Pub Date : 2023-10-11DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1252260
Josefin Lindgren
It is often said that story retelling tasks, where children listen to a model story and then retell it, are easier than story telling tasks, where children are not provided with a model. However, previous studies have rarely used comparable stimuli and procedures for the different tasks, creating possible confounds with task effects. Additionally, studies seldom investigate the interaction between age and task type and most studies focus on preschool children. The present study addresses these gaps by analyzing the performance of Swedish-speaking 6-year-olds and 8-year-olds ( N = 74) on measures of story comprehension and story structure (narrative macrostructure) using a carefully controlled procedure with comparable telling and retelling tasks (MAIN Cat/Dog stories) and counterbalancing the order of the tasks. For story comprehension, results showed that overall accuracy was uniformly high (>90%) across tasks and age groups. However, performance was substantially lower for one question (D10), which assesses comprehension of the entire plotline. With increasing age, children did not become more likely to answer this question correctly, nor did hearing a model story improve performance. A qualitative analysis showed that incorrect answers often contained reasonable explanations showing advanced general inferencing abilities. In light of these results, an adjustment to the scoring of MAIN is recommended. For story structure, results showed significant effects of both age and task type, with higher scores in retelling and higher scores by the 8-year-olds. The 8-year-olds exhibited the same performance gap between telling and retelling as the 6-year-olds. There was also a significant effect of task order, showing a training effect from the first task to the second. The present study thus confirms previous findings that expressing story structure in a retelling task is easier than in a telling task, but showing this for the first time while controlling for task order and stimulus complexity in MAIN.
{"title":"Age and task type effects on comprehension and production of narrative macrostructure: storytelling and retelling by Swedish-speaking children aged 6 and 8","authors":"Josefin Lindgren","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1252260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1252260","url":null,"abstract":"It is often said that story retelling tasks, where children listen to a model story and then retell it, are easier than story telling tasks, where children are not provided with a model. However, previous studies have rarely used comparable stimuli and procedures for the different tasks, creating possible confounds with task effects. Additionally, studies seldom investigate the interaction between age and task type and most studies focus on preschool children. The present study addresses these gaps by analyzing the performance of Swedish-speaking 6-year-olds and 8-year-olds ( N = 74) on measures of story comprehension and story structure (narrative macrostructure) using a carefully controlled procedure with comparable telling and retelling tasks (MAIN Cat/Dog stories) and counterbalancing the order of the tasks. For story comprehension, results showed that overall accuracy was uniformly high (>90%) across tasks and age groups. However, performance was substantially lower for one question (D10), which assesses comprehension of the entire plotline. With increasing age, children did not become more likely to answer this question correctly, nor did hearing a model story improve performance. A qualitative analysis showed that incorrect answers often contained reasonable explanations showing advanced general inferencing abilities. In light of these results, an adjustment to the scoring of MAIN is recommended. For story structure, results showed significant effects of both age and task type, with higher scores in retelling and higher scores by the 8-year-olds. The 8-year-olds exhibited the same performance gap between telling and retelling as the 6-year-olds. There was also a significant effect of task order, showing a training effect from the first task to the second. The present study thus confirms previous findings that expressing story structure in a retelling task is easier than in a telling task, but showing this for the first time while controlling for task order and stimulus complexity in MAIN.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136209024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-09DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1243394
Mikel Peña, Ainize Sarrionandia
The media entertainment we consume significantly affects our behavior, our relationships, and our identity. Thus, this study focuses on some of the main problems of society today and analyzes how these variables are represented on Netflix. Specifically, this study analyzes how content related to mental health, violence, suicide, self-harm, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) appears in the ten most-watched movies and ten most-watched series on Netflix. To this end, a conceptual analysis method based on a 5-min interval coding is used. Results posit that violence is shown in 38.7% of the movie sections and 37.3% of the series. Suicide and self-harm appear, respectively, in 0.9% and 0% of the movies and 1.3 and 0.2% of the series. Regarding mental health, 0.5% of the analyzed individuals had a mental health diagnosis. Finally, none of the 220 main characters analyzed stated that they had HIV. Among the conclusions, the need to regulate violence in the media or to mitigate the impact it generates should be highlighted. Likewise, mental health, suicide, self-harm, and HIV have been observed not to have a realistic representation in fiction, which generates stigmatization.
{"title":"Mental health, violence, suicide, self-harm, and HIV in series and films of Netflix: content analysis and its possible impacts on society","authors":"Mikel Peña, Ainize Sarrionandia","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1243394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1243394","url":null,"abstract":"The media entertainment we consume significantly affects our behavior, our relationships, and our identity. Thus, this study focuses on some of the main problems of society today and analyzes how these variables are represented on Netflix. Specifically, this study analyzes how content related to mental health, violence, suicide, self-harm, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) appears in the ten most-watched movies and ten most-watched series on Netflix. To this end, a conceptual analysis method based on a 5-min interval coding is used. Results posit that violence is shown in 38.7% of the movie sections and 37.3% of the series. Suicide and self-harm appear, respectively, in 0.9% and 0% of the movies and 1.3 and 0.2% of the series. Regarding mental health, 0.5% of the analyzed individuals had a mental health diagnosis. Finally, none of the 220 main characters analyzed stated that they had HIV. Among the conclusions, the need to regulate violence in the media or to mitigate the impact it generates should be highlighted. Likewise, mental health, suicide, self-harm, and HIV have been observed not to have a realistic representation in fiction, which generates stigmatization.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135095999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-05DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1273514
Wendy Macias
American women are often in the role of being a health advocate, guide, or guardian for family and friends. An examination of gender differences is virtually absent from American-focused health communication literature. I review the topic from an international, professional, and historical perspective and include qualitative data from health communication professional interviews to document and explore this role. Explanatory themes of nature and nurture, as well as collectivism and having the ability to keep track of details, are explored as reasons why women take on these roles to a far greater degree than men. Suggestions for future research are included to encourage more health researchers to add to the academic literature.
{"title":"Women as American Family's health advocate, guide, or guardian: a health communication practitioners' perspective","authors":"Wendy Macias","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1273514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1273514","url":null,"abstract":"American women are often in the role of being a health advocate, guide, or guardian for family and friends. An examination of gender differences is virtually absent from American-focused health communication literature. I review the topic from an international, professional, and historical perspective and include qualitative data from health communication professional interviews to document and explore this role. Explanatory themes of nature and nurture, as well as collectivism and having the ability to keep track of details, are explored as reasons why women take on these roles to a far greater degree than men. Suggestions for future research are included to encourage more health researchers to add to the academic literature.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135481230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-05DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1244471
Alma Elisabeth Scholz, Jan Lenhart
Introduction Vegetarian or vegan diets are not yet popular with most men, though they are beneficial for both health and the environment. Men's low preference for such diets might stem from the prevalent association of meat with masculinity, and of veganism with femininity. Accordingly, linking vegan nutrition to masculinity might help to develop a favorable attitude toward plant-based diets in men. The present study examined the effects of a masculine framing of vegan dishes on men's attitudes toward vegan food and veganism, and explored whether adherence to traditional forms of masculinity might increase the effects of masculine framing. Methods We conducted an online experiment with a 2 (man vs. woman) x 2 (conventional vs. masculine framing) design, in which 593 adults participated. We measured participants' attitudes toward vegan dishes (dish ratings, hunger ratings) and veganism (veganism ratings, vegan scenarios ratings), the perceived suitability of the dishes for men and women as well as men's identification with new forms of masculinity. Results We found that a masculine framing of vegan dishes influenced the gender association of the dishes, weakening the link to femininity. However, masculine framing did not influence men's or women's attitudes toward the presented vegan dishes or veganism in general. Although the extent to which men identified with new forms of masculinity correlated positively with favorable attitudes toward veganism, new masculinity identification did - with an exception for the rating of the presented dishes - not moderate the effect of the experimental condition. Discussion Our findings suggest that the potency of a short-term intervention might not be sufficient to counterbalance the prevailing feminine connotations associated with veganism. Thus, we encourage further exploration of masculine framing to improve men's perception of vegan food and the vegan concept, but with stronger stimuli and/or longer intervention duration.
{"title":"Masculinity and veganism: the effect of linking vegan dishes with masculinity on men's attitudes toward vegan food","authors":"Alma Elisabeth Scholz, Jan Lenhart","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1244471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1244471","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Vegetarian or vegan diets are not yet popular with most men, though they are beneficial for both health and the environment. Men's low preference for such diets might stem from the prevalent association of meat with masculinity, and of veganism with femininity. Accordingly, linking vegan nutrition to masculinity might help to develop a favorable attitude toward plant-based diets in men. The present study examined the effects of a masculine framing of vegan dishes on men's attitudes toward vegan food and veganism, and explored whether adherence to traditional forms of masculinity might increase the effects of masculine framing. Methods We conducted an online experiment with a 2 (man vs. woman) x 2 (conventional vs. masculine framing) design, in which 593 adults participated. We measured participants' attitudes toward vegan dishes (dish ratings, hunger ratings) and veganism (veganism ratings, vegan scenarios ratings), the perceived suitability of the dishes for men and women as well as men's identification with new forms of masculinity. Results We found that a masculine framing of vegan dishes influenced the gender association of the dishes, weakening the link to femininity. However, masculine framing did not influence men's or women's attitudes toward the presented vegan dishes or veganism in general. Although the extent to which men identified with new forms of masculinity correlated positively with favorable attitudes toward veganism, new masculinity identification did - with an exception for the rating of the presented dishes - not moderate the effect of the experimental condition. Discussion Our findings suggest that the potency of a short-term intervention might not be sufficient to counterbalance the prevailing feminine connotations associated with veganism. Thus, we encourage further exploration of masculine framing to improve men's perception of vegan food and the vegan concept, but with stronger stimuli and/or longer intervention duration.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134976307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction The environmental impact of waste caused by single-use masks or face coverings is an under-considered effect associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the protective purpose of face masks and their potential environmental impacts through littering or waste management means the wearing of face masks is simultaneously associated with the health crisis and creation of a new environmental challenge, combining two strands of journalism. Methods Our study demonstrates how the discourse in British and Irish newspapers in the March 2020-December 2021 time frame relates to this problem. By a combination of quantitative and qualitative discourse analysis, we identify concepts commonly associated with the terms “face-covering” and “mask,” particularly concerning whether they refer to a disposable or reusable item. Results Results suggest that the newspaper discourse generally favored references to single-use surgical masks. Newspapers reported on the environmental impact of face masks only in very limited ways. Discussion We propose that the increase in waste caused by face masks can be related to prevailing representations of single-use surgical masks and limited attention paid to environmental concerns.
{"title":"British and Irish newspapers implicitly support single-use masks over reusable face coverings","authors":"Anaïs Augé, Thora Tenbrink, Morwenna Spear, Nathan Abrams","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256349","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction The environmental impact of waste caused by single-use masks or face coverings is an under-considered effect associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the protective purpose of face masks and their potential environmental impacts through littering or waste management means the wearing of face masks is simultaneously associated with the health crisis and creation of a new environmental challenge, combining two strands of journalism. Methods Our study demonstrates how the discourse in British and Irish newspapers in the March 2020-December 2021 time frame relates to this problem. By a combination of quantitative and qualitative discourse analysis, we identify concepts commonly associated with the terms “face-covering” and “mask,” particularly concerning whether they refer to a disposable or reusable item. Results Results suggest that the newspaper discourse generally favored references to single-use surgical masks. Newspapers reported on the environmental impact of face masks only in very limited ways. Discussion We propose that the increase in waste caused by face masks can be related to prevailing representations of single-use surgical masks and limited attention paid to environmental concerns.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135591004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-02DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1225306
Kentaro Nagai
This study examines how Japanese newspapers reporting the results of public opinion polls represent a unified picture of public opinion on environmental issues. Focusing on public opinion poll coverage, we argue that certain results are emphasized to the exclusion of others. To this end, this study analyzes articles and headlines of public opinion poll results on environmental issues published by three Japanese newspapers, the Asahi newspaper, the Yomiuri newspaper, and the Mainichi newspaper, from 1988 to 2010. In total, we located 64 articles that contain 179 headlines and subheadings. Findings suggest that the news coverage most often emphasized people's fears and concerns about environmental issues, followed by individuals' willingness to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors and practices, such as energy conservation and recycling. Overall, the headlines tend to give the impression that many respondents support this view. However, some media outlets that follow this trend selectively emphasize only one aspect of the poll results in their headlines without pointing out the existence of a conflict. They interpret poll results using second person or collective nouns to indicate the distribution of opinions. They then imply an overarching, unified public opinion that indicates a certain direction. This paper concludes that media representations of public opinion based on the results of Japanese public opinion polls on environmental issues legitimize existing political and economic structures and attribute responsibility for environmental problems to individuals.
{"title":"The representation of public opinion in reporting poll results on environment issues","authors":"Kentaro Nagai","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1225306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1225306","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines how Japanese newspapers reporting the results of public opinion polls represent a unified picture of public opinion on environmental issues. Focusing on public opinion poll coverage, we argue that certain results are emphasized to the exclusion of others. To this end, this study analyzes articles and headlines of public opinion poll results on environmental issues published by three Japanese newspapers, the Asahi newspaper, the Yomiuri newspaper, and the Mainichi newspaper, from 1988 to 2010. In total, we located 64 articles that contain 179 headlines and subheadings. Findings suggest that the news coverage most often emphasized people's fears and concerns about environmental issues, followed by individuals' willingness to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors and practices, such as energy conservation and recycling. Overall, the headlines tend to give the impression that many respondents support this view. However, some media outlets that follow this trend selectively emphasize only one aspect of the poll results in their headlines without pointing out the existence of a conflict. They interpret poll results using second person or collective nouns to indicate the distribution of opinions. They then imply an overarching, unified public opinion that indicates a certain direction. This paper concludes that media representations of public opinion based on the results of Japanese public opinion polls on environmental issues legitimize existing political and economic structures and attribute responsibility for environmental problems to individuals.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135896020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-02DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1201148
Aymen Nefaa
This article constitutes the first cognate study aiming at the verification of the genetic link between LSF (French Sign Language) and LST (Tunisian Sign Language) through a lexicostatistical analysis of both sign languages (SLs). To do this, an orthographic/graphic 100 basic lexical items list was utilized to elicit LST lexical items from Tunisian deaf signers with a mean age of 20.86 from three different governorates in the country (Tunis, Nabeul, and Douz). The lists were then compared to LSF lexical signs from two LSF dictionaries (Elix and IVT). Results of the lexicostatistical analysis between the varieties of LST in the three governorates and LSF suggest a proposed distant genetic relationship between the two SLs.
{"title":"Genetic relatedness of Tunisian Sign Language and French Sign Language","authors":"Aymen Nefaa","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1201148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1201148","url":null,"abstract":"This article constitutes the first cognate study aiming at the verification of the genetic link between LSF (French Sign Language) and LST (Tunisian Sign Language) through a lexicostatistical analysis of both sign languages (SLs). To do this, an orthographic/graphic 100 basic lexical items list was utilized to elicit LST lexical items from Tunisian deaf signers with a mean age of 20.86 from three different governorates in the country (Tunis, Nabeul, and Douz). The lists were then compared to LSF lexical signs from two LSF dictionaries (Elix and IVT). Results of the lexicostatistical analysis between the varieties of LST in the three governorates and LSF suggest a proposed distant genetic relationship between the two SLs.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135900104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-29DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1181805
Pauline Madella
In this paper, I build on Scott's relevance-theoretic account of contrastive stress. Contrastive stress works as an extra cue to ostension in altering the salience of a particular constituent in an utterance and, as a result, the salience of one particular interpretation of that utterance. I draw on Scott's argument that contrastive stress does not encode procedural meaning. Contrastive stress is un predictable and, as such, it is in confounding the hearer's expectations that it draws his attention to the accented word and prompt his search for different interpretive effects. I argue that contrastive stress is interpreted purely inferentially precisely because it is one of many pointing devices. It is to be interpreted by virtue of its interaction with other paralinguistic behaviors, all of which being different aspects of the same ostensive act of communication. This leads me to focus on the gestural nature of contrastive stress working as an act of pointing, which, as an ostensive communicative behavior, conveys that if you look over there, you'll know what I mean . Finally, I present the implications of analyzing contrastive stress in its multimodal context—as prosodic pointing—for the teaching and learning of L2 prosodic pragmatics and the development of interpretive abilities in the L2 hearer's mind.
{"title":"Relevance and multimodal prosody: implications for L2 teaching and learning","authors":"Pauline Madella","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1181805","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1181805","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, I build on Scott's relevance-theoretic account of contrastive stress. Contrastive stress works as an extra cue to ostension in altering the salience of a particular constituent in an utterance and, as a result, the salience of one particular interpretation of that utterance. I draw on Scott's argument that contrastive stress does not encode procedural meaning. Contrastive stress is un predictable and, as such, it is in confounding the hearer's expectations that it draws his attention to the accented word and prompt his search for different interpretive effects. I argue that contrastive stress is interpreted purely inferentially precisely because it is one of many pointing devices. It is to be interpreted by virtue of its interaction with other paralinguistic behaviors, all of which being different aspects of the same ostensive act of communication. This leads me to focus on the gestural nature of contrastive stress working as an act of pointing, which, as an ostensive communicative behavior, conveys that if you look over there, you'll know what I mean . Finally, I present the implications of analyzing contrastive stress in its multimodal context—as prosodic pointing—for the teaching and learning of L2 prosodic pragmatics and the development of interpretive abilities in the L2 hearer's mind.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"100 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135193443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1155747
Henk Erik Meier, Samuel Tickell, Mara Verena Konjer
Introduction Mega sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, provide niche sports with unique opportunities to attract public attention. However, scandals during these events can pose serious threats to these sports. In particular, if a sport scandal enables hostile stakeholders to achieve a scale shift, it becomes almost impossible for a niche sport organization to manage the scandal. Methods The article employs a comparative research design that examines the trajectory of two scandals related to the German Olympic team that differ with regard to the occurrence of a scale shift. The first scandal involved a racist slur made by a German official during a cycling event; the second scandal was a case of animal cruelty during the modern pentathlon's equestrian event. Research relies on a mix of qualitative document analyses and quantitative analyses of the German Twitter discourse on both scandals. The analyses focus on the vulnerability to scandals, the potential for contentious politics, the scandal triggering events, the crisis communication, the reception, and the outcomes of both scandals. Results and discussion Our results show the detrimental impact of a scale shift on niche sports. The animal cruelty scandal put the future of the modern pentathlon at the Olympics at risk and triggered far-reaching reforms. The case supports the idea that a scale shift becomes more likely if there exists an effective collective action frame. In contrast, the German sports organizations effectively ended the racist slur scandal by imposing a limited sanction on the offender.
{"title":"A tale of two scandals: scale shift and the inefficacy of crisis communication management in Olympic scandals","authors":"Henk Erik Meier, Samuel Tickell, Mara Verena Konjer","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1155747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1155747","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Mega sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, provide niche sports with unique opportunities to attract public attention. However, scandals during these events can pose serious threats to these sports. In particular, if a sport scandal enables hostile stakeholders to achieve a scale shift, it becomes almost impossible for a niche sport organization to manage the scandal. Methods The article employs a comparative research design that examines the trajectory of two scandals related to the German Olympic team that differ with regard to the occurrence of a scale shift. The first scandal involved a racist slur made by a German official during a cycling event; the second scandal was a case of animal cruelty during the modern pentathlon's equestrian event. Research relies on a mix of qualitative document analyses and quantitative analyses of the German Twitter discourse on both scandals. The analyses focus on the vulnerability to scandals, the potential for contentious politics, the scandal triggering events, the crisis communication, the reception, and the outcomes of both scandals. Results and discussion Our results show the detrimental impact of a scale shift on niche sports. The animal cruelty scandal put the future of the modern pentathlon at the Olympics at risk and triggered far-reaching reforms. The case supports the idea that a scale shift becomes more likely if there exists an effective collective action frame. In contrast, the German sports organizations effectively ended the racist slur scandal by imposing a limited sanction on the offender.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135424988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256452
Natalie Pennington, Linda Dam
Introduction Drawing on uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory, and related work, this research assessed how social factors relate to reported weekly use and behavioral intentions toward the use of wearable health trackers (WHT). Methods Through two studies we surveyed current users of WHT, including smartwatches, to better understand what factors encouraged engagement. Study One ( N = 333) consisted of a college student sample. Study Two ( N = 319) was conducted through an online panel from Prolific. Results For Study One, results suggested that connection, social comparison, and one's comfort with seeking support predicted weekly use, while need for support was a negative predictor of device use. In terms of behavioral intentions, connection and one's comfort with seeking support remained positive predictors. For Study Two, only one's comfort with seeking support predicted weekly use, while one's comfort with seeking support and social sharing both predicted behavioral intentions. Additional analysis in Study Two comparing users of dedicated WHT and smartwatches also found differences in terms of behavioral intentions and social sharing. Discussion Collectively, the two studies offer insight into what social factors contribute to the use of WHT, including evidence that one's need for support for exercise may serve as a barrier to WHT use.
{"title":"Social interaction, support preferences, and the use of wearable health trackers","authors":"Natalie Pennington, Linda Dam","doi":"10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256452","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Drawing on uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory, and related work, this research assessed how social factors relate to reported weekly use and behavioral intentions toward the use of wearable health trackers (WHT). Methods Through two studies we surveyed current users of WHT, including smartwatches, to better understand what factors encouraged engagement. Study One ( N = 333) consisted of a college student sample. Study Two ( N = 319) was conducted through an online panel from Prolific. Results For Study One, results suggested that connection, social comparison, and one's comfort with seeking support predicted weekly use, while need for support was a negative predictor of device use. In terms of behavioral intentions, connection and one's comfort with seeking support remained positive predictors. For Study Two, only one's comfort with seeking support predicted weekly use, while one's comfort with seeking support and social sharing both predicted behavioral intentions. Additional analysis in Study Two comparing users of dedicated WHT and smartwatches also found differences in terms of behavioral intentions and social sharing. Discussion Collectively, the two studies offer insight into what social factors contribute to the use of WHT, including evidence that one's need for support for exercise may serve as a barrier to WHT use.","PeriodicalId":31739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Communication","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135425266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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