The effects of cognitive- and affective-based trust on students' knowledge sharing and learning performance during the Covid-19 pandemic

This study examined the effects of cognitive and affective-based trust on knowledge sharing among students, which influences learning performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted with 730 participants, and analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory. The results showed that cognitive and affective trust significantly affects students' knowledge sharing behavior on Facebook, which further influences learning performance. This study also showed that social media had become a tool for social interaction and learning, which is crucial to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hanging Out with My Pandemic Pal: Contextualizing Motivations of Anthropomorphizing Voice Assistants during COVID-19

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way people connect, collaborate, and socialize. With the ongoing pandemic amplifying people's feelings of loneliness, voice assistants are growing as a pandemic-era staple of supporting people's well-being and mitigating feelings of disconnectedness. Combining the uses and gratification approach and theory of anthropomorphism, this study examined social attraction and social presence as drivers for people to anthropomorphize voice assistants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study investigated whether loneliness, social disconnection, and attachment can moderate the effect of social attraction and social presence on the anthropomorphism of voice assistants. Drawing on survey data from 458 US voice assistant users, the results indicated that social attraction and social presence positively affect peoples' anthropomorphism toward voice assistants. Moreover, the moderating effects of loneliness and social disconnection were examined and found positive impacts on the effect of social presence on anthropomorphism. The findings have implications for theorizing the anthropomorphism of digital media when face-to-face communication is less available. This study is also helpful for voice assistants' developers and brands to design these smart devices appealing to customers and fostering a more customized and more robust user-technology interaction.

How Motivation, Nomophobic Design and Environmental Demands Predict Students' Media Multitasking when Participating in Online Courses During COVID-19: An Empirical Study with a HCI Time and Temporality Lens

There is an emerging shift in human-computer interaction (HCI) research from things to events and towards time and temporality as a design material, which is made even more urgent by the unique time of the COVID-19 period. This paper pushes this shift forwards by investigating factors and the way that these shape online media multitasking behaviour over time during COVID-19. We model the factors along the WHAT and HOW dimensions of the HCI-over-Time model (HCIoT) with self-report data from 117 university students and objective behavioural data from 40 university students, who participated in an online course over 2 weeks during COVID-19. The results indicated a pervasiveness of media multitasking behaviour over time in an online course, driven by individual factors and enhanced by their mutual fit. Based on interpretation of our data, we suggest conceptualizing the COVID-19 period as the larger temporal environment in the HCIoT model. The discussion further explains how the broader idea of human-computer-environment fit is significant to understand HCIoT through an interaction lens. We discuss methodological issues related to differentiating between self-report and behavioural measures when applying the HCIoT model. The conclusion supports the feasibility and significance of conceptualizing media multitasking during COVID-19 as temporal HCI and of further developing and operationalizing the HCIoT model by using both behavioural and self-report measures.

Media dependency, uses, and gratifications, and knowledge gap in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Afghanistan and Turkey

This study aims to address how dependency on media for learning purposes increased dramatically during COVID-19 by assessing the effects of online learning on students' academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic with a specific focus on Afghanistan and Turkey. Through the theoretical framework of the uses and gratifications theory, the study tries to explain the uses of devices to use the internet for learning purposes to gratify the needs of students during the pandemic. Furthermore, the study tries to address how the knowledge gap between students of different countries affects students' academic performance during online learning and their uses and gratifications of media during COVID-19. The study followed the quantitative research method where primary data was collected from 400 participants (200 Afghan and 200 Turkish students) through a close-ended survey questionnaire.The study found that Turkish students were more satisfied with the online learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic than Afghan students. Furthermore, there is a considerable difference in attitude, perceived impact, and satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among Afghan and Turkish students. Due to the knowledge gap, Turkish students had a better attitude toward online learning during the pandemic as compared to Afghan students. The study also found that Turkish students perceived a more significant impact of online learning on their academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in contrast to Afghan students. Limited access to different media and technological resources for Afghan students shaped their learning outcomes by lowering their academic performance.

Predictors of depression during the COVID-19 global pandemic when using social media platforms

The overall impact and consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unimaginable and lasting influence on everyone worldwide. Since the start of the pandemic, people around the world have been forced into isolation and lockdowns for long periods of time, which has resulted in adverse psychological consequences for many people. The purpose of this study was to explore and identify how different predictors influence depression during the COVID-19 pandemic among adult social media users. The researcher used a combination of the uses and gratifications theory and the social comparison theory as a theoretical framework for this study. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 215 valid responses from participants around the world. The results demonstrated that increased COVID-19 anxiety was associated with higher levels of depression. The results also demonstrated that positive social comparison to other people was associated with lower levels of depression. The most significant result was that increased time spent on Facebook resulted in a reduction of depression for people who had favorable views of themselves. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Olympic Games, media coverage and brand image/performance from fan and gender perspectives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and test certain assumptions concerning the role of the media in its coverage of the Olympic Games, US men's and women's basketball in particular, and its perceived impact on brand image of the athletes' performance from a fan's motivational and financial perspective.Design/methodology/approachUses and gratifications theory and sport fan motivation scales were used to identify potential impacts of media coverage and branding on athletic performance. Based on a study of 143 working professionals that identified themselves as Olympic sport fans in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area, several hypotheses were tested.FindingsThe most to least important factor-based constructs found from a PCA (Principal Components Analysis)/factor analysis included competitiveness, fan commitment, media connections, media impacts, demographics and financial impacts. When using the construct athletic performance at the Olympic level as the dependent variable, results suggested that competitiveness, media connections and fan commitment were significant for males only, while only media connections for significant for females. Males were found to be more player-centric than females, willing to be more focused on the competitive nature of the Olympic Games and to dedicate more money for such activities.Originality/valueFocusing on Olympic Games and associated athletes' competitive nature opens a unique perspective from fan's gender perspective.

Disrupting the fashion retail journey: social media and GenZ's fashion consumption

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to assess the use of social media by Gen Z consumers and the ways they impact on and re-shape their fashion consumption journey. This generational approach uses the lens of uses and gratifications theory (UGT) to explore the customer fashion retail journey from the perspective of the Gen Z consumer. Design/methodology/approach: The research uses an exploratory approach in response to the relative lack of research in to GenZ consumers combined with a need to understand shopping journeys. Mixed methods were used with a first phase of interviews followed by a survey of 102 Gen Z students recruited online in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The study found that GenZ users of social media for shopping sought gratification from experiences derived from social relationships, entertainment and information. The need for immediate gratification was found in new information and meeting new people to maintain social relationships, learn about products and inform the shopping journey. Further, the research supported the importance of visual images in the affective gratification of shopping needs. Resale sites on social media were favoured for their low prices, information about previously owned fashion items and the opportunity to exercise sustainable fashion choices. Originality/value: The research advances understanding of fashion shopping journeys through social media and online resale sites. It demonstrates that younger consumers, GenZ, shop through the gratification of experiences informed by their social networks and wider contacts. The linear stages of pre to post–purchase shopping are merged and looped as they exchange information about their shopping journey, from information gathering to post–purchase comments. The role of the brand to these knowledgeable consumers conducting their own resale trade is to facilitate access to and information about their products. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Antecedents and Consequences of Misinformation Sharing Behavior among Adults on Social Media during COVID-19.

Misinformation has been existed for centuries, though emerge as a severe concern in the age of social media, and particularly during COVID-19 global pandemic. As the pandemic approached, a massive influx of mixed quality data appeared on social media, which had adverse effects on society. This study highlights the possible factors contributing to the sharing and spreading misinformation through social media during the crisis. Preferred Reporting Items and Meta-Analysis guidelines were used for systematic review. Anxiety or risk perception associated with COVID-19 was one of the significant motivators for misinformation sharing, followed by entertainment, information seeking, sociability, social tie strength, self-promotion, trust in science, self-efficacy, and altruism. WhatsApp and Facebook were the most used platforms for spreading rumors and misinformation. The results indicated five significant factors associated with COVID-19 misinformation sharing on social media, including socio-demographic characteristics, financial considerations, political affiliation or interest, conspiracy ideation, and religious factors. Misinformation sharing could have profound consequences for individual and society and impeding the efforts of government and health institutions to manage the crisis. This SLR focuses solely on quantitative studies, hence, studies are overlooked from a qualitative standpoint. Furthermore, this study only looked at the predictors of misinformation sharing behavior during COVID-19. It did not look into the factors that could curb the sharing of misinformation on social media platforms as a whole. The study's findings will help the public, in general, to be cautious about sharing misinformation, and the health care workers, and institutions, in particular, for devising strategies and measures to reduce the flow of misinformation by releasing credible information through concerned official social media accounts. The findings will be valuable for health professionals and government agencies to devise strategies for handling misinformation during public health emergencies.

The Digitalization of Religion: Smartphone Use and Subjective Well‐Being during COVID‐19

Previous findings indicate that smartphone use can decrease life satisfaction and can negatively impact religious or spiritual goals. But since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic, smartphones have become significantly more positive and useful. Smartphones have helped people move on with their lives, especially due to the myriad benefits they offer. Users can "virtually” spend time with family and friends (i.e., social) and can order groceries, read the news, attend to religious and spiritual needs, and entertain themselves (i.e., process) without venturing out. In the theoretical framework of uses and gratifications, we explored the impact that smartphone use can have on the subjective well‐being of Jews and Christians, respectively, in countries with the highest smartphone penetration: Israel and the United States. Furthermore, we introduced religiosity and spirituality, which have surged during the pandemic, as mediators in the proposed model. In the United States, social and process smartphone use enhanced subjective well‐being through religiosity (vs. spirituality). In Israel, the process use enhanced subjective well‐being through spirituality (vs. religiosity). Theoretical implications are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR]

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN RAISING HEALTH AWARENESS AMONG JORDANIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This research aims to find out how social media aided university students become more health conscious during the COVID-19 pandemic and the gratifications obtained from them. The researchers prepared a questionnaire that corresponds to the study's axis using a descriptive analytical approach. Its reliability, validity, and suitability for measuring the goals of this research were all verified. Students from Jordanian universities made up the study population, where the study sample was made up of 600 randomly selected individuals. The usage of social media helped increase students' awareness of their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the level of statistical significance (α = 0.05), differences in gender in favor of females, university type in favor of public universities, and level in favor of higher years were evident. The study made several key recommendations, some of which include working to develop mechanisms that restrict the spread of misleading information on each social media applications and platforms, the necessity of continuing to disseminate health awareness information in all of its forms, and the need to define the current situation and the most significant hazards of the coronavirus in the current period. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.

BINGE-WATCHING DURING THE PANDEMIC: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN INDIA

Purpose – This study attempts to reveal the motivation of individuals for binge-watching. The motivational factors considered are enjoyment, efficiency, recommendations of others, perceived control, and fandom. The underlying framework used to explore the association of various motivational factors with binge-watching behavior is the Uses and Gratifications theory. The study also aims to contribute additional insight to the current literature on bingewatching by showing the moderating effects that the traits of sensation-seeking and need for cognition have on binge-watching behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach – Data was collected through a survey of 298 respondents who used online digital video platforms during phase I of the lockdown in India in April 2020. Analysis and testing were performed using Warp PLS 20 in order to understand binge-watch-ing behavior during the pandemic. Findings and Implications – The study found enjoyment and efficiency to be the most influential predic-tors of binge-watching motivation, with fandom as the second most influential. Moreover, a major contribution of this study stems from the finding that sensationseek-ing and binge-watching behavior do not moderate the relationship between binge-watching motivation and binge-watching behavior. Limitations – The sample consisted of individuals from only one country. Originality – This study focuses on the motivators of binge-watching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic from the aspect of the Uses and Gratifications theory. © 2022, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business Zagreb. All rights reserved.

Contactless marketing management of fashion brands in the digital age

The proliferation of digital technologies and the new era of social distancing have created a flood of opportunities, thereby allowing customers to experience services without interacting with them in person. To provide social distancing services, brands and retailers must first understand how their customers perceive them. This study aims to examine the effects of contactless marketing efforts on satisfaction and revisit intention. An online survey of 182 Korean consumers was conducted when the government implemented social distancing measures. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The researchers developed a model to understand the emerging phenomenon of contactless marketing better and to fill the gap in the available literature. The findings revealed five perceptions of contactless marketing efforts among fashion brands: entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customization, and visual engagement. The benefits of contactless marketing efforts in terms of customer satisfaction and revisit intention have been established. Furthermore, perceived contactless marketing efforts had a greater effect on satisfaction and revisit intention for the identified enjoyment-seeking group than for the identified information-seeking group. These findings can assist researchers in gaining theoretical insights as well as practitioners in managing coherent marketing activities in the digital age. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Predictors of depression during the COVID-19 global pandemic when using social media platforms

The overall impact and consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unimaginable and lasting influence on everyone worldwide. Since the start of the pandemic, people around the world have been forced into isolation and lockdowns for long periods of time, which has resulted in adverse psychological consequences for many people. The purpose of this study was to explore and identify how different predictors influence depression during the COVID-19 pandemic among adult social media users. The researcher used a combination of the uses and gratifications theory and the social comparison theory as a theoretical framework for this study. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 215 valid responses from participants around the world. The results demonstrated that increased COVID-19 anxiety was associated with higher levels of depression. The results also demonstrated that positive social comparison to other people was associated with lower levels of depression. The most significant result was that increased time spent on Facebook resulted in a reduction of depression for people who had favorable views of themselves. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Factors affecting misinformation combating intention in Pakistan during COVID-19

Purpose Misinformation on social media has become a great threat across the globe. Therefore, the authors aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of social media users' misinformation combating behavior, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the authors merged the uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory and theory of prosocial behavior into one theoretical framework (e.g. information seeking, status seeking, entertainment and norms of reciprocity) to understand their effect on users' prosocial media sharing experience and misinformation self-efficacy to combat misinformation. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 356 social media users through "Google Forms" during the third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan. Further, the authors applied structural equation modeling for hypotheses testing. Findings The authors noted that entertainment and perceived norms of reciprocity positively affect social media users' prior experience and misinformation self-efficacy to enhance their misinformation combating intention. However, information seeking positively affects social media users' prior experience and insignificantly affects their misinformation self-efficacy. Similarly, status seeking was noted to be insignificantly associated with social media users' prior experience and misinformation self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications The authors tested this model of misinformation combating intention in a developing country during the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that entertainment and status seeking motives are context-specific. Therefore, this study may likely benefit researchers, academicians and policymakers to understand the causal relationship between motivations and the behavior of combating misinformation on social media within a developing country. Originality/value In this study the authors merged three theories (e.g. uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory and theory of prosocial behavior) to understand information seeking, status seeking, entertainment and norms of reciprocity as the main motives for social media users' misinformation combating intention.

Channels Adopted for Information Seeking during COVID-19: Comparing Social Media with News Media and Interpersonal Communication in Taiwan.

By adopting niche theory, this study compared social media with news media and interpersonal communication regarding their capabilities in satisfying people's information needs of daily use, surveillance, convenience, and information quality during the outbreak of COVID-19. Two methods were adopted to collect data for this study: the first was to conduct 20 intensive interviews, and the second was to administer an online survey by contracting a professional polling company with a panel of 8.8 million members. The stratified random sampling method was used to acquire a representative sample, from which 1100 valid questionnaires were obtained. The results showed that: (1) Social media were superior to traditional news media in terms of its convenience. However, several new types of online news, such as Yahoo news, were able to compete with social media for convenience. (2) Interpersonal communication did not outperform in satisfying individuals' needs for the four gratifications. Nevertheless, interpersonal communication plays the role of social support for individuals.

Uses and gratifications approach: influence of COVID-19 media exposure on millennial generation in Makassar city, Indonesia.

This study aims to analyze the effect of COVID-19 message exposure through the use of conventional media and new media based on indicators of frequency, duration, and consistency. Analysis of gratifications based on indicators seeking information, social interaction, and education. This study analyzes the uses and gratifications theory through conventional and new media exposure to COVID-19 pandemic information exposure. The quantitative research method tests the theory of uses and gratifications that is based on indicators of research variables. The determination of respondents is completed through probability sampling comprises of 384 respondents. Research data is analyzed with the inferential statistics with the ANOVA formula analysis. The results showed that the three indicators of satisfaction fulfillment testing indicators, namely seeking information, social interaction, and education are in middle satisfaction. The results of the regression analysis test showed that there was a positive influence on variable X (media exposure) on the level of respondent satisfaction (Y). The results of the coefficient of determination are 0.588 conventional media and the determination of new media of 0.553 is the level of satisfaction of respondents. The validity and accuracy of the uses and gratifications theory in the exposure to the COVID-19 message and respondent satisfaction are positively correlated. The research specifications of the uses and gratifications approach in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic prove that conventional media is still needed by millennials in the search for information after the development of new media.

Coping strategies initiated by COVID-19-related stress, individuals' motives for social media use, and perceived stress reduction

Purpose This study examined whether individuals' coping strategies and their motivations for social media use act as mediators between actual COVID-19-related stress and the perception that social media use can reduce stress. Design/methodology/approach This study empirically develops and tests a research model with data (N = 503) collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk. A path analysis was used to test the research model. Findings The path analysis indicated that active coping initiated by individuals under COVID-19-related stress was more likely to be associated with information and social interaction needs, leading the individuals to perceive the use of social media as the cause for stress reduction. The expressive support coping strategy motivated the individuals under stress to seek social interaction, leading individuals to perceive that activities on social media reduced their stress during the pandemic. Emotional venting and avoidance coping strategies significantly impacted escape, social interaction, and entertainment seeking by allowing individuals to get absorbed in social media activities and forget unpleasant thoughts associated with the pandemic. Originality/value No previous study has explored the relationship between decisions around the type of coping strategy used and motivations for media usage, which leads to stress reduction. Understanding how stress-induced coping strategies influence social media users' specific motivations and reduce users' stress levels would help communicators understand how users' can encourage individuals to cope with stress by presenting individuals with more effective social media, resulting in stress reduction and improved well-being.

How perceived effectiveness of social media platform and satisfaction affect continuance intention in a pandemic: The moderating role of perceived benefit

Firms facing a global pandemic need to shift to online supply to satisfy customer demand. This study develops a valid measure of the perceived effectiveness of social media platforms (PESMP) and analyzes its effect on customer satisfaction in predicting continuance intentions under the boundary condition of perceived benefit. Drawing on the uses and gratification theory and a sample of 508 customers, the authors substantiate perceived benefits moderating role. At high levels of perceived benefit, PESMP exerts a strong effect on satisfaction that increases continuance intention. Implications to increase strategic effectiveness are also discussed.

Shared Virtual Reality Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Gratifications and Effects of Engagement with Immersive Videos.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and recent economic recession have been impacting many people's mental health. The experience of social distancing created new hardships for people who already reported symptoms of depression or anxiety. In these circumstances, new technologies, such as immersive virtual reality (VR) videos, could serve as useful tools for facilitating interactions, emotional sharing, and information processing within a virtual environment. In this study, researchers aimed to enrich the information processing literature by focusing on the uses and gratifications of 360-degree VR videos during the pandemic. Through employing survey research with 1422 participants located in the U.S. and structural equation modeling for data analysis, this study found that five types of gratification, including utilitarian (i.e., navigation), hedonic (i.e., enjoyment), sensual (i.e., realism), social (i.e., community), and symbolic (i.e., coolness), significantly motivated users to use such immersive videos. Simultaneously, data demonstrated that these five types of gratification could influence users' cognitive engagement with virtual content. In addition, such VR engagement facilitated users' positive attitudes toward immersive videos and continued usage of them. The findings provided practical implications for COVID-19 global recovery as well.

Uses and gratifications of educational apps: A study during COVID-19 pandemic

Although educational apps have emerged as an easily available and accessible alternative to classroom learning, particularly at the time of pandemics like COVID-19, no research has attempted to identify learners intentions behind the usage of different educational apps. The current study developed a valid and reliable research instrument to measure the motivations behind using educational apps. Using the mixed method approach commonly used in uses and gratification (U&G) research, i.e., open-ended essays & national survey (N=552), this study identified seven gratifications behind learners intention to use educational apps: academic assistance, convenience, entertainment, social influence, novelty, engagement and activity. The result suggests that academic assistance, convenience and social influence were the significant predictors of the intention to use educational apps. The current research also identified the moderating effect of gender in selecting educational apps. One of the most significant contributions of the present study is that it extended the uses and gratification theory applications beyond the traditional media to explain the intention to use educational apps.