Social Media Archives - Grady College

How Hispanic and Latino Young Adults Respond to COVID-19 Crisis Information on Social Media: Opportunities of Overcoming Digital Inequality Threat to Public Health

Karen Robayo Sanchez (PhD student), Yan Jin, and Vivian Medina-Messner (2023, March). “How Hispanic and Latino Young Adults Respond to COVID-19 Crisis Information on Social Media: Opportunities of Overcoming Digital Inequality Threat to Public Health.” International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Orlando, FL.

Abstract: Our research seeks to provide current knowledge on media usage by Hispanic and Latino young adults in a health crisis. We will perform a survey to identify the sources and means used by this population during COVID-19 to seek, vet, and share information in a social media-mediated health crisis. This study will be among the first pursuing to identify the sources and media used by Hispanic and Latino young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic to seek, vet, and share information in a social-mediated health crisis. Our findings will contribute to future research essential to advancing health public relations theory and practice by addressing the digital inequality and health information disparity challenges confronting racial and ethnic minority groups in times of public health.

Camera perspective and skin color: Biased reactions to viral body work camera videos of police violence

Bailey, R., Yan, H., & Glenna L. Read (Forthcoming). Camera perspective and skin color: Biased reactions to viral body work camera videos of police violence. Communication Monographs.

Abstract: Technological advances have allowed greater transparency into police-citizen interactions. Body-worn camera (BWC) and citizen mobile device videos capturing violent police use-of-force are shared and commented upon widely within social media. Utilizing social identity theory as a main theoretical framework, this study integrated propositions stemming from social categorization, colorism, and extended cognition to investigate how video features, including point-of-view (POV: onlooker vs. officer perspective) and citizen skin color (dark skin vs. light skin), interacted to affect emotional responses, likelihood to comment and share via social media, and comment on content. A sample of predominantly White participants watched police use-of-force videos in which citizen skin color and camera POV varied. BWC videos in which light-skinned citizens were harmed elicited the most likelihood to comment and share. Further, experienced negative emotion fully mediated this relationship. BWC videos in which dark-skinned citizens were harmed elicited the least negative emotion, the least likelihood to comment, and less normative commentary about officer behaviors.

Will Brands Make it if They Fake it? Exploring the Effects of CGI Influencer Disclosures in Sponsored Social Media Posts

Alex Pfeuffer, Haley Hatfield (Ph.D. student), & Jooyoung Kim. “Will Brands Make it if They Fake it? Exploring the Effects of CGI Influencer Disclosures in Sponsored Social Media Posts.” Paper to be presented at the American Academy of Advertising Annual Conference 2023 in Denver, CO.

Abstract: CGI (computer-generated imagery) influencers have become a popular tool for brands to promote their products, as they can be made to look, act, and communicate as brands please. However, CGI influencers’ existence has prompted questions and concerns among consumer protection advocates and regulators, as these virtual influencers cannot always be readily discerned from their human counterparts, and their profiles can reflect unrealistic or inhuman body proportions. Consumers may be misled if they do not know that an influencer endorsing a product is not human and experience harmful effects if they compare themselves to unattainable beauty standards. While regulatory approaches exist in some countries to require disclosure for edited and manipulated images on social media posts, the practice of computer-generating influencers does not require disclosure. The present study draws on the theoretical frameworks of persuasion knowledge and Signaling Theory as well as the theoretical construct of trust to examine the effects of CGI influencer disclosures. Results show that such disclosures hold the potential to activate consumers’ persuasion knowledge and reduce body comparison, but also lead to less favorable perceptions regarding the influencer and brand. Implications for various stakeholders, including scholars, regulators, brands, and content creators are discussed.

What do 5G networks, Bill Gates, Agenda 21, and QAnon have in common? Sources, engagement, and characteristics of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories

Itai Himelboim, Borah, P., Ka Lai Lee, D., *Lee, J., Su, Y., Vishnevskaya, A., and Xiao, X. (Accepted). “What do 5G networks, Bill Gates, Agenda 21, and QAnon have in common? Sources, engagement, and characteristics of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories,” New Media and Society.

Abstract: Mounting uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of social media created fertile grounds for conspiracy theories to flourish, leading to a global “infodemic.” We examine information sources used to support five popular COVID-19-related conspiracy theories on Twitter to identify 1) their primary building blocks, 2) similarities and dissimilarities across COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and 3) the relationship between conspiracy rhetorical strategies and content distribution. Findings show that statements of belief and of malicious purpose were most popular, followed by conspirators, authentication, and secretive actions. However, only malicious purposes and secretive actions rhetorical strategies successfully predicted higher distribution of content, while, for instance, content authentication showed a negative relation. Furthermore, type of conspiracy theories matters. Mega theories such as, Agenda 21 and QAnon, incorporated less statements of Belief. COVID-19 vaccine theory focused more on authentication, while QAnon highlighted the conspirators behind the pandemic. Conceptual and practical implications are discussed.

Understanding crisis narratives with large-scale Twitter data: The role of celebrity and emotions in the virality of #MeToo social media activism messages

Xuerong Lu (PhD Alum), Yen-I Lee (PhD Alum), and Yan Jin. (Forthcoming). “Understanding crisis narratives with large-scale Twitter data: The role of celebrity and emotions in the virality of #MeToo social media activism messages.” Narratives in Public Communication (Eds: Fuyuan Shen and Heidi Hatfield Edwards). Routledge.

Abstract: This study, grounded in the perspective of public-centric crisis communication and narrative, conducted a computer-assisted content analysis, using the Latent Dirichlete Allocation (LDA), to identify what and how different crisis narratives about the #MeToo social movement made Twitter users spread the #MeToo campaign message quickly and widely. The results showed: First, celebrities made the issue of the #MeToo social movement become salient and evoked Twitter users to share and comment on celebrities’ posts. However, tweets with celebrity stories did not trigger Twitter users to create their own #MeToo stories to mutually share stories among each other. Second, when different crisis narratives are examined, blame-based narratives tweets motivated higher sharing while renewal-based narratives tweets led to both higher sharing and commenting. Third, gender stereotype was detected in tweets about the #MeToo social movement. Our findings suggest that, for social movement driven public communications aimed to increase public discourse and foster dialogues on Twitter, renewal and blame narratives, with celebrity figures highlighted, seem to be most effective in enhancing social issue engagement among users. Practically, this study provided guidance for organizations to engage in social media activism, telling compelling narratives and reaching a mutual beneficiary relationship between organizations and the public.