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Crises in the current era are a source of concern for institutions in general and university and educational institutions in particular due to the difficulty of containing and controlling them due to the economic, social, educational, cultural and environmental changes surrounding them, in addition to the speed of their spread among members of the university community, including students, faculty members and employees, which necessitates confronting them continuously by taking advantage of many digital applications that can be relied upon during crises. Therefore, this study seeks to know the extent to which members of public universities rely on digital applications in crisis management. The study relied on the sample survey method for a deliberate sample of members of King Abdulaziz University and Al-Azhar University, the size of which amounted to 400 individuals, through the questionnaire tool. The study reached a set of results, the most important of which is that 56.8% of members of public universities use digital applications during crises on a permanent basis. (WhatsApp) came at the forefront of the most important digital applications used by members of public universities during crises at a rate of 88.3%. (Health crises) came at the forefront of the most important crises that members of public universities relied on digital applications to manage and deal with them at a rate of It reached 88.0%. The study indicated that 50.8% of government university employees rely (to a large extent) on digital applications in crisis management and dealing with them. The study also indicated the existence of a statistically significant correlation between the study sample’s use of digital applications and their acceptance as a means of crisis management and resolution in terms of available effects-ease of use-behavioral intention. There is also a statistically significant correlation between the study sample’s reliance on digital applications in crisis management and resolution and their satisfaction with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to examine how social anxiety moderates the effect of media selection during initial online interactions for making new friends. The study recruited 147 individuals with high levels and another 147 individuals with low levels of social anxiety who measured their intention to use various types of media to meet new friends online. The results demonstrated that individuals with high (low) social anxiety tended to choose visually (non-visually) anonymous media for initial interactions. Interestingly, once engaged in visually anonymous media, individuals with high social anxiety experienced reduced discomfort, following the expected pattern of media richness theory (MRT) by gradually adopting richer media for improved communication. The findings hold valuable implications for MRT and offer practical insights for media designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic sports (esports) have become one of the fastest-growing forms of new media. As a result, esports livestreaming media is a necessary medium for connecting viewers and esports livestreams. Drawing on the media richness theory, the purpose of the current study was to explore how livestreaming media attributes and viewers' individual characteristics (esports involvement) influence the viewer's experience (satisfaction and flow experience) and media loyalty. The results of a latent moderated structural equations (LMS) modeling analysis using a total of 568 viewers revealed that informativeness and convenience significantly influenced viewer satisfaction and flow experience, which in turn influenced media loyalty. Interestingly, interactivity was found to be a more important attribute for viewer satisfaction and flow experience among highly involved viewers while informativeness was an important attribute for less involved viewers. Furthermore, viewer satisfaction is pivotal in establishing media loyalty for less involved viewers, while flow experience is key for highly involved viewers. The findings of this research have theoretical implications for the literature on esports media and media consumption experiences and offer managers effective strategies for developing esports media loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of online interruption pace and information richness on managerial task performance. A computer game simulating external interruptions online was used to expose participants to either a slow or rapid pace of interruptions and provide them with either lean or rich information during the task. Task performance was measured based on the points scored in the game. Results indicate that the pace of interruptions significantly affected task performance, with participants experiencing a slow pace of interruptions performing better than those experiencing a rapid one. Information richness did not significantly affect task performance. However, the interaction between the two variables significantly affected task performance, with optimal performance occurring with fewer interruptions and richer information. The growing prevalence of remote work and its potential for more frequent and varied interruptions calls for investigating a more complex model of interruption effects, helping managers better understand interruptions in work environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video marketing is one of the most important marketing techniques adopted by institutions, companies, and business owners in the context of digital transformation. The study aimed to provide the necessary and sufficient information about products and services to current and potential target audiences to influence their purchasing behavior toward a product or service. Based on this, the study sought to understand the Egyptian audience's attitudes toward using video in marketing goods and services through social media and its impact on purchasing behavior, examining this within the framework of Media Richness Theory. A sample of 400 individuals who interacted with marketing videos were drawn for the study. It found that the majority of the sample (92.7%) watched marketing videos consistently, indicating the widespread popularity of marketing videos as part of the daily routine, confirming the success of this type of content in capturing audience interest. Additionally, Facebook emerged as the leading social media platform for viewing marketing videos, with 81.3% of participants preferring it, highlighting its strength in digital marketing. Regarding media dimensions, the importance of using multiple symbols and multimedia was evident, with 82.8% expressing high interest in this aspect. The study also demonstrated a correlation between viewing marketing videos on social media and respondents' opinions about the benefits of video marketing. It found a correlation between the motivations of the study sample for using marketing videos and their attitudes toward them, as well as a correlation between the motivations for using marketing videos and the impact of these videos on respondents' purchasing behavior. Additionally, the study showed significant differences in the sample’s perceptions of media richness dimensions after watching marketing videos, based on gender and socioeconomic status, while no significant differences were found concerning age and educational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study investigated how youth in Community 8 in Tema, Ghana, used social media and how that affected their interpersonal and communication skills. The study used a combined framework of the Social Learning Theory and Media Richness Theory, as well as an exploratory descriptive design and a qualitative technique, to investigate how youth in Ghana’s Tema Community 8 perceive and use media. Thematic analysis was used to identify the main themes and patterns in the data acquired from a sample of 16 youths between the ages of 15 and 25 using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observation. Based on the findings of the study, for young people, social media is the preferred method of contact over face-to-face encounters. Some individuals believed that a more deliberate balance between digital and bodily interactions was necessary. When it comes to effects on the ability to communicate face-to-face, there is a reduction in abilities but some apparent advances in expressiveness. Comparing platforms, advantages included increased networks and innovation, but overuse led to social anxiety and distraction. The study demonstrates the need for parental mediation, digital literacy programs that enable youth to use technology intentionally and responsibly, partnerships between legislators, policymakers, and technology companies, and guidance and interventions to help young people be able to balance offline interactions with online interactions.

The widespread use of voice assistants (VAs) creates a pressing need to understand what drives consumers to use different VAs. Existing studies have commonly focused on the net effects of antecedents that explain why consumers adopt or continue using VAs, ignoring the complexity of consumer behavior and the combinatorial effects of multiple antecedents. Our study proposes that consumer intention to continue using VAs does not depend on a single characteristic of products or consumers but on specific configurations of such characteristics. By integrating human–technology interaction and media richness theories, we suggest that consumers with distinct psychometric profiles and learning styles may evaluate humanlike and technological attributes of VAs differently. Our study shows that the complex interconnectedness between different VA attributes and consumer characteristics can provide a holistic understanding of why some consumers continue or stop using VAs. The results advance the media richness literature by offering novel insights into multimodality in consumer–technology interactions by examining consumer evaluations of single and multimodal VAs (e.g., smart speakers vs. touchscreen smart speakers). Our study provides templates for managers to effectively design VAs aligned with their segmentation and targeting strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to understand the impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools on journalism in Vietnam by employing a quantitative-methods approach influenced by Social Presence Theory, Media Richness Theory, and Uses and Gratifications Theory. A quantitative survey was conducted with 335 journalists and other stakeholders in newsrooms. The results indicated that social presence significantly affects the adoption and efficacy of CMC tools in this unique cultural context. The study extended the Media Richness Theory by adding a cross-cultural dimension, and the Uses and Gratifications Theory sheds light on the motivations behind tool adoption. This research contributed to theory by adapting established frameworks to a new cultural environment and offers practical guidelines for media organizations in Vietnam undergoing digital transformation. Future research should explore interdisciplinary frameworks incorporating cultural, technological, and psychological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses media richness theory to examine social media usage in science journalism from the Global South. By analysing content from the Twitter feeds of three South African-based science journalism outfits, the central question is: How do South African science journalism outfits use the affordances of Twitter to engage local audiences with global science issues in contextually relevant ways? The study finds that multilingualism in science journalism tweets is made possible by the affordances of Twitter as a multimodal platform, which allows science journalists to make content available in Zulu, the most widely spoken language in South Africa. It further demonstrates that by using simplified graphics, science journalism tweets can simplify what would otherwise be complex scientific developments. Finally, it shows discrepancies in how these accounts respond to their audiences and harnesses Twitter's affordance of real-time engagement between the senders and receivers of messages. By using these case studies to illustrate how Twitter's technological affordances empower South African science journalists to bridge linguistic and informational gaps, engage diverse audiences, and facilitate real-time interactions, this study demonstrates the potential of social media platforms to democratise science communication and foster inclusivity, in science journalism in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Media Research is the property of Journal of Media Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The previous literature has explored the effects of text review contents and the characteristics of reviewers on the helpfulness of reviews. Moreover, recent research has addressed the role of photos as visual review content, which influences consumers’ evaluation of review helpfulness and shapes their decision-making in the consumption of experience goods. From the perspectives of Signaling Theory, Attribution Theory, and Media Richness Theory, this study aims to explore how photos, as visual review content, influence review helpfulness. To test the role of visual content, this study utilized the Yelp Open Dataset and selected restaurants in Florida as research subjects, considering both text and photo content. The LIWC software was used to analyze the sentiment of review contents. The corresponding photos were matched to restaurant codes and then categorized based on food and ambiance. The main findings indicate that positive reviews negatively affect review helpfulness, while negative reviews are positively associated with it. Moreover, the presence of visual review contents (such as photos of food and the environment) moderates the effect of extreme reviews on review helpfulness. Photos attenuate the negative effects of positive reviews and weaken the positive relationship between negative reviews and review helpfulness. By confirming the boundary condition of visual review contents, this study provides new insights that are expected to be useful for future research and offers novel implications for online platforms and business management.

IntroductionWhile informal communication is essential for employee performance and wellbeing, it is difficult to maintain in telework settings. This issue has recently been becoming more prominent worldwide, especially because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nevertheless, how employees managed their informal communication in the sudden shift to teleworking is still understudied. This study fills this research gap by clarifying how an organization's employees improvised informal communication during the urgent shift to teleworking.MethodsAn exploratory case study of a large construction firm in Japan was conducted, focusing on how employees improvised informal communication during teleworking in response to COVID-19. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 employees and applied a qualitative thematic analysis to the collected data.ResultsFour informal communication strategies (structured informality, casual tech, implicit communication, and face-to-face opportunity seeking) that were improvised amid the sudden shift to teleworking caused by COVID-19 were identified.DiscussionThe findings can inform concrete means for the effective and dynamic transition of informal communication to teleworking settings during emergencies, thus contributing to informal communication studies as well as the promotion of resilient business operations and employee wellbeing in response to future crises.

Drawing on the theory of media richness, this paper aims to explore the impact of media richness on consumers' adoption intention through their perception of new energy vehicle (NEV) function attributes, and assess the moderation roles of brand familiarity and locus of control. A structural equation model is applied to analyze the data collected from 427 respondents. Empirical results demonstrate that consumers' perception of an electric attribute (i.e., charging efficiency) and two intelligent attributes (i.e., car networking and self-driving) are determinants of their adoption intention of NEVs. The other electric attribute (range) is trivial in consumers' perception. We also find that low, medium, and high-richness media significantly affect consumers' perception of NEVs' functional attributes. Compared to the high-richness, medium-richness correlates significantly with two types of NEV functional attributes. Regarding moderating effects, consumer familiarity with NEV's brand negatively impacts the relationship between media richness and adoption intention. Furthermore, low and medium-richness media effectively stimulate individuals with external control to adopt NEV, while high-richness media adversely influence individuals with internal control.

Despite the increase in and diversity of disclosure channels available, our understanding of how managers incorporate channel features into their disclosure decisions remains incomplete. I provide evidence that managers choose relatively rich channels that offer multiple cues, opportunities for interaction, and linguistic diversity (i.e., the earnings call, as compared to the press release) to communicate complex information. The positive relation between disclosure channel richness and subject matter complexity persists in both a document-level analysis and a small sample test examining disclosure channel choice from all possible disclosure channels. I provide some evidence that deviating from the complexity/richness matching strategy is associated with a muted market response to firms' quarterly disclosures. The results are consistent with managers choosing disclosure channels to reduce investors' information processing costs. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: G14; M41. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to escalating environmental pressures and the growing global consensus on comprehensive green initiatives, marketers encounter the challenge of effectively communicating with diverse green consumer segments. The purpose of this study is to explore the preferences of different IMC tools among different types of green consumers and then attempt to propose effective communication tools for different types of green consumers to boost sustainable consumption. This study examined 13 widely used integrated marketing communication (IMC) tools and delved into their impact on the purchase intentions of different consumer segments toward green products. Meanwhile, departing from conventional approaches, we replaced consumer awareness with actual consumer behavior to more accurately segment green consumers. This distinction allowed us to categorize green consumers into three segments: light green (including colorless), medium green, and dark green consumers. By analyzing these IMC tools based on the dimensions of media richness theory—feedback, multiple cues, language variety, and personal focus—we found that (1) only three communication tools can effectively provide green consumers with different levels of green behavior with the green product information they need to enhance their green products purchase intention; (2) dark green consumers demonstrate a markedly stronger preference for these three types of IMC tools than the others; (3) there are significant differences in only two constructs, namely "feedback" and "language variety" among these three types of green consumers; and (4) both dark green and medium green consumers are more concerned about the level of personalization in messages than light green (including colorless) consumers. Ultimately, practical insights are provided to empower businesses and marketers in boosting consumer preference for green products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online learning provides a variety of benefits to the educational experience, including accessibility and flexibility, but is often limited in terms of peer-to-peer interactions and relationship development. Using media richness theory as a guiding framework, this study extended prior research to determine the impact of using richer channels in a fast-friendship task on feelings of co-presence and social connection among undergraduate students in online courses. Participants (N = 106) were assigned to one of three conditions (text, phone or video) for the fast-friendship task, which took place over the course of nine weeks. The results revealed that there was no indirect effect of channel richness on social connection through co-presence. Additionally, the direct effects of channel richness on co-presence and co-presence on social connection were not significant. These null findings have theoretical and practical implications for understanding media richness in online learning and improving course design among contemporary college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous companies are considering implementing virtual reality (VR) technology in both online and offline stores to attract more customers, as they realized in recent years that the shopping contexts built with VR help provide consumers with feeling of presence experience. To explore various factors affecting users' shopping intention toward using VR, a research model based on the theory of reasoned action and the ABC (affective- behavioral- cognitive) model of attitude was developed. The model, which also encompassed spatial presence, media richness, flow, and VR context empathy, was tested in VR and conventional online shopping contexts. This study involved an online questionnaire used for empirical research, along with the collection and analysis of data of 240 samples by structural equation modeling approach. The findings indicated that attitude is the most important factor affecting the intention of using online shopping while empathy is the most critical factor affecting offline shopping intention. In addition, flow has strong influence on both attitude and empathy. This study also uncovered that spatial presence and media richness have positive influence on users' flow experience. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing involvement in a global market and growing sophistication of salesperson technologies, salespeople feel unprepared to negotiate digitally and student-learning outcomes tied to digital negotiation exercises are unclear. The present study first outlines the digital negotiation role-play exercise and then compares student learning outcomes between digital and face-to-face negotiation role-plays. It answers research questions revolving around middle-range-richness mediums, i.e., digital communication tools relying mostly on text (e.g., SMS texts). The benefits of digital experiential sales negotiation exercises are uniquely important for building real-world industrial sales negotiation skills due to the complexity and quantity of negotiation messages exchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Sciences Research / Sosyal Bilimler Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of ODU Journal of Social Sciences Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A picture is worth a thousand words. User-generated photos (UGPs) are increasingly accompanying online reviews of hotels. This article draws on media richness theory to estimate the effects of UGPs on hotel reviews' helpfulness. Based on a sample of 1,159,590 valid reviews with 464,316 photos, we utilized an integrated analytical model incorporating both econometric analyses and image-processing techniques. The results show that reviews accompanied by UGPs are generally rated as more helpful than those with textual content only. Furthermore, photos showing guestroom objects were rated as more helpful than those showing food & beverages. Finally, the positive effects of UGPs on review helpfulness were especially prominent for hotels with lower prices and negative reviews. This study adds new insights to the online review literature and advances the methodological approach in analyzing unstructured user-generated content. This study provides important implications for hotel managers and online booking platforms regarding UGP management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers' intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 struck the world by storm and has taken its victims along the way. It had also put the whole world on a temporary pause as people tried to manage the virus as best as possible. It has affected people all around the globe and had a huge impact on the global economy. This research will look into how microbusinesses have used social media in order to better face the challenges and changes that came due to the COVID-19 crisis while it will discuss how businesses' perceptions were altered along the way. In particular we are reviewing relevant academic literature surrounding microbusinesses and how they have been affected by COVID-19. The research methods used within this study, and the research results will be stated with reference to primary respondents. We have used a combination of secondary and primary research to develop further understanding of microbusinesses and the impact that COVID-19 has had on organizations in relation to the use of the internet and social media platforms. Limitations of the study will also be identified, and future research areas will be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to study how the extensive usage of social networking sites (SNSs) and interaction in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) communities influence brand trust. Social networking sites have impacted internet commerce in a technologically advanced era; it connects global users. Social media ads have changed our thinking; new market trends are reshaping the business industry. This study empirically investigates a model based on media richness theory and social capital theory. Using data collected from users who conducted transactions on these sites, a theoretical model was developed to analyze the inspirations behind trust. The results show that Instagram’s media-rich platform enhances social capital and a sense of virtual community between its members, affecting trust. Instagram usage intensity does not immediately affect brand trust, but it has an indirect effect; community trust also positively influences brand trust. This study defines the role of a sense of virtual community (SOVC) and social capital (SC) in C2C communities only. This study delivers insights to managers on how to increase brand trust via SNSs. Prior studies on social commerce do not apply to C2C communities on social media platforms, especially Instagram. This study presents a novel standpoint of social capital and media richness structures as precursors of brand trust in C2C communities.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, borders were closed, cities were blocked, and individuals went into quarantine. The market size of the tourism industry in 2020 declined by more than 70% compared to the previous year, regressing to the size it was 30 years ago. This does not mean that people's needs for tourism have decreased. People started to use virtual reality technologies to get the experience of sightseeing even if they could not go directly to tourist attractions. Prior studies found that virtual reality technology is effective for online shopping and gaming contexts. However, there are insufficient studies investigating the effect of using virtual reality for tourism content. Therefore, this study attempts to verify how the media richness of virtual reality tourism content elicits various reactions from potential tourists in terms of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The purpose of this study is to verify how virtual reality tourism content increases the destination visit intention after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on media richness theory and the information system success model, a hypothesis was developed. One hundred and eighty-two data were gathered from potential tourists who were in quarantine by performing an online scenario survey that used quasi-experiment methods. Data were analyzed with a PLS algorithm. The results indicate that media richness of tourism content using virtual reality significantly increased perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It could significantly increase satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The results of this study explain how information technology can be used in the tourism industry, and they provide suggestions on why tourism content using virtual reality can be useful for attracting tourists, and what experiences it can provide tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at analyzing the public's reaction with health information on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study relies on Dialogic Communication and Media Richness theories. The researcher conducts a content analysis of 866 posts published by the Ministry of Health and Population Facebook page between February 9 and August 8, 2020, during that period, Egypt was exposed to the first wave of the COVID-19. The research concluded that COVID-19 pandemic -related posts received more engagement than posts that were not related to COVID-19 pandemic, the results also revealed a positive correlation between the public engagement with health information and COVID-19 cases and deaths, the results emphasized the role of the dialogic loop in eliciting public engagement with health information, the average public engagement with the posts that included the principles of the dialogic loop was higher than the average public engagement with the posts that did not include the principles of the dialogic loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studi ini meneliti pengaruh media richnerss terhadap user trust dan persepsi corporate social responsibility dengan sensitivitas lingkungan industri sebagai variabel moderating. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah manajer pada perusahaan manufaktur di provinsi Banten yang listing di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI). Jumlah perusahaan manufaktur di provinsi Banten sebanyak 45 perusahaan manufaktur. Teknik penentuan sampel dalam penelitian ini dengan menggunakan teknik purpusove sampling. Metode purpusove samping merupakan metode pemilihan sampel yang seseuai dengan penelitian ini yaitu; 1) Perusahaan manufaktur di provinsi Banten yang listing di BEI, 2) Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah manajer keuangan, manajer produksi, manajer sumber daya manusia, manajer pemasaran. Jumlah responden dalam penelitian ini adalah sebanyak 180 responden. Penelitian ini menggunakan simple regression analysis sebagai alat analisis regresi sederhana dan menggunakan nilai selisih mutlak dengan menggunakan software Statistical Package for Social Science(SPSS). Hasil penelitian ini adalah menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh positif antara media richness terhadap user trust, sensivitas lingkungan industri tidak memoderasi hubungan antara media richness dengan user trust, pengaruh positif namun tidak signifikan media richness terhadap persespi corporate social responsibility.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had severe consequences for the older section of the population. In this project, we studied how COVID‐19 measures have impacted a group of older persons as users of municipal health and care services in Norway. We were specifically concerned with how communication works, in terms of the communication channels used, and what this means for the older. We also analyzed the users' experiences during the period of COVID‐19 restrictions in terms of quality of life. In addition, we looked at the municipal service providers' understanding of the situation of the older. The data collection was performed mainly in July 2020 when Norway had relatively strict COVID‐19 restrictions in relation to health and care services for older residents. Our results indicate that COVID‐19 restrictions both impaired the quality of life and security and aggravated loneliness. Regarding the older and communication, it was crucial to identify channels of communication with which the older are most comfortable. The results of this study clearly show that (a) the older had a definite preference for face‐to‐face personal communication; (b) although the older were familiar with the audio phone call and used it as a substitute for home visits, it reduced their security and quality of life; and (c) video‐based media such as smartphones, tablets, and PC were not desirable alternatives to regular voice‐based phones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate an online live streaming perceived servicescape (OLSPS) scale that can help platform service providers to develop strategies for new live streaming channel promotions. Design/methodology/approach: This study conceptualized the construct of OLSPS and the four-phase procedure of the 66-item OLSPS scale development, including item generation, item purification, scale validation, measure application and testing of hypotheses. It also provided a research framework to assess audiences' cognition and behavioral intention, and an online survey on 420 live streaming users (social platforms, n = 210; native platforms, n = 210) was conducted. Findings: This study developed and validated a 35-item OLSPS scale with eight dimensions. The results of the empirical model showed that OLSPS is positively correlated with the audiences' cognition and behavioral intention. Furthermore, parasocial interaction experience showed a positive moderation on channel trust. Originality/value: This study is a pioneering effort to develop and validate an OLSPS scale. The results could be helpful for researchers in building OLSPS and for managers in assessing and promoting users' acceptance of online live streaming platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing media richness theory, a model is developed to open the black box surrounding the impact of computer-mediated communication systems on decision quality. The effects on decision quality of two important communication system factors, cue multiplicity and feedback immediacy, are examined in light of three important mediating constructs: social perceptions, message clarity, and ability to evaluate others. A laboratory experiment examining two tasks and employing face-to-face, electronic meeting, electronic conferencing, and electronic mail communication systems is used to assess the model's validity. Results provide consistent support for the research model as well as media richness theory. Richer media facilitate social perceptions (total socio-emotional communication and positive socio-emotional climate) and perceived ability to evaluate others' deception and expertise. Leaner media (electronic mail and electronic conferencing) facilitate communication clarity when participants have less task-relevant knowledge. The impacts of these mediating constructs on decision quality were found to depend on the levels of participant expertise and deception. In general, it was found that richer media can have significantly positive impacts on decision quality when participants' task-relevant knowledge is high. Moreover, effects of participant deception can be mitigated by employing richer media. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]