Search

Purpose: Given inconsistent results in prior studies, this paper applies the dual process theory to investigate what social media messages yield audience engagement during a political event. It tests how affective cues (emotional valence, intensity and collective self-representation) and cognitive cues (insight, causation, certainty and discrepancy) contribute to public engagement. Design/methodology/approach: The authors created a dataset of more than three million tweets during the 2020 United States (US) presidential elections. Affective and cognitive cues were assessed via sentiment analysis. The hypotheses were tested in negative binomial regressions. The authors also scrutinized a subsample of far-famed Twitter users. The final dataset, scraping code, preprocessing and analysis are available in an open repository. Findings: The authors found the prominence of both affective and cognitive cues. For the overall sample, negativity bias was registered, and the tweet's emotionality was negatively related to engagement. In contrast, in the sub-sample of tweets from famous users, emotionally charged content produced higher engagement. The role of sentiment decreases when the number of followers grows and ultimately becomes insignificant for Twitter participants with many followers. Collective self-representation ("we-talk") is consistently associated with more likes, comments and retweets in the overall sample and subsamples. Originality/value: The authors expand the dominating one-sided perspective to social media message processing focused on the peripheral route and hence affective cues. Leaning on the dual process theory, the authors shed light on the effectiveness of both affective (peripheral route) and cognitive (central route) cues on information appeal and dissemination on Twitter during a political event. The popularity of the tweet's author moderates these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to discuss the importance of developing a national communication and information infrastructure that meets near-term needs and capabilities. Design/methodology/approach - The current status of Electronic Frontier Foundation's Open Platform Proposal, which is based on narrowband ISDN implementation, is described. Findings - The advantages and drawbacks of Electronic Frontier Foundation's Open Platform Proposal are presented. Originality/value - The paper provides recommendations for public policy criteria that should be used in evaluating different infrastructure proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, electronic signatures recently became as legally binding as printed signatures. But the legislation that made electronic signatures legal did nothing to specify how they should be implemented, or what precautions must be taken to ensure the security and validity of the signature process. This paper first reviews the status of electronic signatures in the USA, and compares it to work done by the United Nations. Next, the technology that can be used to implement electronic signatures is summarized. The paper concludes with a discussion of problems and open issues surrounding the use of electronic signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to review current research on assistive consumer technologies (ACT 1.0) and to discuss a series of research challenges that need to be addressed before the field can move towards tools that are more effective and more readily adopted by consumers (ACT 2.0). Design/methodology/approach - This is a conceptual paper. The perspective, commensurate with the current research and areas of expertise, is that of consumer researchers. Findings - The paper argues that, while substantial advances have been made in the technical design of ACTs - and the algorithms that power recommendation systems, there are substantial barriers to wide-scale consumer adoption of such tools that need to be addressed. In particular, future ACT designs will need to better integrate current research in human judgment and decision making to improve the ease with which such tools can be used. Originality/value - From the perspective of consumer researchers, the paper highlights a set of key areas of enquiry that have the potential to substantially advance assistive consumer technology research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the content of health promotional web sites in two culturally distinct countries, the USA and South Korea, by investigating the level of interactivity and types of advertising appeals presented on antismoking web sites. Design/methodology/approach - Antismoking web sites in the two countries were collected through the three major search engines (msn, Yahoo and Google) using relevant keywords. The final sample contained a total of 89 web sites (USA = 67, South Korea = 22) that met the condition of promoting antismoking behavior rather than just selling antismoking products. Three bilingual coders were hired for the analysis. Findings - The South Korean antismoking web sites presented significantly higher levels of interactivity than their USA counterparts. By contrast, there is hardly any differentiation between the two countries in the amount of advertising appeals used on the health web sites. Research limitations/implications - Even though antismoking is certainly an important global issue, the findings related to antismoking web sites may not be generalizable to various other health-related topics. Future research should replicate our findings on interactivity and advertising appeals in the context of various health issues. Practical implications - To cross-cultural researchers, the results provide more theoretical and practical rationales for cross-cultural differences beyond such well-known typologies as Hofstede's Individualism/Collectivism and Hall's high-low context. Originality/value - This study provided at least two useful findings for practitioners and researchers: better definition of the roles of cultural differences in the level of interactivity and the types of advertising appeals in promoting health information online and a broadening of the scope of cross-cultural advertising research to health promotional contexts online. Keywords Worldwide web, Cigarettes, Advertising media, Cross-cultural studies, United States of America, South Korea Paper type Research paper [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing movement toward public access to the federal government via the Internet has created increased interest in establishing network communications and information services, especially among national officeholders. However, little empirical study of the use and users of such services exists to guide their efforts This paper reports results of a two-part study of the use and users of US Representative Sam Coppersmith's (D - Arizona 1) Gopher and distribution list services during the first quarter of 1994. The first part analyzes Gopher usage data gathered during the study period. The second part detials with a user survey distributed to fifty-seven Gopher server guest registrants and eighty listserv subscribers just after the end of the study period. The research shows that (1) use of the Gopher subdirectory dwarfs that of the listserv, (2) services like Coppersmith's should provide basic information, as well as unique and timely information and issue position statements, (3) assessment of such services is methodologically challenging, and (4) Coppersmith's services are effective information media that promote observability of distant officeholders, a function that helps promote increased participation in government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal government agencies increasingly use electronic bulletin board technology as a means of providing access to and dissemination of electronic government information. This paper identifies and analyzes existing government bulletin boards (BBSs). It also assesses the types of information available to information users on the BBSs as well as the cost and technological access issues involved in federal agency use of BBSs. Furthermore, the paper presents a typology of bulletin boards. Finally, it discusses information policy implications resulting from BBS development, especially with regard to access and dissemination of electronic government information. These "new" access mechanisms are often-times difficult to use, are poorly deployed and operated, and may serve to limit access to some types of government information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This study focuses on how brands participate in social network sites (SNSs) and investigates both the different strategies they adopt and the factors that influence these strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The activities of top brands in SNSs were investigated through a content analysis of brand web sites in three countries, measuring two primary dimensions: presence in SNSs and level of engagement which the brand hoped to establish with stakeholders. The study then built logistic regression models to understand which factors drive brands to adopt and use SNSs, using insights from previous studies related to internet innovation adoption cycles. Findings – The study confirmed that SNS adoption follows a general path of Internet innovation adoption by brands. Industry markets exert influence, with technology and consumer intensive brands being more likely than all other industry segments to be present in SNSs and to participate at higher engagement levels, while brands targeting younger audiences also engage at higher levels than brands targeting generic audiences. The country in which the brand operates plays a significant role in a brand's likelihood of adopting SNSs: web sites in the USA are more likely to use SNSs than other countries, even after controlling for factors such as pre-existing web operations or the headquarters being in the same country. It was also found that top brands operate in a global world, as shown by their preference for SNSs with global coverage compared to local SNS, even when the penetration rates of these local SNSs were higher. Originality/value – The paper advances research on SNS adoption by brands from an organizational standpoint, at a time when the majority of the top global brands actively promote such services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the USA's movement to a digital network infrastructure which may be threatened by the unavailability of high-speed network channels to some sources of information. Design/methodology/approach - One reason for unavailability is fear by network intermediaries that they face legal liability for carrying harmful messages. Yet changing the law to require network intermediaries to provide equal access to their services raises First Amendment questions. Findings - A mechanism should be established for providers of network services to inform potential customers of the terms on which they handle traffic. An electronic forum for notices of access policy would be one way to implement this recommendation. Originality/value - Uncertainty about equal access, tort liability and First Amendment privileges adversely affects commercialization of the Internet. Commercialization must begin with acceptance of three goals for digital electronic network policy: encouraging a diversity of information products, preventing suppliers of information content from being foreclosed from access to markets, and allowing persons suffering legal injury, because of information content, to obtain compensation based on fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to verify the relationship between switching costs and customer loyalty in e-commerce. Design/methodology/approach - The study conducted an empirical research. A total of 425 online shopping customers were invited from northeastern USA as samples. Findings - The findings show that switching costs positively influence customer loyalty. In addition, perceived risks will affect the relationship of switching costs and customer loyalty. For customers with low perceived risks, switching costs are also positively associated with customer loyalty. However, for customers with high perceived risks, the relationship of switching costs and customer loyalty is weak or negative. Research limitations/implications - One limitation is that mostly students were selected in the sample. The insights of this study can further validate the previous studies about the relationship of switching costs and customer loyalty, and suggest that perceived risks can be a moderating factor affecting this relationship. Practical implications - The study suggests that the practitioners should further understand the relationship among switching costs, perceived risks and customer loyalty for their customers. Originality/value - The paper contributes to the knowledge of perceived risks and how switching costs affect customer loyalty, particularly in e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1994 spring semester, twelve students, enrolled in Columbia University's graduate program in public policy and administration and explored the new phenomenon of civic networking for a workshop in applied public policy analysis. Each workshop is required to be sponsored by a governmental client, which in this case was the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. The commission was interested in ascertaining the range of activities sponsored by the networks and in determining their involvement or lack of involvement with local public libraries. Participating in this project were representatives of twenty-four civic networks, who answered telephone queries covering a range of topics dealing with network services, users, goals, funding, governance, technical design, social benefits, government information provision, evaluation, and definition. This paper summarizes the findings of the students' investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapidly expanding number of organizations have begun to use high-performance, completely digital networks, like the Internet, to coordinate activities and to develop products and services that serve very wide geographic areas. Now, primarily as a result of the Clinton Administration's National Information Infrastructure initiative, the entire nation has begun to buzz with talk of the whys, wherefores, and how-tos of making this way to doing business the rule rather than the exception of twenty-first-century life and enterprise. This paper surveys the politics and economics of the contemporary networking scene, and presents four general stratgies for making progress in the current climate of great change and uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although benchmarking has touched many areas of an organization, including information systems, very few examples are available on how this powerful methodology can be used to specifically address one of the fastest growing elements within informat ion systems - the World Wide Web. This paper presents a case study on how benchmarking was used to determine how one organization's Web site compared to Web sites of related schools and professional organizations. The results of the benchmarking study pr ovided a measure of how our Web site compares to the sites of related organizations, ideas on how we may further enhance our site, and also a way to regularly evaluate our site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Office of Information Services (OIS) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is undergoing a major organizational transition to function as a cohesive unit under the concept of the knowledge continuum. The concept is based on the premise that the processes which contribute to the creation of new knowledge in the research environment form part of a continuum which has no beginning and no end. Thus, it concludes that the knowledge continuum is best served by an organizationa l structure which extends its contribution and role in the scholarly process of research to produce and disseminate results which benefit scholarly communication. The knowledge continuum assesses the various elements that contribute to scholarly communic ation and seeks to provide a continuum of support services whereby the identification, absorption, utilization, and manipulation of existing knowledge merge with the organization, creation, and dissemination of new knowledge. This case study analyzes the application of the concept of the knowledge continuum, through the use of Internet technology, and the resulting organizational implications and conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that June Lu and Chung-Sheng Yu of University of Houston--Victoria, Victoria, Texas, Chang Liu of Northern Illinois University, De Kaib, Illinois, and James E. Yao of Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey are the recipients of the Outstanding Paper Award for Excellence for their paper "Technology acceptance model for wireless Internet" which appeared in the Volume 13 Number 3, 2003 issue of the journal "Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy."

Purpose – Horizontal mega portals power the Internet by guiding millions of users who wish to communicate, search, shop, and perform a multitude of other tasks made possible via the Internet. The purpose of this study is to find which portal service functions generate satisfied users in Korea and in the USA based on the concept that mega portals developed in different countries may have different macro-level services that satisfy the portals' users. Design/methodology/approach – The survey instrument was used to capture portal service usage and overall portal satisfaction. The exploratory nature of this study lends itself to a limited hypothesis regarding the significance of mega portal macro services on user satisfaction. Partial least square analysis via PLS-Graph was used to analyze the data for the measurement model for portal satisfaction. Findings – The result of the study shows that the influential C-services factors for user satisfaction are different between Korea and the USA. User satisfaction for portal usage is significantly influenced by Content and Community in Korea and is significantly influenced by Content and Communication in the USA. But user satisfaction is not significantly influenced by Commerce and/or Coordination for either country. Originality/value – This study verifies that there are preference differences between countries. As turf battles between major Internet portals continue, any ramp up of portal services without regard for what might be a very high user audience appeal or for what might be different based on cultural differences will likely generate a disappointing outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To evaluate and extend, existing natural language processing techniques into the domain of informal online political discussions. Design/methodology/approach - A database of postings from a US political discussion site was collected, along with self-reported political orientation data for the users. A variety of sentiment analysis, text classification, and social network analysis methods were applied to the postings and evaluated against the users' self-descriptions. Findings - Purely text-based methods performed poorly, but could be improved using techniques which took into account the users' position in the online community. Research limitations/implications - The techniques we applied here are fairly simple, and more sophisticated learning algorithms may yield better results for text-based classification. Practical implications - This work suggests that social network analysis is an important tool for performing natural language processing tasks with informal web texts. Originality/value - This research extends sentiment analysis to a new subject domain (US politics) and a new text genre (informal online discusssions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WebCT has been used to support traditional teaching techniques for the entire 1997-98, and half of the 1998-99, academic years. It was used within the structure of over 60 courses (enrolling a total of more than 1,000 students) in the English, Theo logy, Modern Languages, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Management Information Systems, Law, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Business programs. Concerned with the impact WebCT might have within a traditionally oriented liberal arts teaching environment, the autho r explored the views of the students, rather than the faculty and system administrators, who were required to use the WebCT tools in their classes. Data from students addressing the use of WebCT in their classes are now available for three full semesters , providing an expanded assessment over earlier findings. The ramifications of the use of WebCT as a course adjunct and course presentation tool are addressed based upon the data collected from Creighton University students over the past 18 months of Web CT use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight college and university Webmasters in three midwestern states were interviewed to explore their communications practices and activities by applying a traditional mass media gatekeeping perspective. The results suggest that gatekeeping theory i s a valuable approach for studying individuals responsible for the mediation of messages in the emerging online media. Webmasters' personal characteristics and attitudes were found to influence their media content decisions, they share common values used to determine content and design, and they face a variety of organizational and related constraints, some exclusive to Web gatekeepers in an academic setting. Examples of gatekeeping activity and observations by the informants are presented, and suggesti ons for future research are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the application of Chaos Theory for school reform in an urban school district in the United States. Attempts of the Pittsburgh Project in using experience in the development of a conceptual framework for reform plans; Creation of the Chaos Theory through science and mathematics concepts; Classification of school reform efforts.

Focuses on a study which described Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh (CK:P), a school computer networking project which aims to develop network connectivity and curricular applications in public schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Goals of the networking project; Description of the research environment and the process model used in the project; Details on the network architecture of the CK:P.

Describes the origin, development and evolution of Nebrask@ Online, a computer-based electronic information and communication service, created by the Nebraska Library Commission. The 1991 Nebraska Information Partnerships Conference led to new alli ances involving the Library Commission and the creation of this online service. Describes experiences in operating an online service and options considered for network development. A public/ private partnership emerged as the model for network management services for access to Nebraska state government information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explains the need for quality educational technology in our schools and notes the contributions of existing technology in improving education. Describes the potential that telecommunications network technology holds for revitalizing American education. Out-lines the major federal programs that provide policy guidance and funding assistance for educational institutions to access and contribute to the evolving National Information Infrastructure (NII), and summarizes federal activities to date. In particular, describes the relevant experiences of the first year of the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) which is part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce. Contact information for all federal programs is provided as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relies on critical theories of technology and democratic disclosure to construct normative communication principles for the development of the national information infrastructure. Suggests that efforts to privatize the information highway, which are currently underway, undermine the network's long-range potential to encourage citizen-to-citizen discussion of public issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mankato (MN) public school district has created a districtwide computer network which allows all its staff and students full Internet access. Discusses a snapshot of the work-in-progress. Includes the goals, scope, and history of the project; provides a technical overview and cost analysis; and projects future direction. Concludes with some suggestions for other educators who are considering similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past year has seen increased effort across the country to expand networking services in rural areas. This note describes the "rural datafication" activities that CICNet, a regional network in the midwest, is currently pursuing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Clinton Electronic Communications Project is the successor to the Clinton campaign's e-mail program. The object of the work reported here was to determine to which White House material posted to the Internet is more current and comprehensive than information available through more traditional sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The French are becoming world leaders in networked information. The key to this development is the immediate access to the general public provided by their national Minitel system. New networked libraries are being built, existing libraries are going online, and the crisis-ridden French publishing industry is looking to networked information for its salvation. The French approach to networking offers interesting lessons for the Internet, not least because the French approach may ultimately be considered more attractive than the Internet's for developing networked information in Asia and elsewhere [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the transformation of industries in the electronic marketing environment in the United States. Requirements for internet access; Modifications of the traditional manipulation for the marketing mix; Impact of value chains on marketing environment.

Focuses on the integration of Internet into the business environment in the United States. Reasons on the use of Internet; Advantage on communication, product development and system support; Business solutions in areas of e-mail communication, business applications software support, system design and database.

Investigates the benefits and productivity of faculty for using computer mediated communication (CMC) in the United States. Determinants of productivity as measured by publications and incidence in prestige factors; Utility of CMC to faculty productivity; Absence of democratizing effect on faculty benefits.