European Conference on Social Media

Topic and Tone in YouTube Climate Discussions

Vered Aharonson, Or Bovan — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Comments are routinely used to measure engagement on social media and to infer the effectiveness of content. This matters particularly for content with educational and social value, such as environmental sustainability. Automated analyses predominantly examine the sentiment expressed in text, which can be unrelated to a video’s message and misread engagement. We examine comments on YouTube climate-change videos using a fully automated process. Off-the-shelf natural language processing tools assign provisional labels for topic relevance (on-topic or off-topic) and for sentiment polarity (positive, neutral, or negative). Comment texts are represented by word patterns with per-video weighting adjusted to mitigate bias introduced by videos with disproportionately high comment volumes. A simple machine learning model, logistic regression, then predicts topic and sentiment. We report recognition accuracy on held-out comments and analyse the sentiment distribution within on-topic and off-topic comments. The analysis is performed separately for top-level comments that respond to the video and for replies that react to other users’ comments. For top-level comments, recognition accuracies were 0.93 for topic and 0.90 for sentiment. For replies, topic accuracy was 0.94, and sentiment accuracy was 0.88. On-topic comments showed high frequencies of both positive and negative sentiments, while off-topic comments were predominantly neutral. Among the replies, on-topic neutral sentiment was less common and positive sentiment was more common than in the top-level comments. These findings show that a fully automated, topic- and tone-aware process can reliably extract engagement patterns from YouTube comments, provided that tone (sentiment) analysis is paired with topic verification and that top-level comments and replies are analysed separately. A disproportionate number of neutral tones in off-topic threads shows that analyses that ignore the topic underestimate engagement. In on-topic comments, replies are less neutral, showing a more constructive conversation. The methodology is general and can be adapted to other domains where distinguishing genuine topical engagement from background noise is important. Ultimately, this insight can guide content creators, educators, and policymakers in evaluating and fostering meaningful online discussions around critical topics.

Exploring Social Media Influencers Promotion of Online Gambling Among South African Youth

Errol Baloyi, Nokuthaba Siphambili, Molebogeng Latakgomo, Ele Mukondeleli — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of daily life, shifting work, education, and social interaction into the online environment. Within this context, social media has become a powerful platform for marketing and behavioural influence, reshaping how young South Africans engage with online gambling. This study examines the role of social media influencers in promoting and legitimizing online gambling among South African youth through a qualitative content analysis of posts on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The findings reveal that gambling-related content is frequently embedded within lifestyle, entertainment, and aspirational narratives that portray gambling as a routine, glamorous, and desirable activity. Such portrayals contribute to the normalization of gambling, blurring the line between leisure and risk-taking behaviour. The findings further highlight the growing social and psychological consequences of this trend, including financial vulnerability, addiction risks, and cases in which some South African higher education students reportedly use their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowances to fund online gambling activities. Moreover, the study identifies significant regulatory gaps between current social media marketing practices and existing South African gambling legislation, exposing weaknesses in the oversight of influencer advertising. These findings underscore the urgent need for stronger regulatory frameworks and ethical standards governing digital marketing and gambling promotion. The paper concludes with recommendations for policymakers, regulators, and digital platforms to strengthen advertising controls, enhance consumer protection, and promote media literacy initiatives aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of influencer-driven gambling promotion among South African youth.

Social Media Algorithms and Behavioural Influence: Dubai Youth Case Study Analysis

Brian Chama, Arianna Mazzeo — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In an era where algorithmic systems increasingly mediate digital experiences, social media platforms have emerged as powerful agents in shaping user behaviour, particularly among youth populations around the world. This paper examines the phenomenon of algorithmic amplification and its influence on the social media habits, perceptions, and civic engagement of young people living in Dubai. Through qualitative interviews and digital ethnography, the study investigates how the recommendation algorithms on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram curate content streams that reinforce existing beliefs, preferences, and social imaginaries. These algorithmic processes often lead to the formation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, narrowing the diversity of perspectives available to the young users and subtly guiding their cultural and political orientations. The research highlights the ways in which the youth actively engage with algorithmically curated content, demonstrating both agency and vulnerability in their digital practices. It explores how such engagement shapes their understanding of social issues, contributes to identity formation, and influences their sense of digital citizenship in a rapidly globalizing yet locally situated media environment. Particular attention is given to the ethical implications of algorithmic design, including the prioritization of engagement metrics over accuracy, and the risks posed by the amplification of misinformation and polarizing content. By situating the study within broader debates on social media regulation, media literacy, and critical digital engagement, the paper contributes to ongoing conversations about the role of algorithms in shaping public discourse and civic participation. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted media literacy interventions that equip the youth with the skills to critically navigate algorithmic environments, as well as policy frameworks that hold platforms accountable for the social consequences of their design choices. Ultimately, the study calls for a more equitable and transparent digital ecosystem that empowers young people to participate meaningfully and responsibly in civic life.

The Greenfluencer Effect: How Instagram Messages Affect Purchase Intention and Attitudes Toward Sustainable Fashion

Vanessa Eschborn, Carolin Durst — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper experimentally examines how different greenfluencer message types (emotional, informational, social, and neutral) on Instagram affect purchase intention and attitudes toward sustainable fashion, with a particular focus on non-sustainable consumers. In an online experiment, 202 participants were randomly assigned to one of four fictitious Instagram posts and completed pre- and post-measures of attitudes and purchase intention. The results show that none of the message types improved purchase intention or attitudes; instead, most effects were negative. However, attitudes remained positively associated with purchase intention. The findings suggest that greenfluencer communication does not automatically promote sustainable consumer responses and is not more effective among non-sustainable consumers.

Post-Humanization as a Process: Cyborg Art, Sensory Reconfiguration, and Networked Mediation

Simge Gokbayrak — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article conceptualizes post-humanization as an ongoing process through which human–technology relations reconfigure bodily experience, cultural meaning, and everyday practices. Drawing on posthumanist theory and accelerated technological transformation, it proposes a four-stage model—preference, possibility, dissemination, and inevitability—to analytically trace how technological innovations move from elective experimentation toward socially dominant or practically required forms. Within this framework, new sensory modalities and cyborg art practices are examined as concentrated manifestations of the preference and possibility stages. The works of Neil Harbisson, Moon Ribas, Manel De Aguas, and Stelarc demonstrate how perception can be technologically reconfigured as a selective and embodied practice rather than as a universal trajectory. These cases reveal that new senses emerge not as inevitable outcomes of technological progress but as situated, context-specific rearticulations of embodied experience. The study further argues that cyborg art operates through a dual structure: while sensory transformation originates in embodied perception, its public intelligibility is shaped within networked digital environments. In some instances, the internet forms part of the sensory infrastructure itself; in others, digital platforms function as mediating infrastructures through which embodied transformation becomes culturally legible and publicly circulated. By situating cyborg art within a staged process model of post-humanization, the article offers a differentiated account of how sensory reconfiguration becomes visible, negotiable, and socially meaningful in contemporary networked digital environments.

Science Communication Under Post-Truth Conditions: The Drowning Effect in a YouTube Live Micro-Public

Büşra Göküş, Ozlem Ozan — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Post-truth conditions describe communication environments in which facts alone rarely stabilise public interpretations; judgments are shaped by affect, group identity, and ideological alignment. In such environments, science communication becomes more difficult because trust is continuously renegotiated and discussions are vulnerable to topic displacement. Lee et al. (2020) term this displacement the drowning effect, in which the primary message is pushed aside as attention shifts to more salient adjacent frames. Research on science communication under post-truth conditions has rarely examined live, platformised broadcasts, where audience re-framing is coupled to the broadcast and can be observed as it unfolds. YouTube Live is analytically valuable because it combines an authoritative narrative with a real-time comment ecosystem, enabling to track when and how audience frames diverge from communicator frames within a single event. We use a comparative single-case qualitative design and apply qualitative content analysis to a 4-hour-and-37-minute YouTube Live watch-party about Türkiye’s first crewed space mission (18 January 2024), hosted by ten Turkish science communicators. We analyse the broadcast transcript and the associated user comments (including replies). We operationalise the drowning effect through (a) systematic divergence between broadcast framing and commenters’ framing and (b) a high prevalence of off-context, opinion-dominant, and polarising contributions. Findings indicate sustained divergence between broadcast framing and the commenters’ framing: while the broadcast foregrounded scientific rationale and mission operations, commenters frequently recontextualised the event through legitimacy contestation, distrust, and interactional noise. Overall, the conversation moved away from sustained technical engagement and toward audience-led reframing, in ways consistent with a drowning effect. Findings suggests that on YouTube Live, the commenters can quickly take over and pull attention away from the science message, so science communicators need to treat live streams as two-layer events and plan framing, moderation, and trust-building accordingly.

A Conceptual Model for Social Media Enabled Intelligent Higher Education in the Era of Industry 4.0: Aligned with Oman Vision 2040

Indu Govinda Pillai, Anju Mathew Cherian, Greeshma Eliyan, Bobby Sathyaseelan — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Industry 4.0 brings about technological revolutions in the higher education system to create an equitable and digitally enabled higher education system. However, in the case of Oman, several barriers to a fair and technology-driven education system exist, such as geographical barriers. This study proposes a conceptual model for the creation of a social media enabled and equitable and fourth industry revolution-based technology-enabled higher education system in Oman, incorporating Education 4.0. The methodology for the research was qualitative content analysis of academic literature on the technologically driven higher education system based on the triple helix model, Industry 4.0, and Oman Vision 2040. From the data analysis, four main domains were identified, which are training, research, technology, and policy. Moreover, five opportunities for the technologically driven higher education system were identified, which are adaptive personalized remote learning, job creation, global competitiveness, financial sustainability, and digitization of government services. The conceptual model is proposed by mapping domains with opportunities within an intelligent collaborative educational ecosystem grounded in Industry 4.0 capabilities.

Communication of Public Organisations for People with Hearing Disabilities: Challenges on Facebook

Šarūnė Kriaučiūnienė, Jurgita Jurkevičienė — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social media platforms provide public organisations with important opportunities for information dissemination, audience participation, and implementation of accessibility-orientated communication practices. As legal entities advancing public interests, public organisations are responsible for ensuring that their social media communication is accessible to various social groups, including persons with hearing disabilities. This study examines the communication challenges facing a public organisation in ensuring accessible communication for people with hearing disabilities on Facebook from an organisational perspective. Using a mixed-method research design that combines quantitative content analysis and semi-structured expert interviews, the study analyses empirical data from the Facebook account of the Lithuanian Sign Language Interpreting Centre and insights from its communication experts. The findings reveal irregular and inconsistent communication practices, limited use of accessibility-orientated content formats, and fragmented implementation of video captioning and plain language principles. The study concludes that although accessibility is emphasised as a core communication objective by organisational representatives, a persistent gap remains between the intended strategies and their practical implementation in daily Facebook communication.

Behavior-Transformer for Early Risk Detection and Monitoring in Students’ Social Media Activity

ArunaDevi Karuppasamy, Rolou Lyn Maata, Abbas Fadhil Aljuboori — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the digitalized world, examining students’ behavior through social media activity has become an important issue for organizations trying to detect early signs of depression, anxiety, and performance deterioration. Despite numerous records of inspirational guidance and rewards in educational environments, a significant gap remains in flexible, understandable strategies for real-time risk identification on professional social media platforms. We propose a Behavior-Transformer (Behav-T), a hybrid deep learning model designed to identify student mental health risk from self-reported social media behaviour. Digital transformation activities necessitate and create opportunities for ethical monitoring of individuals. The results obtained by the proposed model show 0.77 accuracy and 0.77 F1-score, outperforming traditional models, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting, Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). The results show that the proposed model performs well for early mental health risk screening in student populations. Future work should use multimodal data and cross-cultural validation across organizational contexts to achieve equitable, culturally responsive risk detection.

Using Social Media as a Strategic Tool for Achieving Long-Term Goals in Cypriot SME Hotels

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The present empirical study examines to which extended level Cypriot hotels utilize social media as a strategic tool to mainly engage customers and build a robust brand. Undoubtedly, the ongoing digitalization of the hospitality industry in many EU countries places social media platforms as essential instruments of strategic management and competitive advantage with the relevant enterprises of the hotel sector implementing and integrating social media strategies into their operational and marketing frameworks as well. In this light, the aim of this research is to assess the level of the aforementioned strategic integration towards SME hotels in Cyprus. Empirically, a qualitative approach was adopted by collecting data through semi-structured interviews with ten owners/managing directors of such hotels across Cyprus in order to detect their views and experiences on the use of social media specifically for brand development, partnership establishment, customer engagement and service innovation. Findings indicated the crucial role of social media in establishing robust brand endeavors whilst it is evident that they are recognized by the interviewees as a strategic asset to achieve broader business goals, not just a promotional tool. However, the level of strategic integration varies across the concrete enterprises, depending mostly on the organization size, leadership mindset, and resource availability. Lastly, hotels that consistently treat social media with a focus on a long-term vision exhibit increased customer engagement and loyalty, more effective reputation management, new partnerships formation, and stronger adaptability to market shifts or successive crises.

Visual e-WOM Influence on Tourists' Booking Intentions of HORECA Services: A Conceptual Paper.

Jessy Kfoury, Ioanna Papasolomou — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study thoroughly investigates the factors influencing travelers’ decisions to make reservations for Hotel,
Restaurant, and Café (HORECA) services, emphasizing the impact of visual electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on Instagram.
The research analyzes variables to form a new framework, adding to the existing body of knowledge inspired by key theories
like the Information Adoption Model, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Central to the
investigation is the role of visual eWOM as a mediating factor, elucidating the nuanced interplay between several variables,
including information quality, information credibility, motivation, innovativeness, destination fascination, popularity
heuristics, and destination brand image. This framework analyzes how visual eWOM drives HORECA booking intentions, as
shared content provides realistic portrayals through user photos and ratings, creating genuine engagement. Mediated by
platforms like Instagram, these variables collectively shape perceptions and encourage reservations. By balancing credibility,
creativity, and social proof, the framework offers a holistic view of how digital visual narratives transform modern HORECA
choices, ultimately converting online interest into booking intentions for all tourists worldwide. This research study
demonstrates the importance of visual eWOM mediating impact on booking intentions, thus enhancing the comprehension
of tourist consumer behavior on Instagram by suggesting a novel conceptual framework. By integrating credibility, visual
appeal, and social influence, this study contributes to a more profound understanding of consumer behavior in digital tourism
contexts. It also provides a foundation for future empirical research across different platforms, industries, and demographic
groups.

Social Media and the Business of Local Government: Evidence From South Africa

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Local governments are at the forefront of public service delivery and can encourage democracy through open and transparent communication using social media. Officials must provide instant, correct, and reliable information and feedback in that regard. Local authorities however use social media but fail to utilise it effectively in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus this study explores social media intricacies as a digital platform in enhancing public service delivery, access to information and critical engagement for effective participatory governance in a Municipality in South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative approach and a phenomenological strategy, collecting interview data from the local bureaucracy as well as focus group discussions with community leaders and members. The study found that the use of social media is underpinned by the Local Authority’s communication strategy, progressive but remains out of touch with reality, with glaring shortcomings leading to negative perceptions, thereby undermining public service delivery enhancements and effective participatory governance endeavours. Findings indicate that social media platforms can support transparency and critical engagement but the municipality’s communication strategies need to be first and foremost in touch with reality and utilise more current platforms which are experiencing rapid and intense surges in popularity and engagement. This will facilitate better positioning to build and/or counter eroding public trust and enhance transparency, thus necessitating a communication policy strategy and social media rethink in the post-truth era. This is pivotal in promoting local administrative ideals and for understanding and addressing community needs using aspects of social media that are most impactful for improving the local government’s service delivery as well as the lives of all constituencies for the better.

Evaluating Eco-Brand Communication Strategies on Facebook and Instagram: A Quantitative and Segmental Approach

Peter Krajčovič — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The paper focuses on analysing the communication strategies of leading eco-brands: Patagonia, Blueland, Kleen Kanteen, Meloria Beauty, Tentree, VEJA, and Who Gives a Crap on the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. The aim is to compare the performance of these eco-brands across platforms through segmentation and quantitative analysis that combines key metrics such as number of followers, engagement rate, and total volume of interactions. The analysis is based on a multi-level analytical framework that allows for a differentiated interpretation of brand performance and their position within the digital ecosystem. Using visualization techniques, brands are divided into segments based on their relative reach and engagement. A secondary goal is to identify content formats with the highest potential for generating interactions and to distinguish them from less effective approaches. The results contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of eco-marketing in the online environment and offer empirically based recommendations for optimizing the communication strategies of environmentally oriented brands. The study also provides a comparative view of the effectiveness of Facebook and Instagram as platforms for communicating environmental values and brand sustainability.

Building Strategic Social Media Capabilities in SMEs: Barriers, Opportunities, and Resource Constraints

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite widespread adoption of social media among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), its strategic impact remains uneven. Although many SMEs engage actively with social media platforms, their efforts frequently remain operational and person-dependent, rather than embedded in organizational routines that support learning, coordination, and strategic decision-making over time. Existing research has largely emphasized social media adoption and performance outcomes, or has focused on large firms with formalized structures, offering limited insight into how strategic social media capabilities develop in resource-constrained SME contexts. This conceptual paper examines how SMEs build strategic social media capabilities over time by adopting a capability-based perspective grounded in the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic Capabilities framework. Drawing on a structured review of the literature on social media, SMEs, and digital capabilities, the paper conceptualizes strategic social media use as a meso-level dynamic capability comprising sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring processes that evolve through cumulative learning and organizational adaptation.
The analysis identifies key organizational, managerial, technological, and contextual barriers that shape the pace and direction of capability development, alongside SME-specific opportunities such as agility, customer proximity, and authentic communication that may accelerate learning and strategic integration. The main contribution of the paper is an integrated conceptual framework that explains how barriers and opportunities interact over time to influence the development of strategic social media capabilities in SMEs. Rather than treating constraints as external obstacles, the framework demonstrates how resource scarcity actively shapes organizational learning, coordination, and capability formation. The paper contributes to the literature on digital strategy and SME marketing by offering a process-oriented explanation of why SMEs differ in their ability to move from ad hoc social media activities toward more deliberate and strategically grounded practices, and by providing a foundation for future empirical research on capability development in resource-constrained organizational contexts.

Cyber Domain as an Arena in Cognitive Warfare

Niina Meriläinen — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Modern warfare increasingly targets the mind and national heritage through AI-driven cognitive and cyber operations. Various heritages are weaponized as both a physical and symbolic asset, with disinformation campaigns framing its destruction or protection to justify military actions. Cyber platforms amplify these tactics, enabling large-scale manipulation of narratives, identities, and emotions via influencers, bots, virtual reality, deepfakes, and algorithmic amplification. These operations work in tandem with kinetic warfare. This hybridization of cognitive, cyber, information and kinetic warfare create fragmented information ecosystems where sustaining narratives can be as decisive as controlling territory. It engenders profound risks to individuals, critical infrastructure, and national security, while concurrently transforming cultural, historical, territorial, and natural resource heritage. Defending various heritage now demands integrated strategies at strategic, operational, and tactical levels, combining technological safeguards and cultural resilience to counter adversarial uses of AI and preserve democratic continuity. Yet societies remain largely unprepared—and hostile actors are already gaining the upper hand.

Negotiating Belonging in Digital Spaces: Social Media Practices of Malaysian Diaspora Communities Abroad

Azian Muhamad Adzmi, Syahida Mohd Nazri, Liyana Mohd Ramly — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Malaysian diaspora, estimated at more than two million globally (World Bank, 2022), increasingly relies on digital platforms to sustain kinship, cultural identity, and transnational engagement. Social media particularly WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok has emerged as an indispensable tool for maintaining ‘silaturahim’, a Malay cultural value centred on social bonds and reciprocity. Unlike earlier diasporic practices limited to letters or occasional phone calls, today’s communication is marked by immediacy, intimacy, and visibility, enabling what Madianou (2022) terms “ambient co-presence.” This shift highlights how diasporic belonging is continuously redefined through digital interactions. Beyond the personal sphere, Malaysian diaspora communities are active participants in political and cultural debates. These practices illustrate how social media functions as both a bridge to the homeland and a platform for transnational political communication (Treré and Milan 2022). At the intersection of tradition and modernity, diasporic Malaysians construct hybrid identities that negotiate between cultural rootedness and global belonging. Younger generations frequently adopt cosmopolitan practices shaped by host societies, while older members emphasise cultural preservation. This generational tension underscores Stuart Hall’s (1990) view of identity as a process rather than a fixed essence. In this context, Malaysia’s recent Madani framework, which promotes inclusivity and shared values, offers a potential lens for understanding diaspora engagement. By harnessing digital literacy and fostering inclusive online spaces, the Malaysian diaspora can evolve as a vital extension of national belonging, simultaneously rooted in heritage and attuned to global realities.

Bridging the Invisible Gap: AI-Driven Journalism in Shaping Digital Inclusion for ‘Orang Asli’ or Indigenous Elders

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines the policy and ethical challenges of AI-driven journalism, defined here as news production and dissemination shaped by algorithmic curation, automated summarisation, and platform-based recommender systems in shaping digital inclusion among Orang Asli (Indigenous) elders in Malaysia. It asks how institutional regulation, algorithmic systems and social media journalistic practices reinforce or mitigate digital inequality for this marginalised older population. Drawing on critical media policy theory and socio-technical approaches to the digital divide, the study conceptualises digital exclusion as an outcome of interacting regulatory, infrastructural and generational factors. Using a triangulated virtual methodology comprising (1) content analysis of algorithmically curated news feeds on major social media platforms, (2) digital ethnography of public online spaces related to Orang Asli issues, and (3) analysis of relevant policy and regulatory documents, the study finds that AI-driven journalism systematically privileges content formats and dissemination practices that presuppose high digital literacy and stable connectivity. These dynamics disproportionately disadvantage Orang Asli elders and raise ethical concerns regarding algorithmic governance and informational justice. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at inclusive AI journalism regulation and age-sensitive digital inclusion.

Mobile App Adoption and Cybersecurity in West Africa: Implementation Strategies for Secure Digital Development

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid expansion of mobile technology in West Africa presents significant opportunities for socio-economic development, yet cybersecurity concerns increasingly threaten sustainable mobile app adoption. This study examines the intersection of mobile app implementation strategies and cybersecurity challenges in Ghana and Nigeria. Through systematic literature analysis and implementation case studies, this research identifies critical vulnerabilities in mobile app ecosystems that impede adoption and threaten user security. Findings reveal that while mobile penetration exceeds 67% in Ghana and 49% in Nigeria, over 78% of users remain unaware of basic security practices. The research proposes an integrated framework balancing accessibility with security, contributing a security-focused implementation strategy tailored to the vulnerabilities of developing economies.

How Much Science is in “Science-Based”? Adherence to Scientific Standards and Ethics among Fitness and Nutrition Influencers on YouTube

Daniel Otto, Tobias Giegerich, Georg Abel, Linn Ruangroj — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social media platforms have become a primary source of health-related information, particularly in the fields of fitness and nutrition. Influencers increasingly use labels such as "science-based" or "evidence-based" to lend credibility to their content. However, the extent to which such claims are substantiated remains largely unexamined. This is particularly concerning given the limited digital health literacy among large segments of the population and the potential for misinformation to influence health-related behaviour. This study systematically analyses the scientific quality, transparency, comprehensibility, and ethical responsibility of fitness and nutrition content on YouTube. A theory-driven evaluation framework comprising 14 criteria across four dimensions was developed, drawing on established instruments including DISCERN, the JAMA criteria, HONcode, PEMAT, and GRADE. The sample comprised 48 videos from eight German-speaking YouTube channels with substantial reach, selected based on subscriber counts and video engagement. Content was assessed independently by four raters using a five-point Likert scale, with interrater reliability confirmed through Fleiss's kappa (κ = 0.66–0.73). Results indicate that while influencers generally achieve high scores for comprehensibility (M = 3.59) and moderate scores for transparency (M = 3.38), scientific accuracy (M = 2.12) and ethical responsibility (M = 2.28) remain considerably weaker, with relatively high differences among influencers. A hierarchical cluster analysis identified three distinct communication profiles: (1) popularisers and performers, who prioritise accessibility over scientific accuracy; (2) transparent communicators, who incorporate formal transparency elements but lack systematic evidence classification; and (3) scientifically based communicators, represented by a single channel, who combine methodological accuracy with accessible presentation. The findings reveal a structural tension between reach-oriented communication and adherence to scientific standards. Personal authority frequently substitutes for methodological substantiation, and commercial interests are often inadequately disclosed. The study concludes that ensuring quality in digital health communication requires closer integration of consumer protection, ethical guidelines, and scientific standards, including uniform disclosure requirements and verifiable quality labels.

Strategic Use of Social Media in Cypriot Urban Hotels: Trends, Practices, HRM Implications, and Competitive Advantages

Christos Papademetriou, Sotiris Apostolopoulos, Iordanis Katemliadis — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The increasing incorporation of social media within the global hospitality sector has revolutionised organisational
communication, marketing strategies, service provision, and Human Resource Management (HRM). In the competitive
landscape of Cypriot urban hotels catering to international tourists, business travellers, and local visitors, social media serves
as a strategic instrument that impacts guest decision-making, reputation management, and internal operating procedures.
Drawing on an interpretivist qualitative framework and informed by social media engagement theory and electronic Human
Resource Management (e-HRM) literaturethis study examines the strategic utilisation of social media in Cypriot urban
hotels.. Semi-structured interviews with HR managers, employees, and consumers were performed to reveal the interpretive
meanings, organisational routines, and contextual realities influencing digital activities. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted with 44 participants, including 8 HR managers, 16 hotel employees, and 20 hotel customers operating in urban
hotels across Cyprus. Data were analysed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software, following the six-phase
approach proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). Credibility and validity were ensured through triangulation across
stakeholder groups, data sources, and iterative theme refinement. The results demonstrate six interrelated themes that
highlight the growing organisational significance of social media. Social networks serve as extensions of hotel identity and
experience branding, visibly influencing guest expectations before arrival (Lund, et al., 2018). Secondly, real-time digital
responsiveness has emerged as a vital factor of service quality, with timely online interactions affecting customer happiness
and confidence (Kim and Kim, 2022). Third, the increasing organisational importance of social media has necessitated greater
involvement from HRM, including the development of digital competencies, behavioural protocols, and employee
confidence in online communication (Papademetriou et al., 2023a; Papademetriou et al., 2023b). Fourth, social media
enhances corporate branding and talent acquisition by highlighting workplace culture and employee contributions (Kilson,
2025; Azhar, et al., 2024). The study identifies governance issues, such as inadequate digital literacy, lack of codified policies,
and uneven interdepartmental cooperation (Magalhães, et al., 2022). Ultimately, planned and well-regulated social media
utilisation fosters competitive advantage by improving visibility, distinction, and consumer loyalty. The study advances
theoretical understanding of social media as a cross-functional organisational resource and provides actionable guidance for
hospitality managers seeking to enhance digital governance, workforce capability, and strategic positioning in competitive
urban markets.

Institutional Messaging Meets Algorithm Culture: A Content Analysis of U.S. University TikTok Accounts

Adam Peruta, Alison Shields — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Over the past few decades, colleges and universities have increasingly turned to social media to connect with diverse audiences, from prospective students to alumni. As platforms rise and fall in popularity, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must continually adjust their social media strategies to stay relevant. TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular and influential social media platforms, especially among younger users. Many prospective students now use TikTok not just for entertainment, but also as a source of information to help shape their college choices. This trend signals a shift in how students interact with institutions and how schools must present themselves online. Previous work outlined strategies for established platforms like Facebook, including recommendations about posting frequency, medium, and content type. While valuable, these insights don't fully translate to TikTok's fast-paced, video-driven environment. Its unique algorithm, creative trends, and emphasis on authenticity distinguish it from legacy platforms, and HEIs are still learning to navigate this space effectively. In this study, researchers conduct an in-depth content analysis of 752 TikTok posts from 37 highly-ranked U.S. HEIs, drawing from the U.S. News & World Report's top-ranked public, private, and liberal arts institutions. We examined content posted between August 2023 and July 2024, selecting accounts based on platform presence and institutional ranking. Content was coded for type (e.g. student life, academics, entertainment) and media format (video, slideshow, user generated) to identify what generates the most engagement and how leading institutions communicate their brand. Findings suggest that while entertainment content dominates, content activating institutional pride such as student achievements and school spirit generates the highest engagement. Beyond contributing to ongoing discussions about digital engagement in higher education, this research offers practical recommendations to help higher education professionals strengthen their social media presence and build more meaningful connections with students through TikTok.

A Review of Social Media in Higher Education: A Case of Australian Higher Education

Maka Siwale, Rohini Balapumi, Umera Imtinan — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the widespread adoption of social media across diverse sectors, its role in Australian higher education teaching and learning remains insufficiently explored. This systematic literature review examines the use of social media within Australian universities. Guided by the methodological framework of Kitchenham and Charters (2007) and reported in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021), the review synthesises ten years of published research (2014–2024). Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings show that social media plays an increasingly significant role in fostering communication, collaboration and engagement between students and educators. Students use these tools to manage group work, access resources, and maintain peer connections, particularly benefiting online and international learners. For educators, social media extends classroom boundaries, promotes digital literacy and enables authentic, interactive learning experiences. However, challenges persist, including privacy and ethical concerns, limited institutional guidelines, tensions between personal and professional identities, and uneven levels of digital competence. To harness the educational potential of social media, universities should develop clear policies, provide professional development, embed social media meaningfully into curricula and promote inclusive, professional digital engagement. By synthesising a decade of evidence, this review offers a timely contribution to current thinking about social media’s use in Australian higher education. It highlights both its transformative potential and the need for more strategic institutional support to ensure its effective and ethical integration into teaching and learning practices.

AI-Generated Persuasion in Conflict: A Study of Israeli Influencers’ Perspective

Nili Steinfeld, Eli Haikis — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Generative artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in social media production and circulation, creating new opportunities for persuasive communication while also intensifying concerns about authenticity, manipulation, and misinformation during conflict. This qualitative study draws on semi-structured interviews with eight Israeli social media influencers from different content domains who posted war-related content in the first months of the Israel-Gaza war. Across interviews, AI was framed as an amplifier of emotion, narrative clarity, and virality, but also as a tool that can blur the boundary between persuasion and propaganda. Ethical evaluations were frequently shaped by political alignment, and almost all participants supported stronger transparency-oriented safeguards such as labeling or watermarking, even while questioning their feasibility. The findings position influencers as emerging gatekeepers in conflict communication and illustrate how AI intensifies both expressive capacity and credibility dilemmas. Given the small, context-specific sample and the reliance on self-reported accounts, the study offers exploratory rather than generalizable conclusions, and points to the need for further comparative research and governance frameworks that combine platform accountability with public media literacy.

Beyond the Screen: Discord as a Third Place for Identity and Privacy

Liselotte Liliane Ringeis, Stefan Stumpp, Michael Sarbacher — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research shows the importance of spaces away from home or work for individuals to be themselves, so-called Third Places. The present paper aims to investigate whether online spaces can be digital alternatives to offline Third Places and what role pseudonyms play in enabling this function. Using previous research on Third Places and pseudonym use in online spaces along with an online survey of 186 participants, aimed at Oldenburg’s Third Place theory, in particular the characteristics named in chapter two of Oldenburg’s book The Great Good Place, in which the author describes the way offline gathering spaces are important for people and their communities and which characteristics places need in order to function as such spaces, the present research focuses on Discord servers as the potential digital Third Place. The research in this paper indicates that Discord servers can function as digital alternatives to Third Places, as even though not all servers encompass the characteristics named by Oldenburg, the potential to do so is there. The anonymity and privacy obtained by use of pseudonyms is shown as useful and at times necessary for Discord server members to use these spaces as Third Places, as it separates the actions in the digital space from those done under the legal name when with family (First Place) or in the workplace (Second Place). For the psychological well-being of a person, access to a Third Place is important, and especially when such spaces are rare in the offline sphere, allowing people to make use of online spaces under pseudonyms so their actions cannot be found by or connected to the people in their offline environment should be made possible. Many online spaces ask for the use of legal names by the online users. While these spaces still fulfil a function for the online user, they cannot be a digital Third Place, and online spaces that allow or even encourage the use of pseudonyms can fulfil the niche with the capacity for privacy and anonymity.

Influencers as Nodes of Problematic Content: Misinformation, Hate Speech, and Youth Responses

Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez, Antonio García-Jiménez, Beatriz García-Catalina — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This research explores the way in which young people encounter fake news through the profiles of influencers, as well as its association with their behaviour in avoiding misinformation. The study also examines how exposure to comments containing hate speech is related to either taking a stance of passive observation, or an attitude of active dissemination. This platform-based contextualization enables an integrated assessment of misinformation exposure/avoidance and hate-speech-related responses in youth audiences. Regarding hate speech, sexual orientation has been added to the mix to identify whether, in addition to gender differences, there are specific patterns of vulnerability associated with sexual diversity. A survey was conducted involving 1,800 adolescents and young adults from 14–24 years of age who reside in Spain. The findings indicate that influencers have become a key source of news for young people, which highlights the pivotal role played by these figures as information mediators within the youth ecosystem. Practices involving information verification are mostly driven by curiosity or surprise, whereas consistently stronger and active fact-checking is conducted by those who place their trust in the influencers they follow. As for exposure to hate speech, the phenomenon is widespread, with girls claiming to be the target of such aggression more often. Passivity is the dominant response across groups, whereas sharing is more frequent among boys. Sexual minorities, especially bisexual and homosexual, are more exposed to hate speech than their heterosexual peers. In terms of dissemination, people with other sexual orientations, as well as heterosexuals, engage in the highest levels of sharing, while homosexual youth display the lowest levels, making the latter group the most vulnerable.

Artificial Intelligence in Social Media: University Students’ Experiences Across AI-Driven Platforms

Nazime Tuncay — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into social media platforms has fundamentally transformed the nature
of digital participation, raising critical questions about user autonomy, information exposure, and platform governance. This
study examines the extent to which artificial intelligence influences the social media practices of university students, a group
characterized by intensive platform use and formative information consumption. Data were collected from 750
undergraduate students (aged 18–22) of Turkish cultural background residing in Northern Cyprus, Türkiye, Germany, the
United Kingdom, and 15 additional countries. Contemporary social media platforms operate as AI-driven environments that
shape what users see, how they engage, and how they interpret information. This study demonstrates that university
students are deeply embedded in AI-driven social media environments, where algorithmic systems play a central role in
shaping engagement, information exposure, and everyday digital practices. However, this integration does not translate into
meaningful user control. The findings reveal a consistent pattern in which higher levels of AI-Driven Engagement &
Personalization, AI Influence on Social Media Habits, and AI and Misinformation Exposure coexist with significantly lower
levels of AI Awareness & Control, indicating a structural imbalance between user participation and user empowerment. The
strength and direction of these relationships suggest that the limitations users experience are not solely individual but are
closely linked to the design and operation of AI-driven platforms. Despite increased awareness, users remain constrained in
their ability to interpret, question, and influence algorithmic processes. This challenges the assumption that awareness alone
is sufficient to foster autonomy in digital environments.

Online Crisis Communication: An Australian Case Study

Matthew Warren, Shona Leitch — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In contemporary organisational crisis management, real-time digital communication has become essential for protecting corporate reputation and maintaining stakeholder trust. This paper examines the strategic role of social media in crisis communication through an analysis of a significant cybersecurity incident. On 2 July 2025, Qantas Airways, Australia's flag carrier, experienced a major cyber attack that compromised an offshore system containing personal data of approximately six million customers. This paper investigates the airline's crisis communication response across multiple digital platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and other online channels, while also examining the communication activities of additional stakeholders involved in the incident. This study critically evaluates Qantas Airways' management of the cyber security breach in relation to crisis communications. The analysis identifies both effective strategies and areas of weakness in the airline's approach to managing public sentiment, disseminating incident updates, and engaging with affected stakeholders through social media channels. The findings contribute to understanding best practices in digital crisis communication and offer practical insights applicable to organisations navigating similar security incidents in an increasingly connected environment.

Cross-Cultural Social Media Cybersecurity Governance in the Middle East

Vinden John Wylde, Abbas Fadhil Aljuboori — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social media platforms have evolved into critical socio-technical infrastructures through which communication, information exchange, and civic engagement increasingly occur. As these platforms scale globally, they create persistent exposure to cyber risks that extend beyond isolated technical vulnerabilities to include behavioural dynamics and governance limitations. This study examines social media cybersecurity through a cross-cultural lens, focusing on the Middle East, a region characterised by rapid digital adoption, evolving regulatory frameworks, and diverse socio-cultural contexts. Drawing on a structured synthesis of threat intelligence, behavioural cybersecurity research, and governance literature, the analysis integrates three analytical dimensions: structural misalignments between platform design and regulatory safeguards, cross-cultural variation in digital literacy and institutional preparedness, and challenges in operationalising legal and ethical accountability.
The findings show that cybersecurity risk emerges from the interaction of these dimensions rather than from failures within any single domain. Platform architectures create persistent exposure conditions, user behaviour mediates how risk materialises across populations, and governance frameworks constrain the translation of regulatory ambition into enforceable safeguards. Building on these insights, the paper proposes a cross-cultural social media cybersecurity governance model that conceptualises risk management as a multi-layered process spanning users, institutions, platforms, and regulators, offering policy and governance implications for strengthening accountability and resilience in rapidly evolving digital environments.

Libraries as Knowledge Armories: Can They Combat the Weaponisation of Social Media?

Edmont Pasipamire — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid spread of misinformation, algorithmic manipulation and artificial intelligence-generated fake content on
social media has sparked growing interest in whether libraries can serve as the first line of defense for information integrity.
Despite widespread advocacy for libraries to be repositories of knowledge, the evidence base for this claim has remained
largely unexplored. This review addresses a central question: to what extent can academic and public libraries act as effective
institutional bulwarks against the weaponisation of social media, and what structural factors determine the limits of this
capacity? To answer this question, 32 peer-reviewed and institutional sources from library science, communication studies,
security research and education are combined in five thematic areas: how and to what extent disinformation spreads;
whether media literacy programs will lead to lasting behavioural change; institutional capacity of libraries; the validation
infrastructure; and the context of political and geographical contexts. The findings show that, while libraries are trustworthy
institutions with real teaching capacity, four structural barriers limit their effectiveness: chronic under-funding and understaffing;
the persistent gap between the development of verification skills and changing online behaviour; the poor
transferability of literacy tools in authoritarian and conflict-affected contexts; and the fundamental mismatch between AIdriven
fabrication and library response capacity. The framing of libraries as the primary defenders of information war is also
a risk of diverting political attention from more consequential interventions, such as platform liability, AI-regulation of
content, and national disinformation strategies. This review contributes to a critical reassessment of the claims on library
effectiveness, a typology of four structural capacity bottlenecks and a framework for including libraries as essential but
limited actors in the wider, societal response to the weaponisation of information in democratic life.

The Edu-Influence Evaluation Matrix (EEM): Reframing Credibility in Digital Pedagogy

Ajita Deshmukh — Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The expansion of platform mediated learning has given rise to educator-influencers who distribute pedagogic, affective, visibility-oriented forms of educational engagement across digital ecosystem. While existing scholarship has examined influencer culture and social media in education separately, there has been limited research on how educational authority, credibility and pedagogic influence are constructed across platforms. This study addresses that gap through a qualitative exploratory analysis of select educator influencers operating across YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Drawing on theories of micro-celebrity, networked scholarship and affective publics, the study examines how pedagogic intent, visibility practices and credibility signals are operationalised within platform specific environments. Using structured qualitative content analysis, this study analyses a purposive sample of Indian educator-influencers while drawing selectively on international educator influencers for contextual references. The findings demonstrate clear platform differentiation.: YouTube emerged as the primary site of pedagogic depth and structured instruction; Instagram functioned as affective-relational ecosystem centred on aspiration, community engagement while LinkedIn continued to operate as a space of institutional legitimacy and professional growth. The study further identifies a distinction between learner-facing and professional-facing forms of educational influence, revealing how pedagogic, relational and visibility labour are strategically distributed across platforms. From these empirical patterns, the study develops the Edu-Influence Evaluation Matrix (EEM), comprising three analytical domains: pedagogic intent, visibility practices and credibility signals. The EEM offers a platform-sensitive framework for evaluating educational influence beyond engagement metrics, with implications for researchers, educational institutions and policymakers in increasingly algorithmic learning environments.

Simulation of Social Media Account Compromise Across User-Chosen Authentication Schemes

Tapiwa Gundu — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The security of social media platforms is fundamentally shaped by the authentication choices of their users. While individual authentication methods have known vulnerabilities, there is limited understanding of how the aggregate of these choices creates systemic risks at the platform level. This paper presents a simulation that models common attacks; credential stuffing, phishing, and SIM-swapping against a simulated population of users employing different authentication methods (password-only, SMS OTP, TOTP app, and passkeys). The account compromise rates, attacker costs, and most critically, the downstream platform impacts are quantified. The study highlights that authentication compromises lead to the spread of disinformation and exfiltration of private data. The results reveal that even modest shifts in user adoption toward stronger methods dramatically reduce the platform's overall attack surface. For instance, migrating password-only users to any form of two-factor authentication (2FA) reduces total platform vulnerability to credential stuffing by over 80%. However, the persistence of SMS OTP creates a high-risk cohort vulnerable to targeted SIM-swapping, facilitating high-impact compromises. The simulation provides a data-driven recommendations for social media platform designers to evaluate security policies, forecast the effects of nudging strategies, and prioritise defences against the most likely and damaging attack vectors shaped by their users' authentication preferences.

Trust in Generative AI: Multi-Stakeholder Perspective in the Context of UK Marketing

Carolina de Seixas Paiva,, Yanqing Duan, Markus Haag — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents an investigation into the trust dynamics in the use of generative AI (genAI) within the
Advertising and Marketing sector in the UK, emphasising a multi-stakeholder perspective. An aspect that remains largely
under researched, but that recently has been noted as important (InnovateUK, 2024) is the need to understand these issues
from multiple perspectives. The current literature on AI and GenAI typically focuses exclusively on one group of individuals,
which one argues to be the incorrect approach. This narrow focus overlooks the complexity of trust-related challenges and
how these manifest when multiple groups are involved. To bridge this gap, research should explore trust extensively across
multiple stakeholder groups to elucidate the intricate challenges of integrating GenAI in the context provided.
Correspondingly, the aim of this research is to examine how trust is perceived, developed, and influenced from a multistakeholder
perspective. An interpretivist approach was adopted, and data collection was conducted using qualitative
methods. Due to the subjective and contextual nature of trust, a research approach that promotes a flexible and openminded
view of knowledge is better suited. Because the nature of this research entails observation beyond quantifiability, a
qualitative approach was deemed the most appropriate methodology. Preliminary findings from social media observation
and semi-structured interviews reveal nuanced links between regulatory frameworks and trust levels, and some participant’s
views and attitudes echo the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Semantic ambiguities around AI terminology, concerns
about job displacement, industry impact, data uniformity, and censorship also emerged. Notably, ChatGPT was described
not as a replacement but as a collaborative tool. Building upon these discoveries, the researcher plans to investigate further
through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The research aims to achieve three key outcomes: (1) Identify factors
impacting GenAI from a multi-stakeholder; (2) Offer a holistic perspective of trust in the genAI ecosystem; and (3)
Conceptualisation of a trust-based framework to address GenAI-related applications in the Advertising and Marketing sector.

"I Want to Hear Things From the Other Side": Designing for Content Diversity and User Control on Instagram Reels

Salsabil Ahmed Khan, Helena Webb — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Short video platforms have revolutionised digital media consumption through algorithmic personalisation, but they risk creating filter bubbles and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. This paper investigates user perceptions of algorithmic personalisation and filter bubbles on Instagram Reels, an underexplored platform with a significant global user base. Using a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and prototype evaluations, the study identifies critical user concerns, such as repetitive content, perceived manipulation, and limited content diversity. The research introduces a user-centred prototype with tools for algorithmic transparency and customisation, enabling users to manage their content experience and mitigate filter bubbles. Iterative testing with the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Think Aloud methods demonstratesthe prototype’s effectiveness. By addressing challenges like ideological polarisation, psychological fatigue, and ethical concerns, this study contributes to broader societal discussions and provides actionable insights for designing inclusive digital environments that prioritise user autonomy, transparency, and diverse perspectives.

Future of Higher Education Marketing: A Case Study on Leveraging Influencer Impact on a Changing Immigration Landscape

Thilini S. Weerasekara — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Hertfordshire is at a crucial juncture. Its recent successes depend heavily on international
students. However, tightened UK immigration laws now threaten to sharply reduce international enrollments. This creates
a direct risk to the university's revenue and the broader economy in the United Kingdom. To ensure its existence and future,
the university must strive to attract more domestic students. Without solid evidence, depending just on student ambassadors
for marketing is no longer enough. This study argues that Online Influencer Marketing (OIM) is an effective but underrated
strategy for higher education in the UK. Research from Sweden, Canada, Australia, and Portugal demonstrates the
transformative impact of OIM on the higher education industry. However, its use in the UK higher education industry is still
restricted. This research aims to achieve three key goals: (1) to assess the importance of OIM in UK higher education, (2) to
identify influential voices and target audiences for the University of Hertfordshire, and (3) to detect the best social media
platforms and content strategies for positive outcomes. The findings indicate that OIM emerged as the third most prominent
market trend, with UK audiences responding positively to Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and non-mainstream digital
personas, with micro-influencers and industry experts proving particularly persuasive in the United Kingdom context.
Instagram is identified as the most effective platform for engagement, and authenticity, language, and the content's
temporality are the most essential factors in content creation that followers consider. The integration of OIM can also help
offset the adverse effects of policy changes and promote positive outcomes. It can also help buffer against negative changes
in immigration policy and spark innovation in academic research and marketing. Based on these results, the University of
Hertfordshire and similar institutions should integrate Online Influencer Marketing into their student recruitment plans to
boost domestic enrollment and support resilience and sustainable growth.