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Background: Despite extensive debates about the mental health impacts of the use of social networking sites (SNSs), including WeChat, the association and mechanisms between social interaction of WeChat use intensity and antenatal depression are unclear. Objective: We aimed to test the mediating roles of upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat and rumination in the association between social interaction of WeChat use intensity and antenatal depression. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four hospitals with the self-reported measures of social interaction of WeChat use intensity, upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat, rumination, antenatal depression, and control variables. The mediation analysis was performed through Model 6 from the PROCESS macro 4.0 in SPSS 26. Results: Results from 2661 participants showed that antenatal depression was unrelated to social interaction of WeChat use intensity (P =.54), but was significantly positively related to the attitude toward social interaction of WeChat (P =.01). The direct effect of attitude toward social interaction of WeChat use on antenatal depression was not statistically significant (β=–.03, P =.05). The results supported an indirect relationship between attitude toward social interaction of WeChat use and antenatal depression via (1) upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat (indirect effect value=0.04, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.06); (2) rumination (indirect effect value=–0.02, 95% CI –0.04 to –0.01); and (3) upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat and rumination in sequence (indirect effect value=0.07, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.08). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the necessity of focusing on attitudes toward SNS use, and the importance of upward social comparison and rumination in understanding the effect of SNS use on antenatal depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homesickness is one of the challenges that international students may encounter when they leave home. Homesickness is associated with social interactions and sociocultural adjustment, yet the directions of associations and temporal precedence are not clear. Thus, in this study, we tested a model which proposes that face-to-face (FtF) interaction with the host-country network, and Facebook interactions with the host- and the home-country networks predict homesickness, which, in turn, predicts sociocultural adjustment. We used cross-lagged and non-lagged reciprocal effects path analyses on a three-wave panel data gathered via online surveys. The results indicated that Facebook interaction with the host-country network lowered homesickness, in the long-term and the short-term. Paradoxically, homesickness increased Facebook interaction with the host-country network in the short-term. Lastly, homesickness lowered sociocultural adjustment in the short-term. We discuss how Facebook interaction with the host-country network could provide solace to international students when they miss home; and describe the implications of these findings for Facebook use and sociocultural adjustment among international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mass Communication Research is the property of Guoli Zhengzhi Daxue Xinwenxue Yanjiusuo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the new media era, students and instructors are able to connect and interact with each other via various social network sites (SNS) like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. When offered with the connection opportunity, which factor would predict students’ decision of connection? A survey conducted among three hundred and fifty students ( N  = 350) indicated students who were commonly active on SNS had a tendency to stay close with their instructors socially on the cyberspace. It is also found that once the professional relationship between the students and the instructors ended, students were more likely to connect with their instructors online. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether external factors, which are charity project, charity organization, Internet technology features and social network site (SNS) features influence people’s general attitude towards online donation and their intention to donate via SNS. An online survey was conducted based on the framework of factors influencing the intention to donate via SNS that was adapted from the literature review. Data from 258 respondents were used for analysis. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results indicated that the Internet technology features factor significantly contributes in influencing people’s general attitude towards online donation, and general attitude positively influences people’s intention to donate via SNSs. The full mediation effect of the general attitude towards online donation on the relationship between Internet technology features and intention to donate via SNS was found. However, charity project, charity organization, and SNS features were not significant factors in influencing people’s intention to donate via SNSs. The sample was limited to some Asian countries (preliminary Malaysia and South Korea). Thus, the results cannot be generalized to other countries. The findings suggest that non-profit organizations should focus on how to deal with the Internet issues, especially pertaining to security and privacy. Therefore, a mechanism for gaining donors’ trust to use the Internet, particularly in doing online transaction must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study investigates how a typically disadvantaged user group of older, female learners from rural, low-tech settings used and perceived a Facebook group as a research supervision and distance learning tool over time. The within-stage mixed-model research was carried out in a module of a part-time, advanced midwifery education course in rural South Africa. To address the research questions, three quantitative and qualitative surveys were repeated, pre, post, and three months post evaluation. The findings indicate that using the social media space lowered learners' threshold to accessing educational resources. The increased ease of communication was afforded in particular by using mobile phones to access the space. The analysis also suggests that the social networking site became a more integral part of students' learning environments. The learners' use of the site to discuss further course and work-related issues increased during the intervention and also remained significantly higher in the three-month, post evaluation survey, indicating the routinisation and habitualisation of this learning space. The practical implications and constraints of using social networking spaces to enhance disadvantaged groups of learners' access to educational resources are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australasian Marketing Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of computing technologies and the Internet has made it possible to capture, save and analyze increasing amounts of personal information, leading to increased public concern over privacy. The present article analyzes individuals' Internet privacy concerns with respect to social networking sites. We study data on a set of 22,253 individuals in 26 EU countries, collected in December 2009 by Eurobarometer. We use an ordered logit model to examine the variables associated with the probability of increased concerns over privacy, in order to draw policy implications. The results show that national efforts to safeguard personal data positively affect perceived privacy. We observe also that both cultural and socio-demographic variables affect the level of privacy concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at investigating Jordanian university students' opinions of utilizing a Facebook application that is linked to a university course. This course-specific 'Facebook page' that is entitled "Our Environment is Our Responsibility" was created specifically as an additional course material to learn more how university students who enrolled in this course perceive this resource as a new learning tool. Two questionnaires were distributed to 64 students. The first questionnaire was implemented at the beginning of the semester. It consisted of open-ended questions to learn about students' proposed expectations of utilizing this new platform. The other questionnaire was given at the end of the semester to learn more about students' perceptions of this new experience. Findings of this study revealed that the majority of students perceived Facebook as an attractive, valuable and accepted learning resource. However, the students faced many obstacles that hindered the ultimate benefit of utilizing this supplementary online learning resource. Recommendations and further research opportunities regarding using Facebook as a learning tool are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last half a decade, social network sites (SNSs) have wrought a tremendous impact on interpersonal communication across the world to the extent that it can be postulated, arguably, that such sites/platforms represent the commonest new media in Ghana (Coker, 2012). However, the communicative significance of this new media as a means of articulating varying views and communicating differing intentions is relatively unknown in Ghana. In this paper, I examine, ipso facto, the various categories of speech acts that manifest in the messages used by Ghanaian university students to update their status on Facebook as well as the pragmatic underpinnings of these messages. Based on a combined framework of Austin and Searle's speech act theory and Warschauer and Herring's notion of computer-mediated communication, the analysis on a corpus of 60 online messages indicated that Facebook status updates of Ghanaian university students are characterized by five speech acts, prominent among which are directives and asssertives. The study also revealed that the messages are informed and conditioned by multiple pragmatic notions, and reflect the socio-cultural variation and culture-specificity of language use in SNSs. These findings bear theoretical implications and hold implications for further research in computer-mediated communication and communication studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing popularity of social network sites (SNS) is causing concerns about privacy and security, especially with teenagers, since they show various forms of unsafe behavior on SNS. It has been put forth by researchers, teachers, parents, and teenagers that school is ideally placed to educate teens about risks on SNS and to teach youngsters how to use SNS safely. Privacy attitudes also need to be taken into account if we want to decrease the amount of unsafe behavior. However, there is a lack of research that focuses on the role and impact of school education on privacy attitudes or actual safe behavior on SNS. To counter this shortcoming, a survey study was set up with 638 pupils exploring teenagers' attitudes towards privacy on SNS. The first question was: Do they care about their privacy? Next to that, the extent to which they show unsafe behavior on SNS was questioned. Finally, the impact that school education has on both privacy care and the safety of teenagers' behavior on SNS was studied. It was found that teenagers do not care much for their privacy, and that a lack of privacy care leads to unsafe behavior on SNS. However, school education has a positive impact on privacy care, and by raising privacy care it also has an indirect positive impact on the safety of pupils' behavior. Our results suggest, therefore, that more efforts for school education about safer use of SNS are important, especially since the attention for the topic in schools is still found to be extremely limited and not organized in the curriculum. Practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this research study, first, a prototype network design as real modeling and using the OPNET software as virtual modeling of a typical enterprise network are constructed and analyzed. On these real and virtual network models, the affects of Firewall and VPN (Virtual Private Network) on network performance are studied. Then a more complex and realistic model than the first simple OPNET model is designed, and on this second model similar analysis work is performed. In this study, another research topic is to investigate application areas and uses of OPNET in communication networks education. What we have done different than the previous research studies and projects in our study is constructing both a real enterprise network prototype and virtual OPNET simulation model, and comparing network models and network analysis results. The affects of Firewall and VPN on these models are studied in both real network devices and virtual OPNET environments. Additionally, practical use of both developed real and virtual models in university education is also taken into consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Social network sites (SNSs) are becoming the platforms where socialization is practiced widely. The users of SNSs like Facebook and Twitter are increasing rapidly. Parallel to the increasing developments of social networking in the world, SNSs have started to appear and grow in different fields. The improvements of SNSs and widening of their fields of use have brought up the term “social media”. Social media is the dialogue and interaction of users with each other using Internet. Social media is formed by the collection of contents that are produced by users in a frame; social media is also the platform that the content is published. Social media uses social networks like Facebook, Myspace, Google Groups, Twitter and Friendfeed as tools. In this paper, a SNS, Architectural Platform (AP) http://www.mimariplatform.com, for architects is presented. AP that consists of architectural catalogues, news, announcements, and sharing design ideas and user profiles in its content is developed. The design purpose of AP is to create a meeting point for the producers, architects, interior architects, academicians, students and other visitors who are interested in architecture. AP which is the first national SNS in its area in Turkey presents novel design and implementation ideas for a SNS targeted for architects. AP SNS which is active since February 2010 has reached 43.000 unique visitors as of June 2010. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: As social media is a major channel of interpersonal communication in the digital age, social media addiction has emerged as a novel mental health issue that has raised considerable concerns among researchers, health professionals, policy makers, mass media, and the general public. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of social media addiction derived from 4 major classification schemes (strict monothetic, strict polythetic, monothetic, and polythetic), with latent profiles embedded in the empirical data adopted as the benchmark for comparison. The extent of matching between the classification of each scheme and the actual data pattern was evaluated using sensitivity and specificity analyses. The associations between social media addiction and 2 comorbid mental health conditions—depression and anxiety—were investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted, and the replicability of findings was assessed in 2 independent samples comprising 573 adults from the United Kingdom (261/573, 45.6% men; mean age 43.62 years, SD 12.24 years) and 474 adults from the United States (224/474, 47.4% men; mean age 44.67 years, SD 12.99 years). The demographic characteristics of both samples were similar to those of their respective populations. Results: The prevalence estimates of social media addiction varied across the classification schemes, ranging from 1% to 15% for the UK sample and 0% to 11% for the US sample. The latent profile analysis identified 3 latent groups for both samples: low-risk, at-risk, and high-risk. The sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values were high (83%-100%) for all classification schemes, except for the relatively lower sensitivity (73%-74%) for the polythetic scheme. However, the polythetic scheme had high positive predictive values (88%-94%), whereas such values were low (2%-43%) for the other 3 classification schemes. The group membership yielded by the polythetic scheme was largely consistent (95%-96%) with that of the benchmark. Conclusions: Among the classification schemes, the polythetic scheme is more well-balanced across all 4 indices. J Med Internet Res 2022;24(1):e27000 doi:10.2196/27000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood cancers previously considered to be incurable now have 5-year survival rates up to 84%. Nevertheless, these patients remain at risk of morbidity and mortality from therapy-related complications. Thus, patient education and self-management strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle are of tantamount importance for improving short- and long-term health outcomes. A Facebook-based "Healthy Teens for Soaam" (a Korean term for childhood cancers) program was developed to help improve knowledge and self-management practices of teens with cancer related to their disease and treatment.Objective: The two-fold purpose of this usability study was (1) to describe the process of developing an 8-week Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer, and (2) to evaluate its usability to refine the program.Methods: Multiple phases and methods were employed to develop and evaluate the usability of the program. Study phases included: (1) needs assessment through focus group interviews and qualitative content analysis, (2) development of module content, (3) expert review and feedback on module content, (4) Facebook-based program development, (5) usability evaluation by heuristic evaluation, (6) usability evaluation by targeted end-user testing, and (7) modification and final version of the program. Usability of the final version was confirmed through feedback loops of these phases.Results: Based on 6 focus group discussion sessions, it was determined that teens with cancer were interested in seeing stories of successful childhood cancer cases and self-management after discharge, and preferred multimedia content over text. Therefore, each Facebook module was redesigned to include multimedia materials such as relevant video clips tailored for teens. Usability assessed by heuristic evaluation and user testing revealed several critical usability issues, which were then revised. Potential end users tested the final program and perceived it to be usable and useful for teens with cancer.Conclusions: To our knowledge, "Healthy Teens for Soaam" is the first Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer. We actively worked with current childhood cancer patients and survivors to develop and improve this program, achieved good usability, and met the expressed needs and preferences of target end users. This 8-week Facebook-based educational program for teens with cancer, developed as the first step of an upcoming intervention study, will be useful for improving knowledge and self-management strategies of teens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]