Critical and Ethical Studies of Digital and Social Media

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/107452

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Objective Social Media Use and Well-Being: An Actual Behavior Study
(2024-01-03) Baum, Katharina; Abramova, Olga; Gladkaya, Margarita; Krasnova, Hanna
A myriad of research has examined how time spent on social networking sites (SNSs) impacts users’ well-being; however, the results are inconsistent. Recent criticism has been that measuring time spent on SNSs with self-reported assessments is prone to errors. In the present study, we address this limitation by assessing participants’ actual SNS use via the screen time feature on their smartphones. This way, we can relate the objectively measured SNS use of 383 respondents to several markers of well-being. Findings reveal that objective overall SNS use on smartphone apps is not a good predictor of well-being. A deeper look at the nine examined apps suggests that only time spent on TikTok and Snapchat is negatively linked to well-being as manifested via increased negative affect, anxiety, and depression. The pitfalls and benefits of using screenshots of the screen time feature as an objective measure for SNS use are discussed and future steps are outlined.
Search Me, O [Algorithm] and Know my Heart: Queer Faith in Dating Apps
(2024-01-03) King, W.E.
This paper explores the intersection of gender, sexuality, and religion from the perspective of queer Christians using dating apps. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, I analyzed 15 interviews and 9 participant self-studies of their own dating app use. My analysis shows the ways queer Christians use dating apps to find people to date in a very thin dating market and end up doing queer identity work in the process.
Typification and Characteristics of Digital Safe Spaces: A literature review
(2024-01-03) Ruiz-Bravo, Nadia
Digital safe spaces are important for vulnerable groups seeking refuge and comfort in digital platforms to establish connections and companionship with peers. However, the studies related to digital safe spaces appear to be disorganized, and there has not been an effort to make clear what are the main characteristics and types that can differentiate them from other digital spaces. In this paper, I take on this challenge and, through a literature review on the information systems (IS) and human-computer interaction (HCI) fields, I propose ten distinct characteristics and three different types of digital safe spaces. This paper contributes to the literature on digital platforms’ social impact by offering a comprehensive understanding of digital safe spaces. In addition, it brings the concept of digital safe spaces to the IS field by providing a clear set of characteristics and a typification of the concept.
Country of Origin Bias in Online Reviews and Its Impact on Products Rating
(2024-01-03) Khoshghadam, Leila
Online reviews are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they are blessings if they help customers make more informed decisions and help companies increase their sales. On the other hand, they might mislead customers and damage products’ success in the online environment if they suffer from systematic bias. Research on online review bias has predominantly focused on three possible sources of bias, social influence bias, negativity bias, and self-selection bias. Extending these previous studies, the current research investigated the country-induced bias in product reviews when there is a pervasive sentiment against a country in society. It specifically argues that the pervasive feeling against a country increases consumers’ sensitivity to products’ country of origin. It also results in more expressions of negative feelings in the review content. However, if the product quality is acceptable, the pervasive feeling will not negatively affect the overall rating of the products originating from that country.
All Warnings Are Not Equal: A User-Centered Approach to Comparing General and Specific Contextual Warnings against Misinformation
(2024-01-03) Guo, Chen; Guo, Zifei "Sherry"; Zheng, Nan; Guo, Chengqi "John"
Misinformation warnings have become the de facto solution for fighting untruthful messages online. Our study brings forth new understandings as to how users cognitively process two types of warning: general and specific contextual warnings; both are adopted by TikTok and Instagram Reels. Actual TikTok and Instagram users were recruited in this study. In general, we confirm that misinformation warnings indeed aid participants in making sound judgments on the video's veracity. However, general contextual warnings are rated the least effective by participants due to (1) the lack of ability to attract and maintain attention, and (2) the inability to provide relevant information to verify specific video content. Secondly, warnings with “False Information” labels are more effective in helping users to make high-quality accuracy judgments than warnings with “Missing Context” or “Partially False Information” labels, indicating that people prefer affirmative misinformation warnings. Finally, our findings contribute to the evolving scholarship on misinformation warning compliance by casting light on nuanced participant perceptions and behaviors that, if not carefully addressed, may hinder the efforts of misinformation mitigation on social media.
Exploring Values Embedded Within Social Media Platforms: A Case Study of WeChat
(2024-01-03) Sun, Yinan; Suthers, Dan
This qualitative study investigates embedded values within WeChat, employing a three-dimensional theoretical framework of cultural affordances. This study involved 31 semi-structured in-depth interviews, follow-up discussions, and observations, with data analysis following the grounded theory approach. The findings highlight the presence of embedded values manifested in WeChat’s design features, including offline status omission, mutual likes notification on Friends’ Circle, the absence of deletion notification, information symmetry, and the absence of read receipts. These design choices reflect the cultural affordances of WeChat that shape user experiences on the platform. The study also discusses users’ responses to these design features and explores their ethical implications. Ultimately, it proposes potential directions for further research in this domain. By uncovering the embedded values of WeChat, this study provides insights into the interplay between technology, culture, and user behavior, offering valuable implications for researchers and practitioners in social media studies.
Introduction to the Minitrack on Critical and Ethical Studies of Digital and Social Media
(2024-01-03) Acker, Amelia; Proferes, Nicholas; Paris, Britt

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