Hyunmin Lee

Testing the Impact of Message Interactivity on Relationship Management and Organizational Reputation

Assessing Web site interactivity from the contingent message interactivity perspective, this study investigated whether message interactivity of organizational Web sites and blog sites influence perceptions of relationship management and reputation. Guided by interactivity, relationship management, and organizational reputation theories, this study found that regardless of familiarity of the company, people evaluated organizations that responded back to their comments as more trustworthy and committed, and as having better control of mutuality and communal relationships, and higher satisfaction, compared to organizations that did not respond back. Additionally, high contingent message interactivity projected higher organizational reputation compared to low contingent message interactivity, regardless of familiarity.

Framing Medical Tourism: An Analysis of Persuasive Appeals, Risks and Benefits, and New Media Features of Medical Tourism Broker Websites

This study explores the benefits and risks featured in medical tourism broker websites, as well as the types of persuasive appeals that these websites use to attract potential customers, from a framing theory perspective. In addition, it examines relationships among types of appeals and specific types of health-related services offered by medical facilities abroad and the role of new media modalities within medical tourism broker sites. A content analysis of 91 medical tourism broker websites was conducted. The results indicate that the websites highly emphasized benefits while downplaying the risks. Specifically, despite offering consumers complicated and risky medical procedures, the websites failed to report any procedural, postoperative, or legal concerns associated with them. Moreover, the results indicated that the websites relied on heavy use of new media features to enhance the appeal of the medical services that were offered. The implications of these findings, future directions for research, and limitations of the study are discussed.

Canonical correlation analysis of online video advertising viewing motivations and access characteristics

This study investigates consumers’ motivations for watching online video ads and the relationship between the motivations and access characteristics of viewers. Uses and gratifications and characteristics of consumers’ exposure to online video ads were reviewed for this study. First, findings of exploratory factor analysis revealed five different motivations for viewing online video ads – social interaction, relaxation, information, escapism-pass time, and entertainment. Second, canonical correlation analysis revealed that the desire to fulfill viewing motivations is positively correlated with frequencies to actively access websites and frequencies to visit different types of websites. Implications and future research are discussed.

Defining Obesity: Second-Level Agenda Setting Attributes in Black Newspapers and General Audience Newspapers

This content analysis study examines how obesity is depicted in general-audience and Black newspaper stories (N=391) through the lens of second-level agenda setting theory. The results reveal that both Black newspapers and general-audience newspapers generally ascribe individual causes for obesity. While both types of newspapers largely neglected to mention solutions for the problem, Black newspapers were more likely than general-audience newspapers to suggest both individual and societal solutions for treating obesity. For Black newspapers, these solutions more often included community interventions. In addition, Black newspapers more often used a negative tone in stories and more frequently mentioned ethnic and racial minorities as at-risk groups.

What Are Americans Seeing? Examining the Message Frames of Local Television Health News Stories

While local television news is the number-one source among Americans for health information, little attention has been given to what viewers are actually watching in these newscasts. Toward this end, a content analysis of local television health news stories (n = 416) was conducted, to examine how local health news stories utilize gain and loss message frames, and whether there are differences in story topics, location, length, presence of self-efficacy methods, and conflict, according to the message frames. Results showed that health news stories that dealt with advancements in treatment or philanthropic events were mainly reported using gain frames, while loss frame health news stories most frequently reported on statistics and trends. The majority of the health news stories were less than 30 seconds among all frames, and conflict appeared more often for the loss frames than gain frames. Furthermore, while efficacy information was mostly absent across all types of frames, gain frames were more likely than loss frames to present efficacy methods. Finally, efficacy information appeared most frequently in health-related statistical reports and prevention messages, while discrimination and health-policy stories had the least efficacy information in them.

Utilizing Audiovisual and Gain-Framed Messages to Attenuate Psychological Reactance Toward Weight Management Health Messages

ABSTRACT Guided by the psychological reactance theory, this study predicted that gain-framed messages and audiovisual content could counteract state reactance and increase the persuasiveness of weight management health messages. Data from a 2 (message frame: gain/loss) × 2 (modality: audiovisual/text) × 2 (message repetition) within-subjects experiment (N = 82) indicated that in the context of weight management messages for college students, gain-framed messages indeed mitigate psychological reactance. Furthermore, the modality and the frame of the health message interacted in such a way that gain-framed messages in an audiovisual modality generated the highest motivations to comply with the recommendations in the persuasive health messages.

The Analysis of Self-Presentation of Fortune 500 Corporations in Corporate Web Sites

In the digital age, many corporations communicate with their publics via online channels. Among many channels, a corporation’s official Web site is often used for informing publics of its performance and other corporate-related information and for shaping a positive corporate image. This study quantitatively analyzed corporate Web sites, particularly the “About us” Web pages of Fortune 500 corporations based on symbolic convergence theory (SCT), which describes the formation of symbolic reality and the shared meaning of that symbolic reality among the public. A content analysis revealed that economic corporate management was the dominant rhetorical vision, and the fantasy, in the context of SCT, of being a superior company was emphasized by the 500 examined corporations. Such symbolic reality was constructed using corresponding structural tools of Web content, such as dramatis personae, plot line, and scene. In addition, the rhetorical vision and fantasy themes created by the Web sites turned out to be contingent on business classifications (retailer/distributor, manufacturers, and financial/informational/recreational services). Companies that pursued other types of fantasy themes (such as admirable, futuristic, and competent/stable) and rhetorical visions (such as socially responsible corporate management) were also identified. Some suggestions for corporate communicators are provided based on the results of this analysis.