74th ICA Conference
Find CNM at the 74th ICA Conference
The ICA (International Communication Association) Conference is the premier annual event for scholars and professionals in the field of communication. This prestigious conference brings together a diverse global community to present cutting-edge research, explore contemporary issues, and foster meaningful collaborations.
We are proud to announce that 31 of our faculty members and student researchers will be presenting their papers at the upcoming 74th ICA Conference this June. Their participation underscores our commitment to advancing the field of communication through innovative research and thought leadership.
Be sure to support our presenters and celebrate their achievements!
PROGRAMME
18th Jun
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
National University of Singapore
Chair(s): Subhayan Mukerjee, Shangyuan Wu, Tian Yang, Yilang Peng, Silvia Majo-Vazquez and Thorsten Quandt
Session Details: The proliferation of computational methods has broadened the scope of numerous sectors within communication studies, including in journalism, with an increasing number of scholars leveraging these state-of-the-art techniques to engage with pertinent issues in this domain. In parallel, journalism is itself currently experiencing profound shifts in its daily practices, business models, professional norms, content creation, and global societal impact. Much of journalism research now centers on automated, data, and immersive journalism. This day-long preconference aims to initiate substantive discussions among scholars of varied expertise and origins, and facilitate robust interdisciplinary collaborations into the methodological, theoretical, and practical aspects of computational journalism studies.
19th Jun
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
National University of Singapore
Chair(s): JI Pan
Discussant(s): Scott Mcquire, Wei Sun and Audrey Yue
Session details: Related to the objectives of the pre-conference, the event will start with two keynote speeches delivered by Prof. Scott McQuire from Melbourne University, and Prof. Sun Wei from Fudan University.
The second part of the conference will be conducted in the form of a series of high-quality presentations, featuring a nice mix of methodology, theory, histography and thick description of media practices. All presentations share a focus on city networks in intelligent communication.
The third part comprises a number of interactive workshops. Presenters and other participants will exchange their experience of relating history, methods and theory in their studies of city networks in Asia, US, Australia or other contexts. We will assign well-prepared hosts to encourage participants to interact and engage with other scholars around the theme.
20th Jun
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Room 8 (GCCEC Upper)
Chair(s): Nojin Kwak, Marko Skoric, Tetsuro Kobayashi, Muneo Kaigo, Natalie Pang, Baohua Zhou and Scott Campbell
Session details: This preconference aims to showcase innovative scholarly work examining various subjects concerning the role of social media, mobile phones, and other new communication technologies in the formation of democratic citizenship writ large—in Asia. The preconference seeks studies that address relevant topics in a particular Asian country, and comparative research on Asian countries or Asian and non-Asian countries is also welcome.
21st Jun
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
HALL 4 (GCCEC Ground)
Contextual Factors Associated With Problematic Gaming: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey on Chinese Online Video Game Players
Wenjing Pan; Zicheng Zhu; Zijun Shao; Renwen Zhang; Xiaoning Han
Abstract:Problematic gaming has detrimental effects on individuals’ mental and physical health. Numerous studies have been published to study what factors are associated with problematic gaming. However, past research has mostly focused on individual characteristics, while ignoring the contextual factors related to problematic gaming. Taking the social-ecological system model as a framework, this study examined chronosystem, microsystem, and exosystem factors associated with one’s problematic gaming. By conducting a cross-sectional survey on massively multiplayer online video game players in China (N = 1201), the current study found that individual workload and friends’ problematic gaming behaviors were significantly associated with their problematic gaming behaviors, while individuals’ game literacy was not. Furthermore, these direct effects were mediated through individuals’ ability to self-control over gaming. Implications were discussed in terms of social contextual factors contributing to problematic gaming.
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
Stradbroke Room (Star L2)
Impact of Social Media Curation, Elaboration, and Discussion Heterogeneity on Perceived Network Agenda Alignment and Crisis Responses
Chih-Hui Lai; Anita Kueichun Liu
Abstract: Building on the OSROR (orientation-stimuli-reasoning-orientation-response) framework, this study examines how receiving crisis information from different types of curators on social media would shape individuals’ assessment of whether their perceived interconnected issues align with those considered by the government and news media, that is, perceived network agenda alignment. We also investigate how social media curation predicts individuals’ support for the government’s COVID-19 policies and engagement in preventive actions and the possible mediating and moderating mechanisms involved. The analysis of two-wave panel survey data in Taiwan showed that receiving COVID-19 related information from institutional curators (e.g., news media and the government) on social media predicted perceived network agenda alignments with the government and news media indirectly through elaboration. Social media curation was also related to policy support indirectly through elaboration. The indirect relationships between social media curation and network agenda alignment with the government/policy support varied by the extent to which individuals perceived opinion disagreement in their discussion networks on social media. Moreover, both types of network agenda alignments were positively associated with policy support; policy support, but not network agenda alignments, predicted individuals’ engagement in protective action taking.
10:30 AM - 11:45 PM
Room 5 (GCCEC Upper)
The Pain of Love: Unemployment, Spousal Support, and the Politics of Passion
Renyi Hong
Abstract: The emotional drain of unemployment culture has increased the pressure on spousal support: the emotional labor expected of wives to support husbands, to ensure that the latter maintains motivation for re-employment. This essay examines the politics of this demand through the lens of passion, a paradigmatic post-Fordist affect that has come to structure work. Reviewing websites, YouTube videos, and Reddit threads, I illustrate how the loss of purpose is presented as primary problem of job loss, and how women are coaxed and disciplined to recuperate the motivational structures of unemployed husbands. Passion organizes these efforts, delineating not only the complex work that women must do to show “support,” but organizing the punitive outcomes that “lazy husbands” must face through women’s decisions. In this way, passion individualizes structural harm, justifying the withdrawal of welfare aid and state responsibility under the guise that unemployment’s problems are issues of private marital affairs.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Arena 1A (GCCEC Ground)
Underdog Statistics on Vaccine Side Effects? Misleading Health Statistics and Censorship Accusations in Hard-to-Regulate Digital Platforms
Ozan Kuru
Abstract: Vaccine side effects are mis-contextualized on hard-to-regulate digital platforms such as health blogs and messaging applications where posters engage in pseudo-statistical analyses of vaccine safety and accuse authorities\platforms with censorship. Do these tactics fuel and spread misinformed beliefs, especially among people with higher trust in science and populist-conspiratorial beliefs? A pre-registered experiment on N = 1,225 individuals compared COVID-19 vaccine side effect misinformation that had included statistical details (vs. none), censorship accusation (vs. none), and were presented as a health blog or WhatsApp post (platform replication). Censorship accusation reduced respondents’ intention to share the misinformation. Presence of pseudo-statistical details and censorship claims interacted significantly; when they were combined, it led to stronger belief in the accuracy of misinformation. While respondents’ trust in science did not condition the effects of scientific-looking statistics, both populist views and conspiratorial views conditioned the effects of censorship accusation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Arena 1B (GCCEC Ground)
Topic Territoriality and the Cost of Civility: Examining the Impact of IP Address Disclosure on Weibo
Chao Yu; Drew Margolin
Abstract: This paper introduces the concept of “topic territoriality,” a mechanism that manages participation in conversational spaces. When a discussion has territorial topics, individuals are more likely to claim topics: participating in discussions about topics they own as “stakeholders” and reducing participation in topics owned by others (i.e., deferring). They are also more likely to patrol topic boundaries: monitoring who is participating and confronting topic “intruders.” We document the operation of topic territoriality by analyzing 112,278 conversations on Weibo before and after a policy that reveals users’ broad geographic locations. We find that revealing these locations increased territorial behaviors, leading to more homogenous participation in conversations. Although the display of locations has improved the overall civility in language, the confrontations between stakeholders and intruders became more toxic. Our research emphasizes the impact of topic territoriality in online conversations and sheds light on the unintended consequences of social media policies.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Surfer's Paradise 2 (Star L3)
Illusion of Knowing in Colorectal Cancer Prevention: From Media Attention to Efficacy Perception and Screening Intention
Thomas Zhang; Yu Tong; Jinyuan Zhan; Rongxin Ouyang
Abstract: Laypersons may have less factual knowledge to make reasoned decisions for obscure medical issues. In this case, they are likely to rely on their illusion of knowing (IOK) as a cognitive mechanism to facilitate preventive outcomes. However, pathways underlying this dynamic process remain underexplored in cancer communication. Guided by political and science communication literature, this study considered IOK a cognitive heuristic that could positively contribute to cancer prevention outcomes. We proposed a conceptual model recognizing IOK as the mediator links, paying attention to media channels and two types of health outcomes: efficacy perception as a cognitive outcome and screening intention as a behavioral outcome. Using an online survey conducted among the Chinese respondents (N=965) in the context of colorectal cancer, we found that paying attention to cancer information from traditional and digital media were positively associated with IOK, which, in turn, contributed to two prevention outcomes. The results further revealed indirect pathways, showing that IOK was the significant mediator in this dynamic health learning process. We offered conceptual guidance for future research and health promotion practices.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Coolangatta 3 (Star L3)
Chair(s): Tian Yang, Yilang Peng and Subhayan Mukerjee
Discussant(s): Kokil Jaidka
The Varied Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on News Media Diets: Evidence From Longitudinal Analysis of Web Traffic Data in Three Asian Countries
Subhayan Mukerjee; Mohammad Haque; Taberez A. Neyazi
Abstract: How do people change their news consumption patterns during a pandemic? One line of research suggests that during times of crisis, people diversify their media diets to look up information from new sources. Another line of research suggests the opposite: anxiety drives people to gravitate towards known, reputable sources. We address this debate by investigating the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on people's media diets in India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Combining Interrupted Time Series models with network analysis on web traffic data (109,000 individuals; 409 media outlets), we sought to estimate immediate as well as sustained changes in various aspects of the news consumption landscape, following the public awareness of the pandemic. While we identified several key trends in the three countries, none of them were consistent across all. Such variations underscore the unique effects of the pandemic on news consumption, emphasizing the importance of contextual nuances in our interpretations.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
HALL 3 (GCCEC Ground)
The Mainstreaming of ‘Alternative Media’. Transformations and Limitations of a Core Concept in Journalism Research
Thorsten Quandt; Saïd Unger; Shangyuan Wu
Abstract: Research on alternative news media has seen a rising interest in communication science. This computational content analysis explores the use of the concept in academic articles, spotlighting regional differences based on author affiliation and examining topic evolution over time. The findings reveal a pronounced dominance of Western-centric narratives, resulting in a mainstreaming of topics focused on US and European interests, with an emphasis on issues like disinformation and partisanship. While a niche topic discussing non-Western perspectives was identified, its prevalence was in steep decline. The research underscores the pressing need to rethink 'alternative media' beyond a Western framework. It advocates for more comprehensive analyses that acknowledge diverse socio-political contexts, promoting a more inclusive and nuanced academic discourse on the subject.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Southport 3 (Star L3)
Analysis of Supportive Communication Within HIV Online Support Groups Based on TVDM Social Network Information Propagation Dynamics Model: A Perspective of Information Ecology
Hongyuan Gan; Jinyuan Zhan
Abstract: Utilizing digital health technologies for mental health and medical knowledge during HIV/ADS prevention becomes an emphasis proposed by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and supportive communication within HIV online support groups can be its cutting point. Although previous research has delved into the social network structure of HIV online support groups and the content effects on support information, there remains a dearth of exploration about support information propagation within HIV online support groups. Based on information ecology theory, this research collects posts (n=1401), comments (n=2402) and reposts (n=1415) from December 2nd, 2016 to August 11th, 2023 within HIV online support groups on Sina Weibo and classes them into emotional and informational support information by SVM model, aiming at quantifying support information propagation probability based on the Time-Varying Damping Motion (TVDM) social network information propagation dynamics model, clustering each type of support information’s propagation patterns based on T-SC time series clustering algorithm, and exploring factors of propagation probability with principal component regression. It is found that emotional support information has one propagation pattern while informational one has two. In particular, emotional support information tends to hold a higher propagation probability than informational one, while informational support information likely propagates multiple times. Furthermore, besides network-structural positive effects, the time interval between user posting and user encountering information is negatively associated with information propagation probability. This research provides insight into HIV digital prevention and caring for HIV patients' mental well-being.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Surfer's Paradise 1 (Star L3)
Moral Attributes of Civic Engagement: A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Moral Motivation in Political Participation
Yifei Wang; Saifuddin Ahmed; Kokil Jaidka
Abstract: Political participation is essential for citizens to defend themselves and promote the common good. Scholarship has extensively examined the push and pull forces underneath political participation. One prominent thread of literature adopts a rational actor perspective and conducts the cost-benefit analysis. While such analysis can answer why people choose to opt out of political engagement, it may not explain why people remain engaged in politics despite high costs. In filling this research gap, this study explores how moral incentives motivate civic engagement at different risk levels. Through the World Value Survey (WVS), this paper examined the moderating role of moral attitudes in the relationship between political interest and political participation. We found that the moderating effect varies across cultural regions and political participation at different risk levels. In addition, we discussed the underlying cultural mechanisms and the political impact of morality-driven actions. In general, this study reveals the pivotal role of morality in political participation and discusses directions for future research.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Surfer's Paradise 3 (Star L3)
Racial Bias in AI: How Does Training Data Representativeness Affect Layperson Perceptions of Fairness?
Cheng Chen; Eunchae Jang; S. Shyam Sundar
Abstract: Do laypersons realize that training data representativeness can affect AI performance? Through three experiments, we found that (1) laypersons tend to think that facial features matter more than racial representativeness of training data for fairness (Study 1); (2) seemingly good performance by an AI system makes users ignore racially unrepresentative training data (Study 2); and (3) users from minority race tend to call out racially biased representation, but not absence of minority representation (Study 3).
22nd Jun
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
HALL 4 (GCCEC Ground)
Beyond the Exit Row: Navigating Passenger Rights and Airline Policies
Cindy Ho; Sean Chaidaroon
Abstract: In this instructional approach, instructors and students delve into a case involving Singapore Airlines, Singapore’s flagship carrier, and a passenger with a congenital amputation. This passenger had accused Singapore Airlines of discrimination after she was refused a seat at the emergency exit row, claiming that the staff did not treat her like a “human being”. Concepts relating to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and three activities will scaffold students into comprehending the complexities relating to diversity in public and shared places, and stakeholders’ needs. A strategic communication and leadership perspective will also be employed to intensify this conundrum. Students are encouraged to examine their own privileges and how these have informed their own opinions on this seemingly contradictory interplay of individual rights, inclusivity principles and safety regulations.
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
Central A (GCCEC Ground)
Messaging Applications and Misinformation: A Systematic Review
Anita Kueichun Liu; Ozan Kuru
Abstract: Messaging applications, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, have emerged as pivotal players in spreading misinformation, significantly impacting users’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors on various issues. This has led to substantive scholarly attention on this topic in recent years. Using diverse theoretical and methodological approaches across many countries and settings, various studies have investigated the content and technological design as well as informational and social processes to understand how misinformation gets amplified on these platforms. To consolidate this emerging literature, there is a need for systematically detecting and understanding the issues and patterns of findings on messaging applications and misinformation. The current study addresses this need by providing a substantive systematic review of the research to date on messaging applications and misinformation. Reviewing 109 research reports (articles, chapters, conference papers) published from 2017 to August 2023., we conducted a computational topic modeling assisted systematic coding and analysis of the articles. We found that research on misinformation within messaging applications predominantly focuses on politics and health areas, with WhatsApp as the platform and the Global South as the context. We identify and discuss in detail nine topics in the results. Broadly, findings highlighted the role of personalized trust relationships as contributing to the belief in and dissemination of misinformation. Effective strategies against misinformation, such as detection tools, fact-checking, and enhancing media literacy pay particular attention to “social corrections” and norms within messaging groups. We discuss the implications of these findings for the theoretical and methodological contours of this emerging, consolidating field.
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
Broadbeach (Star L3)
Using Generative AI to Provide Social Support to People Seeking Help in an Online Depression Community
Jingbo Meng; Renwen Zhang; Jiaying Hu; Yu Jen Lee; Joana Videira; Yi-Chieh Lee
Abstract: Using generative AI to provide supportive communication could be beneficial to online health communities with a lack of support providers and to laypeople who need assistance to generate communication messages. The study presented help-seeking messages selected from the depression community on Reddit to participants. It examined how participants made use of a state-of-the-art generative AI, ChatGPT, to provide supportive messages to help-seekers. Moreover, the study compared supportive messages from participants who did not use ChatGPT (i.e., human-only), who used ChatGPT’s message in its original form (i.e., AI-only), and who modified ChatGPT’s message with human touches (i.e., human-AI collaboration). The preliminary results showed that AI-only messages outperformed human-only messages in providing emotional and informational support, but supportive messages by human-AI collaboration outperformed AI-only messages in providing more personal experience and contingency on the support-seeker’s situation. Ongoing data collection and further analysis will be conducted to compare perceived supportiveness across supportive messages.
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM; Coolangatta 3 (Star L3)
Visibility Labour and Literacies From Networked Social Media to Gated Messaging Communities
Natalie Pang; Crystal Abidin
Abstract: WhatsApp is a platform that presents particularly unique features as an instant messaging platform with social networking affordances, especially regarding its use in group chats where the social dynamics are the most complex, and where individuals have to negotiate, manage, and sometimes restrict their visibilities to align with cultural norms. In this research, we focus on how individuals negotiate and practise visibility across different communicative settings in chat groups, using WhatsApp as a platform of study. We base our analysis on a study of WhatsApp groups, with interviews carried out with individuals from Singapore and Australia in 2019 and 2020. We find individuals engaging in the practices of reciprocal visibility when there are drives for them to do so across their chat groups. This is done by building on a sense of developing micro-publics – when individuals draw on the affordances of WhatsApp as well as cultural norms to drive their practices.
9:00 AM - 10:15 PM
Southport 3 (Star L3)
Chairs(s): Susan Luckman and Devon Powers
Participant(s): Michelle Phillipov, Mark Gibson, Dan Guadagnolo, Jinna Tay and Alexander Lambert
Superparadoxicalfragilistic Media: The Alternative Players in Singapore
Jinna Tay; Alexander Lambert
Abstract: The Singapore media space is largely differentiated from most other nation-states as it is small but wealthy, authoritarian but populist. It is a media ecology that is paradoxical in every way. The largest media players in this ecology are the State organizations, and yet of late, alternative media players have made their way into this ecology and are serious contenders for the ‘attention’ of the largely well-educated urban citizens, especially the youth. According to Reuters Institute, Mothership, one of the independent media ranked first as the most read online news source in Singapore. While not as widely circulated, many of the other alternative media demonstrate a diversity of representation and content that have set the agenda (politically and socially) through the issues they have curated. This paper investigates the strategies these media players have adopted to survive State interventions whilst balancing financial and legal means to stay afloat and remain popular.
10:30 AM - 11:45 PM
Surfer's Paradise 3 (Star L3)
Linking Uncertainty Avoidance to Emotional Health: The Roles of Health-Related Social Media Use and Perceived Patient-Centredness
Annabel Ngien; Qiaofei J. Wu; Shaohai Jiang
Abstract: Individuals are increasingly using social media for health-related purposes. However, factors influencing health-related social media use and its impact on emotional health are unclear. There is a need to identify underlying mechanisms linking social media health use to emotional health. Moreover, as media use is affected by cultural factors, it is important to examine any cultural antecedents of health-related social media use. Based on the O-S-O-R model, this study tested a mediation model connecting uncertainty avoidance to emotional health. Our findings demonstrate that uncertainty avoidance had a direct and negative effect on emotional health. At the same time, this relationship is mediated by health-related social media use and perceived patient-centredness. This paper provides crucial implications for subsequent research and health practitioners to build social media interventions for health promotion from a culturally sensitive perspective.
10:30 AM - 11:45 PM
Stradbroke Room (Star L2)
Chair(s): Narayani Vedam
Polarization Beyond Echo-Chambers: Exploring Cascading Neighborhood Effects in Networked Online Groups Through an Agent-Based Framework
Narayani Vedam; Subhayan Mukerjee; Prasanta Bhattacharya
Abstract: Affective polarization, is increasingly recognized as a pervasive issue in democracies worldwide, posing a threat to social cohesion. The digital media ecosystem, now widely accessible and ever-present, has been implicated in accelerating this phenomenon. However, the precise causal mechanisms driving affective polarization have been a subject of extensive debate. While echo chambers, characterized by like-minded groups devoid of dissenting views, have been the prevailing hypothesis, accumulating empirical evidence suggests a more nuanced perspective. This study employs an agent-based model to elucidate how affective polarization is influenced by individual news consumption and dissemination patterns based on ideological alignment. Three key parameters are considered: (1) Affective asymmetry in engagement with in-party vs. out-party content, (2) Proportion of in-party members in one's social network, and (3) Partisan bias among elites. This approach illuminates the macro-level changes in affective polarization within digital environments, revealing the interplay between individual behaviors, social networks, and information exposure.
10:30 AM - 11:45 PM
Kirra Boardroom (Star L2)
Moderator(s): Kim Walsh-Childers
Participant(s): Merryn McKinnon, Czerne Reid, Steve Harrison, Soo Jung Hong and Kathryn Thier
Teaching Science and Health Journalists to Report on Uncertainty
Soo Jung Hong
Abstract: As a critical conduit between experts and the public, journalists play a pivotal role in effectively communicating diverse risks. When conveying risk information to the public, the news media significantly shape public perceptions of risk and uncertainty. While disseminating information to broad audiences, journalists should provide accurate and comprehensive information, avoiding the fostering of biased risk perceptions among the public to support their informed decision-making. However, it's also essential to acknowledge that scientific uncertainty is an inherent aspect of science and cannot be eliminated from news reporting. Determining the appropriate level of transparency is a challenging question, particularly in our current media environment where misinformation and disinformation are pervasive. Should journalists report all conflicting findings from various sources, potentially increasing perceived uncertainty? Alternatively, to reduce potential confusion, should journalists exercise more discretion in highlighting or framing the news rather than following the principles of precautionary science and reporting diverse opinions?
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM; Southport 2 (Star L3)
Chair(s): Rongxin Ouyang
Visual Narratives in the Digital Age: Enhancing Online Content Analysis Through Automatic Image Captioning
Rongxin Ouyang; Kokil Jaidka; Subhayan Mukerjee
Abstract: In the rapidly evolving domain of online content analysis using computer vision techniques, a significant research gap has emerged: while many existing methods focus on image features like textures and gradients, they may overlook its text, symbols, objects, and gestures. Image captions - whether manual or automatic - can play a pivotal role either independently or in conjunction with visual cues in creating scalable approaches for image characterization or even high-precision tasks such as symbol detection or misinformation detection. Our study applies and compares the efficacy of automatic image captioning APIs at explaining visual content and contributing to the improvement of visual classification tasks. By adding in the automatic image caption features, we demonstrate a notable enhancement in the detection of hateful memes. Our results show a 10% improvement over text-only methods, offering a promising avenue for more effective online content moderation.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Surfer's Paradise 3 (Star L3)
Psychological Mechanisms Behind Deepfake Reception
María T. Soto-Sanfiel; Ariadna Angulo-Brunet; Sanjay Saha
Abstract:Hyper-realistic AI-generated synthetic media, known as deepfakes, manipulate appearances and actions, often depicting fabricated events. As their realism advances with evolving technologies, they offer more and more potential for both harmful deception and creative innovation. This study explores how individuals interact with deepfakes of different genres when they are aware of their artificial nature. It proposes a model connecting reactions to deepfakes to the psychological processes involved in responses to fictional narratives. A total of 1031 US participants (MAge = 43.1, SD = 14.0, RangeAge = 18-93) watched randomly assigned deepfakes of five different genres, of which there were two possible examples of each. After watching each deepfake, they completed a series of questionnaires on protagonist familiarity, narrative transportation, realism, enjoyment, and sharing intentions. The results confirm that, regardless of genre, narrative transportation prompts positive evaluations of perceptual quality and narrative consistency, which influences enjoyment. Greater enjoyment and familiarity with the protagonist correspond to heightened sharing intentions. Furthermore, sharing intention rises with greater transportation and protagonist familiarity. These findings address gaps in our understanding of how people respond to deepfakes, providing insights for fake, entertainment, and narrative research.
To Share or Not to Share Deepfakes on Social Media: Exploring Individual Motivations
María T. Soto-Sanfiel; Ariadna Angulo-Brunet; Sanjay Saha
Abstract:This research applies Uses and Gratifications theory to examine individual motivations for sharing or not sharing deepfakes. After characterizing popular deepfakes in five genres (two examples each), 1035 US participants (42% female; Age: M = 42.8, SD = 14.1, Mdn = 41, Range = 18–93) watched one of the ten deepfakes and completed a questionnaire in Prolific. Results show that most participants would not share the deepfakes due to a lack of personal relevance. However, those who did intend to share them had hedonistic motivations, mostly enjoyment and the desire to share entertainment with others. The genre of these deepfakes also influenced motivations to share, with political deepfakes being a particularly specific case, and one where gender also had a greater impact. Women avoid sharing inaccurate information to a greater extent and men are more inclined to protect their image in social circles. Overall, this research highlights how audiences dynamically relate to deepfakes and offers insights into the psychological aspects of their relationships with this emerging media form. It also underscores the significance of the perceived entertainment value of deepfakes in their virality.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Stradbroke Room (Star L2)
Presumed Influences of Misinformation on Self and Similar and Different Others: The Roles of Perceived Misinformation Prevalence and Network Structures on Social Media and Messaging Apps
Chih-Hui Lai; Anita Kueichun Liu
Abstract: This study examines the determinants and outcomes of individuals’ presumed influences of misinformation on self and similar and different others, paying particular attention to the mediating and moderating mechanisms involved. Analysis of an online survey conducted in Taiwan showed that individuals’ perceptions that others were exposed to COVID-19 related misinformation on social media and messaging apps were related to increased levels of perceived misinformation prevalence on these platforms, which in turn predicted presumed risks of misinformation on self and similar/different others, as well as presumed affective influences of misinformation on self and similar/different others. Ultimately, presumed risks and affective influences on self and others were associated with individuals’ support for misinformation regulation and engagement in misinformation correction. Moreover, the relationship between perceived misinformation prevalence and presumed risks on self and different others was moderated by perceived network homogeneity on social media and messaging apps.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
HALL 1+2 (GCCEC Ground)
Defining “Alternative Media” in the Non-West: Uncovering Variations of “Alternativeness” in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East
Shangyuan Wu; Thorsten Quandt; Said Unger
Abstract: Academic scholarship on alternative media remains Western-centric, creating the view that “alternative media” should present to audiences counter-hegemonic content and contribute to social movements and active citizenship. This paper highlights the importance of recognizing “alternativeness” as context-specific, offering crucial perspectives on how alternative media is viewed in different regions in the non-West, through a systematic qualitative analysis of top-cited articles from each region. Ultimately, it proposes five factors that influence this non-Western conception of alternativeness.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Southport 2 (Star L3)
Mapping the Landscape of Online Discourse on Climate Change-Displaced Populations: A Topic Modeling Analysis With BERTopic
Haomin Lin; Sophia Fu; Renwen Zhang; Katherine Scrivani; Cythia Chen
Abstract:Climate change-related events have resulted in significant damage to the natural environment, leading to social problems represented by climate displacement. Previous research has highlighted the challenges faced by climate change-displaced populations and the assistance provided by various categories of actors. Yet, a synthesis of the topics around climate displacement is still missing. Mapping the landscape of related online discourse can offer an insightful understanding of the opinions and actions associated with climate displacement. Utilizing Twitter data, this study employed the ANTMN framework along with BERTopic to conduct a topic modeling analysis on online discourse related to climate displacement. Our analysis identified 17 topics and grouped them into 3 topic community clusters. The results revealed the primary focuses of climate displacement-related discourse, which span the effects of climate displacement, actions for helping climate change-displaced populations, and sustainability. A finer-grained analysis of climate displacement-related discourse under three different categories of climate change-related events discovered that long-lasting climate change-related discourse plays an important role in online discourse and indicates the prospective development of public attention to climate displacement.
23rd Jun
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Central C (GCCEC Ground)
The Effects of Collectivism and Social Media on Physical Exercise: A Cross-Country Comparative Study in China and the United States
Annabel Ngien; Shaohai Jiang
Abstract: Social media is an increasingly important platform for acquiring health information. However, its effects on health outcomes have been inconsistent. As culture can influence individuals’ social media usage and its subsequent consequences, there is a need to investigate the cultural backdrop in which health-related social media use occurs. Drawing from the O-S-O-R model, this study tested a mediation pathway connecting collectivism to physical exercise in the US and China. Our results show that in both countries, collectivism enhances social media health information acquisition, improving self-efficacy, which then leads to physical exercise. The indirect effect of collectivism on physical exercise as mediated by social media health information acquisition and self-efficacy is also significant for both countries. However, eHealth literacy strengthens the positive relationship between social media health information acquisition and self-efficacy in China but not in the US. This study offers crucial implications for future research and health interventions to consider a culturally contextualized angle when employing social media for health promotion.
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Surfer's Paradise 2 (Star L3)
Finding Love in Algorithms: Unraveling the Emotional Contexts of Human-AI Interactions
Han Li; Renwen Zhang
Abstract:With the growing ubiquity of AI chatbots in daily routines, these agents increasingly cater to individuals’ emotional, social, and relational needs in a variety of human-AI relationships. Despite the burgeoning interest in human-chatbot relationships, everyday in-situ social interactions in real-world human-AI communication and their emotional contexts remain underexplored. This exploratory study investigates the interplay between five fundamental emotions and various forms of social interactions typical of daily human-AI conversations. Utilizing a rich multimodal dataset (over 3.7k)–comprising screenshots and textual posts spanning six years from the largest Replika online community r/replika, we identified seven
prominent forms of social interactions between human users and their Replika: intimacy, self-disclosure, play and fantasy, customization, immorality, transgression, and communication
breakdown, as well as 23 content-specific themes nested within these social interactions. The results from multiple OLS regression models showed that self-disclosure and intimacy contributed to users’ positive emotions like joy and love whereas interactions characterized by
transgressions and communication breakdowns were linked to emotions of anger and sadness.
This study provides insights into the emotional contexts of everyday human-AI interactions.
Trust in Conversational AI Machines: A Systematic Review
Sheryl Wei Ting Ng; Renwen Zhang
Abstract: Given the development of large language models (LLMs), machines are increasingly playing the role of conversation partners that can engage in interactive and contextually relevant dialogue. LLM-driven chatbots or conversational AI technologies revolutionise how people work and communicate with machines, but also impose significant risks and challenges. In this landscape of increasingly human-like machines, trust emerges as a pivotal factor. Trust plays a key role in the adoption and sustained usage of machines when we consider how AI-powered machines operate with an enigmatic "black-box" mechanism and how undesirable consequences can occur with inappropriate levels of trust. Yet, there remains a lack of consensus on how trust in machines is defined. Current work in human-machine communication (HMC) draws heavily on theories from interpersonal communication by relying on justifications like the CASA paradigm. However, while parallels exist between humans and machines, ontological differences between the two underscore the uniqueness of trust within HMC. Furthermore, conversational AI differs from other types of AI-powered machines because of the complexity of the interaction and user expectations in these machines. Therefore, this study seeks to conduct a systematic review of trust in conversational AI machines. Through an analysis of 40 articles, this study hopes to synthesise how trust in conversational AI is defined, studied, and operationalized. This study also hopes to understand the factors that influence trust development and the outcomes of trust in conversational AI. The findings of this review will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing trust in conversational AI, foster consistency across different studies, and enhance the potential to build upon existing knowledge.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Central B (GCCEC Ground)
Metrics in Motion: How Local Laws Reshape the Audience-Media Dynamic in the Digital Age
Yiting Chen; Kokil Jaidka
Abstract: A prevailing concern in modern journalism is the increasing reliance on digital metrics for setting the media agenda. However, the tension between catering to what readers want and upholding journalistic integrity becomes even more complex when local interventions and laws come into play. In November 2019, Singapore's new POFMA law provided a natural experiment to study the impact of local laws on news coverage using a discontinuous time series design. Through computational topic modeling and interrupted time series analyses of 1.2 million Facebook posts by Singaporean news outlets, we examined the mechanisms of news production in response to audience engagement and governmental interventions. Audience engagement predicts subsequent news production, especially in outlets with higher brand trust and subscriber counts. POFMA, however, amplified the coverage of local politics and enhanced audience engagement with hard news. We conclude by discussing the implication of our findings and the outlook for journalism studies research.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Room 4 (GCCEC Upper)
Chair(s): Eunbi Lee
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Broadbeach (Star L3)
“Asian Turn” in Figure Skating: Media Representations of Daisuke Takahashi, the First Asian World Champion and Olympic Medalist
Wesley Lim; Michelle H. Ho
Abstract: Since the early 2000s, there has been an “Asian turn” in sport, characterizing a rise in the Asia-Pacific region sending elite athletes to compete and display national identity at global mega-sport events, hosting such events, and expanding its sport industry through consumption and labor migration (Lee & Tan, 2019). Figure skating experienced such an influx particularly in the women’s single discipline, but Asian men are now causing a new wave, beginning with the 2000s arrival of Japanese skating champions Takeshi Honda, Nobunari Oda, and Daisuke Takahashi and Chinese champion Chengjiang Li. Our paper traces this Asian turn in figure skating through focusing on Daisuke Takahashi, who became the first Asian man in 2010 to win an Olympic medal in the men’s singles as well as gold at the Figure Skating World Championships. We ask: What does this turn mean for the masculine identities of elite Asian figure skaters like Takahashi and how is he and the sport represented in the media? Employing discourse analysis of his media coverage and semiotic close reading of his skating performance, we argue Takahashi recuperates male Asian representation in a historically White sport.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Surfer's Paradise 2 (Star L3)
Evaluating Influencing Factors in College Students' Perception and Attitudes Towards ChatGPT Misinformation
Jinyuan Zhan; Cindy Ho; Gina Junhan Fu; Elmie Nekmat
Abstract: Although misinformation has been extensively studied in various domains, its examination within the context of artificial intelligence (AI) remains limited, despite the prevalent occurrence of AI-induced misinformation. This extended abstract delves into the perception of misinformation in an AI setting, specifically focusing on factors influencing students' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward misinformation generated by ChatGPT. The study adopts a regression model, and the result reveals that a higher level of trust in ChatGPT may inversely correlate with students' ability to perceive misinformation. Furthermore, fostering critical consumption literacy can promote self-checking behaviors, serving as an effective defense against the adverse effects of AI misinformation. Other pertinent influencers, such as specific usage patterns and demographic information, are also explored.
Emotional and Informational Support From AI Chatbots: The Case of ChatGPT
Sheryl Wei Ting Ng; Han Wei Tan
Abstract: Humans are inherently social beings who receive and provide social support to others in their community. However, social support from other humans can be unpredictable and erratic, and communities might be unequal in the number of resources they can dedicate to meeting social support needs. With the advent of technology, the potential for AI to supplement human social support deficiencies has become apparent. Using a 2x2 experiment design, this paper investigates the potential of AI chatbots, exemplified by ChatGPT, as sources of social support. This paper clarifies whether source perceptions and message characteristics, particularly verbal person-centeredness, affect the perceived levels of emotional and informational support. This paper also examines if perceived stress levels and trust in the source of the support provider can moderate the relationship between the source of the message and perceived social support levels. It is crucial to note that this paper does not advocate for AI as a standalone solution to mental healthcare needs. Rather, it seeks to understand if AI can adequately complement human efforts in providing social support in the domains of emotional and informational support.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Room 7 (GCCEC Upper)
Partisan, Unreliable, Digital-Born, and Mass-Oriented Media are More Likely to Thrive on Social Media: A Comparison between Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the Web
Tian Yang; Xuzhen Yang; Yilang Peng; Subhayan Mukerjee
Abstract: Social media platforms constitute separate info-ecosystems different from the web, which reconfigure the power relationships, especially the distribution of visibilities, between news media. We built a theoretical framework based on structurational theory and accordingly discussed four prominent logics, namely, institutional legacy, information quality, ideological differences, and news inequalities. We collected social media data from three platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, N = 8.4 M posts), web traffic data, and information quality index of more than 700 news outlets in the US. All four proposed logics explain the sizable platforms’ differences with the web: news outlets that were digital-born, attracted partisans, and mass-oriented, gained more visibilities on social media platforms relative to the web traffic. Meanwhile, the three platforms displayed significant differences: for example, only Twitter significantly amplified the visibilities of unreliable sources. Leveraging this multiplatform research design, we show the significant impact of platformization in journalism.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Room 8 (GCCEC Upper)
Chair(s): Renyi Hong
Possibilities of the Gig: Comfort Taxis and Its Lessons for Platforms in Singapore
Renyi Hong
Abstract: Against the emphasis on precariousness, this article focuses on how gig work in 1970s Singapore was developed with the specific vision of enabling life for the working-class Singaporean family-man. From 1970 to 1993, the taxi company Comfort invested its operations with a powerful vision of the transformative potentials of taxi-driving labor. The gig work of taxis was made to change the work ethic of men, creating workers and fathers who could advance class mobility, nation-building, and the family, raising also children who would become ideal workers of the future. Such hopes, however, still relied upon the insecurity of the gig to force the men into adherence. Entangled with patriarchy, nationalism, and familialism, this article examines the compromises involved in the gig’s capacity to make live, and analyses how Comfort’s experiment has left a legacy in the ways that platformed gig work is governed today, which needs engagement and revision.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
HALL 4 (GCCEC Ground)
Unpacking the Relationship Between Alternative Health Media Use and Vaccine Misinformation: The Roles of Medical Folk Wisdom Beliefs and Trust in Health Authorities
Yuanyuan Wu; Ozan Kuru
Abstract: Although alternative health (AH) media plays a substantial role in disseminating misinformation and contributing to misconceptions about health-related topics, the intermediary mechanisms and boundary conditions of this relationship needs further investigation. In this study, we focus on two key constructs that are related to beliefs and attitudes about healthcare system, 1) belief in medical folk wisdom (MFW) and 2) trust in health authorities, to find out how they mediate and condition the relation between AH media and belief in vaccine misinformation. Evidence from a cross-sectional survey with N = 1,150 participants in 2022 showed that 1) there was a positive effect of AH media reliance on vaccine misinformation, and 2) this effect was partially mediated by MFW where AH reliance led to greater MFW which in turn led to greater misinformation. Moreover, trust in health authorities conditioned this relationship; higher trust weakened the direct path from AH media to vaccine misinformation, but strengthened the mediated path. Additionally, the moderating role of trust in health authority was inconsistent and varied across diverse authorities. In sum, the study unpacks AH media use effects’ mechanism in predicting vaccine misinformation belief. It documents the mediating role of MFW and also demonstrates the complicated moderating role of trust in health authorities in the mechanism.
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Arena 1A (GCCEC Ground)
Chair(s): Miglena Sternadori and Eunbi Lee
Event details: Red Canary Song, a grassroots collective for Asian migrant massage and sex workers in NYC, USA, released this documentary last spring, earning awards and attention from various international film festivals. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4X_jNaYtX8
24th Jun
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Southport 1 (Star L3)
The Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale (AILS): Initial Scale Development
Ariadna Angulo-Brunet; Christoph Lutz; María T. Soto-Sanfiel
Abstract: The extended abstract presents ongoing research aimed at developing the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale (AILS), a comprehensive tool designed to assess the AI literacy of the general population. The scale's development adheres to established guidelines and involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. Initially, a construct domain is defined, followed by the generation of an initial item pool and expert feedback for refinement. The scale is then tested quantitatively for validity and reliability. Four key dimensions of AI literacy are identified, including understanding what AI is, its capabilities, how it works, and ethical considerations for its use. Preliminary results from a pilot test indicate that the 58-item AILS is psychometrically sound and aligns with theoretical expectations. Future work will focus on further refining the scale and testing it in larger and more diverse samples. The scale aims to inform educational initiatives by providing a nuanced understanding of AI literacy levels, thereby facilitating the safe and informed use of AI tools in society.
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Stradbroke Room (Star L2)
Large Language Model Outperforms Human in Content Analysis: A Cross-Domain, Bilingual Experiment
Rongxin Ouyang; Jianjun Yu
Abstract: How to quantify textual data is becoming increasingly important, but traditional methods are either limited in quality or cost. This research examines the possibility of using large language models (LLMs) to replace artificial annotation in content analysis. We compare the performance of LLMs and humans in two typical tasks, emotion and topic, in both English and Chinese. The results (N=300, for each) show that GPT-4 outperforms humans in terms of accuracy, reliability, and cost in both tasks and languages. A further investigation of prompting tactics reveals the best practice and its potential for improved performance. As a result, we contend that LLMs offer an alternative but efficient method for large-scale and time-sensitive analytics in computational social science.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Surfer's Paradise 2 (Star L3)
Comparing Romantic AI Companions in Japan and China: Anime Fantasy, Gender Representation, and Asian Posthumans
Jindong Leo-Liu; Hiromi Tanaka; Michelle H. Ho
Abstract:With the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, more and more commercial products of romantic AI companions are available in the markets. In Japan and Mainland China, a novel and culture-specific form of AI companions has emerged: anime-style hologram girlfriends, most notably represented by Gatebox’s Azuma Hikari and Shenzhen GoWild’s Hupo Xuyan. Despite many common characteristics shared by these two AI companions, a systemic theoretical comparison has not yet been applied, although there is existing empirical and theoretical research on each case study. Thus, the focus of our study is to compare the two cases for further theoretical reflections on the unique characteristics of AI companions in relation to East Asian cultures. Our findings shed insights on the following three aspects: (1) the convergence of AI, Augmented Reality (AR), and Japanese anime cultures, (2) gender representation in human-AI intimacy, and (3) our conceptualization of “Asian posthumans” in East Asian contexts.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Central C (GCCEC Ground)
Information Seeking about Climate Change Risk via AI Chatbots: The RISP Model Perspective
Soo Jung Hong; Hichang Cho
Abstract:This study aims to extend existing risk information-seeking models, including RISP, within the context of AI-based information-seeking and climate change risks. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results supported the relationships based on existing models. For example, perceived knowledge insufficiency was positively related to information-seeking intent via AI chatbots. Seeking-related subjective norms and perceived information-gathering capacity were positively related to information-seeking intent. Negative affective responses were positively related to information-seeking intent via AI chatbots. Furthermore, the additional relationships among the constructs based on cognition and emotions regarding AI technology risks were all significant. For instance, privacy concerns regarding the use of AI chatbots were negatively related to perceived information-gathering capacity and positively related to AI-anxiety. In addition, AI-anxiety was negatively related to positive channel beliefs, which significantly affected seeking intent. Our findings provide theoretical insights by applying established information-seeking models to an integrated context and by examining the roles of cognitive and affective factors, not only concerning risk-related factors but also in terms of AI technology's influence on information-seeking behaviors via AI chatbots.
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Room 6 (GCCEC Upper)
Asian Massage/Sex Work as Erotic Power: Performance (Auto) Ethnography Within Red Canary Song
Eunbi Lee
Abstract: This essay examines the way in which Asian massage/sex workers and allies practice Asian massage in everyday life and how notions of Asian massage could be versatile in different spaces based on workers' and allies’ cultural and political agency. With the author’s performance (auto) ethnographic work in Flushing, NY, and methodological explorations in women of color feminism and communication studies, the research affirms that Asian massage/sex work is a communicative action that creates diasporic and feminist space against the misrepresentation of Asian migrant massage/sex work in anti-migrant sex work and anti-human trafficking frames.
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Arena 1B (GCCEC Ground)
Chair(s): Shangyuan Wu