scholarly journals Challenges facing online research: Experiences from research concerning cyber-victimisation of people with disabilities

Author(s):  
Zhraa A. Alhaboby ◽  
James Barnes ◽  
Hala Evans ◽  
Emma Short

The victimisation of people living with disabilities and chronic conditions is a documented phenomenon. It ranges from harassment incidents to disability hate crimes, and causes physical, mental and psychosocial consequences. The Internet has further reshaped this phenomenon which lead to “cyber-victimisation” experiences, with no less impact upon victims. This methodology paper focuses mainly on the challenges and implications of using online methods in a UK-based study exploring the impact of cyber-victimisation on people coping with disabilities and chronic conditions. Mixed-method design was adopted via an online-survey followed by in-depth interviewing of victims. Online recruitment was through victim-support groups, patient-support groups, and social media. Out of 80 organisations and charities approached, 51(63.8%) gatekeepers helped to reach participants. Recruitment and data collection process was challenged by four overarching themes: 1) social identity in online support groups, 2) the role of online gatekeepers, 3) the contradictory role of social media, and 4) promoting inclusivity. These challenges were theorised from the perspective of the Social Identity Theory. Representing self as a victim and/or a disabled-person had its implications on virtual groups’ membership, social media use, gatekeepers’ decisions and subsequent participation. Some identity aspects were highlighted as positive points to improve engagement with research. In conclusion, the Internet has aggravated the vulnerability of people with disabilities, but it also has a huge potential in researching sensitive topics with this group. Future research in the cyberspace should acknowledge the challenges of online identities of disabled victimised people, and focus on positive identity aspects to facilitate the research process and encourage collaborative participation at early stages of research.

Author(s):  
Sylvaine Castellano ◽  
Insaf Khelladi

New opportunities and challenges are emerging thanks to the growing Internet importance and social media usage. Although practitioners have already recognized the strategic dimension of e-reputation and the power of social media, academic research is still in its infancy when it comes to e-reputation determinants in a social networks context. A study was conducted in the sports setting to explore the impact of social networks on the sportspeople's e-reputation. Whereas the study emphasized (1) the influence of social networks' perception on the sportspeople's e-reputation, and the neutral roles of (2) the motives for following sportspeople online, and (3) the negative content on the Internet, additional insights are formulated on maintaining, restoring and managing e-reputation on social networks. Finally, future research directions are suggested on the role of image to control e-reputation.


Author(s):  
Sylvaine Castellano ◽  
Insaf Khelladi

New opportunities and challenges are emerging thanks to the growing Internet importance and social media usage. Although practitioners have already recognized the strategic dimension of e-reputation and the power of social media, academic research is still in its infancy when it comes to e-reputation determinants in a social networks context. A study was conducted in the sports setting to explore the impact of social networks on the sportspeople's e-reputation. Whereas the study emphasized (1) the influence of social networks' perception on the sportspeople's e-reputation, and the neutral roles of (2) the motives for following sportspeople online, and (3) the negative content on the Internet, additional insights are formulated on maintaining, restoring and managing e-reputation on social networks. Finally, future research directions are suggested on the role of image to control e-reputation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Hughes ◽  
Rachael Hunter

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition, which can be affected by stress. Living with psoriasis can trigger negative emotions, which may influence quality of life. OBJECTIVE This study explored the experiences of people with psoriasis with attention to the potential role of anger in the onset and progression of the chronic skin condition. METHODS Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with twelve participants (n=5 females, n=7 males) recruited online from an advert on a patient charity’s social media platforms. Data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Four key themes were identified: (1) ‘I get really angry with the whole situation:’ anger at the self and others, (2) the impact of anger on psoriasis: angry skin, (3) shared experiences of distress, and (4) moving past anger to affirmation. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that anger can have a perceived impact on psoriasis through contributing to sensory symptoms and unhelpful coping cycles and point to a need for enhanced treatment with more psychological support. The findings also highlight the continued stigma which exists for people living with skin conditions and how this may contribute to, and sustain, anger for those individuals. Future research could usefully focus on developing targeted psychosocial interventions to promote healthy emotional coping with psoriasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Evelina Francisco ◽  
Nadira Fardos ◽  
Aakash Bhatt ◽  
Gulhan Bizel

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home orders have disrupted all aspects of life globally, most notably our relationship with the internet and social media platforms. People are online more than ever before, working and attending school from home and socializing with friends and family via video conferencing. Marketers and brands have been forced to adapt to a new normal and, as a result, have shifted their brand communication and marketing mix to digital approaches. Hence, this study aims to examine the shift of influencer marketing on Instagram during this period and the possible future implications. By employing an online survey for exploratory research, individuals answered questions addressing their perceptions about the impact of the pandemic, brands and influencers’ relationship, and the overall changes made in marketing strategy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Donath

The purpose of this project was to explore how young adults are experiencing relationships when using social media. Using a qualitative design young adults between the ages of 16-25 were asked questions about their experience with social media in the city of Toronto. Qualitative interviews were conducted with three homeless participants who used social media and had access to the internet and a mobile device. The researcher analyzed the data by looking for themes within the participant’s answers. Discussion focuses on the impact of social media, their experiences as a homeless youth and the interaction with social media on a daily basis. The findings also suggest future research for technology amongst homeless youth


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gligor ◽  
Sıddık Bozkurt

Purpose The concept of agility has been applied to several domains to help firms develop the capability to quickly adjust their operations to cope and thrive in environments characterized by frequent changes. Despite the soaring number of social media users and the benefits associated with agility in other domains, the application of agility in a social media context has yet to be explored. Further, little is known about how agility in a social media context impacts desirable customer-related attributes, such as customer engagement and customer-based brand equity (CBBE). This paper aims to address this gap by adapting the construct to social media (i.e. perceived social media agility) and exploring its impact on customer engagement and CBBE. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducted an online survey with 200 adult subjects. This paper used multivariate regression analyzes to empirically test a scale for perceived social media agility and explore its impact on CBBE and customer engagement, along with the moderating role of customer change-seeking behavior. Findings The study results show that perceived social media agility directly and indirectly (through customer engagement) positively influences CBBE. Also, results show that the positive impact of perceived social media agility on CBBE is further magnified for customers high on change-seeking. However, customer change-seeking does not affect the strength or direction of the impact of perceived social media agility on customer engagement. Originality/value This paper contributes to social media literature by adapting and testing a measurement scale for the construct of perceived social media agility and exploring its role in enhancing customer engagement and CBBE.


Author(s):  
Verónica Baena

This chapter provides a better understanding of the impact that the Internet and mobile sports marketing are having on a business's ability to achieve customer engagement. To achieve this goal, the case of Real Madrid football team is analyzed, as it is calculated to have over 200 million supporters worldwide. Information about Real Madrid was gathered from September 2012 to March 2013 by repeatedly browsing the team's Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and apps. Data from interviews of Real Madrid's marketing department published in business press and posts was also compiled. Additionally, a focus group was conducted to discuss the customer engagement of Real Madrid's fans. The findings offer new opportunities to get customer engagement. They also highlight the important role of social media to gain insight about the fans.


Author(s):  
Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir ◽  
Ingibjorg E. Thorisdottir ◽  
Haukur Freyr Gylfason

The true extent of the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are unclear, but early evidence suggests poorer mental health among those exposed to the pandemic. The Internet may have differential effects, by both connecting people with resources, or reinforce the constant checking of negative information. Moreover, locus of control becomes important in an uncontrollable pandemic. The current study aimed to examine whether exposure to COVID-19 would relate to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and to examine the role of internet use and locus of control. Adults in the United States and five European countries (N = 1723) answered an online survey through the website Mturk. Results show elevated psychological symptoms among those who have become infected with COVID-19 or perceive themselves to be at high risk if infected. Experience using the Internet relates to fewer symptoms, but information seeking is associated with more symptoms. Internet social capital relates to fewer symptoms of depression. Having an external locus of control relates to greater symptoms. These findings suggest that public health officials need to focus on the mental health effects of the pandemic, and that internet use and locus of control could be targets to improve mental health in the population.


SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402092551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashmala Latif ◽  
Muhammad Yousaf Malik ◽  
Abdul Hameed Pitafi ◽  
Shamsa Kanwal ◽  
Zara Latif

This study aims to examine the role of exposure to travel-related content posted by friends on Facebook in triggering the intention to visit a tourist destination (IVTD). The study further examines how travel-related content exposure is linked with IVTD, and why some travel consumers, unlike others, tend to trigger more IVTD in response to travel-related content exposure. The sample of the present study included 295 travel consumers who are users of Facebook in Pakistan. The hypothesized model is tested using PROCESS macros in SPSS 24.0. The findings of the study reveal that travel-related content exposure is positively associated with IVTD. The benign envy mediates the relationship between exposure to travel-related content posted by friends on Facebook and IVTD, but the online social identity moderated the relationship between exposure to travel-related content posted by friends on Facebook and IVTD such that high online social identity strengthened the impact of travel-related content exposure on IVTD, thus highlighting the pivotal role of online social identity in the comparison process. The study contributes to the tourism literature on social media and has practical implications for social media travel managers and advertisers. The travel managers and advertisers should develop marketing and communication strategies considering friends’ communications on Facebook as a factor that can influence travel consumers’ behavior and decision making.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57
Author(s):  
Mutia Rahmi Pratiwi ◽  
Mukaromah Mukaromah ◽  
Wulan Herdiningsih

The amount of social media user in Indonesia is highly increasing, both for adult and children such as the elementary school student. The social media have its own policy about the age restriction to legally access the social media and elementary student is not one of them. Nevertheless, the datas show that elementary school student is one of the active user in social media. Cyberbullying and cyberporn are the impact of those unideal condition. This problem brings another concern to the parents of elementary school student user. The aim of this research is to describe the parents’s surveillance role towards the under age user. This research used the phenomenoogy method. While the results show that the parents’s surveillance role is only in the preventive stage without further analysis into the social media itself. The parents become supervisor in several conditions: the social media using restriction, being friend to their children in the social media, limiting the internet data, approaching personally and using the religious approachment. The result of this research can be the reference for the parents in educating their children in using the social media. For the future research, strongly recommended to search for the relationship of the parent’s supervising role and the school in minimalizing the bad impact of the internet and social media for the children.Keywords: Media Literation, Social Media, Children, Parents ABSTRAKJumlah pengguna media sosial di Indonesia terus meningkat, tidak hanya dari kalangan dewasa namun juga anak-anak SD. Media sosial memiliki kebijakan terkait batasan umur yang dilegalkan sebagai pengguna dan anak SD tidak termasuk bagian di dalamnya. Namun data justru menunjukan bahwa anak SD kini menjadi pengguna aktif media sosial dan hal ini berimbas pada munculnya cyberbulling hingga postingan anak SD yang memuat unsur cyberporn. Persoalan ini membawa keprihatinan tersendiri bagi orang tua yang memiliki anak SD selaku pengguna internet dan pemilik akun media sosial. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan peran pengawasan yang dilakukan orangtua terhadap anak pengguna media sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode fenomenologi. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa pengawasan orangtua masih di tataran preventif tanpa mengkaji lebih mendalam mengenai isi media sosial itu sendiri. Orangtua memposisikan diri sebagai pengawas anak dengan beberapa cara, yaitu: penerapan aturan penggunaan yang ketat, berteman dengan anaknya di media sosial, pembatasan kuota, pendekatan personal dan menggunakan unsur KeTuhanan. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi bahan kajian bagi orangtua dalam mengedukasi anak saat menggunakan internet dan media sosial. Bagi penelitian selanjutnya diharapkan dapat meneliti hubungan pengawasan orangtua serta pihak sekolah dalam meminimalisir dampak buruk internet dan media sosial bagi anak-anak.Kata kunci: Literasi Media, Media Sosial, Anak, Orangtua


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