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Direct-to-Avatar (D2A) is the new phenomenon in the online retail segment. Brands are moving towards immersive commerce in which the central focus is on immersive communication for better customer experience in the metaverse. Diffusion of innovation theory acted as a theoretical framework to understand the premiums that the brands can enjoy from the customers by moving towards immersive commerce. 948 tweets on metaverse were analysed and five in-depth interviews with the experts on metaverse were conducted. For the quantitative study, the data were collected from a select metaverse Facebook group. The findings of PLS-SEM revealed that four factors - customer engagement, customer experience, value co-creation and customer empowerment - have statistically positive impact on customer citizenship behavior which ultimately affects customer satisfaction and loyalty towards the brands. The study extends the applications of diffusion of innovation theory in the content of immersive communication. It enriches the literature on technological advancements in immersive commerce. This is one of the first studies that focus on lifestyle brands in the metaverse. Also, this study depicts how socializing the digital brand communication with experience economy can be a key factor for lifestyle brands. • This paper is one of the first that focuses on lifestyle brands in the metaverse. • This study depicts how socializing the digital brand communication with experience economy is crucial for lifestyle brands. • The study extends the applications of diffusion of innovation theory in the content of immersive communication. • It enriches the literature on technological advancements in immersive commerce. • Customer engagement, experience, co-creation and empowerment effects citizenship behavior boosting satisfaction & loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health misinformation has become rampant in the digital age, because people often share unauthenticated health messages on online platforms. While previous studies have pinpointed different factors that influence the dissemination of such unverified health content, few have delved into the transition from exposure to online health information to its unverified sharing. Drawing upon the theory of motivated information management, this study proposes a research model that connects online health information scanning to unverified health information sharing. Using two-wave survey data in China, we found a positive association between online health information scanning and uncertainty discrepancy in Time 1. Such discrepancy subsequently led to perceived health threat and health anxiety in Time 2, which ultimately increased unverified health information sharing in Time 2. Overall, this study enriches the information management literature by theorizing the pathways from information scanning to unverified information sharing through cognitive and emotional responses. Moreover, the findings offer practical insights for social media operators and health professionals to propose informed strategies to curb the spread of unverified health information on the internet. • The study theorizes the pathways from information scanning to unverified information sharing. • A two-wave survey was conducted in China to test the model. • A positive association exists between information scanning and uncertainty discrepancy. • Uncertainty discrepancy increases perceived health threat and health anxiety. • Perceived health threat and health anxiety trigger unverified health information sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important step in developing effective interventions to stop the spread of misinformation is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of people who are likely to share misinformation on social media. Accordingly, we conducted a meta-analysis of 60 articles on the individual traits of people who share misinformation. Results showed that the passing time motivation (r = 0.524) had the strongest positive relationship with misinformation sharing, whereas trust in information (r = 0.437) and the socialization motivation (r = 0.350) had a large positive effect. The motivations for entertainment (r = 0.276) and altruism (r = 0.220), and trust in social media (r = 0.219) all had medium positive effects. Prior exposure to misinformation (r = 0.191) and political conservatism (r = 0.119) both had a small positive association with misinformation sharing, whereas the personality trait of agreeableness (r = −0.094) had a weak negative association with misinformation sharing. Information literacy (r = −0.229) exerted a medium negative effect, but new media literacy was not significantly related to misinformation sharing. Finally, contextual and methodological factors emerged as important moderators. Older people and women were more likely to spread health misinformation, whereas younger people and men were more likely to share political misinformation. Overall, this study indicates that misinformation sharing is more strongly related to psychological traits than to personality and demographic traits. Moreover, the uses and gratifications theory, theories related to trust and credibility, and the illusory truth effect may well explain misinformation sharing in the online space. • Passing time motivation had the strongest positive relationship with misinformation sharing. • Trust in information and the socialization motivation had a large positive effect on misinformation sharing. • The motivations for entertainment and altruism, and trust in social media all had medium positive effects. • Prior exposure to misinformation and political conservatism had a small positive association with misinformation sharing. • Information literacy exerted a medium negative effect but new media literacy had non-significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovatively departing from conventional methodologies such as questionnaires, interviews, or text analysis, this study introduces a single-gender speech personality measurement approach to identify extraversion traits in executives from a speech perspective. Central to the research is how executive extraversion influences firm innovation performance. The research samples are derived from the audio recordings of performance conference communication calls held by Chinese listed companies on the Wind 3C conference platform. Through hierarchical regression analysis, empirical results demonstrate an inverted U-shaped relationship between executive extraversion and firm innovation performance (measured by R&D personnel input, R&D expenditure, and patent applications). The study also reveals that situational factors, including the proportion of shareholding by pressure-resistant institutional investors, incentive compensation, and equity concentration, significantly moderate the inverted U-shaped relationship. This research provides compelling evidence of the importance of executive extraversion in firm innovation performance and offers a new perspective on the mechanisms through which executive extraversion influences firm innovation performance. The single-gender speech personality recognition method allows researchers to effectively utilize executives' speech information in the big data era. The research viewpoint and findings contribute beneficially to the Upper Echelons Theory and offer actionable insights for leveraging executive traits to bolster innovation. • The impact of executive extraversion on firm innovation performance is analyzed. • Extraversion traits in executives is recognized from conference communication calls. • Innovation performance is measured from innovation input and output perspectives. • The moderation effect test and robustness test are conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As artificial intelligence technologies evolve, a discernible trend is emerging wherein chatbots are imbued with the capability to articulate emotions within online customer service. However, the research on emotional expression by chatbots is still in its infancy, and the existing research on this aspect is inconclusive. Therefore, from the perspective of chatbots expressing humor, this study proposes a boundary condition for the effectiveness of chatbot-expressed humor and a different influence mechanism of expressing humor in different dialogues on service satisfaction through four experimental studies. Our study found that chatbots' expression of humor in chit-chat dialogues leads to higher perceived entertainment and service satisfaction for customers; however, chatbots' expression of humor in task-oriented dialogues leads to distraction and lower service satisfaction. In addition, we found that entertainment significantly mediated between humor in chit-chat dialogues and service satisfaction, while distraction had a significant indirect effect between humor in task-oriented dialogues and service satisfaction. These findings deepen our understanding of chatbot-expressed humor and provide valuable insights into online retailers' deployment of humorous chatbots. • Chatbots express humor differently at different times. • With identity disclosed, humor doesn't work differently across dialogues. • With identity non-disclosed, humor in chit-chat dialogues is better. • Entertainment mediated between humor in chit-chat dialogues and satisfaction. • Distraction indirectly affected humor in task-oriented dialogues and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As social media influencers have become a global phenomenon, brands are channeling substantial resources into influencer marketing campaigns. Researchers are keenly exploring diverse content factors that wield influence in online social spheres, including linguistic elements. However, uncertainties persist regarding their association with digital consumer engagement. To bridge this knowledge gap, our study takes a comprehensive approach to identify prevalent linguistic styles employed by social media influencers, integrating multiple linguistic variables. We collected data and audio transcripts from over 11,000 videos featuring 151 top YouTube influencers. Native language processing and automated coding were then employed to extract linguistic variables from the videos. Utilizing a data dimensionality reduction technique (t-SNE), we streamlined their complexity and categorized them to unearth patterns in linguistic style within the sample. Consequently, we proposed an original taxonomy comprising seven linguistic styles used by influencers: videos of expert advice , storytelling , intimate experiences , struggle and overcoming , motivation and guidance , coaching and mentoring , and middle-of-the-road videos. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that each linguistic style correlates with varying levels of digital consumer engagement. These findings not only enhance the existing body of knowledge on influencer marketing and social influence but also offer important insights for influencers and marketing practitioners on selecting the most effective linguistic style for content creation to drive consumer engagement. • Identifies seven linguistic styles of social media influencers' videos on YouTube. • +11,000 videos were analyzed by machine learning techniques and clustering analysis. • Shows the linguistic styles' effect of influencer videos on consumer engagement. • Contributes to influencer marketing, social influence, and opinion leaders literature. • Guides influencers and marketing practitioners on how to communicate strategically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining the sustainability of online support groups (OSGs) presents a significant challenge. Integrating the literature on interaction dynamics and supportive communication, this study investigated how interaction dynamics in supportive communication foster long-term support-seeking behaviors that are crucial to sustaining continuous support exchanges in OSGs. Using a large-scale dataset of 48,868 posts and 468,243 comments over ten years from an OSG, this study examined how reciprocity and compensation of emotional and informational support, signaled by emotional expressions and analytical expressions, predicted a poster's future support-seeking behaviors in the OSG. Results showed that a poster's future support-seeking behaviors were positively associated with receiving (a) reciprocity of analytical expressions and (b) compensation of negative emotional expressions with positive emotional expressions in their past posts. However, reciprocity of negative emotional expressions was negatively associated with a poster's future support-seeking behaviors. This study emphasizes social support as an ongoing interactive process and its importance in motivating support-seeking behaviors and fostering a thriving OSG. • It is unclear how interaction dynamics of social support foster support-seeking and sustain online support groups. • Emotional and informational social support were signaled by linguistic markers of emotional and analytical expressions. • Reciprocity of analytical expressions facilitated future support-seeking behaviors. • Compensation of negative emotions with positive emotions facilitated future support-seeking behaviors. • Reciprocity of negative emotional expressions deferred support-seeking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meaning in life is essential for cancer survivors and may influence their coping behaviors and health. Extensive research has examined factors that predict meaning in life for cancer survivors. However, most of these studies focused on personal characteristics and reactions to a diagnosis but left the crucial role of communication underexamined. To fill this research gap, the current study conducted an empirical analysis of the US-based Health Information National Trends Survey 6 dataset (N = 900) and examined the underlying mechanisms through which patient-provider communication (PPC) and health-related social media use were related to cancer survivors' meaning in life. The results showed that both PPC and health-related social media use were positively associated with meaning in life. In addition, PPC was negatively associated with perceived social isolation, which in turn reduced meaning in life. Health-related social media use was positively related to perceived social isolation, which subsequently lowered meaning in life. Furthermore, health self-efficacy weakened the indirect pathway linking PPC and health-related social media use to meaning in life via perceived social isolation. The findings highlighted the constructive role of PPC and the dualistic role of health-related social media use in cancer survivors' meaning in life, as well as the risk-buffering role of health self-efficacy. We also discussed the important theoretical and practical implications of the findings. • Communication is important to enhance cancer survivors' meaning in life. • Patient-centered communication reduced perceived social isolation. • Health-related social media use increased perceived social isolation. • Perceived social isolation lowered meaning in life. • Health self-efficacy weakened the negative effect of perceived social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional teaching methods have been bolstered by modern teaching methods and multimedia technology, allowing students to benefit from both new and old approaches to learning. Teaching and learning are evolving at an unprecedented rate because of the rise of online courses. Rapid advances in intelligent technologies and communication networks provide new opportunities for interactive technology innovation and technical support for hybrid teaching incorporating both on- and offline study. For this article to be helpful, it needs to examine how an intelligent mobile communication network's effective teaching combined with a hybrid teaching mode can improve the educational attainment of student teachers' English reading, among other things. This article should address these issues and more. According to this paper's findings from the experimental study, college students' desire for and capacity to learn independently in English reading courses has increased massively, and our English reading results will rise by at least 93%. • Teaching and learning are evolving at an unprecedented rate because to the rise of online courses. • On the basis of mastery of observational learning and constructivist teaching theory. • There is no longer a restriction on the amount of time or place in which individuals may communicate. • No longer any concerns regarding short-term single network lines thanks to the advent of mobile devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid pace of digitalization in the workplace confronts leaders and followers with the demand to get accustomed to digital ways of communication. The prevalent digital media platforms, like e-mail and messenger services, however, are less broad in informational depth, omitting nonverbal cues and usually adopting a more stifled and factual tonality. This constitutes a substantial challenge for leaders, as the transferal of emotions, mostly driven by a message's nonverbal delivery, constitutes one of the key pathways for their effectiveness. Quasi-nonverbal signals, like emoji, could be a means to re-enrich written leader communication with affect. We conducted two experiments to gain insights into the benefits and risks of emoji in leader communication. Our findings reveal the potential of positive emoji to enhance followers' ascriptions of desirable leader attributes, approval of the leader, and their other-regarding behaviour, however only in certain organisational contexts. Conversely, negative emoji substantially undermined the leader's standing, leading to various undesirable outcomes. Our findings thus allow for inferences on how followers will likely react to specific quasi-nonverbal displays and provide leaders with recommendations for adapting their affective signalling to elicit desired responses. • We investigated the potential of emoji as a substitute for nonverbal affective displays in written leader communication. • Across two pre-registered experiments, negative emoji appear to evoke undesirable responses from receivers. • Positive emoji may positively affect receivers' impressions of the leader, given the right context. • A control-oriented organisational culture strengthens the impact of emoji while a flexibility-oriented culture mitigates it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate interplay between self-disclosure strategies and the social support received has garnered limited scholarly attention. Guided by communication privacy management theory, the functional theory of self-disclosure, social support theory, and social penetration theory, this study seeks to delve deeper into this dynamic within the context of female infertility. Fertility challenges among women remain sensitive and veiled by societal silence, thereby compelling them to seek information and support through online channels. By leveraging natural language processing techniques, we examined 11,714 posts and 76,022 comments from the Subreddit IVF over a three-year period. Our investigation shows that online support forums provide a convenient and beneficial channel for women dealing with infertility issues to exchange information and express distress. However, a discrepancy exists between the types and intended functions of self-disclosure and the types of social support received. Posts aiming to clarify personal identities negatively predict the network support received. Moreover, disclosing thoughts in posts often fail to elicit esteem support in comments. The results highlight that online support communities exhibit inherent limitations in offering opportunities for sharing good news and seeking validation. These findings offer guidance to policymakers, practitioners, and the public in enhancing support for women experiencing challenges in childbearing. • We utilized a natural language processing approach. • Sharing personal information is the most prevalent self-disclosure type. • The predominant support offered in comments is informational. • A gap exists between self-disclosure strategies and the social support received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleworking has rapidly grown and become the prevailing work mode. Married teleworkers may experience increased work-family conflict, while single teleworkers may experience loneliness. This study aims to investigate how teleworkers' information reception quality (Time 1) influences their work-family conflict (Time 2), loneliness (Time 2), and well-being (Time 3) from the perspective of the job demands-resources model. The data were collected through a three-point survey involving 462 participants working from home in Taiwan. The results indicate a negative association between information accuracy and work-family conflict. Work-family conflict, in turn, mediates the relationship between information accuracy and well-being. Information timeliness, as the moderator, weakens the connection between information accuracy and work-family conflict. Additionally, information timeliness is negatively related to loneliness. Loneliness mediates the relationship between information timeliness and well-being. Information accuracy, as the moderator, strengthens the association between information timeliness and loneliness. No impact of information on family-work conflict was observed. Our findings suggest that organizations that convey precise and punctual messages to employees have distinct routes for reducing work-family interference and loneliness and ultimately improving employees' well-being in remote work contexts. This study contributes to the wider telework literature through information experience. • This study explores how teleworkers' information reception affects work-family conflict, loneliness, and well-being. • Accurate information reduces work-family conflict; timely information lessens loneliness. • Work-family conflict mediates accuracy's impact on well-being; loneliness mediates timeliness's impact on well-being. • Timeliness weakens accuracy's impact on work-family conflict; accuracy strengthens timeliness's effect on loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gathering evidence in cybercrime is a complex process. Under this premise, it is very important to have cutting-edge methodologies that allow the observation of criminal phenomena on the Internet and protect the personal integrity of the investigator, especially when the content is extremely critical and is located in the so-called dark zone of the Internet (hereinafter Dark Web). This article develops a new research methodology in the field of cybercrime based on the use of honeypots, and its main objective is to evaluate the ability to de-anonymize users in the Tor network to collect geographic coordinates and demographic data on the Dark Web in order to obtain digital evidence related to minors sexual (CSEM) offenders. The information collected aims to map the consumption of CSEM through cartograms, with a particular focus on the Spanish territory. The outcomes demonstrate the ability of using honeypots to assess the prevalence of CSEM consumption on the Dark Web. Future improvements of the methodology will be discussed. • The objective is to evaluate a methodology based on honeypots to de-anonymize users on the Tor network. • The use of honeypots makes it possible to obtain real Ips, and therefore, to geolocate users on the Dark Web. • The countries with the highest rate of access to CSEM material were the United States of America and Spain. • The Spanish autonomous communities with the highest number of CSEM users were Madrid and Andalucía. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented Reality (AR) is an emerging concept that impacts many disciplines, such as business, marketing, tourism, gaming, human–computer interaction, and manufacturing. Surprisingly, many scholarly and practical discussions overlook the fundamental primary factors that distinguish AR from other concepts, namely, that it involves a computing device that integrates virtual content into a consumer's perception of the real world in a specific context. The current article addresses this gap in the literature by proposing the 4C framework (based on the 4Cs: consumer, content, context, and computing device; pronounced: foresee) that highlights the importance of, and interplay among these four factors. Building on configurational theory, the framework calls for the systematic identification of additional AR-relevant factors across the 4Cs. Scholars can use this framework to systematically identify research gaps and variables of interest. Practitioners across various disciplines can employ the framework to systematically assess, communicate, and develop AR use cases. • The 4C framework highlights four unique characteristics of AR: Consumer, Content, Context, and Computing Device. • Engagement with AR derives from an alignment of the 4 Cs. • The paper advances theory by using the lens of complexity theory to explain how to engage consumers in AR experiences. • The framework offers significant implications for managers and scholars. • It allows systematic approaches to assess, communicate, and develop AR applications across various disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior literature suggests that social media may increase older adults' well-being because they use social media to communicate with close social ties, such as family members. Despite this potential being recognized and associations between social media and well-being being established among older adults, the role of social media contact (SMC), particularly with family members, as a source of well-being has been little explored. In this study, we tested whether SMC with family members increases happiness for older (68–74 year-old) and younger and middle-aged (19–56 year-old) adults. Using population-based data from Finland, we examined the extent to which self-rated happiness is dependent on the respondents' sustenance of SMC with given family members. This analysis involved 2807 social media users. The family members examined were children and siblings for both generations; in addition, grandchildren for the older generation and parents for the younger generation. Propensity score matching was used to improve the credibility of the estimated associations. Partially supporting the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), the results show that the older generation has more SMC with family members than the younger generations does; however, SMC with family members did not increase happiness among older adults, as SST suggests. Conversely, for younger adults, SMC with some family members was associated with increased happiness, suggesting that social media may gratify some family-related needs more specific to middle-aged adults than to older adults. This study adds to the knowledge about life-stage specific factors that contribute to subjective well-being in the digital era. • We explore whether family communication via social media is a source of happiness. • We use a multi-generation dataset and control for size of social networks. • We find partial support for the socioemotional selectivity theory. • Older adults' social media use is family-driven but it does not increase happiness. • We use propensity score matching to improve the credibility of the causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every day we trust other individuals as we engage in social interactions in which various desirable outcomes depend on others acting the way we hope, or they have indicated. Trust extends beyond specific individuals, however, as we might trust unknown others – individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments. Some also say that we trust various artifacts, such as machines. But what is the basis of trust, and can we really trust technology? Trust is intimately connected to the notion ethos from the study of rhetoric and human persuasion, which is often used to describe various characteristics of the speaker, the audience, the relationship between the speaker and the audience, and the wider context in which communication and interaction occurs. In this article I explore to what degree machines can be considered to have ethos, and consequently whether ethos is a useful concept for understanding persuasive and credibility-related situations in HMI and by extension key aspects of human-machine trust. This allows us to draw on a long lineage of research from, for example, rhetoric, communication studies, and cognitive and social psychology to better understand the usefulness – or not – of using the notion of trust to describe our relationship with machines. • Trust in machines partly parallels trust in humans, institutions, and artifacts. • Ethos, from rhetoric, relates to credibility and trust in human-machine interaction. • This paper explores if machines can have ethos, and how this relates to trust. • Machine ethos is about perceived credibility and not the machine's ethics. • Examining ethos enriches understanding of trust and design in HMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing use of social media for help-seeking and receiving, less focus has been devoted to social media's role in seeking and receiving help during disaster periods like flooding, especially from a developing country perspective like Nigeria, which is facing recent worrisome flood disasters. In this study, we looked at the impact of social media storytelling on seeking and receiving help among victims of a recent flood disaster in Nigeria. An online survey was employed to collect data from 470 flood victims in Nigeria. SPSS version 25 and Smart PLS version 4 were used for data analysis. We found a positive association between social media storytelling and help-seeking among flood victims in Nigeria. The inference is that social media storytelling gives Nigerian flood victims a crucial platform to ask for assistance because of the ongoing flood disaster in the nation. Additionally, we discovered a positive connection between social media storytelling and the support provided to flood victims in Nigeria. Accordingly, assistance grew as Nigerian flood victims told more stories on social media. Finally, the study discovered that presenting stories on open platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook drew more immediate feedback and support than storytelling on Facebook and WhatsApp groups as well as interpersonal communication between social media network members. Flood victims, their families and all relevant authorities are encouraged to present flood stories on open platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to draw more immediate feedback and support. • Less focus has been devoted to social media's role in seeking and receiving help. • An online survey was employed to collect data from 470 flood victims in Nigeria. • Social media storytelling gives Nigerian flood victims a crucial platform to ask for assistance. • There is a positive connection between social media storytelling and the support provided to flood victims in Nigeria. • Presenting stories on open platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook drew more immediate feedback and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite scholars' efforts to examine the impact of consumption-related social media peer communication (SMPC) on consumer behaviors in recent decades, no evidence has been collected to shed light on how SMPC motivates Gen Z consumers' online shopping intentions (OSI). Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between Gen Z consumers' SMPC and their OSI in the Vietnamese e-commerce environment. Based on the stimulus-organism-response theory, this study examined a moderated serial-mediation model in which SMPC was related to OSI via perceived brand quality (PBQ) and brand preference (BP). Additionally, this study tested whether higher subjective norms (SN) could substantialize these potential relationships for Gen Z consumers. Data from 280 Gen Z Vietnamese were analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique and path analysis with SmartPLS v. 4.0.8.5 software. The results showed that with Gen Z consumers, (1) SMPC was related to higher OSI (a) directly and (b) indirectly via both sequential and serial mediations of PBQ and BP; (2) the positive indirect effects of SMPC on OSI via the sequential and serial mediation of PBQ and BP increased as SN increased. Together, these findings extend the current literature and provide several implications for businesses. • Consumption-related social media peer communication is related to higher online shopping intention among Gen Z consumers. • Perceived brand quality and brand preference mediate this relation sequentially and serially. • The mediation relationships are moderated by subjective norms. • Among Gen Z consumers with higher levels of subjective norms, the effect of social media peer communication is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaverse, a virtual world that is parallel to the real world, has gained significant attention in recent years. This is because of the merging of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp under the "Meta" umbrella, intending to encompass all forms of digital communication and virtual environments. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this trend, as the need for virtual social interaction has grown due to the cancellation of in-person events. However, creating a metaverse environment parallel to the real world necessitates an examination of its sustainability dimensions, including those from economic, environmental, social, and technological viewpoints. A sustainable metaverse must possess certain characteristics, such as being able to meet high computational demands, being interoperable and scalable, and having appropriate norms and regulations in place. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics of a sustainable metaverse in detail. The Fuzzy Cognitive Map is used to handle negative causal relationships and address the lack of crisp data. Additionally, scenario analysis is conducted to examine the impact of changes in specific characteristics on other characteristics. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the understanding of the metaverse and can serve as a valuable resource for those working to create a sustainable virtual world. • A lack of research that evaluates the multiple and conflicting characteristics of a sustainable metaverse. • Scenario analysis to evaluate the impact of increasing or decreasing certain metaverse characteristics. • A fuzzy and scenario-based approach to make predictions about future application scenarios of metaverse. • A better understanding of a sustainable metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissemination of public emergency information on social networks is one of the key concerns for emergency management. Guided by Persuasive and Communication theory, this meta-analysis synthesized 21 empirical studies with a total sample of 1,232,945 individuals to quantify the relationship between various factors and the dissemination of public emergency information. Findings indicated that factors from the information receiver-related aspects (social motivation and emotional motivation) as critical antecedents at a medium-to-large level, whereas information source-related aspects (attractiveness and credibility) yield small, positive, and significant correlations. Among the information-related factors, only the emotional intensity of information was found to have a moderately strong positive relationship with emergency information dissemination. Moderator analysis further revealed that the impacts of several antecedents varied for different types of emergencies. The results of this study reconcile and clarify inconsistencies in research and make theoretical and practical contributions to the field of public emergency information. • Developed a framework for factors influencing public emergency information dissemination on social networks. • Social and emotional motivation of information receivers show significant effects, ranging from moderate to high. • Credibility and attractiveness of information sources, while slight, have positive and significant effects. • Emotional intensity of public emergency information has a moderately strong correlation. • Variability in effect size is partially accounted for by the type of emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity of social media, media organizations and scholars have turned their attention to audience engagement. Based on an analysis of survey data from audiences who consumed Korean content in Singapore (N = 934), this study examined how co-experiences of content with other audiences, identification with an audience group, and emotional engagement were associated with proactive, active, and reactive types of audience engagement behaviors on social media. The results show that different sub-constructs of co-experience and emotional engagement were connected with distinct types of audience engagement behaviors. In addition, the findings demonstrate the importance of identification with other audiences in all types of audience engagement behaviors. This study expands the boundary of the audience engagement literature by examining different types of engagement behaviors in consuming Korean content. • Different subconstructs of co-experience were positively connected with distinct types of audience engagement behaviors. • The findings demonstrate the importance of identification with other audiences in all types of audience engagement behaviors. • Emotional engagement (particularly the arousal dimension) seems to play an important role in audience engagement behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-designed social media are supposed to improve user deliberation. Around the 2020 US presidential election, Twitter temporarily suspended the Retweet function and prompted users to use the Quote Tweet function. This study aims to use this natural experiment condition to examine whether this affordance change can increase users' deliberation levels by encouraging them to express themselves. From the expression effect perspective, this change might increase the cognitive costs of users' retweeting and commenting behaviors and thus lead to deliberativeness. Based on this natural experiment, the study found that at the population level, the suspension of the Retweet function made users spend more time before quoting. However, it did not encourage them to post quotation tweets of higher analytical and interactive quality or put more effort into writing longer comments and finding longer tweets to quote. These effects were moderated by users' retweeting habits, as the change increased deliberativeness for those who used the quotation function frequently before the suspension. [Display omitted] • The effect of affordance change on deliberation is limited and nuanced. • Except for the reception of diverse ideas, expression can also improve deliberation. • The analytical and interactive quality of tweets can reflect deliberation levels. • The effort put into composing tweets can reflect deliberation levels. • Usage habits moderate the effect of affordance change on deliberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing players' learning experiences in a proper manner is a fundamental aspect of successful game-based learning programs. One notable characteristic of these programs is stealth assessment, which involves integrating formative assessment into the learning environment without disrupting the learning process. In multiplayer online games (MOGs), the in-game online chat system is a commonly used tool that enables players to communicate through text or voice messages during gameplay. However, there is a lack of specific research on incorporating players' in-game chat content for computational learning experience assessment, which could enhance the validity of stealth assessment. This study proposes a stealth assessment method based on natural language processing to highlight the significance of players' in-game chat data in estimating learners' skills in MOGs. A natural language processing model is developed using a distilled version of the Google BERT pre-trained model. The evaluations demonstrate that the proposed method accurately estimates a player's skill level by analyzing a few chat messages from the player. This method has the potential to make a profound impact on the field of game-based learning by enabling more precise assessment and supporting the design of tailored interventions and adaptive learning systems. This study pioneers computational skill assessment through chats in MOGs, opening up new opportunities for future investigations in skill assessment and having the potential to transform the field of game-based learning. • The in-game online chat system is one of the common tools in multiplayer online games. • The proposed method can determine the skill level of players using their in-game chat messages. • We demonstrate how to fine-tune and utilize natural language processing models for stealth assessment. • The experiments show that the proposed method achieved state-of-the-art accuracy in estimating players' skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media users continuously decide between looking for familiar content and exploring novel content. Although prior research has extensively studied the trade-off between exploration and exploitation (E/E), little is known about how it operates on social media platforms. In this observational study, we created survey scales to measure users' exploration and exploitation interests (EEI) on Snapchat, a social media platform, and used them to survey 1,073 Snapchat users in the U.S. between December 2020 and January 2021. We combined users' self-reported responses with their aggregated behavioral data recorded on the Snapchat platform. We employed correlation analyses and matching procedures to analyze the relationships between users' EEI and their activities on the app. Our results suggest that exploration, and not exploitation, triggers more behavioral activities while using this social media platform. We found that exploration was positively correlated with spending time on the app, having more content impressions, and watching content from familiar sources. Moreover, exploration was negatively correlated with communication activities. By combining users' self-reported and server log data, this work advances our understanding of how the E/E framework applies to users on a social media platform. • Snapchat users' behavioral signals were mainly associated with exploration interests rather than exploitation interests. • Exploration was positively associated with spending more time and having more impressions on Snapchat. • Exploration was negatively associated with communication features, such as chat messages and Direct Snaps. • Unlike previous conceptualizations, exploration was linked with content from familiar sources rather than novel sources. • Users' relationships characterized exploration and exploitation, driven by friends' and favorite channels' content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the association between trust in institutions and the reasons for sharing unverified information on social media. Specifically, this study explores the role of perceived self-efficacy in detecting misinformation and the motivation to authenticate information in online contexts. We draw on a sample of 2600 respondents, mainly Generation Z and Millennials (ages between 15 and 30). The findings show a blinding side of trust, revealing a positive association between trust in institutions on social media and reasons for sharing unverified information. Trust in institutions is positively associated with perceived self-efficacy in detecting misinformation. We suggest that the positive correlation between trust in institutions and perceived self-efficacy in detecting misinformation implies an overconfidence effect – i.e., individuals may overestimate their ability to assess information based on their belief that a source (institution) is trustworthy. This arguably represents a tendency to divert attention away from the accuracy of the information and explains the positive indirect association between trust and the likelihood of sharing unverified content. Moreover, trust is negatively associated with individuals' motivation to authenticate information, suggesting that individuals may rely on information utility rather than engage in critical thinking and verification. This study contributes to understanding the spread of misinformation on social media by highlighting the role of trust in institutions and its association with individuals' reasons for sharing unverified information. It also emphasizes the importance of perceived self-efficacy in detecting misinformation and the motivation to authenticate information as mediating mechanisms. • Trust in institutions is associated with reasons for sharing unverified information. • Trust in institutions increases perceived self-efficacy in detecting misinformation, creating an overconfidence effect. • Trust in institutions reduces individuals' motivation to authenticate information. • To curb misinformation sharing, it is important to encourage critical thinking and develop media literacy programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media influencers – such as the 'Instafamous' – are required to disclose any commercial relationship. To achieve transparency, Instagram has introduced a standardized disclosure ('Paid partnership with [brand]'). This study examined whether this disclosure effectively raises ad recognition, and how this consequently affects consumers' responses to the message, influencer, and brand. Additionally, the effects of the disclosure were compared between micro- (<10,000 followers) and meso- (10,000–1 million followers) influencers. Results of an online experiment (N = 192) with a 2 (no disclosure vs. standardized disclosure) x 2 (micro-vs. meso-influencer) between subjects design showed that the disclosure did achieve its goal of increasing ad recognition. Furthermore, the disclosure positively affected brand recall and intentions to engage with the post, via ad recognition. The parasocial interaction with the influencer was not affected. Moreover, influencer type did not moderate the effect of the disclosure and did not affect people's responses to the message, influencer, or brand. • The standardized Instagram disclosure helps users to recognize influencer marketing. • Disclosure indirectly increases brand recall and intentions to engage with the post. • The disclosure does not damage the parasocial interaction with the influencer. • Responses and effects did not differ between micro- and meso -influencers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the underlying mechanism of self-presentation on emerging social networking sites (SNSs) where features facilitating simulation of real-life communication are plenty. Although previous scholars have examined self-presentation on social media, very few have investigated the combined influences of extrinsic media features and intrinsic personality trait in orchestrating self-presentation on Instagram, a platform that is highly popular among young adults. Specifically, based on the concepts from media richness theory and survey data collected from 671 young adults, our study showed that perceived media richness of Instagram was positively associated with the young adults' self-presentation on the platform, which, in turn, enhanced their friendship development. Mediation analyses demonstrated that perceived functionality mediated the association between perceived media richness and self-presentation on Instagram. Additionally, tests of moderated mediation indicated that the indirect effect was stronger for young adults who were low on openness. Results underscore the importance of identifying the underlying processes that moderate the mediation between perceived media richness and self-presentation. • Perceived media richness of Instagram is associated with one's self-presentation. • Perceived functionality mediates the media richness effect on self-presentation. • Self-presentation on Instagram enhances friendship development. • Openness moderates the mediation of perceived functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media such as Twitter generate vibrant discussions related to key sociopolitical issues and have great ability to project various discourses into public arena. Yet, these discourses can be overwhelming and heated, in particular when controversial events happen. In this study, we performed topic modeling on more than 100,000 original tweets to examine Twitter discourses around Gillette's controversial cause-related marketing in 2019 and conducted network analysis through exponential random graph models (ERGM) to investigate the homophily tendency of users who used certain hashtags. Results show that users' discourses were mostly within the message frameworks of the campaign but users strongly reacted to others and top influencers in their online discussions. In addition, the mention network of these users showed homophily tendency based on hashtags. Homophily in this study was distinguished based on attraction of common users (i.e. increased chance of ties for users who both engage the hashtag) and alienation of nonusers (i.e. decreased chance of ties for users neither of whom engages the hashtag), and the comparison between ideological hashtags and conceptual hashtags revealed that homophily only manifested through ideological hashtags. • Twitter users are very reactive to influencers and other users when discussing Gillette's cause-related marketing campaign. • The mention network shows homophily based on ideological hashtags. • Homophily is distinguished by attraction of common users and alienation of nonusers. • Using hashtags overall reduces the likelihood of users receiving mention ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on groups and technology often focuses on differences between face-to-face groups and computer-mediated groups. However, technology can also be utilized in face-to-face meetings, and can impact outcomes in a variety of ways. Multicommunication is the use of technology during face-to-face interactions. This exploratory study focused on how individuals perceive multicommunication (texting) occurring during a decision-making meeting. Results showed women viewed multicommunicators more negatively than men, and multicommunicators were viewed more negatively than non-multicommunicators. However, the gender of the multicommunicator did not play a role in perceptions. Suggested theoretical implications, along with directions for further research are provided. • Multicommunication is using technology to participate in more than one conversation. • Meetings are a key location where multicommunication occurs. • Females view multicommunicators more negatively than males. • Multicommunication can lead to negative views of individuals and the meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemic of political disinformation in social media has in part triggered the transition to the post-truth era in which emotional and ideological appeals are more influential in shaping public opinion than objective facts. In this study we examined the cognitive and affective responses that political disinformation prompted in Facebook, as the most popular social media platform. Through text analysis of user comments corpora on nearly 2,100 political posts from popular sources in Facebook, we found that compared to true news, political disinformation received significantly less analytic responses from Facebook followers. While the results indicated greater anxiety in responses to true news, responses to political disinformation were filled with greater anger and incivility. We also found similar (low) levels of cognitive thinking in responses to extreme conservative and extreme liberal disinformation. Contrary to prior research findings, our results indicated that responses to extreme liberal disinformation in Facebook were filled with greater anger and incivility. This suggests that the incivility and outrage in online political discourses should not be attributed to a specific political party without considering the concurrent political events. • Compared to true news, political disinformation received less analytic responses. • Responses to political disinformation were filled with anger and incivility. • There was greater anxiety in user responses to true news than to disinformation. • Responses to conservative and liberal disinformation were similarly less analytic. • Incivility and anger were most prevalent in responses to liberal disinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the proliferation of social media, a growing body of literature explores the significance of virtual grief, social support, and social capital in the construction of identity and community online. However, there is a dearth of research on how queer members use social media, particularly Twitter, as a tool to claim and re-define their identity—especially when their identity is under threat. The goal of this study is to understand how members of the queer community linguistically responded to the threat to their identity and safety that was caused by the shooting that took place on June 12, 2016, at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. To achieve this goal, we use Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a framework to examine how queer individuals use a creative language strategy to redefine their shared identity when it is threatened. This study used a qualitative iterative analysis of tweets posted by queer individuals to determine how this group identified as ingroup after the Orlando shooting. The study reveals that members of the queer community communicatively responded to the Pulse shooting through social creativity. Specifically, members of the queer community responded to threats through using creative language that fostered stronger ingroup collaborative identities by provoking a) creative identity (re)construction, b) creative community building and c) creative resistance. This study advances SIT by providing additional evidence that the strategy of using creative language by a minority ingroup has the ability to support simultaneously salient and threatened identity. • Creative identity (re)construction. • Creative community building. • Creative resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, mobile crowd sensing (MCS) is captivating growing attention because of their suitability for enormous range of new types of context-aware applications and services. This is attributed to the fact that modern smartphones are equipped with unprecedented sensing, computing, and communication capabilities that allow them to perform more complex tasks besides their inherent calling features. Despite a number of merits, MCS confronts new challenges due to network dynamics, the huge volume of data, sensing task coordination, and the user privacy problems. In this paper, a comprehensive review of MCS is presented. First, we highlight the distinguishing features and potential advantages of MCS compared to conventional sensor networks. Then, a taxonomy of MCS is devised based on sensing scale, level of user involvement and responsiveness, sampling rate, and underlying network infrastructure. Afterward, we categorize and classify prominent applications of MCS in environmental, infrastructure, social, and behavioral domains. The core architecture of MCS is also described. Finally, we describe the potential advantages, determine and reiterate the open research challenges of MCS and illustrate possible solutions. • A comprehensive review of mobile crowd sensing is presented. • A taxonomy of mobile crowd sensing is devised based on various factors. • Emerging mobile crowd sensing applications are categorized and classified. • An architecture of mobile crowd sensing is described based on the provided services and the interacting entities. • The core challenges of mobile crowd sensing are identified and highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

– In the recent year, with the emergence of various smart devices, the data is explosively increasing in the social Internet of Things (IoT) such as human healthcare. These data mainly involve information about user behaviors collected from various heterogeneous wireless sensor and social networks. Therefore, it is vital to analyze the data to find hidden meaning and convert it into valuable information. Due to the lack of capability to handle a wide range of queries, a traditional relational database provides inefficient analysis for the data. A graph database can easily store and analyze the data from various heterogeneous wireless sensor and social network using team formation algorithm. In the healthcare field, it is important to form a team that manages patients' health efficiently. The final goal of team formation is to organize experts who can perform task of data analysis. However, the existing team formation algorithms rely on a centralized computing environment and require high communication cost among experts to form a team. In this paper, we propose a parallel team formation method on apache spark (PTFS) to analyze graph data considering the crowd intelligence capability that exists in the graph data and social network. The PTFS employs two computation stages - a find skill and a merger subgraph and provides the parallel execution of many map tasks of graph data analysis. The experimental evaluation of the proposed method on a graph dataset demonstrates that it minimizes the communicating cost of the team members to form an optimized expert team in which a desired skill set is assigned to accomplish the graph data analysis. • Study of big data processing in the human healthcare. • Propose a parallel team formation method on apache spark (PTFS) to analyze graph data. • PTFS minimizes the communicating overhead of the team members. • Experimental evaluation of PTFS with a continuous graph dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a better understanding of the potential drivers of personal social media use for work and the work-related information employees share through these platforms. This is important given both the increased use of social media as a form of self-presentation and the potential organizational consequences of workers' online knowledge and information sharing behaviors. The results draw upon a multi-method design combining survey data with content analysis data of workers' personal Twitter accounts. Findings indicate that organizational identification and a desire to succeed are related to the sharing of two distinct types of work-related content on social media: Organizational information sharing and professional information sharing. This research extends our understanding of how workers might use social media to communicate to audiences in different ways, and how this activity is related to their perceived relationships to organizational and professional groups. • Professional information sharing on Twitter is driven by a desire to succeed. • Organizational information sharing on Twitter is driven by identification. • The type of information workers share depends on their relationship to organizational and professional groups. • Public social media are hybrid spaces were professional and organizational information is shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present systematic review is the first to examine the quantitative and qualitative evidence about the potential usefulness of online peer support groups for bereaved persons. It aimed to determine: whether online support groups reduce grief-related symptoms for persons who are grieving; and the positive and negative attributes of online support groups experienced by bereaved users of these groups. A comprehensive search within major article databases and Google Scholar, and hand searching of reference lists in retrieved articles, resulted in nine peer-reviewed, scholarly studies that met the inclusion criteria. These quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were assessed using the MMAT quality appraisal tool, and their findings were critically synthesised using a narrative and thematic approach. Insufficient, high-quality quantitative research prevented conclusions being drawn about the effect of online support groups on grief-related symptoms. However, the qualitative evidence shows that there are clear positive attributes of online peer support that are valued by bereaved users. These include being part of an understanding community of persons who have experienced a similar loss, emotional support, sharing of information, remembrance, reconstruction of a sense of identity, and a realisation of the changing nature of grief over time. Until there is evidence of therapeutic effects, it seems that online support groups may be a useful adjunct to, but not alternative to, grief therapy or counselling. Recommendations for much needed research are given. • Quantitative studies about therapeutic benefits are limited and findings are mixed. • Qualitative studies find many positive attributes of online support groups for users. • Users' experiences of grief understood, accepted, and normalised. • An emotionally supportive space where grief can be openly expressed any time. • Occasional distress when reading others' messages - but overall benefits prevail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media allows the readers of online news posts more engagement with the article through comments and comment Liking. Motivations for such actions are important because engagement around a comment increases the accessibility of that comment to other readers, leading to a far-reaching effect on the news post ground truth. Yet, motivations behind these actions and how they relate to the increasingly polarized political environment is understudied. This research investigates motivations for comment reading and Liking on social media news articles, and whether reading comments before or after reading the full article is related to different commenting and Liking motivations. In addition, we examine how political extremism and cultural orientation is related to users' motivations. Through survey data (N = 514) obtained from two samples, one Korean and one in the U.S., we conclude that cultural orientation was a salient independent variable when looking at comment and Liking motivations, while political extremism played a minor role in motivations. • Commenting and Liking comments motivations on social media news posts are presented. • Cultural orientations play a salient role in online news posts commenting decisions. • Commenting and Liking features appeal more to individualists. • Comments on online news posts were used as cues to decide to read news posts or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposed the development of a game with a robot, built with Lego pieces, to make the rehabilitation treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy more effective. The aim of the game is to stimulate the motor coordination, cognition, memory and attention level of children, and to complement the activities carried out by the Neuropsychomotor Rehabilitation Program of the Nucleus of Occupational Therapy of NAMI (Nucleus of Integrated Medical Attention) of UNIFOR (The University of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil). The interaction between the child and the robot takes place through an Android remote control app installed on a smartphone. To validate the proposed method, five children were submitted to various sessions of activities with the robot, over a two-month period. A brain wave sensor, responsible for measuring the level of attention during the activities was employed. In addition, a questionnaire was applied to the professionals and parents of the children, in order to validate the tool proposed here. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that the robot is an effective and very promising complementary tool to assist in the rehabilitation treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy. • Novel alternative treatments to improve the cognitive and motor skills of children with CP. • accelerate the rehabilitation process through motor and cognitive activities inherent in a fun serious game. • Stimulation the motor coordination, cognition, memory and attention level of children. • Proposed approche is very promising to treat children with CP in activities that stimulate motor and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedentary behavior and lack of exercise pose a threat to both individual health and the viability of health-care systems and societies. Portable fitness trackers as prominent persuasive technologies are seen as a way to increase the level of physical activity. Yet, despite their technical capabilities, their affordability, and their advantages in regard to increased physical activity, they are neither used across the population, nor for long periods of time. To understand if and how product design influences acceptance and projected use, we evaluated users' preferences of using wearables, using a conjoint analysis approach with 412 participants of a wide age spectrum. Besides different relative importances of product properties (privacy design , perceived utility , accuracy , motivational design are rated from most to least important), three user segments with distinct technical requirements were identified (data protectors , benefit maximizers , facts enthusiasts). The three segments differ not only in product preference but also regarding other user factors. We presume that a broader and more sustainable use of wearables can be achieved when tailoring information and communication strategies alongside with the requirements of these user segments. Image 1 • Understanding of pro- and contra-usage motives of life-logging devices in diverse users. • Modelling trade-offs in preferences, weighing privacy design, perceived utility, accuracy, and motivational design. • Identification of three user segments with distinct technical and motivational usage requirements. • Derivation of target group-specific design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of social media engagement on collective action intention to help Ukrainian refugees. This study proposes a dynamic, transactional model that draws upon computer-mediated communication research and the dynamic dual pathway model of collective action (DPPM) to investigate the impact of two types of social media engagement, namely actions and cues, on intergroup helping. The model aims to achieve two objectives: First, it examines the mediating role of anger and collective efficacy, the two parallel psychological mechanisms proposed by DPPM, in the effects of action and cues on collective action intention. Second, it tests the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between collection action intention and social media actions and cues over time. A three-wave longitudinal survey of U.S. adults was conducted after the Russian-Ukrainian War started. Longitudinal mediation analyses showed that social media action predicted greater collective action intentions indirectly through collective efficacy but not anger. Social media cues did not predict collective action intentions through collective efficacy or anger. Collective action intentions, in turn, increased subsequent social media actions and cues, forming a positive feedback loop. The effect of social media actions on collective action intention was stronger than that of social media cues. • This study tested social media engagement's longitudinal effect on collective action intention to help Ukrainian refugees. • Social media actions predicted greater intentions through collective efficacy over time but not anger. • Social media cues did not predict collective action intentions through collective efficacy or anger. • Collective action intentions increased subsequent social media actions and cues. • Social media actions were more effective in affecting intention than social media cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although chatbots are oftentimes used in customer service encounters, interactions are oftentimes perceived as not satisfactory. One key aspect for designing chatbots is the use of anthropomorphic design elements. In this experimental study, we examine the two anthropomorphic chatbot design elements of personification, which includes a human-like appearance, and social orientation of communication style, which means a more sensitive and extensive communication. We tested the influence of the two design elements on social presence, satisfaction, trust and empathy towards a chatbot. First, the results show a significant influence of both anthropomorphic design elements on social presence. Second, our findings illustrate that social presence influences trusting beliefs, empathy, and satisfaction. Third, social presence acts as a mediator for both anthropomorphic design elements for satisfaction with a chatbot. Our implications provide a better understanding of anthropomorphic chatbot design elements when designing chatbots for short-term interactions, and we offer actionable implications for practice that enable more effective chatbot implementations. • Anthropomorphic design elements significantly influence social presence. • Social presence influences trusting beliefs, empathy, and satisfaction. • Social presence is a mediator for anthropomorphic design on chatbot satisfaction. • The study offers advice for more effective chatbot implementations. • The findings provide implications for research, practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantages of both gamification and immersive technologies are often advocated for in contexts in which human motivation is lacking. This is the case with environmental sustainability and climate change engagement, where knowledge alone is not sufficient for pro-environmental behavior. However, the existing literature lacks rigorous studies comparing games and immersive media to more traditional communication methods. In this article, we describe an experiment (N=105) where participants used a climate change game in PC or immersive VR or were assigned to a text-based control. Our findings suggest that all three conditions increased climate change attitudes and environmental self-efficacy, but no significant differences were found between them. Although VR players tended to enjoy their experience significantly more than other participants, we did not find significant differences in self-reported immersion. Furthermore, neither enjoyment nor immersion correlated with attitude or self-efficacy shifts. Our exploration of participant behavior yielded similar results for all three conditions, both in commitment to action and self-reported completion ten days after the intervention. Our results suggest that games can improve attitudes and self-efficacy even in highly involved audiences, but their comparative advantage in certain contexts may be smaller than commonly assumed. • Gameplay on PC and immersive VR increased climate change attitudes and environmental self-efficacy. • No significant differences were found when the game was compared to a text-based control. • Immediate pro-environmental intentions and behavioral outcomes ten days after the stimuli were similar in all three groups. • VR players tended to enjoy their experience more, but no significant differences in self-reported immersion were found. • Neither immersion nor enjoyment significantly correlated with attitude or self-efficacy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity and social presence awareness of team members are crucial to promote positive team outcomes such as team commitment and motivation. Communication between the team members is known to develop this awareness. Software agents are increasingly involved in critical team processes and functions, for example, in automated communication. Mostly this automation is associated with performance boosts. However, how team members' social presence and activity awareness and consequently their commitment and motivation changes when task-related communication is automated or not, has been less studied so far. Therefore, in this laboratory study, we manipulated within teams whether task-related communication among team members was automated by a software agent or not to study its effects on team members' commitment and motivation mediated by their social presence and activity awareness. On three measurement points, we assessed team members' activity and social presence awareness, commitment, and motivation in a sample of 360 team members within 120 teams. Results of a fourfold multi-level mediation model supported three mediation processes. When the agent was activated at measurement point two, motivation and commitment decreased due to lower social presence awareness. When the software agent was deactivated at measurement point three, motivation and commitment increased due to higher social presence and activity awareness. This research has implications for the implementation of software agents in organizations and teams, and contributes to a deeper, more elaborate understanding of how software agents affect team members' activity and social presence awareness and its' outcomes in human-autonomy teams. • How does the automation of standardized communication by a software agent influence team members' perceptions of team awareness. • Transfer of activity and social presence awareness to human-autonomy teams. • Impact of activity and social presence awareness on team commitment and motivation in human-autonomy teams. • Recommendations for successful teamwork in human-autonomy teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incomplete understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the chemistry between information dissemination channels and receivers has hindered the development of efficient risk communication strategies. Hence, this study proposes an exploratory framework that evaluates streaming video attractiveness crossing message contents as well as streaming video attributes and formats. The study employs a series of statistical analyses on 235 COVID-19-related videos collected from the Bilibili video-sharing website in China during the first wave of the pandemic. The results indicate significant differences between live-action introductory videos, evidence-based presentation videos, and animations in community power, receiving capacities, message contents, and attractiveness. Notably, message content emerged as the most critical factor in determining a video's attractiveness, while animations can adjust the effects of different message types. The findings facilitate the efficient dissemination of risk messages by specifying which video formats are more effective in communicating which types of risk messages. Additionally, it highlights that the use of animations can enhance the level of attractiveness. The proposed framework and findings can be utilized in future research and practical applications to develop more comprehensive risk communication strategies. • The study examines video attractiveness in communicating risk messages. • Video formats differ in reception, message structure, and attractiveness. • Message contents are the most critical factor in determining video attractiveness. • Animations are unique in adjusting message contents' effects on attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe public crisis such COVID-19 pandemic entail coordinated communication between politicians and public health agencies. The study explores how and why U.S. politicians share messages from health agencies on social media during COVID. Proposing a multi-theoretical, multi-level (MTML) framework to understand the phenomenon, we draw upon the Advocacy Coalition Framework and Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication theory and conceptualize politicians' public health communication as serving the dual functions of policy and risk communication. With bipartite longitudinal network modeling, our analysis finds a fragmented national message-sharing network deprived of central federal leadership and clustered around state-level actors such as local health agencies and state governors. The politicians' party affiliation and positions on COVID-19 policies significantly impacted whether they would help distribute messages from public health agencies. Health agencies' message features such as expression of certainty and use of analytical words also influenced politicians' message sharing patterns. These findings suggest the pandemic communication is both a policy advocacy and a risk and crisis communication process. This integrated theoretical approach offers explanations of information sharing dynamics between politicians and health agencies, two major information sources for the public. • American politicians selectively share COVID-19 messages from public health agencies. • Longitudinal bipartite network modeling reveals a fragmented sharing network. • Policy sharing is a dual process of advocacy coalition and crisis communication. • Call for a multi-theoretical, multi-level (MTML) approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vivid scholarly debate addresses the extent to which social media usage is detrimental for adolescents' mental health and body satisfaction. The current study aims to advance the debate in three ways: (1) we differentiate between different types of active and passive social media use (i.e., authentic vs. edited content), (2) we examine both between- and within-person results, and (3) we take a cross-national approach. Therefore, a three-wave panel study was conducted among 987 adolescents in Japan (N = 433) and the Netherlands (N = 554) to longitudinally investigate the relationships between active visual self-presentation, passive exposures thereto, and mental health and body satisfaction. Between-person results generally indicate that, regardless of being active or passive, both creating or seeing authentic content can be associated with increases in mental health and body satisfaction. Contrary, both creating and seeing edited content can coincide with reduced levels of mental health and body satisfaction. Nevertheless, the results should be seen in light of differences in between- and (lagged) within-person processes as well as cross-country differences. In all, evidence exemplifies the need for a communication-centered approach specifying content heterogeneity, showcases differences in between- and within-person effects, and demonstrates cross-national differential susceptibly to media effects. • Examines between- and within-person effects of social media use on mental health and body satisfaction • Both creating and seeing authentic content can be associated with increased mental health and body satisfaction • Both creating and seeing edited content can coincide with reduced levels of mental health and body satisfaction • Emphasizes the call for a more communication-centered approach specifying content-specific social media use • Demonstrates differential-susceptibility to media effects at the country-level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of social media influencer advertising, the organic nature of sponsored content can deceive users by concealing persuasive intent. Regulators seek to reinforce users' persuasion knowledge through sponsorship disclosure guidelines, while advertisers explore ethical tactics to prevent the adverse effects of users' ad recognition on the effectiveness of influencer endorsements. With the increasing prevalence of image-based content, the investigation of visual factors, such as the presentation of products, and their moderating influence on the effects of ad recognition becomes ever more relevant. However, previous research has primarily focused on textual factors. Building on congruence theory, we demonstrate that marketers can harness bottom-up attention induced by high visual salience to counteract the detrimental effects of users' ad recognition. Our findings indicate that ad recognition undermines favorable brand attitudes, word-of-mouth intentions, and purchase intentions by diminishing perceived influencer integrity and enhancing post skepticism. These effects are alleviated when the visual appearance of sponsored products is highly salient in terms of brightness or color. Our work offers a simple yet effective image-based solution for marketers to mitigate ad-related skepticism and elevate the persuasive potential of influencer advertising in the visually-driven realm of computer-mediated communication. • Visual salience of products mitigates the negative effects of users' ad recognition on influencer and endorsement evaluations. • Changes in perceived influencer integrity explain the increase in post skepticism resulting from enhanced ad recognition. • Visual salience of products drives bottom-up attention to products in social media images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algorithm aversion, which is a widely observed phenomenon, suggests that customers prefer human advisors over robo-advisors in automated wealth management. Studies have shown that prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) customers refuse high-tech products; therefore, algorithm aversion should be more pronounced among them. However, our findings challenge this notion. Drawing on the regulatory focus theory, through four studies, we discovered that (1) customers' mindset was relatively more prevention-focused when using robo-advisors and relatively more promotion-focused when using human advisors; (2) perceived flexibility mediated this effect; and (3) the algorithm aversion effects existed in automated wealth management, but vanished among prevention-focused customers because of the fit effects. Our findings identified a psychological boundary condition of algorithm aversion, provided a novel antecedent variable of regulatory focus, and provided managerial implications for robo-advisory firms' market segmentation strategies. • Challenging the notion that prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) customers refuse high-tech products. • Regulatory focus moderates algorithm aversion effects in automated wealth management. • Customers' mindsets are more prevention focused when using robo-advisors (vs. human advisors) in investment. • Algorithm aversion effects vanish among prevention-focused customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple unmanned system control is a complex command and control endeavor but pairing human operators with an intelligent agent (IA) teammate can buttress the collection and synthesis of data and improve complex decision making. Effective human-autonomy teams (HATs) require human trust in IA teammates to be properly calibrated, which can be supported by communications pertaining to underlying functions of the IA, or "transparency". One prominent guide for application of transparency is Chen and colleague's Situation awareness-based Agent Transparency (SAT) model. This effort sought to extend understanding of the application of this model by manipulating secondary transparency communication parameters: face threat (i.e., threat to a person's sense of social standing) and design of transparency communication (verbal, graphical, and iconographical). Results revealed that increasing face threat can improve reliance calibration at low transparency but may be detrimental when transparency is high. Outcomes concerning the method of transparency communication suggest that while verbal communication of transparency information is sufficient and even preferred when a low level of transparency is provided, reliance on graphical and iconographical approaches for presenting transparency information increases at a higher level of transparency. • Face threat increased performance and reliance when transparency was low but was detrimental when transparency was high. • Face threat increased trust with low transparency but nullified trust increases typically seen with higher transparency. • Face threat affected operator task performance strategy and collaboration style even without changes in subjective trust. • Verbal communication of transparency information is preferred when low levels of transparency are provided. • Graphical communication of transparency information may be more useful as amount of transparency information increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baiting user engagement is pervasive on social media platforms, and new strategies and tools have been developed to facilitate this engagement bait. However, the empirical effects and theoretical mechanisms are rarely examined. The present study formally explicates engagement bait based on the concept of cues and illustrates a strategy for luring user engagement in computer-mediated communication. Furthermore, combining matching and within-between models, we tested the causal effect of engagement bait on encouraging user engagement on a Chinese video-sharing platform, Bilibili, with a random sample of 188,249 users and their 1,810,787 videos. In addition to the significant direct effect on the bait-using video, our findings suggest a spillover effect that applying technological engagement bait can increase engagement with the bait user's other videos even if these videos did not use the bait function. • Engagement bait and Technological engagement bait were introduced as an enhancement to clickbait. • Engagement bait can be comprehended through the lens of cues in CMC theories. • Technological engagement bait has a direct effect to increase the engagement of bait-using videos. • Technological engagement bait has a spillover effect to increase engagement with the non-baiting videos of the same users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital games often constitute a shared activity where people can spend time together, communicate and socialize. Several commercial titles place social interaction at the center of their design. Prior works have investigated the social outcomes of gaming, and factors that impact the experience. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how social gaming has been approached and explored before. In this work, we present a systematic review covering 263 publications, gathered in February 2021, that study gaming experiences involving more than one person, with a focus on the social element that emerges among partakers (players and/or spectators). We contribute with a systematized understanding of (1) how the topic is being defined and approached, (2) what facets (mainly in terms of outcomes and determinants of the experience) are being acknowledged and (3) the methodologies leveraged to examine these. Our analysis, based on mixed deductive and inductive coding, reveals relevant gaps and tendencies, including (1) the emphasis in novel technologies and unconventional games, (2) the apparent negligence of player diversity, and (3) lower ecological validity associated with totally mediated evaluations and a lack of established constructs to assess social outcomes. [Display omitted] • Social gaming is multifaceted, encompassing varied social roles (e.g., spectator), interactions, and outcomes. • Prior work tends to explore collaboration and elements of novelty, including hybrid design and alternative controllers. • Few works map how specific factors affect the experience, in particular those associated with the players and the context. • Methodological limitations include a lack of in-the-wild studies and established constructs to assess social outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]