Sharing the small moments: ephemeral social interaction on Snapchat

Ephemeral social media, platforms that display shared content for a limited period of time, have become a prominent component of the social ecosystem. We draw on experience sampling data collected over two weeks (Study 1; N?=?154) and in-depth interview data from a subsample of participants (Study 2; N?=?28) to understand college students’ social and emotional experiences on Snapchat, a popular ephemeral mobile platform. Our quantitative data demonstrated that Snapchat interactions were perceived as more enjoyable – and associated with more positive mood – than other communication technologies. However, Snapchat interactions were also associated with lower social support than other channels. Our qualitative data highlighted aspects of Snapchat use that may facilitate positive affect (but not social support), including sharing mundane experiences with close ties and reduced self-presentational concerns. In addition, users compared Snapchat to face-to-face interaction and reported attending to Snapchat content more closely than archived content, which may contribute to increased emotional rewards. Overall, participants did not see the application as a platform for sharing or viewing photos; rather, Snapchat was viewed as a lightweight channel for sharing spontaneous experiences with trusted ties. Together, these studies contribute to our evolving understanding of ephemeral social media and their role in social relationships.     

A cloud-based spatial-temporal inventory for sustainable urban soil management

Spatial and temporal databases that integrate urban tree inventories and soil quality information are needed for modern-day sustainable urban forest management. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of low-cost and widely-available technology, such as global positioning system (GPS)–enabled cameras to photo-document sites and cloud-based products and services (Google Picasa and Fusion Tables), to aid in developing sustainable street tree management programs. Google Fusion Tables provide a cloud platform to store, share and map urban tree and soil data over time using internet connected computers, tablets or mobile devices. Although indicators of urban soil quality and best methods to assess it are not yet standardized, we demonstrate here promising indicators that are both useful and easy to incorporate into spatial and temporal databases of trees managed in urban environments. By utilizing technology, we demonstrate that site-specific urban soil quality indicators can be used together with readily-available soil rating systems specific to different plant types as a means to better evaluate and manage conditions for optimal street tree growth and health.     

Networked framing between source posts and their reposts: an analysis of public opinion on China's microblogs

Retweeting a post on a social media platform is a part of a process of growing significance through which public opinion formation takes place. A ‘retweet count’ on, say Twitter or weibo, can be taken as a measure of user influence. The assumption is that when B retweets A's message, B empathizes with A and wishes to disseminate the message more widely. But this assumption has hardly been tested and preliminary evidence suggests practices for retweeting on Twitter vary. Nor can retweeting practices on Twitter be assumed to apply on weibo. This paper makes the first effort to understand the practice of reposting on China's weibo, focusing on the content of reposts in comparison to that of the original messages. A quantitative comparison is made of the frame [Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58; Gamson, W. A., & Modigliani, A. (1989). Media discourse and public opinion on nuclear power: A constructionist approach. American Journal of Sociology, 95, 1–37] of the source post of 21 cases, and their reposts. The posts and reposts all refer to the issue of officials being exposed for corruption on Sina Weibo. The study finds sound evidence of networked framing, in which reposters revised frames of the source posters while disseminating them. Although over half of the reposts merely republished the source post without added content, what emerged were new communicative functions, case definitions, and a diagnosis of the consequences of exposing the cases. However, different types of user accounts drew different reposting frames, which points to a consistent paradigm between the source accounts and the reposters. The results are important for understanding the mechanisms behind the formation of public opinion on weibo.     

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Using films and television shows to teach public relations

While a number of studies have looked at the image of public relations practitioners as portrayed in films and other media, few if any of those studies have focused primarily on the pedagogical perspective of using films. Therefore, a benchmark international survey of public relations educators was undertaken to answer questions about how (or whether) to use films as a teaching tool. Among other things, the findings of the study shed light on how often PR instructors use films in the classroom; the value that films provide; why some professors decline to use them; which specific films and television shows are being used; and guidelines for utilizing movies and television programs as an effective pedagogical technique.     

Framing inter-religious dispute: a comparative analysis of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers in Peninsular Malaysia

Religious and ethnicity issues in multicultural societies have always been difficult to report. This study aims to conduct a framing analysis of the coverage of the biggest inter-religious dispute in Malaysia to date – the “Allah” dispute. Specifically, the study compares the coverage of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers and assesses the factors that lead to differences in frame building. The findings showed that these newspapers reported the dispute with different degrees of intensity and prominence, and they employed different news sources. Although conflict appeared to be the salient frame used by the dailies, the aspects highlighted by them varied. Sin Chew (Chinese-language daily) was the most vocal in its coverage, which reflected a counter-hegemonic discourse. The Star (English-language daily) used a moderate approach, while Utusan (Malay-language daily) strongly supported the status quo. The frames built by The Star and Utusan could be attributed to the fact that these two newspapers were inclined to serve the politically vested interests of their owners.     

Visitor suicide risk in casino resort areas

In a well-publicized analysis of visitor suicides in three casinoareas (Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Reno), elevated suicide risk among interstate visitors was attributed to the presence of legalized gambling. A fundamental limitation of the analysis, however, was the absence of estimatesfor at-risk populations. In the present paper, an analysis of 1995 visitor-suicide rates (incorporating estimates for at-risk population) for 310 large UScounties, including places both with and without gambling casinos, yields no evidence to support a gambling-suicide relationship.     

Mindfulness in Patients With Gambling Disorders

This study explored facets of mindfulness between patients diagnosed with a gambling disorder (n = 26) and a community sample of non-gambling-disordered individuals (n = 33). Multivariate statistics comparing group differences showed the gambling-disordered patients exhibited significantly lower levels of mindfulness, emotional regulation, stress coping, and impulse control compared to the non-gambling-disordered group. Overall, gambling severity was negatively associated with higher levels of mindfulness and positively linked to indices of emotional dysregulation, stress proneness, and impulsivity. Correlations between mindfulness and emotional dysregulation and impulsivity were much stronger than those between mindfulness and the severity of disordered gambling behaviors as measured by the National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS). These findings are discussed in the context of possible implications for future directions in exploring mindfulness-based interventions as a plausible intervention among those with gambling disorders.     

Alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior among young adults: evidence from minimum legal drinking age laws

This paper exploits the discrete jump in alcohol consumption at the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in the USA and uses a regression discontinuity design to investigate the relationship between drinking and risky sexual behaviors among young adults. Using confidential data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997 Cohort), we document that young adults tend to drink up to 2.1 days more once they are granted legal access to alcohol at age 21. Although the discrete jump in alcohol consumption at the MLDA is associated with an increase in the probability of having sex by up to 7.8 percentage points, it does not have a significant impact on the probability of engaging in risky sexual behaviors among young adults. We also document that the effect of the MLDA on the probability of using several different birth control methods is not significant for those who had sex in the past 4 weeks. These results are robust under alternative specifications and imply that although the MLDA law is quite effective in reducing alcohol consumption among young adults, spillover effects of this law on risky sexual behaviors are relatively limited.     

Dynamic Random Effects Models for Times Between Repeated Events

We consider recurrent event data when the duration or gap times between successive event occurrences are of intrinsic interest. Subject heterogeneity not attributed to observed covariates is usually handled by random effects which result in an exchangeable correlation structure for the gap times of a subject. Recently, efforts have been put into relaxing this restriction to allow non-exchangeable correlation. Here we consider dynamic models where random effects can vary stochastically over the gap times. We extend the traditional Gaussian variance components models and evaluate a previously proposed proportional hazards model through a simulation study and some examples. Besides, semiparametric estimation of the proportional hazards models is considered. Both models are easily used. The Gaussian models are easily interpreted in terms of the variance structure. On the other hand, the proportional hazards models would be more appropriate in the context of survival analysis, particularly in the interpretation of the regression parameters. They can be sensitive to the choice of model for random effects but not to the choice of the baseline hazard function.