Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Roles Played By Nigerian Youtube Micro-Celebrities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aje-Ori Agbese

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerian social media micro-celebrities were prominent players in the dissemination of information. This study examines the roles that one group of Nigerian micro-celebrities, YouTube video bloggers (vloggers)—also known as “YouTubers”—played during the pandemic. The research analysed the contents of COVID-19-themed videos that 15 popular Nigerian YouTubers posted on their channels between 29 February and 5 August 2020. The study was guided by the two-step flow of communication theory, in terms of which information first flows from mass media to opinion leaders, who then, in the second step, share the information with their audiences. The …

Censorship, Pandemic, And The Field Of Power: The Death And Revival Of A Chinese War Epic, Zhaoxi Liu

Communication Faculty Research

This case study examines the dramatic change of fortune of the Chinese war epic “The Eight Hundred”. The movie was censored in 2019 during China’s celebration of the country’s 70th anniversary but became the market-saving hero in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Through the lens of Bourdieu’s theory of the field of cultural production, this study argues that the movie’s changing fate is essentially the change of its political, symbolic and economic capitals, under different field conditions. The subfield of commercial films in China is subject to the control of political and economic forces in the field …

When The Influencer Says Jump! How Influencer Signaling Affects Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

With signaling theory, credibility, and social media engagement (SME) as guiding frameworks, this study used an experiment to examine how social media influencers (SMIs) affect how people engage with COVID-19 misinformation. SMI-promoted information elicited more SME, credibility, and purchase likelihood than non-SMI promoted information. The most effective message was a post promoted by an SMI that contained detailed information about an authentic product. However, data indicated nuance regarding the effect of SMIs. The authenticity of the information as well as the amount of detail in the post played a role. Additionally, mediated effects analysis showed that the impact of SME …

Evaluating College Students’ Health Literacy And Its Effects On Their Perceptions Of Information Concerning Mask-Wearing In The Covid-19 Pandemic Ve Information Concerning Mask-Wearing In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah S. Ketchum

Honors Program Projects

Background: Mask-wearing was a controversial and polarizing phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beliefs concerning mask-wearing differed depending on sources of information concerning the pandemic, levels of health literacy, political leaning, demographics, or other factors. This project attempted to connect college students’ level of health literacy to their understanding of and adherence to mask-wearing in the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a gap in research connecting health literacy to understanding information concerning pandemics and an even bigger lack of studies conducted that relate college students’ health literacy to their perception of illnesses or pandemics. It is important to understand the impact of …

Framing Of Covid-19 In Newspapers: A Perspective From The Us-Mexico Border, Rifat Afrin, Ahasan Harun, Gayle Prybutok, Victor Prybutok

Information Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The degree to which the media report a health emergency affects the seriousness with which the people respond to combat the health crisis. Engagement from local newspapers in the US has received scant scrutiny, even though there is a sizable body of scholarship on the analysis of COVID-19 news. We fill this void by focusing on the Rio Grande Valley area of the US-Mexico border. To understand the differences, we compared such local news coverage with the coverage of a national news outlet. After collecting the relevant news articles, we used sentiment analysis, rapid automatic keyword extraction (RAKE), and co-occurrence …

Twilytics: A Social Perception Analysis Of Public Transit Systems During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Egbe-Etu Etu, Imokhai Tenebe, Ankur Parma, Likhitha Yelamanchili, Dang Minh Nhu Nguyen, Louis Tran, Ihor Markevych

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

In the United States, public transit ridership in 2020 declined by 79% compared to 2019 levels. With lockdowns implemented during the early days of the pandemic, direct human-to-human interactions migrated to virtual platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit). Social media platforms have aided researchers in answering numerous questions about current societal dilemmas, including COVID-19. This study investigates the public’s perception of transit systems via a social media analysis given the emergence of vaccines and other COVID-19 preventive measures. Findings revealed themes of fear and confusion concerning the use of public transportation during the pandemic. The public had doubts regarding the …

Understanding The Impact Of Emotional Support On Mental Health Resilience Of The Community In The Social Media In Covid-19 Pandemic, Xuan Hu, Yanqing Song, Ruilin Zhu, Shuang He, Bowen Zhou, Xuelian Li, Han Bao, Shan Shen, Bingsheng Liu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: Emotional support in social media can act as a buffer against the negative impact of affective disorders. However, empirical evidence relating to emotional support in social media and how it influences the wider public remains scanty. The objective of this study is therefore to conduct a prototype investigation into the translation mechanism of emotional support in social media, providing empirical evidence for practitioners to use to tackle mental health issues for the wider public. Methods: A regression model is proposed to examine the relationship between perceived and received emotional support. Received emotional support is set as the dependent variable …

Communicative Strategies For Building Public Confidence In Data Governance: Analyzing Singapore's Covid-19 Contact-Tracing Initiatives, Gordon Kuo Siong Tan, Sun Sun Lim

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Effective social data governance rests on a bedrock of social support. Without securing trust from the populace whose information is being collected, analyzed, and deployed, policies on which such data are based will be undermined by a lack of public confidence. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalization and datafication by governments for the purposes of contact tracing and epidemiological investigation. However, concerns about surveillance and data privacy have stunted the adoption of such contact-tracing initiatives. This commentary analyzes Singapore's contact-tracing initiative to uncover the reasons for public resistance and efforts by the state to address them. The government's contact-tracing program …

Cedar Care Pharmacy Offers New Covid-19 Antivirals, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Cedar Care Village Pharmacy, the teaching pharmacy for the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy, is now offering two antiviral medications that can help decrease the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.

A Global Experiment On Motivating Social Distancing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicole Legate, Thuy-Vy Nguyen, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. …

Vaccine Hesitancy And Biden's Rhetoric, Samuel J.M. Bell

Masters Theses

Within the setting and context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study uses Ernest Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) framework to analyze fantasy themes which emerged from the rhetoric of the American President, Joe Biden, regarding vaccinations. The main question of this study is why President Biden’s rhetorical vision either chained out and was accepted among the American public resulting in increased vaccination or failed to chain out resulting in Americans refusing to become vaccinated. To answer this question, a selection of artifacts consisting of examples of President Biden’s rhetoric are gathered, and using those artifacts, SCT fantasy themes are developed. …

The Value Of Education: School Policy Decisions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elika W. Somani

Individually Designed Interdepartmental Major Honors Project

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lacking national U.S. policies, wide variation and conflict over chosen public school policy decisions emerged. What factors and guidelines informed the decision-making process in K-12 public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and who were the key stakeholders? This study examines three school district types – a large city, medium city, and small-town – across Minnesota as case studies to unpack how policy decisions were made during the pandemic. Stakeholder interviews uncovered that the school decision-making process was a) connected to a district's political opinions, b) made by the superintendent and school board, c) primarily influenced by …

Shifting Identities: Professorial Identification During Covid-19, Anthony Survance

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Building on existing studies of identification, this paper melds crisis research with studies of identity to understand how crises influence workplace identities. To accomplish this, the study addresses two research questions: (a) How are professors’ identities enacted during the COVID-19 crisis? And, how, if at all, does university rhetoric shape the enactment of identity during the COVID-19 crisis? This paper uses qualitative methods to get rich descriptions of professorial identities allowing research to get at the heart of how changes during the pandemic affected professors’ organizational, personal, professional, and workgroup identities. Overall, this study shows the pandemic encouraged professors to …

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Archives Records

Combined fall 2021 and spring 2022 commencement programs.

El Impacto De La Pandemia En La Formación De Los Hábitos De Alimentación En Niñes Pequeñes En La Villa 21-24 En Barracas, Buenos Aires / The Impact Of The Pandemic In The Creation Of Nutritional Habits In Young Children In Villa 21-24 In Barracas, Buenos Aires, Hannah Seewald

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Durante la Pandemia COVID-19 en Argentina, la inflación aumentó, y el desempleo aumentó especialmente entre los trabajadores informales, lo que dejó a muchos de ellos dependientes de los comedores comunitarios y de la ayuda nutricional para alimentar a sus familias. La violencia doméstica y la pobreza aumentaron aún más. Problemas estructurales como la falta de agua potable y los cortes de luz, situaciones que suelen enfrentar los habitantes de la Villa 21-24, Barracas, Buenos Aires, continuaron. Las escuelas se cerraron y la instrucción presencial se suspendió, en ese contexto los grupos comunitarios trabajaron para alcanzar los suministros adecuados de alimentos. …

Making Universal Digital Access Universal: Lessons From Covid-19 In Singapore, Irene Y. H. Ng, Sun Sun Lim, Natalie Pang

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Digital resources—which include devices, internet connection and digital literacy—have become basic needs. Thus with the global COVID-19 pandemic having accelerated digitalization, the urgency for universal digital inclusion has hastened. Otherwise, digital inequality will lead to social inequality and impede social mobility. Using Singapore as a case study, this article applies the insights learned from a participatory action research to recommend a policy framework for universal digital access, with practical humanistic steps towards full digital inclusion. Singapore is a digitally advanced nation with almost universal digital availability, yet when COVID-19 forced rapid digital adoption, gaps in access by vulnerable groups such …

Extending Psychological Reactance Theory To Include Denial Of Threat And Media Sharing Intentions As Freedom Restoration Behavior, Noel H. Mcguire, Hannah Ball

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study extends psychological reactance theory by examining denial of a public health threat and resistance toward media sharing as two novel types of freedom restoration. Participants (N = 220) were randomly assigned to watch a video advocating COVID-19 guidelines and completed an online survey assessing corresponding perceptions and behavioral intentions. Results of structural equation modeling supported the two-step model of reactance: greater perceived freedom threat was related to greater reactance, which in turn was linked to lower intentions to comply with COVID-19 guidelines, lower intentions to share the video with one’s online social network, and greater denial of COVID-19 …

Self-Medication Practices In Medical Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Farah Yasmin, Muhammad Sohaib Asghar, Unaiza Naeem, Hala Najeeb, Hamza Nauman, Muhammad Nadeem Ahsan, Abdullah Khan Khattak

Medical College Documents

Background and objectives: During the pandemic, the growing influence of social media, accessibility of over-the-counter medications, and fear of contracting the virus may have led to self-medication practices among the general public. Medical students are prone to such practices due to relevant background knowledge, and access to drugs. This study was carried out to determine and analyze the prevalence of self-medication practices among medical students in Pakistan.
Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted online in which the participants were asked about the general demographics, their self-medication practices and the reasons to use. All participants were currently enrolled …

Promoting Equity And Assuring Teaching And Learning Quality: Magisterial Lectures In A Philippine University During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Estelle Marie Macuja Ladrido

Department of Communication Faculty Publications

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students’ variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo de Manila University’s response to this challenge is the production of the Magisterial Lectures, an Open Educational Resource (OER) series of video lectures by some of the University’s most respected faculty members. The goals of this paper are to describe how the production of the lectures was guided by the principles of quality and equity; to discuss …

Trust And Coping Beliefs Contribute To Racial Disparities In Covid-19 Vaccination Intention, Nikki Mcclaran, Nancy Rhodes, Shay Xuejing Yao

Communication Faculty Publications

Racial disparities in intention to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination have been noted in academic and popular press reports. The present study sought to identify cognitive and affective factors that contribute to the observed lack of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, even before a vaccine was made publicly available, among Black and White Americans through a national survey (N = 487; 50.6% female, 24.8% Black). Our findings are consistent with previous studies that Black respondents had lower intention to obtain the eventual COVID-19 vaccine than White respondents. Protection motivation theory's construct of coping efficacy and an additional COVID-19-relevant variable, trust in vaccination, …

Reddit As A Source Of Covid-19 Information: A Content Analysis Of R/Coronavirus During The Early Pandemic, Brent Hale, Mark Alberta, Seung Woo Chae

Faculty Publications

Emerging research has begun examining the utility of social media platforms for information dissemination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this developing thread, this work examines discourse within r/coronavirus, a Reddit forum (i.e., subreddit) developed to curate COVID-19 information that burgeoned during the early months of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 226 posts and 2260 corresponding comments generated between February and May, 2020, this study investigated early-pandemic communication patterns in this platform, including what information was deemed important and how users framed causes and solutions. Overall, findings indicate that users of r/coronavirus prioritized information about COVID-19 spread, public health …

When Vaccine Uncertainty Prevails: Association Between Online Social Influence And Covid-19 Vaccine Intentions, Hue Trong Duong, Tham Thi Nguyen, Le Thanh Trieu

Communication Faculty Publications

Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction and the social identity of deindividuation effects model, this study used an online experiment (N = 322) to test a moderated-mediation model that linked exposure to user comments posted to COVID-19 vaccine news stories and vaccine intentions. The study was conducted in Vietnam when the Delta variant of COVID-19 spread to the country and the efficacy and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine were controversial in the news. Results showed that, compared with vaccine-hesitancy comments, vaccine-acceptance comments significantly increased vaccine intentions through injunctive norms, response efficacy, and attitudes. This indirect association …

Effectiveness Of Wechat-Group-Based Parental Health Education In Preventing Unintentional Injuries Among Children Aged 0-3: Randomized Controlled Trial In Shanghai, Yuheng Feng, Xueqi Ma, Qi Zhang, Ruo Jiang, Jun Lu, Kaiyue Chen, Huiping Wang, Qinghua Xia, Jicui Zheng, Jingwei Xia, Xiaohong Li

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries to children are a major public health problem. The online social media is a potential way to implement health education for caregivers in online communities. Using WeChat, a free and popular social media service in China, this study evaluated the effectiveness of social online community-based parental health education in preventing unintentional injuries in children aged 0-3.

METHODS: We recruited 365 parents from two community health centers in Shanghai and allocated them into intervention and control groups randomly. Follow-up lasted for one year. The intervention group received and followed their WeChat group and a WeChat official account for …

Exploring How Online Responses Change In Response To Debunking Messages About Covid-19 On Whatsapp, Xingyu Ken Chen, Jin-Cheon Na, Luke Kien-Weng Tan, Mark Chong, Murphy Choy

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a concurrent outbreak of false information online. Debunking false information about a health crisis is critical as misinformation can trigger protests or panic, which necessitates a better understanding of it. This exploratory study examined the effects of debunking messages on a COVID-19-related public chat on WhatsApp in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach: To understand the effects of debunking messages about COVID-19 on WhatsApp conversations, the following was studied. The relationship between source credibility (i.e. characteristics of a communicator that affect the receiver's acceptance of the message) of different debunking message types and their effects on the length …