Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking最新文献

In today's sociocultural milieu, characterized by pervasive social media and evolving conceptions of masculinity, this study examines the interplay among loneliness, social media addiction, self-reliance, and life satisfaction across Generations (Gen) X, Y, and Z. Employing a comprehensive model, the study explores social media addiction as a mediator between loneliness and life satisfaction, with a focus on the moderating role of the pivotal masculine trait of self-reliance in the loneliness-social media addiction relationship. Based on an online survey of 775 Israeli men aged 18-58, the findings reveal unique generational patterns. For Gen X, social media addiction negatively correlates with life satisfaction, without mediation or moderation effects. In Gen Y, loneliness is directly associated with life satisfaction, and a positive correlation exists between loneliness and social media addiction. Notably, self-reliance moderates the link between loneliness and social media addiction, amplifying this association at lower self-reliance levels. Gen Z replicates the Gen Y findings albeit without the moderation effect. This study contributes nuanced insights into the literature on masculinity, revealing the evolving nature of self-reliance-a crucial masculine trait-across generations. Such evolution, in turn, is associated with responses to loneliness and patterns of engagement with social media.

Previous studies have shown that short-form video addiction (SVA) is a significant predictor of adolescent depression. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms. Guided by the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between SVA and depression among Chinese adolescents and to examine the mediating role of attentional bias toward positive information (API) and negative information (ANI), including potential gender differences. A total of 4750 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 16.01, SD = 0.76, 62.15 percent male) completed self-reported scales for SVA, API, ANI, and depression. The structural equation modeling results indicated that both API and ANI mediated the relationship between SVA and depression. Moreover, multigroup analyses revealed that the mediating effect of ANI was significantly stronger in female than in male adolescents. These findings enhance our understanding of the relationship between SVA and depression in adolescents and suggest that developing gender-specific interventions could mitigate the detrimental effects of SVA on depression.

The growth of online video-game players has seen a parallel growth in online gaming communities. Membership in these communities has been well known to play a vital role in shaping social connections and fostering social capital. This systematic review explored the role of interacting virtual identities in shaping the relationship between membership in gaming communities and social capital as an outcome. Online databases of Scopus, APA PsycNet, Web of Science, the Digital Game Research Association Digital Library, and the Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library were screened (January 1, 2000-October 23, 2023). From an initial pool of 5,720 studies, 33 were finalized for inclusion after quality assessment. Results highlight that interacting identities affect players' experiences of social support and social capital. The extent to which positive social interactions were experienced and social capital was accumulated depended on (a) the number of interacting salient identities and (b) the degree to which salient identities were marginalized in the respective gaming community. Prevalent identities in different social contexts (the non-virtual world, online gaming communities, and specific virtual worlds) and how their interactions affect social capital have been discussed. This study contributes to theory by demonstrating how intersecting identities influence social capital dynamics in virtual spaces. It also offers insights for community managers on creating inclusive environments that enhance positive social experiences and social capital accumulation.

Virtual reality (VR) interventions are receiving increasing attention from research seeking to promote harmonious intergroup relations. Despite this, the effectiveness of VR methods and the underlying mechanisms for enhancing intergroup relations yield mixed findings. The current research examined if a 360° immersive video where participants embodied an unhoused person could improve attitudes and behavioral intentions toward unhoused people by making participants experience social exclusion and its psychological repercussions. The study (N = 210) adopted a 2 × 2 between-subject design where participants were assigned to embody an unhoused or housed person either watching the video in VR (in 3D using head-mounted devices) or in 2D (on a monitor). The study included a followup after 9 days. Results revealed that embodying the unhoused person (vs. housed control) led to increased experiences of social exclusion, need-threat, and negative emotions. These experiences, in turn, were associated with reduced negative attitudes toward unhoused individuals and heightened intentions to engage in charitable behaviors. Notably, the effects on attitudes and behavioral intentions persisted at the followup, with a stronger impact observed for participants who embodied the unhoused person in 3D compared to 2D. The findings suggest that tailoring VR video interventions to elicit social exclusion by embodying the perspective of marginalized social groups can enhance intergroup attitudes and intentions over time. Overall, this research underscores the prominence of VR-based interventions in improving intergroup harmony compared to less-immersive paradigms.

Sexual harassment (SH) against women is one of the most worldwide problems. To mitigate its incidence, various programs, including virtual reality (VR), have been developed for both prevention and treatment. 360-degree video has emerged as a subfield of VR capable of inducing the body swap illusion and facilitating perspective-taking (PT), as well as eliciting related emotions. The present study represents a progression from a previously published work, featuring a within-subjects design approach that showed the superiority of the immersive video to elicit empathy compared to a control condition. The aim is to investigate and validate the feasibility of using 360-degree video to foster empathy, PT, and a sense of oneness, potentially reducing violent attitudes toward a female victim of SH compared with a traditional PT task (control condition) in a between-subjects design. Forty Mexican men were randomly assigned to one of the conditions. Results confirmed the feasibility of the 360-degree video in significantly enhancing PT and a sense of oneness compared with the control condition. However, no significant changes were observed for the variables of empathy and violent attitude. Moreover, the findings supported the potential of the 360-degree video in eliciting a sense of ownership and presence with the virtual character and the immersive environment, with ownership showing a positive correlation with empathy and PT. Lastly, participant body awareness was found to be a positive predictor of ownership. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

This study examined the influence of design "nudges" on bystanders' willingness to intervene in online harassment using a social media simulation. Utilizing a 2 × 2 experimental design, we tested the ability of key design features (community guidelines and pop-up messaging) to induce a sense of self-efficacy (low/high) and personal responsibility (low/high) and thence to influence intervention levels. Participants (n = 206) were invited to "beta test" a new social networking site (SNS) for 15 minutes. All participants were exposed to four instances of online harassment against a victim. Bystanders in the low efficacy and high responsibility condition were most likely to intervene, although this finding only applied to "private" (e.g., direct, 1-2-1 messaging) rather than "public" (e.g., posting on a public feed) interventions. Overall, participants preferred "private" interventions that avoided public confrontation. Qualitative insights highlight a perceived lack of transparency in reporting options and a belief that interventions rarely made a difference as the "damage had been done." Results are discussed in relation to the amplification of personal responsibility when the SNS does not provide clear guidelines and reminders. We recommend ways of "designing in" nudges in practice, to facilitate bystander intervention.