Untangling the adverse effects of late-night usage of smartphone-based SNS among University students

Deciphering dynamic interactions among multidimensional psychological motivations, academic performance, and sociocultural adjustment: The critical influence of excessive WeChat use

As the preeminent mobile social media platform in Mainland China, WeChat's meteoric expansion has revolutionized the dynamics of interpersonal communication and the modalities of mutual interaction among individuals. Despite the escalating significance of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students, existing scholarly works have largely neglected the underlying relationship between psychological motivations, excessive WeChat use, academic performance, and sociocultural adaptation of these students. Anchored in uses and gratifications theory and cross-cultural adaptation paradigm, the primary objectives of this study are to devise a theoretical model and to scrutinize differential psychological motivations propelling international students' WeChat usage, its association with excessive WeChat use, and impacts on academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. The proposed model undergoes meticulous evaluation through data amassed online from 598 Chinese international students studying in Germany. Sequential analytical techniques, especially Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling, were employed to elucidate the dynamic interplay among key variables. The final results validate the path effect suggesting that both hedonic and social motivations are positive predictors of excessive WeChat use. Moreover, excessive WeChat use is negatively correlated with academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. However, utilitarian motivation is not significantly related to excessive WeChat use. By demystifying the driving factors and consequences of excessive WeChat use, these findings not only accentuate the pivotal role of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students but also enrich the theoretical landscape and enhance the strategic approaches for educators and academic institutions.

Electronic Media Use and Sleep Quality: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

This paper explores the widely discussed relationship between electronic media use and sleep quality, indicating negative effects due to various factors. However, existing meta-analyses on the topic have some limitations.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to analyze and compare the impacts of different digital media types, such as smartphones, online games, and social media, on sleep quality.

METHODS

Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the study performed a systematic meta-analysis of literature across multiple databases, including Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar, from January 2018 to October 2023. Two trained coders coded the study characteristics independently. The effect sizes were calculated using the correlation coefficient as a standardized measure of the relationship between electronic media use and sleep quality across studies. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 3.0) was used to perform the meta-analysis. Statistical methods such as funnel plots were used to assess the presence of asymmetry and a p-curve test to test the p-hacking problem, which can indicate publication bias.

RESULTS

Following a thorough screening process, the study involved 55 papers (56 items) with 41,716 participants from over 20 countries, classifying electronic media use into "general use" and "problematic use." The meta-analysis revealed that electronic media use was significantly linked with decreased sleep quality and increased sleep problems with varying effect sizes across subgroups. A significant cultural difference was also observed in these effects. General use was associated with a significant decrease in sleep quality (P<.001). The pooled effect size was 0.28 (95% CI 0.21-0.35; k=20). Problematic use was associated with a significant increase in sleep problems (P≤.001). The pooled effect size was 0.33 (95% CI 0.28-0.38; k=36). The subgroup analysis indicated that the effect of general smartphone use and sleep problems was r=0.33 (95% CI 0.27-0.40), which was the highest among the general group. The effect of problematic internet use and sleep problems was r=0.51 (95% CI 0.43-0.59), which was the highest among the problematic groups. There were significant differences among these subgroups (general: Qbetween=14.46, P=.001; problematic: Qbetween=27.37, P<.001). The results of the meta-regression analysis using age, gender, and culture as moderators indicated that only cultural difference in the relationship between Eastern and Western culture was significant (Qbetween=6.69; P=.01). All funnel plots and p-curve analyses showed no evidence of publication and selection bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite some variability, the study overall confirms the correlation between increased electronic media use and poorer sleep outcomes, which is notably more significant in Eastern cultures.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Technostress and Quality of Life Among University Students

Purpose

The overuse of internet-based technologies as a means of coping with the stress they generate has resulted in an alarming level of addiction, adversely impacting the quality of life and overall health of younger individuals. This social detachment, in turn, contributes to both physical and mental health deterioration. The potential remedy for this predicament lies in the application of social support as an antidote to internet addiction. In this context, our present study employs the Stress-Strain-Outcome model to explore the indirect effects of internet addiction and the moderating role of social support in relation to the influence of technostress on the quality of life of adults.

Methods

We adopted a time-lagged design to collect data from university graduates and evaluated our study hypotheses using Mplus.

Results

Our empirical findings highlight the significant influence of technostress on internet addiction, with the latter significantly mediating the relationship between technostress and quality of life. Furthermore, our results reveal that social support effectively moderates the indirect effects of technostress on quality of life through its impact on internet addiction.

Conclusion

These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between technostress and quality of life with social support as the silver lining. This form of social support holds the potential not only to alleviate internet addiction but also to positively enhance the quality of life and overall wellbeing of individuals facing these challenges. The implications of these findings and avenues for future research are also discussed.

Can limiting bedtime smartphone use improve next-day working memory among undergraduates with problematic smartphone use?

This study implemented a longitudinal self-control intervention experiment to examine whether limiting bedtime smartphone use can improve next-day working memory among individuals with problematic smartphone use (PSU). 156 Chinese undergraduates with PSU completed the 6-day experiment (3 nights for intervention condition and 2 nights for control condition). All participants were asked to complete N-back tests in the afternoon everyday during the experiment. The results indicated that limiting smartphone use in bed improved next-day working memory. Therefore, limiting smartphone use in bed is a potential remedy for daily cognitive impairments induced by PSU.

Above management: Scale development and empirical testing for public opinion monitoring of marine pollution

The marine eco-environment is receiving increasing attention globally, and the rapid development of network technology has enabled individuals to express their dissatisfaction and appeals for marine pollution through public engagement measures, particularly on network platforms. As a result, chaotic public opinions and information dissemination on marine pollution are becoming more prevalent. Previous studies have mainly focused on practical measures of marine pollution management, with limited exploration of how to prioritize the monitoring of public opinions on marine pollution. This study aims to develop a comprehensive and scientific measurement scale for public opinion monitoring on marine pollution by defining its implications and dimensions, verifying its reliability, validity, and predictive validity. The research defines the implications of public opinion monitoring regarding marine pollution based on previous literature and experience, using empathy theory as an entry point. The study uses text analysis to explore the internal laws of topic data on social media sites (n = 12,653), forming a theoretical conception of public opinion monitoring composed of three Level 1 dimensions (empathy arousal, empathy experience, and empathy memory). Based on research conclusions and related measurement scales, the study compiles the measurement items to develop the initial scale. Finally, the study verifies the scale reliability and validity (n1 = 435, n2 = 465) and predictive validity (n = 257). Results show that the public opinion monitoring scale has good reliability and validity, and the three Level 1 dimensions have a high level of interpretation for public opinion monitoring and good predictive validity. This research expands the application scope of public opinion monitoring theory and emphasizes the significance of public opinion management on the basis of traditional management research, increasing marine pollution managers' attention to the public domain of the network. Furthermore, it provides public opinion monitoring instruments for marine pollution through scale development and empirical research, reducing the occurrence of public trust crises and creating a stable and harmonious network environment.

"No more COVID-19 messages via social media, please": the mediating role of COVID-19 message fatigue between information overload, message avoidance, and behavioral intention

Employing the stressor-strain-outcome framework, this study demonstrates that COVID-19 information overload on social media exerts a significant effect on the level of fatigue toward COVID-19-related messages. This feeling of message fatigue also makes people avoid another exposure to similar types of messages while diminishing their intentions to adopt protective behaviors in response to the pandemic. Information overload regarding COVID-19 on social media also has indirect effects on message avoidance and protective behavioral intention against COVID-19, respectively, through the feeling of fatigue toward COVID-19 messages on social media. This study emphasizes the need to consider message fatigue as a significant barrier in delivering effective risk communication.

Sleep duration during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A GIS-based large sample survey study

Although several studies have been conducted in Bangladesh regarding sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, none have utilized a large nationwide sample or presented their findings based on nationwide geographical distribution. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the total sleep duration, night-time sleep, and daily naptime and their associated factors as well as geographic information system (GIS) distribution. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 9730 people in April 2020, including questions relating to socio-demographic variables, behavioral and health factors, lockdown, depression, suicidal ideation, night sleep duration, and naptime duration. Descriptive and inferential statistics, both linear and multivariate regression, and spatial distribution were performed using Microsoft Excel, SPSS, Stata, and ArcGIS software. The results indicated that 64.7% reported sleeping 7-9 h a night, while 29.6% slept less than 7 h nightly, and 5.7% slept more than 9 h nightly. 43.7% reported 30-60 min of daily nap duration, whereas 20.9% napped for more than 1 h daily. Significant predictors of total daily sleep duration were being aged 18-25 years, being unemployed, being married, self-isolating 4 days or more, economic hardship, and depression. For nap duration, being aged 18-25 years, retired, a smoker, and a social media user were at relatively higher risk. The GIS distribution showed that regional division areas with high COVID-19 exposure had higher rates of non-normal sleep duration. Sleep duration showed a regional heterogeneity across the regional divisions of the country that exhibited significant associations with a multitude of socioeconomic and health factors.

Exploring the mechanism of consumer purchase intention in a traditional culture based on the theory of planned behavior

There has been a growing interest among scholars and practitioners in cultural empowerment due to the importance of this subject. In this study, we aim to explore the connection between traditional cultural symbols and cultural identity, further estimating how two variables stimulate consumers' emotional value to generate consumers' purchase intention. Based on existing traditional cultural literature and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we first proposed a research framework and then empirically tested the relationship among traditional culture symbols, cultural identity, emotional value, and consumers' purchase intention. The survey data was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the following conclusions were drawn. First, the cognition of traditional cultural symbols and cultural identity has a direct and significant impact on the emotional value thereby, eliciting consumers' purchase intention. Second, traditional cultural symbols are directly and indirectly (i.e., through emotional value or cultural identity) positively associated with consumers' purchase intention, also cultural identity is directly and indirectly (i.e., through emotional value) associated with consumer purchase intention. Finally, emotional values mediate the indirect effect of traditional culture and cultural identity on purchase intention, and cultural identity plays a moderating role between traditional cultural symbols and consumers' purchase intention. Our findings help to expand the existing literature on consumer purchase intentions by rationally using traditional cultural symbols in the product design and suggesting relevant marketing strategies. The research results can provide valuable inspiration for promoting the sustainable development of the national tidal market and repeating consumers' purchasing intentions.

Exploring the mechanism of empathy on lens language and linguistic landscape on movie-induced tourism: The moderating effect of cultural differences

Since the development of film-induced tourism, scholars have increasingly shifted their attention to examining film-induced tourism from different perspectives. However, little research has been devoted to the underlying mechanisms by which audiences empathize with movie scenes. Current research believes that the lens language of movies is helpful for the communication between the movie and the audience. It not only helps the audience to shape the imagination of the movie scene, but also contributes to the construction of a virtual language landscape, and promotes the audience's cognition of the movie scene. Bringing their emotions and self-expression into the story ultimately enhances the audience's perception of where it was filmed. In exploring the framework of the transformation of empathy in lens language to landscape language, cultural differences are also proposed as the boundary conditions for the relationship between lens language and empathy. Structural equation modeling with PLS-SEM was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings suggest that lens language positively predicts language landscape and empathy positively mediates the aforementioned relationship. Furthermore, the interaction term of cultural differences amplifies the relationship between lens language and empathy. Finally, we discuss theoretical and practical implications.

Enjoyment or Indulgence? Social Media Service Usage, Social Gratification, Self-Control Failure and Emotional Health

Social networking site smartphone applications have been widely used among Chinese young adults. However, less is known about their effects on emotional health and the mechanisms through which they function. This study analyzes the relationship between college students' smartphone social networking service use patterns, social gratification, social media self-control failure, and emotional health. Data was collected from 360 college students in China via application log tracking and a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling results showed that, after controlling for demographic variables, the use of video social networking site smartphone applications was associated with decreased social gratification, and ultimately, adverse emotional health. Using social networking site smartphone applications late at night exhibited worse emotional health via more social media self-control failure. The implications for designing and using social media applications are discussed.

The value of tourism public opinion management in social governance: A study on the impact of electronic word-of-mouth perception on people's livelihood well-being

In the process of tourism market upgrading and tourism iteration, tourism companies will face a more complex public opinion environment. Designing a socialized public opinion management method for tourism with social governance to improve people's livelihood and well-being has become the primary concern of the tourism industry. Therefore, the existing literature has extensively focused on the role and influence of public opinion word of mouth from the perspective of tourist or consumer behavior. However, moderating role of individual tourist characteristics and environmental elements has not yet been deeply explored. Therefore, integrating with the background of the social media, this study examines how electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is related to the well-being of people's livelihood, and explores the interaction between individual characteristics and eWOM perception in Study 1. Furthermore, in Study 2, we provided novel boundary conditions, namely environmental elements (i.e., physical, social and historical environment). We used mixed methods (i.e., quantitative and experimental designs) to reveal that tourists' perceptions of eWOM have a significant positive effect on tourists' well-being experience. The results show that tourists' eWOM perception has a significant positive impact on their well-being experience. In addition, individual characteristics and environmental elements showed significant moderating effects between eWOM and well-being of people's livelihood. This study discusses the theoretical and practical implications, exploring the value of tourism public opinion management in social governance centered on tourists' eWOM perception, which helps tourism companies to effectively prevent and resolve risks affecting social harmony and stability in the field of cultural tourism and create a safe and stable cultural tourism market environment.

The Impact of Social Media Information Sharing on the Green Purchase Intention among Generation Z

With the growing influence of sustainable development in recent years, there has been an increasing focus on green consumption. Little previous research has highlighted the important influential role that social media information sharing plays in overall green consumption. This study aims to explore how social media information sharing influences green purchasing intentions of Generation Z. We constructed a theoretical framework for Generation Z’s green purchase intention based on SOR theory and elucidated the relationship between social media information sharing, perceived green value, subjective norms, and green purchase intention. This study discusses the dual mediating role of perceived green value and subjective norms and explores the moderating role of consumer occupation. Through a self-administered questionnaire survey of 274 members of Generation Z in China, we found that (1) social media information sharing has a positive effect on green purchase intention; (2) perceived green value and subjective norms are considered to play a partially mediating role in consumers’ green purchase intention relationship; (3) occupation mediates the moderating role of subjective norms in social media information sharing and green purchase intention, such that the mediating role of subjective norms is stronger for non-student consumers and insignificant for student consumers. Our findings not only enrich the empirical research on Generation Z’s green consumption, but may also help practitioners develop strategies to influence the intention and behavior of Generation Z consumers toward green products.

Untangling the Adverse Effect of SNS Stressors on Academic Performance and Its Impact on Students’ Social Media Discontinuation Intention: The Moderating Role of Guilt

In recent research on information systems (IS), the advantages of social networking sites (SNS) in the education field have received widespread attention. However, excessive use of SNSs will negatively impact students academic performance, leading to the discontinuation intentions of social media. Therefore, this study aims to investigate an extended research model drawing on the stress-strain-outcome (SSO) theory and transactional model of stress to examine the adverse effect of SNS stressors on academic performance. The required data from the target population was collected through a structured questionnaire. The valid sample size of this study was n = 505 respondents. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS (version 23.0) to examine the study hypotheses. The results confirmed that the SNS stressors, namely, social overload, information overload, and system feature overload, induce strain in terms of poor academic performance by generating feelings of guilt. It also unravels the effect of guilt feelings on discontinuance intention indirectly. This study offers imperative theoretical and practical implications.