A flow-oriented process model of social media services use

While social media has been a popular subject to extant research, we know little about the conditions and the flows of action of social media use, including staying, discontinuance, and switching behavior. This makes it difficult to understand platform choices and usage patterns of social media services. Based on a flow-oriented theoretical approach, we conduct an exploratory multiple case study of five popular social media services. We conceptualize a multidimensional perspective of social media use behavior. We identify four flows of action – “adjusting”, “coextending”, “fading out”, and “intensifying” – and develop a flow-oriented process model of social media service use. Our results help to understand the wide spectrum of use behavior and motives in social media services and provide new avenues to future research. Furthermore, we provide platform providers with insights to better understand the dynamics of social media services

A Flow-Oriented Process Model of Social Media Services Use

While social media has been a popular subject to extant research, we know little about the conditions and the flows of action of social media use, including staying, discontinuance, and switching behavior. This makes it difficult to understand platform choices and usage patterns of social media services. Based on a flow-oriented theoretical approach, we conduct an exploratory multiple case study of five popular social media services. We conceptualize a multidimensional perspective of social media use behavior. We identify four flows of action – “adjusting”, “coextending”, “fading out”, and “intensifying” – and develop a flow-oriented process model of social media service use. Our results help to understand the wide spectrum of use behavior and motives in social media services and provide new avenues to future research. Furthermore, we provide platform providers with insights to better understand the dynamics of social media services

The Effect of Smart Contracts on Online Investment Decisions: An Experimental Study in ICOs

The imbalance of internal and external knowledge for investments in Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) leads to an information asymmetry, where issuers may further exploit a moral hazard as a resulting mismatch of time and interest during lock-up situations. The existing regulatory vacuum is mirrored by literature, as scholars deliver insights on effective means of signaling. However, research on smart contracts as immutable mechanisms and effective signals to mitigate risks for online investments remains an untapped subject, whilst market demand for solutions to an existing agency problem remains high. To respond to a pressing research question, this study conducted a randomized between-subjects online experiment with a sample of 391 participants. Results include a significant positive effect of the implementation of smart contracts on investor decisions in a present lock-up situation

Revisiting Signaling Theory for Initial Coin Offerings

Blockchain applications such as Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have recently garnered significant attention as means of entrepreneurial financing. While receiving attention in the press, the majority of ICOs do not meet their financial goals. Lacking traditional ways to estimate value or gather information (e.g. a centralized valuation authority or a centralized platform of communication), ICOs have turned to using persuasion signals on social media to directly communicate the alleged value of their offerings to investors. In this study, we draw on signaling theory and lock-up situations, to examine the efficacy of the most commonly used persuasion signals of ICOs (social proof and authority). Technology induced lock-up periods in this context are defined as the inability to sell the purchased tokens for an unknown period of time and have not been in the focus of academic literature so far. To quantitatively test our hypotheses, we conducted a 2x2 factorial online experiment with 473 participants. Our experimental study suggests that persuasion signals were effective in the absence of a lock-up period. However, when the ICO includes a lock-up period, the persuasion signals do not work as expected from existing theory. The results even suggest that the perceived plausibility of an ICO is significantly reduced because of the combination of a lock-up period and persuasion signals

The effect of lockup and persuasion on online investment decisions: an experimental study in ICOs

Many firms use social media (SM) to solicit online investments. In this study, we examine the interaction between SM attributes and online-investment attributes to determine how this interaction shapes users’ investment decisions. Specifically, we investigate initial coin offerings (ICOs) as an application domain of distributed ledger technology for peer-to-peer investment. We use signaling theory to develop a context-specific explanation for how the interplay of persuasion signals found in SM and technology-enforced lockups shapes individuals’ ICO investment decisions. To evaluate this interplay, we conducted a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with 473 participants. The results show that when an investment does not require a technology-enforced lockup, persuasion signals encourage investments in ICOs; however, when an investment requires a technology-enforced lockup, persuasion signals do not affect investments in ICOs. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that combining a technology-enforced lockup and persuasion signals reduces the ICO’s plausibility. This is the first study to investigate how the willingness to invest in ICOs is influenced by the relationship between technology-enforced lockups and persuasion signals. The findings have practical implications for individuals attempting to make sound decisions on ICO investments, policymakers regulating online investments, and firms seeking to attract investors

"Jane sent me this article, so it must be true!" - How tie strength and emotional tone influence information behavior

Fake news are a threat of the information age, yet many factors that determine their spread, such as emotional tone and tie strength, remain under-researched. Responding to calls for research, we developed an experimental study that explains the impact of emotional tone and tie strength in the context of instant messaging. We hypothesize effects on the willingness to fact-check and intention to share, mediated by sender credibility and news believability. Our results will contribute to the academic literature on various levels: we consider the emotional and relational dimensions of fake news sharing. Furthermore, we provide a multidimensional understanding of the emotionality of strong-tie contacts sharing fake news in a seemingly private and safe environment. For policymakers, we provide insights that help detect fake news, and we provide individuals with persuasion knowledge to self-protect against fake news

SmartPAN: A novel polysaccharide-microsphere-based surgical indicator of pancreatic leakage

Postoperative pancreatic fistula is a major surgical complication that can follow pancreatic resection. Postoperative pancreatic fistula can develop as a consequence of leaking pancreatic fluid, which calls for an intraoperative indicator of leakage. But suitable indicators of pancreatic leakage have yet to be found. This study details the evidence-based development and early efficacy assessments of a novel pancreatic leakage indicator (SmartPAN), following the IDEAL framework of product development.We developed 41 SmartPAN prototypes by combining indicators of pancreatic fluid with a polysaccharide-microsphere matrix. The prototypes were assessed in vitro using porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) pancreatic tissue and ex vivo with human pancreatic fluid. From these initial tests, we chose a hydrogel-based compound that uses the pH indicator bromothymol blue to detect alkali pancreatic fluid. This prototype was then assessed in vivo for usability, effectiveness and reliability using a porcine model. Treatment groups were defined by SmartPAN-reaction at initial pancreatic resection: indicator-positive or negative. Indicator-positive individuals randomly received either targeted closure of leakage sites or no further closure. We assessed SmartPAN’s reliability and effectiveness by monitoring abdominal drainage for amylase and with relaparotomy after 48 h. SmartPAN responses were consistent between both surgical procedures and conformed to amylase measurements. In conclusion, we have developed the first surgery-ready indicator for predicting the occurrence of pancreatic leakage during pancreatic resection. SmartPAN can enable targeted prophylactic closure in a simple and reliable way, and thus may reduce the impact of postoperative pancreatic fistula by guiding peri- and post-operative management

Fifty-six percent of proximal femoral cortical hypertrophies 6 to 10 years after Total hip arthroplasty with a short Cementless curved hip stem – a cause for concern?

Background: Thigh pain and cortical hypertrophies (CH) have been reported in the short term for specific short hip stem designs. The purpose of the study was to investigate 1) the differences in clinical outcome, thigh pain and stem survival for patients with and without CHs and 2) to identify patient and surgery-related factors being associated with the development of CHs. Methods: A consecutive series of 233 patients with 246 hips was included in the present retrospective diagnostic cohort study, who had received a total hip arthroplasty (THA) between December 2007 and 2009 with a cementless, curved, short hip stem (Fitmore, Zimmer, Warsaw, IN, USA). Clinical and radiographic follow-up, including the radiographic parameters for hip geometry reconstruction, were prospectively assessed 1, 3, and 6 to 10 years after surgery. Results: Cortical hypertrophies were observed in 56% of the hips after a mean of 7.7 years, compared to 53% after 3.3 years being mostly located in Gruen zone 3 and 5. There was no significant difference for the Harris Hip Score and UCLA score for patients with and without CHs. Only one patient with a mild CH in Gruen zone 5 and extensive heterotopic ossifications around the neck of the stem reported thigh pain. The Kaplan Meier survival rate after 8.6 years was 99.6% (95%-CI; 97.1–99.9%) for stem revision due to aseptic loosening and no association with CHs could be detected. Postoperative increase in hip offset was the only risk factor being associated with the development of CHs in the regression model (ΔHO; OR 1.1 (1.0–1.2); p = 0.001). Conclusions: The percentage of cortical hypertrophies remained almost constant in the mid-term compared to the short-term with the present cementless short hip stem design. The high percentage of cortical hypertrophies seems not be a cause for concern with this specific implant in the mid-term. Level of evidence: Diagnostic Level I