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Background. Little is known about how the excessive drinking culture entrenched in college social life influences the fear of missing out (FOMO) on the binge drinking experience among college students and how such fear plays in the mechanisms linking various risk factors with binge drinking intentions. Objectives. The main objectives of this study were to 1) develop and validate a self-report measure of alcohol-related FOMO, and 2) assess the role of alcohol-related FOMO in increasing binge drinking intentions through mediating the effect of alcohol expectancies and enhancing susceptibility to peer norms. Method. A college student sample (N = 490; 66.3% female) completed a one-shot survey. Selfreport data was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling along with mediation and moderation analyses. Results. Factor analyses supported an 18-item multidimensional scale tapping the alcoholrelated FOMO (ALFOMO). The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, satisfied the validity requirements and was free of gender bias. Additionally, ALFOMO was a significant focal predictor of binge drinking intentions. It significantly mediated the effect of alcohol positive expectancies and mediated and moderated the positive effect of peer descriptive norms. Conclusions. This paper presents the development and initial validation of the alcohol-related FOMO scale. The present study also provides the first theoretical and empirical investigation of the alcohol-related FOMO in relation to alcohol expectancies, peer norms, and binge drinking intentions. Results confirm that the ALFOMO scale is a promising measure and provide evidence for its indispensability in future research and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the senior population has been increasingly engaged with reading on mobile technologies, research that specifically documents the impact of technologies on reading for this age group has still been lacking. The present study investigated how different reading media (screen versus paper) might result in different reading outcomes among older adults due to both cognitive and psychological factors. Using a laboratory experiment with eighty-one participants aged 57 to 85, our results supported past research and showed the influence of cognitive map formation on readers' feelings of fatigue. Our findings also suggested that individual levels of technophobia was an important barrier to older adults' effective use of mobile technologies for reading. In the post-hoc analyses, we further showed that technophobia was correlated with technology experience, certain personality traits, and age. The present study highlights the importance of providing tailored support that helps older adults overcome psychological obstacles in using technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was an effort to uncover 4 major facts: (a) the predictive power of the proposed integrated model, which posits the influence of attitudes (ATT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavior control (PBC), altruism, and two-types of self-construal on behavioral intentions to recycle paper materials; and (b) the moderating effects of individualism-collectivism (I-C) on the attitudes-intentions relationship and the subjective norms-intentions relationship. Conducted in 2 contrasting cultures, this cross-sectional research consisted of two phases: the TPB elicitation research and the main study. Participants were undergraduate students recruited from 2 major public universities in Thailand and the U.S. The sample size used in the main analysis comprised 417 respondents from Thailand (representing a collectivistic society) and 432 respondents from the U.S. (representing an individualistic society). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to investigate the predictability of the integrated model. Multigroup SEM was implemented to examine the moderating effects of I-C. The results yielded some significant findings enhancing our understanding of paper-recycling intentions of college students in the 2 countries. First, TPB determinants, especially PBC and SN, were potential predictors of paper recycling. Although ATT was not a successful antecedent of paper-recycling intentions in Thailand, it predicted intentions of U.S. participants. Second, altruism was a significant factor explaining ATT and PBC for both samples; it also directly influenced intentions. Finally, 2 types of self-construal significantly and distinctively affected ATT and SN. Findings can benefit communication campaigns targeting audiences in different cultural milieus. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that explores citizen's engagement with a particular foreign policy issue on social media. It mentions that neither the scholarship on ‘foreign policy-media-public opinion' nexus nor soft power and public diplomacy bodies of literature sufficiently explain public engagement with foreign policy on social media. It further explores how social media impact citizens' engagement with the issue of Great Britain's departure from the European Union.

The article offers information on the communication strategies of entrepreneurs within social media networks and its impact on their firm performance. Topics discussed include information on the social networks in communication management; and the discussions on the conceptualization the communication of startups in social networks within the framework of communication management theory.

This meta-analysis examines the overall effectiveness of Internet supplemented health campaigns on behavior change in the United States. Results show that Internet supplemented health campaigns have significant but relatively small effects (d = 0.23) on behavior change. Moreover, further meta-regression analysis shows that campaign effect size was moderated by campaign topic, presence of audience segmentation, target behavior, behavior type, presence of theoretical foundation, and delivery channel. Aligns with the findings of previous meta-analyses, theorygrounded health campaigns were more effective (d = 0.30) than campaigns with no theoretical foundation (d = 0.16). Campaigns targeting adoption of new behaviors (d = 0.26) were more effective than those targeting cessation of undesirable behaviors (d = 0.10), while campaigns targeting addictive behaviors (d = 0.13) were less effective than those targeting non-addictive ones (d = 0.27). More importantly, the results of the meta-regression analysis shows supplementing the Internet as a delivery channel improves health campaign effectiveness. The results show empirical evidences that Internet can be an effective and cost-effective tool for health communication campaigns, and should be considered as an important supplement for campaigns in the digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers insight to a study conducted for examining message content of Tweets on social network site, Twitter regarding the ongoing Flint water crisis. It informs on audience-centric crisis communication research, and plurality of voices represented within Tweets centered around Flint's water crisis. It also informs on recommendations for incorporating social media in professional crisis and risk communication practices.

This study examines how ethical vegan identity is communicatively conceptualized and impacted by human-animal relationship(s) with participants' companion animal(s) (i.e., "pets"). This study not only showcases a plurality of voices from ethical vegans whom are also companion animal guardians (i.e., "pet owners"), but it also seeks to expand our knowledge of the communicative constitution and function of human-animal relationships as related to individual identity/ies. Thirteen participants were interviewed and data were analyzed using iterative qualitative analysis. Data illuminated propositions of the Communication Theory of Identity (CTI). Identity enhancements were discovered for participants' personal-enacted identity regarding companion animal adoption and personal-enacted-relational identity regarding companion animal agency and shared, specialized space. An identity gap was also discovered pertaining to personal-enacted identity regarding spaying/neutering and companion animal diets that conflicted with ethical vegan values. However, these were communicatively negotiated via personalrelational identity. These findings illuminate the dynamic and fluid nature of identity for ethical vegans whom are also companion animal guardians. Ethical vegan identity was communicatively constructed as independent of, yet interdependent on, identification as a companion animal guardian in this context, thus, consistent with theoretical propositions of CTI. Findings also reveal how identities are communicatively negotiated among CTI's four intersecting frames. Implications of these findings are discussed as related to extant theory and research as well as ways that identity and human-animal relationships can be further researched and theorized within communication studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how playing "Papers, Please" (PP), a serious game that puts players in the role of an immigration officer, affects attitudes toward immigration after repeated exposure. The results are compared to a control group longitudinally playing "The Westport Independent" (WI), a game that puts players in the role of a newspaper editor. Though PP and WI players' attitudes showed no difference at baseline and after the first play session, PP players showed decreased attitudes toward migrants after the second play session compared with WI players. PP players also showed decreased perceived behavioral control in helping migrants relative to WI players after the first play session, but PP players' baseline and second session perceived behavioral control scores showed no differences. Additionally, perceived behavioral control for helping immigrants significantly decreased among PP players after the first and second play sessions relative to baseline scores, but the first and second PP play sessions showed no differences in perceived behavioral control scores. WI players' scores did not change over time. Overall, preliminary findings imply that playing PP reduced attitudes toward migrants relative to WI players. The results are linked to the cultivation hypothesis and vicarious reinforcement effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a longitudinal analysis of media substitution between personal computers (PCs) and mobile phones using Nielsen's PC-Mobile 2-Screen panel data. Topics include the interrelationship between mobile phones and personal computers (PCs), theoretical and methodological contributions to existing research on media substitution, and the time displacement effect on television caused by home computers.

A survey (n=208) evaluates the role of social media message source (expert and peer) on publics' intent to comply with crisis preparedness directives issued thereon and further crisis information seeking in two crisis scenarios (severe weather and Zika virus). ANCOVAs indicate a significant difference in subjects' intent to comply with crisis preparedness directives in the Zika scenario as they are more likely to comply with protocol issued through an expert (professional) Facebook account than a peer (layperson) Facebook account. The findings add understanding to the complex nature of crisis preparedness decision-making process and provide opportunities for future research examining the effect of social media message source across different crisis scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One HPV vaccine was approved this July in China, which caused wide attention and discussion on social media Weibo. This study systematically analyzed information posted on Weibo to learn both the media discourse and public's reactions on this HPV vaccine. A content analysis was conducted on 382 posts. The posts were analyzed with respect to message source, tone, format, number of reposts, and information specific to HPV vaccine. Correlations between the aforementioned variables were also examined. The results showed a neutral or positive tone toward HPV vaccine in general, however, 30.8% of messages from individual sources hold a negative tone. Statistics was the most often used format. Comprehensive information on HPV vaccine, HPV and cervical cancer were presented by most of the messages (60%). However, the accuracy and effectiveness were lacking in half of the messages. The average numbers of reposts were 1083 and 8580 for individual and organizational sources. Higher numbers of reposts were associated with neutral tone, statistics format and complete and accurate descriptions for messages from individual sources. This relationship, however, didn't exist for messages from organizational sources. Health practitioners should pay attention to the inaccurate and ineffective issues of online information about HPV vaccine, especially when it is from organizational sources since it is highly disseminated without much scrutiny from online users. Moreover, when utilizing interpersonal source to disseminate health information, a neutral tone with complete and accurate account might be disseminated more widely at the current stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the most seductive aspect of modern communication technologies is not simply their interactivity, navigability, or multimodality, but rather their potential for customization by imbuing a richer sense of agency amongst users. Increasingly, the communication receiver serves as the gatekeeper of information (ipod; myyahoo.com) and even as a provider of information (blogs; wikipedia.com). Theoretical implications of such a move towards “self as source” are explored from two perspectives—technological and psychological. Rationale is presented for considering interactivity as a source (not just a message) feature that is ontologically responsible for creating unique individual experiences of mediated content. The psychological importance of such a technological development is demonstrated by reviewing findings from a recent set of CAT division papers. Finally, a new theoretical model, highlighting the importance of “self as source” as a crucial mediator between technological antecedents and psychological consequences, is proposed for future testing. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though most of the literature suggests that competition in the media market is positive, this paper argues otherwise. Drawing on a small number of studies from emerging media markets, the authors argue that the relationship between competition and the quality of the journalistic product is curvilinear, with an optimal level of competition producing a quality media product and higher levels of competition–such as the hyper-competition existing in many emerging media markets–producing journalistic products that do not serve society well. The paper examines this question empirically through use of existing data from a small sample of countries where measures of media performance and of market competition exist. The findings are consistent with the expectation of a curvilinear (inverted U) relationship between competition and the quality of journalistic products in that country. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the socially constructed nature of money and its function as a medium of mass communication. A paper which examines the imagery and symbolism of U.S. paper currency before and after its nationalization in 1861 is presented. The evolution of U.S. national currency from 1861 forward is characterized by three major developments: an increasing standardization, a reduced repertoire of portraits and imagery, and an overall reduction of different types of issues.

Unlike most recent presidential candidates coming from privileged, well-established roots in mainstream society, political newcomer Barack Obama's 2008 presidential candidacy broke the mold as an African-American from a single-parent family. That situation challenged journalists trying to offer a cohesive narrative of the campaign. This paper argues that when faced with unfamiliar situations, journalists turn to familiar stories drawn from collective memory and mythical narrative to facilitate news that is resonant to their culture and their media audiences.This paper presents the results of a qualitative textual analysis of American news and editorials about the Obama presidential campaign to explore the role of collective memory and mythical narrative in covering that candidate. In the case of Obama's campaign, the candidate himself introduced collective memory of endearing past presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Although journalists could have rejected those comparisons - as was the case for vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle - the feel-good memory of those past leaders and the irony of the comparisons made them journalistically useful. In addition, when Obama's acceptance speech ironically coincided with an anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic "I Have A Dream" speech, journalists introduced the racial element of collective memory that Obama himself had avoided.In all, the study found that although collective memory served as a useful guide for journalists, mythical narratives played a more subtle role because of the inevitable comparisons to those American leaders and the sacrificial hero narrative that their lives mirrored. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of journalism in shaping the meaning and outcomes of collective reparative rituals, and the ways in which such rituals are used to negotiate and repair journalists' own cultural authority. Using the case study of the publication of the Winograd Commission Report on the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah, and integrating different theoretical frameworks for understanding mediatized rituals and the memory work of journalism, the paper analyzes the complex web of interactions between journalists and other social players, between competing news outlets, and among the different cultural roles of journalism. The analysis shows that while the Israeli news media built the publication of the report as a crucial historical event and worked to fill in some of the missing pieces of a successful collective ritual, it also constructed it as a doomed-to-fail, and ultimately unsatisfying, ritual. This dialectical construction allowed the Israeli news media to reconcile its conflicting roles as news provider and ritual agent; repair its own failures in covering the second Lebanon War; and position itself as better qualified than the commission to both investigate and remember the war. The paper also demonstrates how competing media players advanced different reparative narratives, collaborated with different social and political players, and invoked the memory of the war in ways which served these different interpretations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Asian American student newspaper Gidra, which was published from 1969-1974, as a way of advancing our notions of the role and function of ethnic media within minority populations. Studies of ethnic media rarely include radical papers, as it is theorized that ethnic communities have a vested interest in avoiding coverage of conflict. However, the importance of Gidra in terms of Asian American identity construction and contribution to activist movements cannot be overlooked, particularly with regard to conflict. I investigate the publication through three categories: external conflict, internal conflict, and productive conflict created by the paper itself. This counters the notion that ethnic media shy from covering conflict, and importantly contributes to our understanding of the history of the Asian American Movement as it was shaped by the radical press. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined a historically significant case of how, for the first time in China, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) collectively changed government decision and exerted considerable influence over a multimillion dollar paper company with the help of the media. An examination of media coverage on this issue was executed using media transparency framework (Tsetsura, 2005), and revealed the following findings. First, at the national level, most media hold supportive attitudes toward ENGOs, except for one media outlet that is affiliated with the party media − People's Daily. Second, at the local level, analysis showed that the media provided overly supportive coverage for the company, which can be attributed to potential influence of the company on the local media. The results of this case study once again demonstrated that the lack of media transparency is manifested more often at the local level than at the national. The study offered theoretical and practical implications of the findings and recommendations for future research. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most democracies, the public reputation of journalists is on the decline. However, other than with attitudes towards parties and politicians, the concrete cognitive map that people have of journalists has received rather little attention. This paper describes the results of a representative telephone survey of the German population (N=1,054) that was designed to explore the public's perception of journalism. The paper contains a first analysis of these data. Our results confirm a rather negative public reputation of journalists, particularly concerning the profession's trustworthiness and here especially among the younger population. While two thirds of respondents have esteem for journalists, only a third trust journalist. We further found large gaps between the public's expectations and the public's perceptions of journalistic goals and values, characteristics of news content, as well as journalists' behavior in ethical dilemmas. In the final part of the paper we test the effects of some of these variables on trust and esteem. Our work is based on the assumption that the relationship between the people and the press deserves more research because a functioning relationship between both actors is the basis for a functioning democracy. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]