Automatically inferring user demographics from social media posts is useful for both social science research and a range of downstream applications in marketing and politics. We present the first ...extensive study where user behaviour on Twitter is used to build a predictive model of income. We apply non-linear methods for regression, i.e. Gaussian Processes, achieving strong correlation between predicted and actual user income. This allows us to shed light on the factors that characterise income on Twitter and analyse their interplay with user emotions and sentiment, perceived psycho-demographics and language use expressed through the topics of their posts. Our analysis uncovers correlations between different feature categories and income, some of which reflect common belief e.g. higher perceived education and intelligence indicates higher earnings, known differences e.g. gender and age differences, however, others show novel findings e.g. higher income users express more fear and anger, whereas lower income users express more of the time emotion and opinions.
The ability to use information and communication technologies (ICT) is essential for private and vocational participation in society. Although motivational facets play an important role in developing ...ICT knowledge and skills, only few studies assessing computer-related knowledge and skills present a comprehensive concept on these motivational facets. This article addresses this issue by presenting the construction and first validation of an ICT motivation inventory on the basis of social cognitive theory. The focus of this newly developed concept is to predict computer-related knowledge and skills. Its theoretically deduced dimensions of three ICT-related usage motives (instrumental, hedonic and social interaction), ICT-related selfefficacy, and ICT-related self-regulation were analyzed in a study assessing N = 323 German students between 16 and 27 years of age. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the assumed dimensional structure in the form of a hierarchical five-factor model. The reliability and construct validity of the measure were explored. As expected, the ICT motivation inventory dimensions were related to individual differences in ICT Literacy and relevant person characteristics (social background, need for cognition) (Orig.).
evolution of animal communication Searcy, William A; Nowicki, Stephen
2005, 2005., 20100101, 2010, 2005-01-01, Volume:
30
eBook, Book
Gull chicks beg for food from their parents. Peacocks spread their tails to attract potential mates. Meerkats alert family members of the approach of predators. But are these--and other ...animals--sometimes dishonest? That's what William Searcy and Stephen Nowicki ask inThe Evolution of Animal Communication. They take on the fascinating yet perplexing question of the dependability of animal signaling systems.
The book probes such phenomena as the begging of nesting birds, alarm calls in squirrels and primates, carotenoid coloration in fish and birds, the calls of frogs and toads, and weapon displays in crustaceans. Do these signals convey accurate information about the signaler, its future behavior, or its environment? Or do they mislead receivers in a way that benefits the signaler? For example, is the begging chick really hungry as its cries indicate or is it lobbying to get more food than its brothers and sisters?
Searcy and Nowicki take on these and other questions by developing clear definitions of key issues, by reviewing the most relevant empirical data and game theory models available, and by asking how well theory matches data. They find that animal communication is largely reliable--but that this basic reliability also allows the clever deceiver to flourish. Well researched and clearly written, their book provides new insight into animal communication, behavior, and evolution.
Sexting Panic illustrates that anxieties about technology and teen girls sexuality distract from critical questions about how to adapt norms of privacy and consent for new media. Though mobile phones ...can be used to cause harm, Amy Adele Hasinoff notes that the criminalization and abstinence policies meant to curb sexting often fail to account for distinctions between consensual sharing and malicious distribution. Challenging the idea that sexting inevitably victimizes young women, Hasinoff argues for recognizing young people's capacity for choice and encourages rethinking the assumption that everything digital is public. Timely and engaging, Sexting Panic analyzes the debates about sexting while recommending realistic and nuanced responses.
Online media offer unprecedented access to digital public spheres, largely enhancing users’ opportunities for participation and providing new means for strengthening democratic discourse. At the same ...time, the last decades have demonstrated that online discourses are often characterised by so-called ‘dark participation’ the spreading of lies and incivility. Using ‘problematic behaviour theory’ as framework and focusing on incivility as a specific form of dark participation, this article investigates the role of users’ personal characteristics, media use, and online experiences in relation to offensive and hateful online behaviour. Using a random-quota survey of the German population, we explored how dark personality traits, political attitudes and emotions, the frequency and spaces of online-media use, and users’ experiences with both civil and uncivil online discourses predicted participants own uncivil behaviour, such as posting, sharing, or liking uncivil content. We found that 46% of the participants who had witnessed incivility in the last three months also engaged in uncivil participation. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis showed that incivility was associated with manipulative personality traits as measured by the dark triad, right-wing populist voting intentions, and frequent social-media use. Experiences with both civil comments and hate speech predicted higher levels of uncivil participation. The strongest predictor was participants’ personal experiences with online victimisation. Overall, the results confirmed that dark participation in the sense of uncivil engagement results from the interplay of personality traits, an online environment that allows for deviant engagement, and, most importantly, participants’ experiences in said environment.
Social media platforms are relevant for the media diet of adolescents. Augmented reality (AR) filters on social media are prevalent within the media consumption of this age group. Recent studies have ...unveiled the negative impact of beautifying AR filters and digitally enhanced pictures on adolescents' well-being. However, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of how adolescents use AR filters beyond aesthetic reasons. Therefore, the present study aims to contribute to the existing scholarship by focusing on various AR filters and their relation to adolescents' well-being. We investigate different ways of using AR filters (e.g., public posts versus ephemeral settings or direct messages to online friends) inspired by peers and social media influencers. Thus, we conducted four focus groups with N = 40 adolescent participants aged 14 to 18 from a European country. Our findings align with previous research on adults, showing that adolescents use AR filters for fun, entertainment, creativity, interaction, and self-expression. Besides, adolescents' well-being determined using AR filters can be tied to crucial elements of the developmental process, such as connections, identity, learning, and emotions. Results showed that using AR filters on social media can facilitate socializing and increase self-esteem. Conversely, their use is time-consuming and can cause adolescents frustration and enhance social pressure. This study provides new insights into adolescents' AR-filter-related interactions. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on AR filter usage, well-being, and the developmental process of adolescents.
Credit and blame Tilly, Charles
2008., 20090411, 2009, 2008, 2008-01-01, 20080101
eBook
In his eye-opening book Why?, world-renowned social scientist Charles Tilly exposed some startling truths about the excuses people make and the reasons they give. Now he's back with further ...explorations into the complexities of human relationships, this time examining what's really going on when we assign credit or cast blame. Everybody does it, but few understand the hidden motivations behind it. With his customary wit and dazzling insight, Tilly takes a lively and thought-provoking look at the ways people fault and applaud each other and themselves. The stories he gathers in Credit and Blame range from the everyday to the altogether unexpected, from the revealingly personal to the insightfully humorous—whether it's the gushing acceptance speech of an Academy Award winner or testimony before a congressional panel, accusations hurled in a lover's quarrel or those traded by nations in a post-9/11 crisis, or a job promotion or the Nobel Prize. Drawing examples from literature, history, pop culture, and much more, Tilly argues that people seek not only understanding through credit and blame, but also justice. The punishment must fit the crime, accomplishments should be rewarded, and the guilty parties must always get their just deserts.
Der Einsatz automatisierter Accounts in sozialen Online-Netzwerken, oftmals als "Social Bots" oder "Political Bots" bezeichnet, erregte im Vorfeld verschiedener politischer Großereignisse ...internationale Aufmerksamkeit und markiert einen Höhepunkt der voranschreitenden Digitalisierung des Politischen. Die durch die Automatisierung entstehende Möglichkeit zur praktisch unbegrenzten Verbreitung einzelner Meinungen schafft das Risiko einer Manipulation der Meinungsbildung von Rezipienten und folglich einer Verzerrung des Kommunikationsprozesses. Lennart Laude untersucht den Einsatz der neuen Kommunikationsmittel mit Fokus auf die Interpretation des Art. 5 Abs. 1 GG und legt dar, welche rechtliche Bewertung für Versuche automatisierter Meinungsbeeinflussung angezeigt ist. Die Arbeit wurde 2021 mit dem Preis des Schleswiger Forums für eine herausragende Dissertation auf dem Gebiet des Öffentlichen Rechts ausgezeichnet.
PDF
