Volume 4, Issue 3

Purpose Social media has a great mobilizing power and is considered to be an important vehicle to raise the awareness for the climate crisis across the globe. Despite this undisputed relevance, however, we lack studies exploring the relations between social media use, environmental knowledge, and environmental anxiety, particularly using a non-Western, global approach. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a quota-based general population survey in Germany, Belgium, South Africa, Thailand, Chile, Malaysia, South Korea, and India. Findings Using Structural Equation Modeling with partial measurement invariance across countries, we found that the relationship between social media use and environmental knowledge was remarkably different across countries. However, in all countries, social media use was a significant positive predictor of environmental anxiety, albeit the size of the effect differed across countries. Furthermore, knowledge was found to be a negative predictor of anxiety. Practical and social implications By and large, findings suggest that the widespread hopes of social media being a facilitator of learning are ungrounded. Rather, social media seems to make individuals anxious about climate change. Originality/value The study tests the role of social media beyond Western countries demonstrating the limited role of social media use for making individuals more knowledgeable.

Purpose This study investigates how global television formats are culturally reimagined through streaming-era adaptations by analyzing Four More Shots Please! (FMSP), an Indian adaptation of the American show Sex and the City (SATC). It examines how FMSP localizes narrative and aesthetic elements to reflect Indian sociocultural realities, specifically around gender, sexuality, and postfeminist expression, while considering the enabling role of streaming platforms in shaping transnational remakes. Design/methodology/approach The study employs qualitative thematic analysis of all 30 episodes of FMSP and comparative coding of selected episodes from SATC, using a five-part coding framework comprising the following key dimensions: characters, narrative structure, audiovisual style, space-time structure, and emergent themes. Drawing on the glocalization framework, it maps cross-textual transformations and analyzes how platform infrastructures and sociocultural norms influence adaptation practices. Findings FMSP retains SATC’s core premise – female friendship and autonomy – while reworking it through Indian family structures, linguistic hybridity, and sociopolitical dynamics. Characters such as Damini, Anjana, Umang, and Siddhi are mapped onto SATC’s leads but are recontextualized within Indian discourses of journalism, motherhood, queerness, and body politics. The study identifies two inductive themes – bisexuality and body image – that deepen the adaptation’s engagement with localized gendered struggles. Amazon Prime Video’s creative flexibility enables a postfeminist narrative that is both culturally specific and globally recognizable. Practical implications This study highlights how streaming platforms serve as active agents of glocalization by allowing producers to blend global formats with culturally embedded narratives. It underscores the strategic adaptation choices made to appeal to both domestic and diasporic audiences while leveraging existing intellectual property. Social implications FMSP expands mainstream representation of Indian womanhood by integrating narratives around LGBTQ+ identity, professional autonomy, body image, and familial negotiation. These portrayals challenge traditional gender norms while navigating the complexities of cultural authenticity and aspirational modernity. Originality/value The study contributes to scholarship on media globalization by foregrounding the role of streaming infrastructures in mediating adaptation practices. It extends existing work on transnational television and glocalization by demonstrating how adaptation is shaped not just by cultural proximity, but also by platform logics, audience expectations, and production politics in the Global South.

Purpose Excessive social media use has emerged as a pressing issue in recent years, prompting concerns about its adverse effects on users’ physical and mental well-being. In response to these concerns, the Chinese short video platform Douyin has implemented healthy use reminders to mitigate excessive and problematic use. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Douyin healthy use reminders on users’ perceptions and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach We conducted an online survey on Chinese college students who were Douyin users. We measured users’ perceived intrusiveness toward the reminder messages, perceived freedom threat, psychological reactance, attitudes toward the reminder messages, and their compliance behavior in the survey. Findings Results from structural equation modeling showed that users’ perception of the reminders’ intrusiveness negatively impacted their attitude, subsequently affecting compliance behavior. Additionally, results showed that this effect could be explained by psychological reactance theory, as perceived intrusiveness heightened users’ sense of freedom threat and psychological reactance, further influencing attitude and compliance behavior. Implications Our findings imply that social media platforms like Douyin should take into account user experience and acceptance of the healthy use reminders to enhance the persuasive effects. Possible strategies to enhance the communication effectiveness of the healthy use reminder messages are discussed. Originality/value Although recent literature has paid more attention to the problematic and excessive use of social networks, these studies primarily focused on exploring users’ dispositional traits to explain the association between excessive social media use and users’ well-being. The present study is the first to explore the psychological processes that explain the effectiveness of platform-initiated healthy use intervention. We also extend the theoretical understanding of the psychological reactance theory in social media use in a non-English context.

Purpose This study explores how political ideology and political knowledge influence perceptions and consumption of anti-outgroup content in South Korean online communities, addressing a gap in the literature on non-Western contexts. Design/Methodology/Approach An online survey was conducted among South Korean online community users to investigate the relationships between political ideology, political knowledge, and attitudes toward outgroups, specifically China. Findings The study reveals significant correlations between conservatism and positive perceptions of anti-outgroup slurs, as well as associations between political knowledge and both anti-outgroup sentiment and perceptions of slurs. Contrary to expectations, social identity and threat perceptions did not predict anti-outgroup sentiment. Practical Implications The findings provide insights for strategies to promote more inclusive online discourse and mitigate negative intergroup attitudes, highlighting the importance of political knowledge in shaping online behavior. Social Implications This research contributes to understanding how online communities influence intergroup dynamics and national identity in South Korea, offering broader implications for international relations and cross-cultural understanding. Originality/Value This study pioneers research on incivility in South Korean online communities, exploring the complex interplay between political ideology, knowledge, and online behavior in a non-Western context.

Purpose Social conformity theory emphasizes normative pressure as a drive of collective behavior. However, how these dynamics operate within weak-tie networks on social media remains underexplored. Platform-specific affordances such as X’s (formerly Twitter) network structures may reshape these dynamics in public health communication. Using COVID-19 vaccine-related discussions on X (formerly Twitter), this study investigates how networked influence reconfigures the informational and normative social influence during health crises. Design/methodology/approach Integrating computational methods, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and network analysis, this study analyzes 5.5 million tweets about COVID-19 vaccines, collected worldwide via the Twitter Academic API between November 3, 2021, and May 5, 2022, to examine how user roles (influencers vs. general users), tie strength, and content type (factual vs. opinion-based) shape retweet patterns. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was applied to uncover thematic structures in vaccine-related discussions, while TextBlob sentiment analysis quantified the subjectivity of tweets to differentiate factual from opinion-based content. Network analysis using iGraph identified influencers based on degree and betweenness centrality, enabling the classification of “authoritarians,” “accelerators,” and “connectors.” Findings Weak-tie connections drive information diffusion, with general users’ factual tweets shared more frequently than influencers’. Normative social influence from accelerators, connectors, or authoritarian accounts is constrained by X’s character limits and decentralized network structure. Opinion-based content, regardless of author status, receives fewer retweets, indicating users prioritize accuracy over subjective narratives. Practical implications Public health campaigns should prioritize concise, evidence-based messaging tailored to X’s decentralized networks. Leveraging general users as “fact-checking” nodes and minimizing opinion-laden content can amplify reach. Strategies to counter misinformation must account for platform-specific limitations on normative influence. Social implications The findings underscore how digital platforms democratize health communication by empowering non-expert users to shape discourse, while challenging top-down public health messaging. This duality highlights opportunities to bridge information gaps in underserved communities through weak-tie networks. Originality/value The first study to dissect social conformity mechanisms on X through a tripartite computational lens, revealing how platform affordances disrupt traditional hierarchies of influence. It redefines “influencer” roles in public health contexts, demonstrating that weak ties and factual content supersede normative pressure in driving engagement.

Purpose This study aims to investigate potential generational differences in fans’ perceptions of the authenticity of public sports figure influencers, utilizing a six-factor model of perceived authenticity. The research employed thematic analysis to explore how social media users who are sports fans construct perceptions of sports figure authenticity. This research recognizes the evolving nature of fan-athlete relationships in the context of growing digital influence, with implications for sports communication and athletes’ brand management strategies. Design/Methodology The study employed eight focus groups comprising 42 participants from four generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Participants were screened to ensure they used social media and were sports fans. These focus groups were used to deconstruct and analyze participants’ perceptions of sports influencer authenticity across different age cohorts. Findings The research revealed distinct patterns in perceptions of sports influencer authenticity across generations, showing that Gen Z strongly emphasizes connectedness and accuracy, Millennials prioritize integrity, Gen X considers multiple factors, and Baby Boomers look for integrity and proficiency. An inverse relationship between the importance placed on accuracy and humility across generations was also observed. Practical Implications The findings suggest the need for a nuanced, generationally aware approach to authenticity in sports communication and endorsements. This has significant implications for sports marketing strategies and athletes’ brand management, particularly as public sports figures are increasingly considered social media influencers. Marketers and athletes may need to tailor their communication and branding strategies to resonate with different generational cohorts based on their varying perceptions of authenticity. Originality/Value This study advances the existing understanding of authenticity perceptions in sports figures across generations. By applying a six-factor model of authenticity and revealing generational differences, it provides valuable insights for both academic research and practical applications in sports communication and athlete brand management. The research highlights the importance of considering generational perspectives when developing strategies for authentic engagement between sports figures and their fans in the digital age.

This article delves into the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on Italian journalism, providing an in-depth examination of how AI technologies are being integrated into and reshaping the journalistic landscape. Through a qualitative study, which includes 10 qualitative interviews with journalists, digital editors, and IT managers from leading Italian media companies, this research investigates the attitudes, expectations, and concerns surrounding AI adoption in newsrooms. The core of the study revolves around the nuanced perceptions and discursive frames that journalism professionals mobilize to describe the incorporation of AI into newsmaking. It is nearly impossible to investigate AI without considering the imaginations, perceptions, and expectations associated with it, especially considering two structural elements – opacity and communicative capacity – that make it particularly susceptible to distortions and uncontrollable interpretative projections (Milne 2021. Uses and abuses of hype. In Frederike Kaltheunuer (ed.), Fake AI , 115–122. Meatspace Press. https://ia804607.us.archive.org/3/items/fakeai/Fake_AI.pdf (accessed 5 July 2024)). The centrality of discourse has been highlighted by the neo-institutionalist approach, which views journalism as a discursive institution founded on a complex set of rules, practices, and values that are constructed and legitimized through discourse (Hanitzsch and Vos 2017. Journalistic roles and the struggle over institutional identity: The discursive constitution of journalism. Communication Theory 27. 115–135). From this perspective, discursive legitimation represents both a process of internal organization of rules, practices, and values and a tool to confirm, defend, and claim the institution’s reputation within society. The interviewees offer diverse perspectives on the potential of AI to revolutionize journalistic workflows by introducing efficiency and new capabilities, such as automated content generation and data analysis. However, rather than seeing AI as a replacement for human journalists, most view it as a complementary tool that could enhance the quality of news production and facilitate more in-depth journalism. Despite the recognized potential, the study highlights a prevailing sense of caution among the participants. Some express concerns about the ethical implications of AI in journalism, including issues related to transparency, risk of job displacement and the maintenance of professional standards in an increasingly automated environment. The article suggests the need for clear editorial strategies that transparently establish shared guidelines of AI use in newsrooms. It also highlights the necessity for significant technological investments by publishers to ensure that the use of generative AI is not left to the initiative of individual journalists, but that its adoption makes sense within a wider project of a rational, efficient, and shared restructuring of workflow processes. In this regard, it is imperative to recognize the need to invest in significantly enhancing the computer skills of journalists within a more comprehensive frame of AI literacy that is mindful of the ethical and democratic implications of these tools.