Frank M. Schneider

Permanently online - Permanently connected

BackgroundWith the availability of mobile smart devices, many adolescents have developed the habit of being online and connected with other users almost all the time. ObjectiveThe aim of this paper is to provide a definition of being permanently online (PO) and permanently connected (PC) and to explore students current PO/PC behaviors. MethodsAn online survey was conducted with 178 university students in Germany to explore the intensity of their PO/PC behaviors in various social situations, the differences in being PO and being PC, students feelings about a possible loss of Internet access, and their online responding behaviors. We also shed some light on the associations between being PO/PC and various aspects of well-being, as well as between PO/PC and demographics and lifestyle. ResultsSmart device usage behaviors at night and behaviors in various social situations during the day indicate that PO and PC behaviors are occurring frequently. The results show that being connected to others (PC) seems to be more relevant to the participants than browsing the web (PO). Moreover, the participants expressed strong emotional responses about a temporary loss of Internet access. Coping behaviors in response to increasing number of incoming messages and permanent availability are reported. ConclusionThis exploratory study demonstrates the relevance of the concepts of being PO and PC to students, and points out further research gaps. Being connected to others was more important than browsing the web on smartphones.Students preferred to have their devices turned on/lying close to them at night.The majority of the respondents felt an urgency to reply to messages quickly.Strong emotional feelings were expressed when individuals lost internet access.Participants in a romantic partnership showed lower PO/PC scores.

I know you've seen it! Individual and social factors for users' chatting behavior on Facebook

We investigated the influence of the seen-function on Facebook chatting behavior.The influence is related to users need to belong and fear of ostracism.We explored the influence of message content and social roles on chatting behavior.Through cluster analyses we examined different types of Facebook chat users.Results indicate a strong impact of personality traits on perception of chat norms. An online survey (N=207) investigated how the seen-function influences users answering behavior in Facebook chatting. The seen-function is a chat-feature that provides more transparency over the course of a chat conversation and thus may also intensify the mutual awareness of chat partners. Based on the need to belong and fear of ostracism as motivators for user behavior it was hypothesized that users with a higher value of these personality traits would have a higher expectation for others to answer immediately and a higher perceived obligation to answer immediately. Indeed, fear of ostracism and need to belong were positively related to perceived obligations to answer and expectations toward chat partners. However, the perceived obligation to answer immediately was higher than the average expectation toward others to do so. Looking for different clusters of users, we found three groups of users in the data set that differ in terms of their expectations and perceived obligations.

Seriously Entertained: Antecedents and Consequences of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Entertainment Experiences With Political Talk Shows on TV

This studys purpose is twofold: to introduce a new format into existing political entertainment research (“serious” political talk shows) and to establish a more specific definition of entertainment in a political context. To do so, the authors rely on a two-process-model of entertainment experiences. A telephone survey (N = 230) was conducted to analyze the antecedents and consequences of eudaimonic and hedonic entertainment experiences and to look into politically relevant variables and their distribution among viewers and nonviewers of such talk shows. The results highlight the importance of introducing new entertainment concepts and their relations to other relevant political and motivational variables into the research of political entertainment. More specifically, the findings demonstrate how entertainment experiences contribute to viewers feeling of being informed and point out several differences between viewers and nonviewers concerning their internal political efficacy and political interest. Finally, looking at political talk shows from an audience perspective extends previous content-based taxonomies.

Learning from entertaining online video clips? Enjoyment and appreciation and their differential relationships with knowledge and behavioral intentions

Based on assumptions from entertainment theory, an online-study (N?=?419) was conducted to investigate the differential relationships between enjoyment and appreciation of a video clip that dealt with the features of natural gas as fuel for cars, objective and subjective knowledge about the content of that clip, and behavioral intentions of dealing with the topic of natural gas. Structural equation modeling revealed that enjoyment was directly positively related to objective and subjective knowledge. However, objective knowledge did not predict and subjective knowledge was only weakly associated with behavioral intentions. Appreciation, in contrast, was directly negatively related to knowledge acquisition and not related to subjective knowledge, but was the best predictor for behavioral intentions. These results point to the distinct processes and relationships of different entertainment experiences. Implications for entertainment-education and online video portals are discussed. We analyzed responses to an educational, entertaining online video about natural gas.We examined how entertainment experiences are related to knowledge and behavioral intentions.Enjoyment was positively associated with objective and subjective knowledge.Appreciation was the best direct predictor of behavioral intentions.We discuss implications for entertainment-education and online video portals.

Testing Measurement Equivalence of Eudaimonic and Hedonic Entertainment Motivations in a Cross-cultural Comparison

Abstract Within Hofstede’s framework of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, this contribution examines measurement equivalence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations in two different cultures, namely Germany representing a more individualistic culture (N = 180) and Turkey representing a more collectivistic culture (N = 97). By means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, we could secure configural invariance for both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations across the German and Turkish sample. Metric invariance, however, could only be obtained for hedonic, but not for eudaimonic motivations. Scalar invariance was obtained for neither of the two entertainment motivations. The study points to the importance of equivalence testing when conducting cross-cultural research.

The Perceived Leadership Communication Questionnaire (PLCQ): Development and Validation

ABSTRACT The Perceived Leadership Communication Questionnaire (PLCQ) is a short, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring leadership communication from both perspectives of the leader and the follower. Drawing on a communication-based approach to leadership and following a theoretical framework of interpersonal communication processes in organizations, this article describes the development and validation of a one-dimensional 6-item scale in four studies (total N = 604). Results from Study 1 and 2 provide evidence for the internal consistency and factorial validity of the PLCQs self-rating version (PLCQ-SR)—a version for measuring how leaders perceive their own communication with their followers. Results from Study 3 and 4 show internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity of the PLCQs other-rating version (PLCQ-OR)—a version for measuring how followers perceive the communication of their leaders. Cronbachs α had an average of.80 over the four studies. All confirmatory factor analyses yielded good to excellent model fit indices. Convergent validity was established by average positive correlations of.69 with subdimensions of transformational leadership and leader–member exchange scales. Furthermore, nonsignificant correlations with socially desirable responding indicated discriminant validity. Last, criterion validity was supported by a moderately positive correlation with job satisfaction (r =.31).

Psychologie der internen Organisationskommunikation

Uber den Erfolg der Unternehmenskommunikation entscheiden neben der Struktur und den Rahmenbedingungen einer Organisation sowie der Qualitat und Form von Kommunikationsmasnahmen auch individuelle psychologische Faktoren der Rezipienten. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet dies am Beispiel der internen Organisationskommunikation. Zunachst werden die Relevanz interner Kommunikation fur Organisationen sowie wesentliche Ziele und Formen interner Organisationskommunikation skizziert. Anschliesend werden die wichtigsten psychologischen Theorien und Faktoren diskutiert, die die Wirkung interner Kommunikationsmasnahmen erklaren und beeinflussen konnen. Diese werden in einem theoretischen Wirkmodell dargestellt, das die Bezuge zwischen interner Unternehmenskommunikation und individuellen psychologischen sowie situationsbedingten Faktoren aufzeigt. Schlieslich werden Moglichkeiten besprochen, wie Kommunikation diagnostiziert und evaluiert werden kann.

Measuring Subjective Movie Evaluation Criteria: Conceptual Foundation, Construction, and Validation of the SMEC Scales

ABSTRACT Audiences’ movie evaluations have often been explored as effects of experiencing movies. However, little attention has been paid to the criteria viewers use when they evaluate a movie or its specific features. Adding to this, the present research introduces the idea of subjective movie evaluation criteria (SMEC), conceptualizes SMEC as the mental representation of important attitudes toward specific film features, and describes the scale construction for their measurement and its validation process. Findings from pilot work and 2 studies including over 1,500 participants provide first evidence that 8 dimensions—Story Verisimilitude, Story Innovation, Cinematography, Special Effects, Recommendation, Innocuousness, Light-heartedness, and Cognitive Stimulation—are largely determined by stable individual differences, substantially but differentially related to film-specific constructs and personality traits, and that the SMEC scales are reliable and valid instruments for measuring subjective movie evaluation criteria.

Zero Likes – Symbolic interactions and need satisfaction online

Abstract The paper looks at the symbolic interactions on social networking sites, such as Likes on Facebook, and their role in users sense of social in- or exclusion. In an online experiment, users of Facebook were asked to write a possible status update and then received note about the numbers of hypothetical Likes they received (zero, two, or thirty) and who (close friends or acquaintances) pressed the Like button. Multivariate analysis of variances showed that belongingness and self-esteem needs are threatened when people do not receive Likes. In contrast, more Likes seem to satisfy these needs better. The influence of who gives the Likes is minor compared to the sheer number of Likes.

Too much information? Predictors of information overload in the context of online news exposure

ABSTRACT As the Internet provides massive amounts of heterogeneous information, people may perceive this medium as challenging. The difficulty to evaluate and select relevant information increases as more and more diverse sources and content are available. Information overload (IO) may be the consequence. The research presented here gives a first comprehensive overview of possible indicators for IO in the context of online news exposure. Based on an online survey (N=419), we found that younger people with less information-seeking self-efficacy were more susceptible to experience IO. Additionally, we identified motivations for media consumption and information retrieval strategies in the Internet that imply IO. With our results, we contribute to a further understanding of IO and provide an important basis for future research needed to face the challenges resulting from the rising media diversity.