From Virtual to Physical: An Exploratory Study on how Online Social Networks and Communities Influence Decision-Making in Everyday Crafting

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Lee, L.; Ocepek, M.

Abstract: The popularity of the maker movement has prompted extensive research on how the ... Expand

Abstract: The popularity of the maker movement has prompted extensive research on how the maker spirit enhances learning and redefines entrepreneurism. However, what is left unknown is the dynamic process of making as a hobby and how it may cut across virtual and physical media. To seal this gap, we conducted a qualitative study to investigate how online social networks and communities (OSNCs) may play a role in influencing making-related decisions. We carried out diary studies and semi-structured individual interviews with 25 arts and crafts hobbyists. The findings show that YouTube and Pinterest are the top two mentioned sources to facilitate ideation about what to make. Participants mostly turned to YouTube and Reddit to address problems when getting stuck. We demonstrate the direct and close relationship between tangible making and OSNCs as a multidimensional source, showing how virtual user-generated content can impact everyday hands-on practices. Collapse

Topics: YouTube decision making social network online community Pinterest

Methods: qualitative interview diary study triangulation personal interview qualitative content analysis

Theories: social practice theory

The World as an Interface: Exploring the Ethical Challenges of the Emerging Metaverse

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Smith, Carl H.; Molka-Danielsen, Judith; Rasool, Jazz; Webb-Benjamin, Jean-Brunel

Abstract: Mixed reality is emerging as the next phase of personal computing. Once Apple Gl ... Expand

Abstract: Mixed reality is emerging as the next phase of personal computing. Once Apple Glass is released augmented and mixed reality will go mainstream and the impact on our behaviour will be as dramatic as when the iPhone was released. In parallel, what used to be 2D webpages are becoming 3D worlds, collectively forming a meta universe of virtual or mixed reality domains -the ‘Metaverse’. Mixed reality is precisely where the best affordances of the digital and analogue worlds should work together to create entirely new interactive learning, social and economic opportunities. In this paper we reflect on how the physical world will itself become an interface making reality even more machine-readable, click-able, and searchable. We further propose how society will need to ensure that the appropriate boundary management is in place to allow us as co-creators of the metaverse to protect our ethical rights of privacy, integrity, and autonomy. Collapse

Topics: virtual reality smart device augmented reality web 2.0 extended reality

Methods: case study machine learning

Unpacking linguistic devices and discursive strategies in online social movement organizations: Evidence from anti-vaccine online communities

2022 | Information and Organization | Citations: 0

Authors: Bullini Orlandi, Ludovico; Veronesi, Gianluca; Zardini, Alessandro

Abstract: This study investigates linguistic devices and discursive strategies employed by ... Expand

Abstract: This study investigates linguistic devices and discursive strategies employed by online social movement organizations (SMOs) in attempts to deinstitutionalize long-standing, institutionalized behaviors. The research draws from an in-depth analysis of public discourse within anti-vaccine online communities in Italy and contributes to the social movement literature on framing and the theory of discursive institutionalization. It employs semi-automated text-analysis methods and interpretive analysis of textual data from seven anti-vaccine social media communities, before and subsequent to the 2017 regulatory intervention of the Italian government to increase vaccination rates. This intervention followed a phase of intense debate centered on the decrease in vaccination coverage and the spread of anti-vaccine ideas in social media as well as in the broader public discourse. The study analyzes the discursive strategies and linguistic devices of community leaders (moderators) and followers (members), and investigates shifts in micro-level online anti-vaccine discursive strategies that developed after the government regulation. The findings suggest that anti-vaccine online SMOs employ specific sets of linguistic devices, namely rhetorical fallacies, that support well-defined discursive strategies such as those aiming to dele­ gitimize actors that endorse vaccines. Furthermore, the evidence shows that these linguistic de­ vices and discursive strategies, after the government regulation, shift from an evidence-based stance towards values and emotions-based argumentations. Collapse

Topics: social media online community Facebook filter bubble pandemic

Methods: qualitative content analysis computational algorithm interpretative method natural language processing machine learning

New-Media Advertising and Retail Platform Openness

2022 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Jianqing; GUO, Zhiling

Abstract: We have recently witnessed two important trends in online retailing: The advent ... Expand

Abstract: We have recently witnessed two important trends in online retailing: The advent of new media (e.g., social media and search engines) has made advertising affordable for small sellers, and large online retailers (e.g., Amazon and JD.com) have opened their platforms to allow even direct competitors to sell on their platforms. We examine how new-media advertising affects retail platform openness. We develop a game-theoretic model in which a leading retailer, who has both valuation and awareness advantages, and a third-party seller, who sells an identical product, engage in price competition. We find that the availability of relatively low-cost advertising through new media plays a critical role in influencing the leading retailer to open its platform and to form a partnership with the third-party seller, which is impossible when the cost of advertising is relatively high. Low-cost advertising can increase consumer surplus either directly via the third-party seller’s advertising or indirectly via the partnership on the leading retailer’s platform. We also find that the leading retailer has a greater incentive to open its platform and that the partnership is more likely to be formed when there are network effects, when the leading retailer can control the third-party seller’s exposure on its platform, or when the leading retailer can offer a direct advertising service to the third-party seller. Meanwhile, the constraint on the third-party seller’s advertising budget can reduce the leading retailer’s incentive to open its platform, making a partnership less likely. Our analysis offers important insights into the underlying economic incentives that help explain the emerging open retail platform trend in the era of new-media advertising. Collapse

Topics: advertising management consumer surplus network effect IS economics product differentiation

Theories: game theory

Can Positive Online Social Cues Always Reduce User Avoidance of Sponsored Search Results?

2022 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 1

Authors: Deng, Honglin; Wang, Weiquan; Li, Siyuan; Lim, Kai

Abstract: Online social cues that utilize user-generated data, such as user reviews and pr ... Expand

Abstract: Online social cues that utilize user-generated data, such as user reviews and product ratings, have become one of the key factors influencing online user behavior and decisions. Online users who shared their reviews and ratings about a product (or a seller) become an abstract reference group to a focal user interested in the same product. This study focuses on sponsored search results (SSRs), a type of unsolicited information that matches users’ search queries and receives high evaluations from prior consumers. We investigate the effects of positive social cues on alleviating users’ avoidance responses toward an encountered SSR when searching for a product in a C2C e-commerce context. We synthesize the avoidance literature and identify three forms of SSR avoidance, namely, cognitive, behavioral, and affective avoidance. We apply users’ implicit concerns on SSRs to explain users’ avoidance of an encountered SSR. In addition, we extend social influence theory to online settings where abstract reference groups are posited to trigger social influence. We examine how and under what conditions the three forms of SSR avoidance can be reduced by various positive online social cues (i.e., product- and seller-related). We conduct three laboratory experiments. Results attest to users’ implicit concerns on SSRs and their avoidance of SSRs and reveal different effects of various social cues on reducing the three forms of SSR avoidance. This study uncovers the theoretical mechanisms of social influence on reducing SSR avoidance in online settings. It also offers practical implications for online search service providers to help online users’ decision making in their search process. Collapse

Topics: social influence advertising management electronic commerce marketing management search engine

Methods: experiment experimental group oculometry theory development experimental task

Theories: social influence theory

Hate Me Not: Detecting Hate Inducing Memes in Code Switched Languages

2022 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Rajput, Kshitij; Kapoor, Raghav; Rai, Kaushal; Kaur, Preeti

Abstract: The rise in the number of social media users has led to an increase in the hate ... Expand

Abstract: The rise in the number of social media users has led to an increase in the hateful content posted online. In countries like India, where multiple languages are spoken, these abhorrent posts are from an unusual blend of code-switched languages. This hate speech is depicted with the help of images to form "Memes" which create a long-lasting impact on the human mind. In this paper, we take up the task of hate and offense detection from multimodal data, i.e. images (Memes) that contain text in code-switched languages. We firstly present a novel triply annotated Indian political Memes (IPM) dataset, which comprises memes from various Indian political events that have taken place post-independence and are classified into three distinct categories. We also propose a binary-channelled CNN cum LSTM based model to process the images using the CNN model and text using the LSTM model to get state-of-the-art results for this task. Collapse

Topics: Twitter open source social media web 2.0 logistics management

Methods: support vector machine deep learning word embedding random forest classification experiment

An investigation of the drivers of social commerce and e-word-of-mouth intentions: Elucidating the role of social commerce in E-business

2021 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 0

Authors: Goraya, M. Awais Shakir; Jing, Zhu; Shareef, Mahmud Akhter; Imran, Muhammad; Malik, Aneela; Akram, M. Shakaib

Abstract: Building on social commerce (s-commerce) perspectives and the trust transfer the ... Expand

Abstract: Building on social commerce (s-commerce) perspectives and the trust transfer theory, this study develops a theoretical model that explains the indirect effects of two types of s-commerce attributes (community and platform) on behavioral outcomes (s-commerce intentions and e-Word-of-Mouth (e-WOM) intentions) through trust in community and platform. We analyze data collected from s-commerce users on travel booking websites using structural equation modeling technique. Results confirm that s-commerce intentions and e-WOM intentions are contingent upon s-commerce community and platform attributes. Moreover, the results provide evidence for the mediating effects of trust in community and platform on the relationship between s-commerce attributes and behavioral outcomes. The study provides further insights about the impact of s-commerce experience on s-commerce intention and e-WOM intention. Moreover, this study contributes to s-commerce research and practice by developing and validating the role of s-commerce community and platform attributes in forming consumers’ s-commerce behavioral outcomes. Collapse

Topics: website online word of mouth usability personalization business model

Methods: survey structural equation modeling descriptive statistic data transformation psychometrics

Early Exploration of MOOCs in the U.S. Higher Education: An Absorptive Capacity Perspective

2021 | ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Huang, Peng; Lucas, Henry C.

Abstract: Advanced information technologies have enabled Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC ... Expand

Abstract: Advanced information technologies have enabled Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which have the potential to transform higher education around the world. Why are some institutions eager to embrace this technology-enabled model of teaching, while others remain reluctant to jump aboard? Applying the theory of absorptive capacity, we study the role of a university's educational IT capabilities in becoming an early MOOC producer. Examining the history of MOOC offerings by U.S. colleges and universities, we find that prior IT capabilities, such as (1) the use of Web 2.0, social media and other interactive tools for teaching and (2) experience with distance education and hybrid teaching, are positively associated with the early exploration of MOOCs. Interestingly, we also find that the effect of educational IT capabilities is moderated by social integration mechanisms and activation triggers. For example, when instructional IT supporting services are highly decentralized, educational IT capabilities have a greater impact on the probability of a university offering a MOOC. In addition, for colleges facing an adverse environment, such as those experience a decline in college applications, the effect of IT capabilities on the exploration of MOOCs is much stronger. Collapse

Topics: online learning system information technology capability IT decentralization digital innovation logistics management

Methods: longitudinal research survey logistic regression factor analysis robustness check

Theories: absorptive capacity theory unified theory of acceptance and use of technology

Platform-based customer agility: An integrated framework of information management structure, capability, and culture

2021 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Huang, Pei-Ying; Niu, Ben; Pan, Shan L.

Abstract: Platform-based customer agility is the ability to leverage the voice of the cust ... Expand

Abstract: Platform-based customer agility is the ability to leverage the voice of the customer on a platform to achieve market intelligence and to explore competitive action opportunities. Prior studies have indicated the critical role of customer agility in enabling the survival and prosperity of contemporary organizations in a turbulent business environment, although how to develop this capability is not answered. The current research attempts to fill this theoretical gap. Drawing on the information management literature, we propose an integrative information management framework to investigate the process of developing customer agility. By conducting a case study of a leading e-commerce platform in China, we identify three types of platform-based customer agility (i.e. reactive customer agility, proactive customer agility, and coactive customer agility) in different phases of the growth of the platform. Furthermore, a process model is developed from the case study. It shows that platform-based customer agility is achieved by establishing information management structure, developing information man­ agement capability, and instilling information management culture. This study contributes to the knowledge on customer agility and information management. Detailed recommendations are also provided for potential practitioners. Collapse

Topics: information management electronic commerce website social media organization structure

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative coding case study business process modeling field study

From Acceptance to Adaptive Acceptance of Social Media Policy Change: a Set-Theoretic Analysis of B2B SMEs

2021 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Iannacci, Federico; Fearon, Colm; Pole, Kristine

Abstract: Drawing on theories of mindfulness, this paper aims to introduce the concept of ... Expand

Abstract: Drawing on theories of mindfulness, this paper aims to introduce the concept of adaptive acceptance of social media policy change in the context of Business-to-Business (B2B) Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) based in the South East of England. The paper adopts a quasi-experimental design based on the analysis of multiple cases with each case replicating prior findings either literally or theoretically. The study uses a mix of survey, interview, and electronic data informed by an innovative, set-theoretic approach to distill commonalities within positive cases and differences between positive and negative cases. It shows that attracting new customers and raising the company’s profile are necessary pre-requisites for adaptive acceptance of social media policy changes. In addition, these two conditions combined with learning to use social media effortlessly are jointly sufficient for adaptive acceptance. Theoretical, practical, and methodological implications are discussed. Collapse

Topics: social media business-to-business ease of learning perceived usefulness technology adoption

Methods: qualitative interview survey robustness check survey design qualitative comparative analysis

Theories: technology acceptance model theory of reasoned action