Showing papers in "New Media & Society in 2021"
TL;DR: This article aims to analyze platformization through the metaphorical lens of a tree to make sense of information ecosystems as hierarchical and interdependent structures to inspire a set of principles that reshapes the platform ecosystem in the interest of society and the common good.
Abstract: The complexities of platforms are increasingly at odds with the narrow legal and economic concepts in which their governance is grounded. This article aims to analyze platformization through the me...
100 citations
TL;DR: This work aims to articulate the problematic and often perverse power relationships implicit in ideals of “inclusion” broadly, which too often work to diffuse the radical potential of difference and normalize otherwise oppressive structural conditions.
Abstract: Inclusion has emerged as an early cornerstone value for the emerging domain of “data ethics.” On the surface, appeals to inclusion appear to address the threat that biased data technologies making ...
82 citations
TL;DR: Investigating dysfunctional information sharing on WhatsApp and Facebook suggests that the intimate nature of WhatsApp communication has important consequences for the dynamics of misinformation sharing, particularly with regard to facilitating social corrections.
Abstract: In this study, we investigate dysfunctional information sharing on WhatsApp and Facebook, focusing on two explanatory variables—frequency of political talk and cross-cutting exposure—and potential ...
77 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that older adults use ICT in very heterogeneous ways and that the roles bestowed upon warm experts can be understood precisely through this heterogeneity.
Abstract: In this article, we (1) examine the various forms of support required by older users (75+) of digital technology and (2) provide a concrete, everyday life rationale for why warm experts play such a...
65 citations
TL;DR: The results of the thematic analysis indicate that those who post extreme-right content on r/The_Donald use Reddit’s voting algorithm as a tool to mobilize like-minded members by promoting extreme discourses against two prominent out-groups: Muslims and the Left.
Abstract: Since the advent of the Internet, right-wing extremists and those who subscribe to extreme right views have exploited online platforms to build a collective identity among the like-minded. Research...
61 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that education and topic involvement are statistically significant factors associated with assessments of message content and source credibility in low-income African-American older adults.
Abstract: This study examines how low-income African-American older adults, one of the groups most vulnerable to misinformation online, assess the credibility of online information. In examining this, we con...
61 citations
TL;DR: It is found that news media organisations have recently started to diversify their distribution strategies and the business models associated with them in response to Facebook’s algorithm changes, suggesting that greater attention needs to be paid to the complex relationships that news organisations have with platforms.
Abstract: There is a growing concern around the dependency of news organisations on platforms like Facebook for audience traffic. However, scholars are still working out the extent of this dependency and how...
60 citations
TL;DR: This article traces how enactments of ‘raw’ cultivate digital intimacies between Instagram users and takes up a feminist new materialist approach to consider how various body parts, objects, platform functionalities and discourses come together to create affective encounters between participants and other Instagram users.
Abstract: This article builds on a growing body of research on social media and authenticity through examining practices of ‘keeping it raw’ in fitness cultures on Instagram. Such practices include posting u...
58 citations
TL;DR: The COVID-19 pandemic went hand in hand with what some have called a “(mis)infodemic” about the virus on social media, and this work draws on partisan motivated reasoning and partisan selective sharing to explain the connection.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic went hand in hand with what some have called a “(mis)infodemic” about the virus on social media. Drawing on partisan motivated reasoning and partisan selective sharing, this s...
55 citations
TL;DR: Amazon e-commerce operations rely upon the living labor of thousands of workers, and interviews with workers and managers unearth the material and cultural infrastructures that underpin Amazon labor.
Abstract: Amazon e-commerce operations rely upon the living labor of thousands of workers. In the company’s warehouses, barcodes allow commodities to be construed as information to be managed. Work is thus m...
54 citations
TL;DR: Theoretical and empirical work on digital media use and social connectedness has often considered face-to-face communication to be an available option but how do various digital media uses relate to each other?
Abstract: Theoretical and empirical work on digital media use and social connectedness has often considered face-to-face communication to be an available option But how do various digital media uses relate
TL;DR: The ethical issues raised by deepfakes are examined and four potential forms of intervention are discussed with respect to multi-stakeholder responsibility for addressing harms, including education and media literacy, subject defense, verification, and publicity moderation.
Abstract: New media synthesis technologies are rapidly advancing and becoming more accessible, allowing users to make video and audio clips (i.e. deepfakes) of individuals doing and saying things they never ...
TL;DR: Results indicated that selfie-editing, but not selfie-posting, predicted increases in adolescents’ self-objectification and appearance concerns (both body and face) over time, whereas body dissatisfaction had no influence on subsequent selfie-related behaviors among adolescents.
Abstract: A few cross-sectional studies have found that selfie-related behaviors have positive associations with self-objectification or appearance concerns, but little is known about whether bidirectional r...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focused on the function, power, and performance of the digital transformation model and the function and power of digital transformation. But they did not discuss the performance of this model.
Abstract: Visions of the future are omnipresent in current debates about the digital transformation. This introductory article and the full special issue are concerned with the function, power, and performat...
TL;DR: A critical theory reading of the theme of inevitability is offered, using the concept of discursive closure, whereby the authors can see how particular values and (infra)structures are naturalized, neutralized, and legitimated, closing off discussion of alternatives that might counter current hegemonic power.
Abstract: Over 3 years, researchers, artists, and activists collaborated on eight public engagement experiments in five countries All focused on building critical consciousness about digital futures The in
TL;DR: It is suggested that more musicians rather than fewer might now be able to earn money from recorded music than in preceding recorded-music systems, and that better debate requires greater transparency about usage and payment on the part of streaming services and music businesses.
Abstract: Great controversy has surrounded the growth of the music streaming services that are now central to the music industries internationally. One important set of criticisms concerns the amount of mone...
TL;DR: A cognitive model is developed using the constellations to determine whether a user believes that they are conversing with a human or an algorithm in a chatbot environment.
Abstract: How much do anthropomorphisms influence the perception of users about whether they are conversing with a human or an algorithm in a chatbot environment? We develop a cognitive model using the const...
TL;DR: In 2020, the term "infodemic" rose from relative obscurity to becoming a popular catch-all metaphor, representing the perils of fast, wide-spreading (false) information about the coronavirus pandem...
Abstract: In 2020, the term ‘infodemic’ rose from relative obscurity to becoming a popular catch-all metaphor, representing the perils of fast, wide-spreading (false) information about the coronavirus pandem...
TL;DR: The method shows the prevalence and significance of aesthetic and memetic practices, and caution in embodiment in mental health posts, revealing more diverse forms of engagement with mental health on Instagram than previous research suggests.
Abstract: Heavily used hashtags on Instagram and other platforms can indicate extensive public engagement with issues, events or collective experiences. This article extends existing research methods to pain...
TL;DR: It is suggested that communication in social media supports work engagement via organizational identification and social support and organizations should pay more attention to social media communication practices and provide opportunities to build organization identification and receive social support in social social media.
Abstract: Social media enables information sharing and social interaction within organization. This research aims to analyze how both work- and nonwork-related communication with colleagues and the work comm...
TL;DR: Based on Bourdieu's theory, this paper focused on the third-level digital divide in relation to offline outcomes of Internet use, based on 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with young people.
Abstract: Based on Bourdieu’s theory, this article focuses on the third-level digital divide in relation to offline outcomes of Internet use. Based on 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with young people in ...
TL;DR: Twitch’s definition of sexual content is in fact vague, subjective, and contradictory and enables discrimination, which challenges the sexist cultural logics that shape these policy documents and, by extension, Twitch’S platform politics.
Abstract: This article articulates and critiques the ways that Twitch, currently the most popular platform for video game live streaming, defines sexual content through its community guidelines, terms of ser...
Technische Universität München1, Open University of Catalonia2, Norwegian University of Science and Technology3, University of Southern Denmark4, University of Gothenburg5, International University Of Catalonia6, University of Zurich7, University of Antwerp8, University of Amsterdam9, University of Vienna10, University of Mainz11, Hebrew University of Jerusalem12, University of Milan13, Loughborough University14
TL;DR: In this article, the role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories has received much attention, but a key deficit in previous research is the lack of distinction between different types of platforms.
Abstract: While the role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories has received much attention, a key deficit in previous research is the lack of distinction between different types of platforms. ...
TL;DR: Gab’s technological affordances have fostered an ideologically eclectic far-right community united by fears of persecution at the hands of ‘Big Tech’, and it is argued that this points to the emergence of a novel techno-social victimology as an axis of far- right virtual community.
Abstract: With large social media platforms coming under increasing pressure to deplatform far-right users, the Alternative Technology movement (Alt-Tech) emerged as a new digital support infrastructure for ...
TL;DR: Loot boxes (LBs) are video game-related purchases with a chance-based outcome as discussed by the authors and due to similarities with gambling, they have come under increasing scrutiny from media, academics and policymakers.
Abstract: Loot boxes (LBs) are video game-related purchases with a chance-based outcome. Due to similarities with gambling, they have come under increasing scrutiny from media, academics and policymakers ali...
TL;DR: Investigating the ability to differentiate bots with partisan personas from humans on Twitter reveals asymmetrical partisan-motivated reasoning, in that conservative profiles appear to be more confusing and Republican participants perform less well in the recognition task.
Abstract: Political bots are social media algorithms that impersonate political actors and interact with other users, aiming to influence public opinion. This study investigates the ability to differentiate ...
TL;DR: It is argued that smart voice assistants are new media innovations prepared for consumers through pre-domestication and represent an emerging regime of power and influence based on technologised voice interaction.
Abstract: Smart voice assistants have become popular thanks largely to their default naturalistic female voices and helpful personae. In this article, we trace changes in robot voices in popular culture and ...
TL;DR: The results show that old age and mobility is an area with significant gaps in the data available to policy makers, and a key recommendation is for commissioning bodies to develop a strategic approach to structured data gathering and analysis that addresses issues of exclusion from smart public service infrastructure.
Abstract: This article examines converging trends in ageing, digitalisation and datafication in the context of mobility and transport. While mobility data are increasingly captured by (public) transport and ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze deplatformization as an implied governance strategy by major tech companies to detoxify the platform ecosystem of radical content while consolidating their power as designers, and propose a governance model for deplatforming.
Abstract: This article analyzes deplatformization as an implied governance strategy by major tech companies to detoxify the platform ecosystem of radical content while consolidating their power as designers,...
TL;DR: Investigation of demographics, alongside consumption of video games, esports and gambling can predict esports betting activity suggests that while games may act as a vehicle for gambling content, highlighting the convergence of gaming and gambling, there is no intrinsic aspect which directly encourages gambling behaviours.
Abstract: The parallel media related to sports, gaming and gambling are expanding, exemplified by the emergence of esports and game-related gambling (e.g. loot boxes, esports betting). The increasing converg...