Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lindenwood Digest, June 26, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Influencers: The Power Of Comments, Cristina Nistor, Matthew Selove

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Many customers choose products based on information from social media influencers. Companies can pay these influencers to promote their products. We develop a model in which customers read an influencer’s sponsored post for a mix of entertainment and product information, and those who purchase the product can leave comments for future customers. We derive conditions in which a large celebrity influencer endorses all products, whereas a microinfluencer adopts a policy of endorsing only high-quality products. In equilibrium, the microinfluencer screens for high-quality products so his followers do not waste time reading informative comments about low-quality products. By contrast, the celebrity …

Training In Trauma-Responsive And Anti-Racist Telehealth: A Model For Behavioral Health Clinicians And Providers, Ritchie Rubio

Psychology Division Scholarship

Telehealth's uptake in behavioral health services has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many clinicians continue to lack focused training in providing trauma-informed and culturally-responsive telehealth care. This article outlines a model curriculum that was created to instruct and coach behavioral health providers in California on how to integrate anti-racist and trauma-responsive techniques into telehealth. Topics like evidence-based trauma therapies, racial/ ethnic trauma, marginalized communities, digital divide, and provider selfcare were all covered in the nine-part curriculum. Every three-hour session included evidence-informed didactic content, telehealth skills practice, and concrete planning for implementation. Trauma-responsive frameworks such as the tri-phasic model …

E-Lit's #1 Hit: Is Instagram Poetry E-Literature?, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Preface

A lot has happened in the world, and in e-literature, since my essay débuted as a conference presentation then a publication in electronic book review in 2018. Global protests against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor during the pandemic summer of 2020 sparked reckoning with how banal, mainstream, and lethal is white supremacy. Six months later, in response to specific critiques about access and equity inside the Electronic Literature Organization, its Board of Directors published a statement about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as a core value. As an editor of the Electronic Literature Collective Volume 4, …

Constructing Fame: A Phenomenological Study Of Online Impression Management Among Indonesian Tiktok Celebrities, Vidi Sukmayadi, Dante Darmawangsa, Suffian Hadi Ayub, Sarah Annisa Fadhila

The Qualitative Report

The relevance of social media platforms in our daily lives is intensifying. Social media have become a "showcase" for our life experiences. In addition, they represent a range of dimensions of our status in the virtual and actual social world. These two factors trigger people to construct particular identities to thrive in dual social ecosystems. Subsequently, Tiktok's prominence as a current trending social media platform with a total of 500 million users globally transforms its function from a communication medium to a medium for gaining social capital. This phenomenon notably influences Indonesian society, with people being heavily invested in that …

What Hmc Teaches Us About Authenticity, Katrin Etzrodt, Jihyun Kim, Margot Van Der Goot, Andrew Prahl, Mina Choi, Matthew Craig, Marco Dehnert, Sven Engesser, Katharina Frehmann, Luis A. Grande, Jindong Liu, Diyi Liu, Sandra Mooshammer, Nathan Rambukkana, Ayanda Rogge, Pieta Sikström, Rachel Son, Nan J. Wilkenfeld, Kun Xu, Renwen Zhang, Ying Zhu, Chad Edwards

Human-Machine Communication

This paper delves into what the application of authenticity to Human-Machine Communication (HMC) can teach us about authenticity and us as HMC researchers and as a com- munity. Inspired by the 2023 pre-conference “HMC: Authenticity in communicating with machines,” two central questions guide the discussion: How does HMC contribute to our understanding of authentic communication with machines? And how can the concept of authenticity contribute to our sense of self as researchers within the HMC field? Through the collaborative effort of 22 authors, the paper explores the re-conceptualization of authenticity and presents recent areas of tension that guide the HMC …

Authentic Impediments: The Influence Of Identity Threat, Cultivated Perceptions, And Personality On Robophobia, Kate K. Mays

Human-Machine Communication

Considering possible impediments to authentic interactions with machines, this study explores contributors to robophobia from the potential dual influence of technological features and individual traits. Through a 2 x 2 x 3 online experiment, a robot’s physical human-likeness, gender, and status were manipulated and individual differences in robot beliefs and personality traits were measured. The effects of robot traits on phobia were non-significant. Overall, subjective beliefs about what robots are, cultivated by media portrayals, whether they threaten human identity, are moral, and have agency were the strongest predictors of robophobia. Those with higher internal locus of control and neuroticism, and …

What’S In A Name And/Or A Frame? Ontological Framing And Naming Of Social Actors And Social Responses, David Westerman, Michael Vosburg, Xinyue Liu, Patric R. Spence

Human-Machine Communication

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally a communication field. Thus, the study of how AI interacts with us is likely to be heavily driven by communication. The current study examined two things that may impact people’s perceptions of socialness of a social actor: one nonverbal (ontological frame) and one verbal (providing a name) with a 2 (human vs. robot) x 2 (named or not) experiment. Participants saw one of four videos of a study “host” crossing these conditions and responded to various perceptual measures about the socialness and task ability of that host. Overall, data were consistent with hypotheses that whether …

Doctor Who?: Norms, Care, And Autonomy In The Attitudes Of Medical Students Towards Ai Pre And Post Chatgpt, Andrew Prahl, Kevin Tong Weng Jin

Human-Machine Communication

This study adopts the combined TAM-TPB model to investigate attitudes and expectations of machines at a pre-career stage. We study how future doctors (medical students) expect to interact with future AI machinery, what AI usage norms will develop, and beliefs about human and machine autonomy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Wave one occurred six-months prior to the public release of ChatGPT; wave two occurred in the 6 months following. Three themes emerged: AI is tomorrow, wishing for the AI ouvrier, and human contrasts. Two differences were noted pre- versus post-ChatGPT: (1) participants began to view machinery instead of themselves as the …

In Seal We Trust? Investigating The Effect Of Certifications On Perceived Trustworthiness Of Ai Systems, Magdalena Wischnewski, Nicole Krämer, Christian Janiesch, Emmanuel Müller, Theodor Schnitzler, Carina Newen

Human-Machine Communication

Trust certification through so-called trust seals is a common strategy to help users ascertain the trustworthiness of a system. In this study, we examined trust seals for AI systems from two perspectives: (1) In a pre-registered online study participants, we asked whether trust seals can increase user trust in AI systems, and (2) qualitatively, we investigated what participants expect from such AI seals of trust. Our results indicate mixed support for the use of AI seals. While trust seals generally did not affect the participants’ trust, their trust in the AI system increased if they trusted the seal-issuing institution. Moreover, …

External And Internal Attribution In Human-Agent Interaction: Insights From Neuroscience And Virtual Reality, Nina Lauharatanahirun, Andrea Won, Angel Hsing-Chi Hwang

Human-Machine Communication

Agents are designed in the image of humans, both internally and externally. The internal systems of agents imitate the human brain, both at the levels of hardware (i.e., neuromorphic computing) and software (i.e., neural networks). Furthermore, the external appearance and behaviors of agents are designed by people and based on human data. Sometimes, these humanlike qualities of agents are purposely selected to increase their social influence over human users, and sometimes the human factors that influence perceptions of agents are hidden. Inspired by Blascovich’s “threshold of social influence’, a model designed to explain the effects of different methods of anthropomorphizing …

The Impact Of Human-Ai Relationship Perception On Voice Shopping Intentions, Marisa Tschopp, Kai Sassenberg

Human-Machine Communication

In the emerging field of voice shopping with quasi-sales agents like Amazon's Alexa, we investigated the influence of perceived human-AI relationships (i.e., authority ranking, market pricing, peer bonding) on (voice-)shopping intentions. In our cross-sectional survey among experienced voice shoppers, we tested hypotheses specifically differentiating voice shopping for low- and high-involvement products. The results emphasized the importance of socio-emotional elements (i.e., peer bonding) for voice shopping for high-involvement products. While calculative decision-making (i.e., market pricing) was less relevant, the master-servant relationship perception (i.e., authority ranking) was important in low-involvement shopping. An exploratory analysis of users’ desired benefits of voice shopping reinforces …

Chatbot Vs. Human: The Impact Of Responsive Conversational Features On Users’ Responses To Chat Advisors, Stefanie H. Klein, Sonja Utz

Human-Machine Communication

As educational organizations increasingly consider supporting or replacing human chat advisors with chatbots, it is crucial to examine if users perceive a chatbot differently from a human. Chatbots’ conversational features may signal responsiveness and thus improve user responses. To explore this, we conducted three online experiments using a study advising setting. We computed pooled data analyses because the individual study results did not provide clear support for our hypotheses. Results indicate that users prefer human agents regarding competence and intention to use but not perceived enjoyment. Responsiveness increased likability, warmth, and satisfaction. Perceptions of the interaction mediated the responsiveness effects. …

Communication Style Adaptation In Human-Computer Interaction: An Empirical Study On The Effects Of A Voice Assistant’S Politeness And Machine-Likeness On People’S Communication Behavior During And After The Interacting, Aike C. Horstmann, Clara Strathmann, Lea Lambrich, Nicole Krämer

Human-Machine Communication

Humans adapt their communication style when interacting with one another. With interactive technologies such as voice assistants taking over the role of an interaction partner, the question arises whether and to what extent humans also adapt to their communication style. The adaptation could have a grounding function, ensuring efficient communication with the current interaction partner, or be based on priming which could endure and influence subsequent interactions. In a pre-registered experimental lab study, 133 participants interacted with a voice assistant whose communication style varied regarding politeness (polite vs. non-polite) and machine-likeness (machine-like vs. natural). Participants’ verbal behavior during and in …

Feminist Cybernetic, Critical Race, Postcolonial, And Crip Propositions For The Theoretical Future Of Human-Machine Communication, Paula M. Gardner, Jess Rauchberg

Human-Machine Communication

The authors review theoretical trends in HMC research, as well as recent critical interventions in the HMC journal that usefully reshape and expand our research terrain. Conventional research such as positivist and quantified approaches are identified as restraining research questions and delimiting understandings of concepts including subjects, agency and interactivity. Feminist cybernetic, critical race, postcolonial and crip theoretical approaches are offered, examining how they fill research gaps in HMC, expanding content areas explored, and addressing diverse intersectional pressures, situated, and time/space dynamics that impact human machine interaction. The authors suggest these shifts are essential to expanding HMC research to address …

Machine Ex Machina: A Framework Decentering The Human In Ai Design Praxis, Cait Lackey, Zizi Papacharissi

Human-Machine Communication

Artificial intelligence (AI) design typically incorporates intelligence in a manner that is affirmatory of the superiority of human forms of intelligence. In this paper, we draw from relevant research and theory to propose a social-ecological design praxis of machine inclusivity that rejects the presumption of primacy afforded to human-centered AI. We provide new perspectives for how human-machine communication (HMC) scholarship can be synergistically combined with modern neuroscience’s integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. We propose an integrated theoretical framework with five design practice recommendations to guide how we might think about responsible and conscious AI environments of the future: symbiotic …

Do You Say Please Or Thank You To Chatgpt? The Subtle Influence Of Prompt Engineering On Digital Civility, Essraa Nawar

Library Articles and Research

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In the dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, tools like ChatGPT have become integral to our daily digital interactions. These advanced AI systems assist us with a myriad of tasks, from generating text and answering complex questions to providing creative solutions. However, as we engage more frequently with these non-human entities, an intriguing question arises: Are we inadvertently becoming ruder in our digital communications, or are we consciously maintaining our ingrained habits of politeness?"

Relational Dynamics Following Divorce: Evaluation Of An Online Co-Parent Education Program, J. Kale Monk

The Journal of Extension

I sought to investigate the potential efficacy of an online divorce and co-parent education program. Across 9-years of evaluation data for the Focus on Kids online program, participants (N = 6,679) reported a high degree of program satisfaction. According to pre-post test reports, average knowledge of how to support children across the divorce transition increased. Participants also increased in their intention to avoid engaging in behaviors that are distressing for children. Overall, this study provides evidence for the efficacy of online divorce education and provides support for the advancement of online programming as a promising avenue for Extension more …

Church Attraction Through Uncertainty Reduction: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Local Church Content Communication On Facebook And Instagram, Kailey Spilger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For the first time since the founding of America, less than 50% of U.S. adults claim to attend church (Jones, 2021). With the transition from traditional marketing methods to digital marketing methods post-COVID-19, church leaders admit that using social media would help them reach new people, but less than 40% have a strategy (Hodøl, 2021). The purpose of this study is to understand current content themes of local churches on social media in order to inform future social media strategies. Guided by the uncertainty reduction theory, this study considers how social media content can reduce uncertainty and promote attraction and …

Voices Unveiled: Exploring Americans' Perspectives On Social Media Censorship And Advocacy For Reform Through A Qualitative Lens, Vail Forbeck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study explored social media users’ perceived experience of censorship on social media communication platforms to better understand the effects of censorship on users. The study relied on a qualitative questionnaire with open-ended questions to collect initial data from 115 participants in the United States. Of the questionnaire respondents, 12 participated in an in-depth interview. The questionnaires and interview answers gathered information about users’ perceived experiences of censorship on social media platforms to determine whether there is a need for changes in current social media practices and policies. The study found that Black males between the ages of 25 …

Pastoral Prose And Civic Engagement: Crafting The Call To The Public Square, Christopher Ian Thoma

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores the relationship between creative writing techniques employed by pastors and congregational engagement in the public square. The central thesis posits that if pastors incorporate creative writing methods in extended weekly communications with congregants, then the necessary factors for engagement in the public square will be fostered, leading to attitudinal shifts demonstrated by increased congregational interest or participation in civil affairs. Through an extensive literature review, the thesis fairly examines historical and contemporary views of church and state, the Two Kingdoms doctrine, concepts relative to public square participation, Christianity’s waning cultural influence, communication science, developmental theory, literature familiarity, …

Scaling Expertise: A Note On Homophily In Online Discourse And Content Moderation, Dylan Weber

New England Journal of Public Policy

It is now empirically clear that the structure of online discourse tends toward homophily; users strongly prefer to interact with content and other users that are similar to them. I review the evidence for the ubiquity of homophily in discourse and highlight some of its worst effects including narrowed information landscape for users and increased spread of misinformation. I then discuss the current state of moderation frameworks at large social media platforms and how they are ill-equipped to deal with structural trends in discourse such as homophily. Finally, I sketch a moderation framework based on a principal of “scaling expertise” …

Same Story, Different Narratives: The Influence Of Refugee Concerned Organizations On Egyptian Media, Shaimaa Gheith

Theses and Dissertations

It has been documented in the literature that media usually portrays refugees negatively, which affects how the public reacts to them. Consequently, organizations catering to refugees, referred to in this thesis as Refugee Concerned Organizations (RCOs), try to influence the media aiming to influence the public. So, they produce prepacked information and employ different communication tools. Using the agenda building theory, this research investigated the influence of communication tools used by RCOs on Egyptian media focusing on Facebook and news websites. Qualitative content analysis was conducted for 615 Facebook posts and 111 News reports and supplemented by semi-structured interviews with …

Method Of Product Placement In Computer Games. Qualitative Research Amongst Polish Players, Magdalena Hofman-Kohlmeyer

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Nowadays, new technologies enable practitioners to create brand experience in the virtual world of computer games. Marketers use product placement to reach potential and current customers. In the meantime, computer games have become an attractive medium because they attract an increasingly wider audience of different genders and various age groups. Therefore, an important issue is to know and systematize current methods of brand placement in computer games. For the purpose, the author carried out 20 in-depth interviews with players of chosen computer games, Second Life, Euro Truck Simulator 2 and The Sims. According to the analysis, it can be distinguished …

Mediating Effect Of Mobile Banking Trust On Information And System Quality, Marko Van Deventer

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

In the context of mobile banking services, trust emerges as a pivotal factor influencing both the acceptance and utilisation of these services, significantly shaping customers' confidence in their usage. Existing literature proposes that trust operates as a mediator in the connection between customers' perceptions of the quality of information and the overall system in mobile banking.

This study aimed to investigate whether trust acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between information and system quality within the mobile banking experiences of Generation Y customers in the South African banking sector. Employing a descriptive research design, the study distributed self-administered …

Exploring Cultural, Health, And Technology Intersections: A Focus On Migrant Experiences, Merna Mina, Sahij Gill

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Despite the plethora of theories and frameworks addressing culture, health, and technology adoption, there remains a notable absence of a unifying theory that comprehensively encompasses all three aspects, particularly concerning newcomers. The Health Belief Model, for example, underscores individual perceptions and attitudes toward health yet fails to consider the intricate interplay between cultural factors and technology adoption among immigrant populations. The Healthy Immigrant Effect, which posits that immigrants often exhibit better health outcomes than native-born individuals, does not mention the role of technology on health outcomes. Acculturation theories, while shedding light on the adaptation process, often fall short of explaining …

Lindenwood Digest, June 12, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Ouachita To Host Called To Teach Conference On July 19, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Huckabee School of Education will host its annual Called to Teach Conference on Friday, July 19, in Walker Conference Center, 485 Campus Drive. The 2024 conference theme is “Keeping the Joy.” Registration costs $50 and includes lunch and a conference T-shirt and bag.

Attendees can receive six hours of professional development credit through the Arkansas Department of Education.

Towards An Inclusive Media Policy Framework Targeting Adolescents In Egypt, Saja Elgredly

Theses and Dissertations

For years, adolescents have been lost between adulthood and childhood. This is even reflected in the policies that directly affect their lives and well-being. In Egypt, there has hardly been a clear political line on how the media should deal with adolescents. As this age group belongs to childhood, most of the laws and regulations are hardly dedicated to address them despite their different characteristics. Within the Egyptian context, there are children's laws concerned with basic children's rights and other laws that relate to the media. However, we notice a gap in adolescent-friendly laws, policies and regulations, especially in the …

How Do They See Us?: Unhcr's Representations Of Syrian Refugees In “Every Second Counts” Campaign, Marah Khalid

Theses and Dissertations

Representation is not just an opinion; it is the recreation of realities, facts, and stories that encourage receivers, who are readers and viewers, to build perceptions of a certain topic, objects, events, and human beings. Studying the representation of refugees in the media, UN agencies, and International organizations' press releases, videos, and images has been the main focus for many scholars for decades. However, little is known about refugees' perspectives on visuals produced by UN agencies. This research tries to add to the few studies concerning the captured human object, refugees, perspective using Hall’s encoding/decoding model (Hall, 1997) to analyze …