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13 pages, 2447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Setting the Public Sentiment: Examining the Relationship between Social Media and News Sentiments

by Catherine U. Huh and Han Woo Park

Systems 2024, 12(3), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12030105 - 19 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1000

Abstract

This study investigates whether news sentiment plays a role in setting social media sentiment to explore the dynamics of sentiment develop and diffusion within the public agenda. Based on the agenda-setting theory, this study analyzed the public and media sentiments towards the 2016 [...] Read more.

This study investigates whether news sentiment plays a role in setting social media sentiment to explore the dynamics of sentiment develop and diffusion within the public agenda. Based on the agenda-setting theory, this study analyzed the public and media sentiments towards the 2016 US election and the candidates using data from Twitter, CNN, and Fox News. Focusing on the Twitter messages created by the supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, over 1.3 million Twitter messages were collected associated with the election, employing hashtags as indicators of support. The Granger causality test between social media and news sentiments revealed that there is a mutual influence between social media and news sentiments; CNN’s overall sentiment was influenced by the sentiment of Hillary Clinton’s supporters, whereas Trump supporters’ sentiment was influenced by Fox News’ negative sentiment. The results suggest that public sentiment is formed in response to public agenda and mass media, indicating that sentiment is a critical component in understanding public opinion. Implications for future studies and limitations are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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25 pages, 1422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shaping and Optimizing the Image of Virtual City Spokespersons Based on Factor Analysis and Entropy Weight Methodology: A Cross-Sectional Study from China

by Jialing Chen, Linfan Pan, Ren Zhou and Qianling Jiang

Systems 2024, 12(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12020044 - 29 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1332

Abstract

With the continuous development of digital technology, the widespread use of virtual spokespersons to promote city images is becoming increasingly prevalent. This study responds to this trend by employing a factor analysis and entropy weight methodology to explore the different dimensions and priorities [...] Read more.

With the continuous development of digital technology, the widespread use of virtual spokespersons to promote city images is becoming increasingly prevalent. This study responds to this trend by employing a factor analysis and entropy weight methodology to explore the different dimensions and priorities in shaping the image of virtual city spokespersons in China. The aim is to offer insights into the design strategies and directions for shaping the image of virtual city spokespersons. For the research, we first conducted a literature review and semi-structured interviews to investigate the requirements of users in mainland China and Hong Kong regarding the image shaping of virtual city spokespersons. Building upon this groundwork, a questionnaire was designed and distributed, and it successfully gathered 512 valid responses. Subsequently, a factor analysis was utilized to identify eight key dimensions in shaping the images of Chinese virtual city spokespersons: “Design elements”, “Anthropomorphism”, “Evolutionary”, “Emotionalization”, “Narrativity”, “Culturalism”, “Interactivity”, and “Reliability”. Then, the entropy weighting method was applied to analyze the weights of each indicator within these dimensions. The results revealed that “Design elements” have the highest priority in shaping the image of virtual city spokespersons, followed by “Anthropomorphism”, “Emotionalization”, “Evolutionary”, “Culturalism”, “Narrativity”, “Reliability”, and “Interactivity”. Based on these findings, a series of design optimization strategies are proposed, including but not limited to shaping visually appealing images aligned with user perceptions, establishing emotional connections with users, and meeting the functional experience needs of users. These strategies not only contribute to the image shaping of virtual city spokespersons, but also provide vital guidance for innovative directions in promoting the publicity and marketing of Chinese cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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19 pages, 1549 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Influences Users’ Intention to Share Works in Designer-Driven User-Generated Content Communities? A Study Based on Self-Determination Theory

by Hongcai Song, Jie Wei and Qianling Jiang

Systems 2023, 11(11), 540; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11110540 - 06 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1686

Abstract

Designer UGC (user-generated content) communities serve as the epicenter of contemporary innovation and creativity, offering a platform for a broad design community to showcase their talents, communicate, and collaborate. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study constructs a research model aiming to delve deeply [...] Read more.

Designer UGC (user-generated content) communities serve as the epicenter of contemporary innovation and creativity, offering a platform for a broad design community to showcase their talents, communicate, and collaborate. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study constructs a research model aiming to delve deeply into the underlying driving factors influencing users’ intention to share their works within these communities. Through online surveys targeting UGC community users and employing structural equation modeling, this research validates the determinants affecting their sharing intentions and dissects the pathways of each influencing factor. The findings reveal that in designer UGC communities, factors such as autonomy, competence, relatedness, online social support, and value fit have a significant positive impact on users’ intention to share their works. This study offers profound insights into the intrinsic logic behind user behaviors in the design creativity domain, also providing robust guidance for the operation and management of online community platforms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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12 pages, 480 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination in the Digital Media Age: The Persuasive Effects of News Frames and Argument Quality

by Xi Chen, Yan Wang, Yixin Huang, Zhenyuan Wang and Chaohai Shen

Systems 2023, 11(10), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11100491 - 25 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1218

Abstract

Vaccination-related information is important for the public to increase vaccine acceptance intention, while the guidance and persuasion effects of information are influenced by approaches to information presentation. Thus, this study has focused on news media, an important source of vaccination-related dissemination, and aimed [...] Read more.

Vaccination-related information is important for the public to increase vaccine acceptance intention, while the guidance and persuasion effects of information are influenced by approaches to information presentation. Thus, this study has focused on news media, an important source of vaccination-related dissemination, and aimed to investigate how different presentations of news influence an individual’s COVID-19 vaccine intention. Moreover, whether the cultural values individuals possess would influence the persuasive effects of news information was also considered in our study. A web-based experiment among 310 participants employing 2 (news framing: rights frame vs. obligation frame) × 2 (argument quality: high argument quality vs. low argument quality) × 2 (individual–collective orientation: individualism vs. collectivism) design was conducted in this study. Data were analyzed through a series of analyses of variance (ANOVAs) in SPSS 26. The results show that argument quality had a significant positive impact on individuals’ psychological acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. The results also show that the rights framework was significantly more persuasive than the obligation framework. Furthermore, for individualistic individuals, news information with high argument quality and a rights frame was the most persuasive. These findings may help guide the writing of news, thereby improving vaccine uptake, enhancing the public’s health literacy, and facilitating the implementation of vaccination policies during and after a pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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16 pages, 2170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adapting Feature Selection Algorithms for the Classification of Chinese Texts

by Xuan Liu, Shuang Wang, Siyu Lu, Zhengtong Yin, Xiaolu Li, Lirong Yin, Jiawei Tian and Wenfeng Zheng

Systems 2023, 11(9), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11090483 - 20 Sep 2023

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 1700

Abstract

Text classification has been highlighted as the key process to organize online texts for better communication in the Digital Media Age. Text classification establishes classification rules based on text features, so the accuracy of feature selection is the basis of text classification. Facing [...] Read more.

Text classification has been highlighted as the key process to organize online texts for better communication in the Digital Media Age. Text classification establishes classification rules based on text features, so the accuracy of feature selection is the basis of text classification. Facing fast-increasing Chinese electronic documents in the digital environment, scholars have accumulated quite a few algorithms for the feature selection for the automatic classification of Chinese texts in recent years. However, discussion about how to adapt existing feature selection algorithms for various types of Chinese texts is still inadequate. To address this, this study proposes three improved feature selection algorithms and tests their performance on different types of Chinese texts. These include an enhanced CHI square with mutual information (MI) algorithm, which simultaneously introduces word frequency and term adjustment (CHMI); a term frequency–CHI square (TF–CHI) algorithm, which enhances weight calculation; and a term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF–IDF) algorithm enhanced with the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm, which improves the algorithm’s ability of word filtering (TF–XGBoost). This study randomly chooses 3000 texts from six different categories of the Sogou news corpus to obtain the confusion matrix and evaluate the performance of the new algorithms with precision and the

F_{1}

-score. Experimental comparisons are conducted on support vector machine (SVM) and naive Bayes (NB) classifiers. The experimental results demonstrate that the feature selection algorithms proposed in this paper improve performance across various news corpora, although the best feature selection schemes for each type of corpus are different. Further studies of the application of the improved feature selection methods in other languages and the improvement in classifiers are suggested. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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26 pages, 16358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Continuance Intention for Artificial Intelligence News Anchor: Based on the Expectation Confirmation Theory

by Yuke Huang and Zhiyuan Yu

Systems 2023, 11(9), 438; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11090438 - 22 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3940

Abstract

The Metaverse accelerates the development of the meta-human industry and human-AI interactions in both traditional media outlets and online platforms. As a typical application of meta-human, artificial intelligence (AI) news anchors have been gradually utilized for program reports instead of newscasters in China. [...] Read more.

The Metaverse accelerates the development of the meta-human industry and human-AI interactions in both traditional media outlets and online platforms. As a typical application of meta-human, artificial intelligence (AI) news anchors have been gradually utilized for program reports instead of newscasters in China. In this paper, through the lens of expectation confirmation theory, we establish a conceptual model consisting of perceived anthropomorphism (ANT), perceived intelligence (PI), perceived attractiveness (PA), perceived novelty (PN), information quality (IQ), confirmation of expectation (CE), trust (TRU), and satisfaction (SAT) to explore continuous intention (CI) of watching news reported by AI anchors among online users. By leveraging on a sample of 598 eligible questionnaires, the partial least square structural equation model is employed and the results show that the holistic continuing intention for AI news anchor is positive but not robust. Further analysis indicates that SAT, PI, and TRU can predict CI directly, meanwhile CE, ANT, and PA associate with CI through the mediation of satisfaction. In addition, trust and satisfaction serve as serial mediators between IQ and CI. There is no direct relationship between CE & CI, ANT & CI, and PN & SAT. Nevertheless, user gender and previous experience can moderate the relationships of ANT & CI and PN & SAT, respectively. It can be seen that the proposed model can explain 80.1% of the variance in CI. The implications are intended to provide references for further commercialization of AI news anchors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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16 pages, 1368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing Multi-Labelled Corpus of Twitter Short Texts: A Semi-Automatic Method

by Xuan Liu, Guohui Zhou, Minghui Kong, Zhengtong Yin, Xiaolu Li, Lirong Yin and Wenfeng Zheng

Systems 2023, 11(8), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11080390 - 01 Aug 2023

Cited by 116 | Viewed by 1848

Abstract

Facing fast-increasing electronic documents in the Digital Media Age, the need to extract textual features of online texts for better communication is growing. Sentiment classification might be the key method to catch emotions of online communication, and developing corpora with annotation of emotions [...] Read more.

Facing fast-increasing electronic documents in the Digital Media Age, the need to extract textual features of online texts for better communication is growing. Sentiment classification might be the key method to catch emotions of online communication, and developing corpora with annotation of emotions is the first step to achieving sentiment classification. However, the labour-intensive and costly manual annotation has resulted in the lack of corpora for emotional words. Furthermore, single-label semantic corpora could hardly meet the requirement of modern analysis of complicated user’s emotions, but tagging emotional words with multiple labels is even more difficult than usual. Improvement of the methods of automatic emotion tagging with multiple emotion labels to construct new semantic corpora is urgently needed. Taking Twitter short texts as the case, this study proposes a new semi-automatic method to annotate Internet short texts with multiple labels and form a multi-labelled corpus for further algorithm training. Each sentence is tagged with both the emotional tendency and polarity, and each tweet, which generally contains several sentences, is tagged with the first two major emotional tendencies. The semi-automatic multi-labelled annotation is achieved through the process of selecting the base corpus and emotional tags, data preprocessing, automatic annotation through word matching and weight calculation, and manual correction in case of multiple emotional tendencies are found. The experiments on the Sentiment140 published Twitter corpus demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and show consistency between the results of semi-automatic annotation and manual annotation. By applying this method, this study summarises the annotation specification and constructs a multi-labelled emotion corpus with 6500 tweets for further algorithm training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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21 pages, 2226 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pharmaceutical Communication in Spain around the COVID-19 Crisis: A Scoping Review

by Ana Ibáñez-Hernández, Natalia Papí-Gálvez and Carmen Carretón-Ballester

Systems 2023, 11(6), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11060309 - 16 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1094

Abstract

This paper addresses the scientific production of pharmaceutical communication in Spain around the COVID-19 crisis, in which information overload, amplified by the digital media, evidenced the relevance of communication in the digital society. The research observes the evolution and characteristics of such studies, [...] Read more.

This paper addresses the scientific production of pharmaceutical communication in Spain around the COVID-19 crisis, in which information overload, amplified by the digital media, evidenced the relevance of communication in the digital society. The research observes the evolution and characteristics of such studies, identifying scientific fields and disciplines related to communication, thematic lines, agents and publics. To this end, it proposes an exploratory review study adjusted to the PRISMA protocol with a search strategy including three databases (Scopus, WOS and Dialnet) and whose filtration produced a final population of 56 publications on Spanish pharmaceutical communication between 2018 and 2022. The results point to a greater production of scientific papers around the year of the pandemic. These papers were published by university institutions in health sciences journals, although differences in authorship by gender were detected. Most of them are empirical papers, with a predominance of mixed content analyses. The field of public relations stands out, but terminological confusion was also detected. This leads to a reflection on its causes and solutions in favour of the transparency and accountability in pharmaceutical communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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17 pages, 4187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Online News Media Analysis on Information Management of “G20 Summit” Based on Social Network Analysis

by Xiaohong Zhang, Yuting Pan, Yanbo Wang, Cheng Xu and Yanqi Sun

Systems 2023, 11(6), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11060290 - 05 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1496

Abstract

This paper contributes to the Special Issue on Communication for the Digital Media Age by investigating the factors that influence the management of political information on online news media platforms, specifically Twitter and Weibo. Using the recent “G20 Summit” as a case study, [...] Read more.

This paper contributes to the Special Issue on Communication for the Digital Media Age by investigating the factors that influence the management of political information on online news media platforms, specifically Twitter and Weibo. Using the recent “G20 Summit” as a case study, this study employs a mixed-methods approach that incorporates both deductive and inductive reasoning. Social network analysis (SNA) and graph theory are used to evaluate specific social relationships in the context of the G20 summit, while a combination of structured and content (semantic) analysis is performed. The findings indicate that individual power is becoming increasingly important in the age of online news media. Individuals contribute significantly to the diffusion of information and may play a decisive role in the future. The study also finds that the frequency of retweets increases as the reciprocity ratio increases, and mentions may be the most effective method for delivering political news on online news media platforms. Practical implications suggest strategies for managing information diffusion effectively. Additionally, this study provides insights into effective information diffusion on online news media platforms that can be utilized in health communication management during the COVID-19 era. This study expands theoretical understanding by investigating the role of individual power in the age of online news media and enriching the literature on online news media through the use of structured and content analysis based on social network analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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17 pages, 3645 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Health Communication Strategies via TikTok for the Prevention of Eating Disorders

by Dolores Rando-Cueto, Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa and Francisco Javier Paniagua-Rojano

Systems 2023, 11(6), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11060274 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2944

Abstract

Patient assistance with severe eating disorders (EDs) is covered in hospital institutions by the specialized service offered. To a lesser extent, these types of pathologies are treated from health prevention, and there are hardly any experiences of health promotion in EDs through social [...] Read more.

Patient assistance with severe eating disorders (EDs) is covered in hospital institutions by the specialized service offered. To a lesser extent, these types of pathologies are treated from health prevention, and there are hardly any experiences of health promotion in EDs through social networks. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the messages about ED spread on TikTok, particularly those disseminated by international hospitals. For this, a systematic review of the scientific literature has been conducted, and the analytic tools Fanpagekarma and analisa.io have been used to analyse TikTok accounts of hospital entities and an intentional sample of different tiktokers with EDs or in recovery and people who show themselves as valid advisers in this matter, as well as their followers, respectively. Among the results obtained (due to volume and lack of transparency), the strategies of those who participate in TikTok to promote unhealthy eating habits are striking, as well as the amount of content presented against the spread of EDs that has the opposite effect on receivers. This study highlights the influence of TikTok on people affected by an eating disorder or are vulnerable to suffer from it and advocates for the spread of communication proposals via this social network that are supervised or led by health specialists who validate the content of the messages from a hospital environment to prevent such disorders. The definition of lines of action in communication by health institutions in this sense is shown to be necessary to prevent the appearance of EDs or to slow down their growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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27 pages, 3294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Presence of Sustainable Development Goals in Digital Teen Series: An Analytical Proposal

by Sara Valenzuela-Monreal, Javier Lozano Delmar and Rafael A. Araque-Padilla

Systems 2023, 11(4), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11040195 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1992

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Several experts on sustainable development have highlighted the need for educational transformation to achieve them on time. Simultaneously, the influence of teen series on the personal and social development of teenagers has been [...] Read more.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Several experts on sustainable development have highlighted the need for educational transformation to achieve them on time. Simultaneously, the influence of teen series on the personal and social development of teenagers has been increasingly demonstrated, especially after their boom through video-on-demand digital platforms. Therefore, it is worth asking how the 2030 Agenda goals are presented in teen series, especially in those of public television, such as the Spanish one, due to its commitment to young people and the SDGs (ratified in its official documents). The aim of this study is to propose an analysis tool and, subsequently, to apply it to a content analysis of the digital teen series Boca Norte. The results of the analysis reveal that social issues are presented in Boca Norte, while environmental ones are not. In addition, the results show limitations in the integration of SDG-related issues, especially because they are focused on social relationships between characters rather than on realities, contexts and consequences. The tools’ findings could impact or be linked to teenagers’ education. These conclusions prove that the proposed tool is useful, even for the development of new series for public television aligned with its public commitment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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18 pages, 3070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Femvertising and COVID-19—What Did Brand Owners Broadcast during the Lockdown?

by Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez, Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, Fernando Olivares-Delgado and María T. Benlloch-Osuna

Systems 2023, 11(4), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11040186 - 06 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1487

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze, from a gender perspective, advertising broadcasts during a time of crisis. A holistic perspective of the stereotypes, roles, professions, and gender relations represented is offered by utilizing a content analysis of all the advertisements and [...] Read more.

The aim of this study was to analyze, from a gender perspective, advertising broadcasts during a time of crisis. A holistic perspective of the stereotypes, roles, professions, and gender relations represented is offered by utilizing a content analysis of all the advertisements and their corresponding images during broadcast. Methods: a content analysis of 20 variables was conducted; of these, 7 variables were obtained from under the gender perspective of 1.350 images, corresponding to 71 audiovisual spots on YouTube that were broadcasted during the lockdown. Results: this analysis showed the special sensitivity of advertisers when balancing male and female presences, and in projecting an equitable and co-responsible vision between both genders, with special emphasis on gender professions, teleworking, and childcare. Corporate advertising predominates over commercial advertising, which may explain why the discourse and images blur inequalities and imbalances with respect to official statistics. Conclusions: advertisers seem to have noticed the strategic role of introducing gender perspectives into advertising, thus assuming a more social function that better connects them with today’s society while also supporting the advances and challenges of equal opportunities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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19 pages, 1107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Internet Use on Citizens’ Trust in Government: The Mediating Role of Sense of Security

by Zicheng Wang, Huiting Liu, Tianfeng Li, Lijuan Zhou and Mingxing Zhou

Systems 2023, 11(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11010047 - 15 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4654

Abstract

With the rapid development of communication technologies, the Internet use has become the main channel for citizens to obtain information and knowledge. It has been widely established that Internet use can have a significant impact on citizens’ expectations, perceptions, and behaviors. Government trust [...] Read more.

With the rapid development of communication technologies, the Internet use has become the main channel for citizens to obtain information and knowledge. It has been widely established that Internet use can have a significant impact on citizens’ expectations, perceptions, and behaviors. Government trust is the reasonable expectation of citizens on in the administrative activities of the government and its administrators, which should rightly be influenced by the behavior of citizens’ Internet use. However, limited studies have investigated the relationship between Internet use and citizens’ trust in the government. Therefore, in this study, the effect of Internet use on trust in the government was investigated using data from the 2017 Chinese Social Survey. The baseline regression results revealed that Internet use reduces trust in the government. This phenomenon was persistently observed after several robustness tests. A heterogeneity analysis revealed that Internet use negatively influenced citizens from Eastern and Western China, lower age groups, and agricultural households. Social amplification of the risk and the theory of rational choice revealed that a sense of security partially mediates the relationship between Internet use and citizens’ trust in the government. Internet use reduces citizens’ sense of security and subsequently decreases trust in the government. Our findings revealed establishing a network information supervision and public opinion guidance mechanism. At the same time, consider the role of social security services in resolving social risks. These initiatives are essential to ensure citizens’ trust in their government. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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14 pages, 405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Communication and Transparency of Innovation: The Case of the Valencian Community (Spain)

by María J. Vilaplana-Aparicio, Marta Martín-Llaguno and Mar Iglesias-García

Systems 2023, 11(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11010009 - 26 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1362

Abstract

Receiving public support for the development of research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) projects means assuming the obligation to comply with the communication and transparency requirements established by state and European regulations. This study presents the assessment of the required measures and their impact [...] Read more.

Receiving public support for the development of research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) projects means assuming the obligation to comply with the communication and transparency requirements established by state and European regulations. This study presents the assessment of the required measures and their impact made by beneficiary companies based on a questionnaire to 56 institutions that have received a grant through the Valencian Institute for Business Competitiveness (IVACE). Although the companies are inclined towards transparency and value positively the dissemination actions requested, the information they publish is limited and superficial, the improvement that the innovation will bring to society is not disseminated, and hardly any use is made of social networks. It would be very useful for the managing bodies to increase their support to companies that do not have specialised communication staff in order to multiply their impact. In general, communicating the importance of investing in innovation, in addition to a demand for social responsibility and transparency, is also an opportunity for both communication professionals and scholars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

17 pages, 1736 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immersive Journalism: The Effect of System Immersion on Place Illusion and Co-Presence in 360-Degree Video Reporting

by Sara Pérez-Seijo, Paulo Nuno Vicente and Xosé López-García

Systems 2023, 11(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11010001 - 20 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2064

Abstract

Immersive journalism has been promoted as an alternative way of producing content that allows users to experience first-hand the events depicted in the news story. This mixed-method study examines how immersive journalism impacts the user experience of non-fictional narratives in news practices. A [...] Read more.

Immersive journalism has been promoted as an alternative way of producing content that allows users to experience first-hand the events depicted in the news story. This mixed-method study examines how immersive journalism impacts the user experience of non-fictional narratives in news practices. A between-subject experiment (n = 104) was conducted to inspect the effects of system immersion on place illusion and co-presence. Using a 360-degree video news report produced by the Spanish newspaper El País as a stimulus, two viewing conditions were compared: magic window and 360 degree with a VR headset. The results show that VR technologies determine the effective potential of immersive journalism, namely the experience of place illusion and co-presence and that audiences do not actually explore the so-called whole picture, as a 90–180° movement for exploration prevailed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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20 pages, 1371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Internet Use Affect Citizens’ Perception of Social Safety? A Cross-Sectional Survey in China

by Zicheng Wang, Huiting Liu, Lijuan Zhou, Wei Zhang and Mingxing Zhou

Systems 2022, 10(6), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10060232 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2217

Abstract

Since the advent of the Internet has changed how risk information develops and disseminates, citizens’ risk perception alters correspondingly. Although extant studies have explored the impacts of Internet use on citizens, only a few have focused on citizens’ perception of social safety exclusively. [...] Read more.

Since the advent of the Internet has changed how risk information develops and disseminates, citizens’ risk perception alters correspondingly. Although extant studies have explored the impacts of Internet use on citizens, only a few have focused on citizens’ perception of social safety exclusively. This study examined the effect of Internet use and Internet use frequency on citizens’ perception of social safety with 2017 China Social Survey data. It found that Internet use and Internet use frequency have a significant negative impact on citizens’ social safety perception. Compared to non-users, the probability of perceiving society as very safe decreases significantly by 2.3% for Internet users. Subsequently, this study avoided the endogeneity issues by employing the Bioprobit and CMP methods, and the robustness check adopted propensity score matching methods. In general, it supported results in benchmark regression. The heterogeneity analysis indicated that Internet use had a higher negative impact on citizens in the western region, rural household registration, and middle-aged groups. It suggests that the establishment of a comprehensive mechanism to regulate online information involving governments, Internet industrial organizations, and Internet users may improve governance effectiveness. In addition, education targeting Internet literacy is required to enable a more rational citizen participation on the Internet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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26 pages, 2990 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Development of Information Dissemination: A Review of Current Fake News Detection Research and Practice

by Lu Yuan, Hangshun Jiang, Hao Shen, Lei Shi and Nanchang Cheng

Systems 2023, 11(9), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11090458 - 04 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 9285

Abstract

With the popularization of digital technology, the problem of information pollution caused by fake news has become more common. Malicious dissemination of harmful, offensive or illegal content may lead to misleading, misunderstanding and social unrest, affecting social stability and sustainable economic development. With [...] Read more.

With the popularization of digital technology, the problem of information pollution caused by fake news has become more common. Malicious dissemination of harmful, offensive or illegal content may lead to misleading, misunderstanding and social unrest, affecting social stability and sustainable economic development. With the continuous iteration of artificial intelligence technology, researchers have carried out automatic and intelligent news data mining and analysis based on aspects of information characteristics and realized the effective identification of fake news information. However, the current research lacks the application of multidisciplinary knowledge and research on the interpretability of related methods. This paper focuses on the existing fake news detection technology. The survey includes fake news datasets, research methods for fake news detection, general technical models and multimodal related technical methods. The innovation contribution is to discuss the research progress of fake news detection in communication, linguistics, psychology and other disciplines. At the same time, it classifies and summarizes the explainable fake news detection methods and proposes an explainable human-machine-theory triangle communication system, aiming at establishing a people-centered, sustainable human–machine interaction information dissemination system. Finally, we discuss the promising future research topics of fake news detection technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication for the Digital Media Age)

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