Pub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/20570473241264902
G. de Seta
The history of the internet in China is often narrated from the standpoint of infrastructural development, commercial growth, and social change—a framework that foregrounds governmental policies, corporate decisions, and large-scale public debates. And yet, in parallel to these processes, the widespread adoption of the internet and its domestication by hundreds of millions of Chinese users have resulted in a long history of digital folklore: everyday, vernacular practices responding to this new communication medium through creativity and invention. By extending the concepts of folk, the lore and the vernacular to the realm of digital media, the analytical framework of digital folklore helps understanding the relationship between creativity and new communication technologies. Drawing on a rich body of academic research on the topic, this short essay reviews three decades of Chinese digital folklore, highlighting the continuities and peculiarities of vernacular creativity throughout the country’s internet history.
{"title":"From ASCII lanterns to synthetic livestreams: Three decades of Chinese digital folklore","authors":"G. de Seta","doi":"10.1177/20570473241264902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241264902","url":null,"abstract":"The history of the internet in China is often narrated from the standpoint of infrastructural development, commercial growth, and social change—a framework that foregrounds governmental policies, corporate decisions, and large-scale public debates. And yet, in parallel to these processes, the widespread adoption of the internet and its domestication by hundreds of millions of Chinese users have resulted in a long history of digital folklore: everyday, vernacular practices responding to this new communication medium through creativity and invention. By extending the concepts of folk, the lore and the vernacular to the realm of digital media, the analytical framework of digital folklore helps understanding the relationship between creativity and new communication technologies. Drawing on a rich body of academic research on the topic, this short essay reviews three decades of Chinese digital folklore, highlighting the continuities and peculiarities of vernacular creativity throughout the country’s internet history.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141806643","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 : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1177/20570473241264895
Kaiping Chen
This essay offers a perspective of the evolution and current landscape of computational methods in Chinese Internet studies, paralleled with a personal academic journey. Starting from a project at Columbia University in 2012, I discussed the challenges and advancements in studying online interactions between Chinese local governments and citizens. Examining existing publications about Chinese Internets, I highlight several key shifts in research topics, the adoption of computational methods ranging from content analysis to the application of Large Language Models, pinpoint several underexplored areas including leveraging video as data and longitudinal designs, and look ahead to future directions in computational methods, including the role of artificial intelligence and the importance of integrating computational studies of Chinese Internet with fieldwork and historical analysis.
{"title":"Computational methods in Chinese Internet studies— An overview and looking ahead","authors":"Kaiping Chen","doi":"10.1177/20570473241264895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241264895","url":null,"abstract":"This essay offers a perspective of the evolution and current landscape of computational methods in Chinese Internet studies, paralleled with a personal academic journey. Starting from a project at Columbia University in 2012, I discussed the challenges and advancements in studying online interactions between Chinese local governments and citizens. Examining existing publications about Chinese Internets, I highlight several key shifts in research topics, the adoption of computational methods ranging from content analysis to the application of Large Language Models, pinpoint several underexplored areas including leveraging video as data and longitudinal designs, and look ahead to future directions in computational methods, including the role of artificial intelligence and the importance of integrating computational studies of Chinese Internet with fieldwork and historical analysis.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141807858","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 : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1177/20570473241263610
J. Asomah
The traditional mainstream media is often considered part of the capital and power network involved in corruption, casting doubt on the traditional media’s watchdog functions. This study examines whether social media can be a positive communicative tool for addressing corruption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data, Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, and the notion of citizen journalism as a form of social accountability, the study addresses key questions: As a communicative platform/tool, does social media provide utility toward the fight against corruption? In what ways does social media support or undermine the fight against corruption? Findings indicate that social media is a valuable communicative instrument for combating corruption. It offers an alternative platform for exposing corruption; naming and shaming offenders; and mobilizing, organizing, protesting, and demanding accountability. Nevertheless, the study reveals that social media routinely spreads fake news, propaganda, and misinformation, undermining its credibility as an effective anti-corruption communicative tool. This article contributes to the debate on whether social media is a valuable communicative tool in the fight against corruption, especially in the developing country context.
{"title":"Is social media a helpful communicative tool in combatting corruption in developing countries? Evidence from Ghana","authors":"J. Asomah","doi":"10.1177/20570473241263610","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241263610","url":null,"abstract":"The traditional mainstream media is often considered part of the capital and power network involved in corruption, casting doubt on the traditional media’s watchdog functions. This study examines whether social media can be a positive communicative tool for addressing corruption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and relevant secondary data, Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, and the notion of citizen journalism as a form of social accountability, the study addresses key questions: As a communicative platform/tool, does social media provide utility toward the fight against corruption? In what ways does social media support or undermine the fight against corruption? Findings indicate that social media is a valuable communicative instrument for combating corruption. It offers an alternative platform for exposing corruption; naming and shaming offenders; and mobilizing, organizing, protesting, and demanding accountability. Nevertheless, the study reveals that social media routinely spreads fake news, propaganda, and misinformation, undermining its credibility as an effective anti-corruption communicative tool. This article contributes to the debate on whether social media is a valuable communicative tool in the fight against corruption, especially in the developing country context.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141811318","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241254175
Heather Riddell
Crisis communication is not a linear communication occurrence as users seek out information from multiple sources and contribute their own opinions or frames to the discussion. This study focuses on a user-centered and public-oriented perspective of crisis communication on social media. The study investigated how users received and reacted to crisis communication messages from the media, organizations, and other users. A survey analyzed framed crisis communication consumption and examined source preferences for content and credibility during a crisis. Participants responded to crisis posts, determined overall source credibility, and indicated how they viewed crisis communication from other users. The results of this study indicate a needed shift in the role of media effects and an emphasis on credibility and reliance on organizational messages.
{"title":"Investigating social media users’ preferences of content and sourcing during a crisis","authors":"Heather Riddell","doi":"10.1177/20570473241254175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241254175","url":null,"abstract":"Crisis communication is not a linear communication occurrence as users seek out information from multiple sources and contribute their own opinions or frames to the discussion. This study focuses on a user-centered and public-oriented perspective of crisis communication on social media. The study investigated how users received and reacted to crisis communication messages from the media, organizations, and other users. A survey analyzed framed crisis communication consumption and examined source preferences for content and credibility during a crisis. Participants responded to crisis posts, determined overall source credibility, and indicated how they viewed crisis communication from other users. The results of this study indicate a needed shift in the role of media effects and an emphasis on credibility and reliance on organizational messages.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141362491","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241253630
Muammer Öztürk
Despite the abundance of studies exploring athletes’ self-presentation on social media, there is a notable scarcity of research focused on the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes within these digital spaces. This study investigates the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes representing Turkey in international competitions, on Instagram. By employing a netnographic approach, 645 highlighted stories from the Instagram of 5 athletes (female = 3 and male = 2) were subjected to analysis. The findings of the study reveal a distinction: Female athletes tend to emphasize their on-stage performances, whereas male athletes direct attention to their off-stage performances. In their on-stage performances, athletes gravitate toward showcasing posts related to awards earned from competitions. Conversely, in their off-stage performances, they opt to highlight familial and interpersonal relationships. This study has determined that disabled athletes prefer to highlight their on-stage performances on Instagram. This platform functions as a realm of validation for their accomplishments.
{"title":"Breaking the disability: Turkish disabled athletes’ self-presentation performances on Instagram","authors":"Muammer Öztürk","doi":"10.1177/20570473241253630","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241253630","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the abundance of studies exploring athletes’ self-presentation on social media, there is a notable scarcity of research focused on the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes within these digital spaces. This study investigates the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes representing Turkey in international competitions, on Instagram. By employing a netnographic approach, 645 highlighted stories from the Instagram of 5 athletes (female = 3 and male = 2) were subjected to analysis. The findings of the study reveal a distinction: Female athletes tend to emphasize their on-stage performances, whereas male athletes direct attention to their off-stage performances. In their on-stage performances, athletes gravitate toward showcasing posts related to awards earned from competitions. Conversely, in their off-stage performances, they opt to highlight familial and interpersonal relationships. This study has determined that disabled athletes prefer to highlight their on-stage performances on Instagram. This platform functions as a realm of validation for their accomplishments.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141362536","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241246291
Wenze Lu, Sing Bik Cindy Ngai
Effective government social media communication plays a crucial role in mitigating public panic amid various public health crises, such as the H1N1 pandemic, the Ebola epidemic, the Zika epidemic, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A research gap exists in investigating government official social media communication strategies and effects on public engagement at specific COVID-19 crisis stages. This study examines the COVID-19 communication strategies the Chinese government used and the corresponding effects on public engagement at different COVID-19 crisis stages on social media. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model, Framing Theory, and Situational Crisis Communication Theory are combined to develop a conceptual framework. Content analysis and coding were performed on two dimensions: health content theme (four sub-dimensions) and transparent communication style (three sub-dimensions). Public engagement was measured by the number of shares, comments, and likes. The results indicate a strong need for disease prevention information at the initial event/maintenance and resolution stages, while reassurance and government actions are highly valued at the resolution stage. Interactive features promote public engagement in key crisis stages.
{"title":"Social media communication and public engagement in different health crisis stages: The framing of COVID-19 in Chinese official media","authors":"Wenze Lu, Sing Bik Cindy Ngai","doi":"10.1177/20570473241246291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241246291","url":null,"abstract":"Effective government social media communication plays a crucial role in mitigating public panic amid various public health crises, such as the H1N1 pandemic, the Ebola epidemic, the Zika epidemic, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A research gap exists in investigating government official social media communication strategies and effects on public engagement at specific COVID-19 crisis stages. This study examines the COVID-19 communication strategies the Chinese government used and the corresponding effects on public engagement at different COVID-19 crisis stages on social media. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model, Framing Theory, and Situational Crisis Communication Theory are combined to develop a conceptual framework. Content analysis and coding were performed on two dimensions: health content theme (four sub-dimensions) and transparent communication style (three sub-dimensions). Public engagement was measured by the number of shares, comments, and likes. The results indicate a strong need for disease prevention information at the initial event/maintenance and resolution stages, while reassurance and government actions are highly valued at the resolution stage. Interactive features promote public engagement in key crisis stages.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141364531","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241253859
Oluseyi Adegbola, Olushola O. Aromona, Adeola Abdulateef Elega
A limited but growing body of research has explored the role of media and communication in cultivating engaged citizens in the new and established democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using representative data from the World Values Survey, this study advances the existing research by examining the differential gains model across four countries that differ in terms of democratization, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe. Findings suggest that the moderating effect of political talk on the association between news use and political engagement likely varies across countries that differ in terms of democratization. Specifically, we find support for the differential gains model across all forms of political engagement in Kenya, limited support in Nigeria and Ethiopia, and no support for the model in Zimbabwe. Implications for theory and suggestions for future inquiry are discussed.
{"title":"Differential gains from news use in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe: Variations in the moderating influence of political talk on engagement","authors":"Oluseyi Adegbola, Olushola O. Aromona, Adeola Abdulateef Elega","doi":"10.1177/20570473241253859","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241253859","url":null,"abstract":"A limited but growing body of research has explored the role of media and communication in cultivating engaged citizens in the new and established democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using representative data from the World Values Survey, this study advances the existing research by examining the differential gains model across four countries that differ in terms of democratization, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe. Findings suggest that the moderating effect of political talk on the association between news use and political engagement likely varies across countries that differ in terms of democratization. Specifically, we find support for the differential gains model across all forms of political engagement in Kenya, limited support in Nigeria and Ethiopia, and no support for the model in Zimbabwe. Implications for theory and suggestions for future inquiry are discussed.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141362766","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241253628
Gever Verlumun Celestine, Okoli Basil Chuka, Felix Olajide Talabi, A. Aiyesimoju, Joseph Moyinoluwa Talabi, A. A. Aderibigbe, S. Bello, Oberiri Destiny Apuke
Limited literature exists to explain why the masses comply or do not comply with orders from separatist groups. In this study, the researchers used variables from frustration-aggression theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and theory of fear to suggest a model that explains why operators of micro, small and medium enterprises comply with messages from Indigenous People of Biafra. The researchers made use of a descriptive survey research design with a structured questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. A total of 470 participants who were sampled using respondent-driven sampling chain referrals took part in the study. Results from the structural equation model analysis showed that predictors of compliance to Indigenous People of Biafra sit-at-home order among micro, small and medium enterprises operators include perceived injustice, believe in government as well as believe in Biafra agitation. Additional results showed that fear and information cues moderate this relationship. Recommendations are made based on the outcome of the study. The result of this study could inform policies on how to communicate messages aimed at addressing issues that have the potential of fuelling separatist agitations.
{"title":"Information cues and fear as moderators of the predictors of compliance to Indigenous People of Biafra sit-at-home communication messages among small-scale business operators in South-East Nigeria","authors":"Gever Verlumun Celestine, Okoli Basil Chuka, Felix Olajide Talabi, A. Aiyesimoju, Joseph Moyinoluwa Talabi, A. A. Aderibigbe, S. Bello, Oberiri Destiny Apuke","doi":"10.1177/20570473241253628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241253628","url":null,"abstract":"Limited literature exists to explain why the masses comply or do not comply with orders from separatist groups. In this study, the researchers used variables from frustration-aggression theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and theory of fear to suggest a model that explains why operators of micro, small and medium enterprises comply with messages from Indigenous People of Biafra. The researchers made use of a descriptive survey research design with a structured questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. A total of 470 participants who were sampled using respondent-driven sampling chain referrals took part in the study. Results from the structural equation model analysis showed that predictors of compliance to Indigenous People of Biafra sit-at-home order among micro, small and medium enterprises operators include perceived injustice, believe in government as well as believe in Biafra agitation. Additional results showed that fear and information cues moderate this relationship. Recommendations are made based on the outcome of the study. The result of this study could inform policies on how to communicate messages aimed at addressing issues that have the potential of fuelling separatist agitations.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141362199","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241254173
Alicen Rushevics
By mid-May of 2020, the United States surpassed 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. The nation was scrambling to make sense of the global pandemic amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Focusing on Biden’s pandemic-related speaking moments throughout the 2020 election, I attend to the way Biden lingers in the felt intensities of grief. With this, I illustrate how Biden’s articulations of grief rely on affective intensities which situate a personal grief in open relation to an invisible other, a reaching out, the towardness of which moves away from the particular and toward the singular collective—national grief. Utilizing affect theory, public feelings scholarship, and precedential expectations for presidential speech, I argue that Biden’s grief rhetoric, against the absence of any similar grief-related public address from Trump during this time, defines the emergence of an affective national body—a grieving public. This analysis weaves between notions of individual and collective loss and prompts wider questions of presidential responsibility in response to shared trauma.
{"title":"Intense impressions: Joseph R. Biden toward a 2020 national grief","authors":"Alicen Rushevics","doi":"10.1177/20570473241254173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241254173","url":null,"abstract":"By mid-May of 2020, the United States surpassed 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. The nation was scrambling to make sense of the global pandemic amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Focusing on Biden’s pandemic-related speaking moments throughout the 2020 election, I attend to the way Biden lingers in the felt intensities of grief. With this, I illustrate how Biden’s articulations of grief rely on affective intensities which situate a personal grief in open relation to an invisible other, a reaching out, the towardness of which moves away from the particular and toward the singular collective—national grief. Utilizing affect theory, public feelings scholarship, and precedential expectations for presidential speech, I argue that Biden’s grief rhetoric, against the absence of any similar grief-related public address from Trump during this time, defines the emergence of an affective national body—a grieving public. This analysis weaves between notions of individual and collective loss and prompts wider questions of presidential responsibility in response to shared trauma.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141366249","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 : 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1177/20570473241256987
Nicky Chang Bi, Ruonan Zhang, Peiqin Chen
Communicators often find it challenging to prioritize the public and manage their comments during risk communication. This study explored the effects of comments as interactivity cues on news diffusion while considering situational factors under the framework of the Situational Theory of Problem Solving in the context of the US-China trade conflict. For this purpose, the researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of interactivity cues and public segmentations on news sharing. The findings suggest that comments elicit different news-sharing behaviors among different segments of the public. The aware public shares more news than the activists/active public who are more likely to share when exposed to news posts with disabled comments than those with enabled comments. The results regarding the different segments of the public suggest the absence of the latent public in hot issues. Furthermore, the results suggest that message attributes have a limited effect on individuals’ information-processing behavior unless considering situational factors. The theoretical contributions and practical implications for communicators are further discussed.
{"title":"Interactive cue matters: The moderation role of situational factors in the effects of user comments on news sharing","authors":"Nicky Chang Bi, Ruonan Zhang, Peiqin Chen","doi":"10.1177/20570473241256987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241256987","url":null,"abstract":"Communicators often find it challenging to prioritize the public and manage their comments during risk communication. This study explored the effects of comments as interactivity cues on news diffusion while considering situational factors under the framework of the Situational Theory of Problem Solving in the context of the US-China trade conflict. For this purpose, the researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of interactivity cues and public segmentations on news sharing. The findings suggest that comments elicit different news-sharing behaviors among different segments of the public. The aware public shares more news than the activists/active public who are more likely to share when exposed to news posts with disabled comments than those with enabled comments. The results regarding the different segments of the public suggest the absence of the latent public in hot issues. Furthermore, the results suggest that message attributes have a limited effect on individuals’ information-processing behavior unless considering situational factors. The theoretical contributions and practical implications for communicators are further discussed.","PeriodicalId":44233,"journal":{"name":"Communication and the Public","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141363963","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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