Sites for Romantic Relationships

Excerpt: Social networking websites (SNSs) have become an integral medium for communicating within and about interpersonal relationships (boyd & Ellison, 2008; Stafford & Hillyer, 2012). SNSs have been lauded for their ability to unite distal friends, maintain relational ties, facilitate relationship development, and promote social capital (e.g., Ellison, Vitak, Gray, & Lampe, 2014; Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013; McEwan, 2013). Although considerable research has elected to focus on the benefits of using SNSs, it is also important to examine the dark side of computer-mediated communication (DeAndrea, Tong, & Walther, 2011). For example, SNS use has been tied to decreases in psychological well-being (Chen & Lee, 2013), and scholars have noted negative psychological outcomes when users experience rejection on SNSs (e.g., Bevan, Ang, & Fearns, 2014; Tokunaga, 2011a, 2014)

Social Capital: A review from an ethics perspective

In this paper we extend previous reviews of the social capital literature to encompass an ethics perspective. First, we update previous reviews of social capital. Social capital continues to gain currency in both academic and practical circles, despite relatively little critical reflection on the implications of promoting this popular concept. Our work goes some way to rectifying this paucity in understanding what has been termed the ‘dark side’ of social capital. In particular, we review the social capital concept from the perspective of three theories of business ethics: utilitarianism, justice and ethic of care. While the utilitarian perspective closely parallels accounts of social capital’s rationale, the concept’s operation is mirrored very closely by the assumptions underpinning the ethic of care, while the dark side of social capital is commonly given voice in justice-based critiques. We conclude by considering the implications of our analysis