Leonie Rösner

Verbal Venting in the Social Web: Effects of Anonymity and Group Norms on Aggressive Language Use in Online Comments

Scholars often blame the occurrence of aggressive behavior in online discussions on the anonymity of the Internet; however, even on today’s less anonymous platforms, such as social networking sites, users write plenty of aggressive comments, which can elicit a whole wave of negative remarks. Drawing on the social identity and deindividuation effects (SIDE) model, this research conducts a laboratory experiment with a 2 (anonymity vs. no anonymity) × 2 (aggressive norm vs. non-aggressive norm) between-subjects design in order to disentangle the effects of anonymity, social group norms, and their interactions on aggressive language use in online comments. Results reveal that participants used more aggressive expressions in their comments when peer comments on a blog included aggressive wording (i.e., the social group norm was aggressive). Anonymity had no direct effect; however, we found a tendency that users’ conformity to an aggressive social norm of commenting is stronger in an anonymous environment.

Don’t Keep It (Too) Simple How Textual Representations of Scientific Uncertainty Affect Laypersons’ Attitudes

This research investigated the question of how laypersons are influenced by textual representations of scientific uncertainty. In an online experiment (N = 78), a blog article about effects of computer games on children was presented in four different versions. Each version contained three arguments on negative effects that were either phrased neutrally, contained assertive statements, or included hedges. The fourth version contained an additional argument on positive effects of computer games (two-sided). In comparison with the basic one-sided version, the two-sided text led to a more moderate attitude toward the topic. According to moderation analyses, this difference was mainly based on readers with more advanced epistemological beliefs and with a higher need for cognition, who were more strongly affected by a two-sided presentation of evidence. The assertive version was less effective than the basic version, suggesting that recipients were skeptical when statements were presented as overly certain.

Broadcasting one world: How watching online videos can elicit elevation and reduce stereotypes

Research on non-hedonic entertainment suggests the experience of elevation as an important construct leading to beneficial outcomes such as prosocial motivation. This study builds on first findings in this realm by distinguishing between different meaningful media contents. In a 3 × 4 between-subjects online experiment, we varied type of video (beauty of the earth, unity of humankind, portrayals of human kindness, and funny control videos) and context of proliferation (presentation on an unknown video platform or on YouTube with low vs high number of views). Meaningful videos indeed led to greater elevation, more universal orientation, and prosocial motivation—with videos showing human kindness standing out against other forms of meaningful videos. Human kindness videos additionally fostered more positive attitudes toward stereotyped groups—mediated by the feeling of elevation and the subsequent feeling of universal orientation.

Integrating Volunteers into Rescue Processes: Analysis of User Requirements and Mobile App Conception

Recently, rescue worker resources have not been sufficient to meet the regular response time during large-scale catastrophic events in every case. However, many volunteers supported official forces in different disaster situations, often self-organized through social media. In this paper, a system will be introduced which allows the coordination of trained volunteers by a professional control center with the objective of a more efficient distribution of human resources and technical equipment. Volunteers are contacted via app on their private smartphone. The design of this app is based on user requirements gathered in focus group discussions. The feedback of the potential users includes privacy aspects, low energy consumption, and mechanisms for long-term motivation and training. The authors present the results of the focus group analyses as well as the transfer to their app design concept.

S.O.S. on my phone: An analysis of motives and incentives for participation in smartphone‐based volunteering

This paper aimed to analyse the potential of new technologies to support volunteer engagement in emergency response. To examine prerequisites for the use of a smartphone-based application by medically trained volunteers in circumstances in which regular medical resources are exceeded, the influence of volunteering motives and user characteristics were assessed via an online survey. Results demonstrate that value-oriented individuals evaluated the system more positively and were more willing to participate. Career-oriented motivation and technical expertise had a partial influence. Different incentives emphasized in the system description did not make any difference, possibly because the overall evaluation was very positive. Among other implications, results point to the relevance of investigating ways to address value-oriented individuals and to effectively trigger their motivation.

The Effect of Bilingual Congruence on the Persuasive Influence of Videos and Comments on YouTube

Social media offer a global village in which user-generated comments from different groups and many languages appear. Extending the notion of prototypes in social identification theory, research examined the persuasive influence of comments supporting or deriding a public service announcement video on YouTube, where comments’ language either matched or differed from the videos’. Bilingual participants watched videos in English or Mandarin Chinese promoting water conservation, accompanied by comments in English or Mandarin that supported or derided the videos’ message. Results replicated previous findings about the valence of comments on public service announcement evaluations, overridden by an interaction between valence and language congruity: Comments in the same language as the videos’ affected readers’ evaluations of the video more than did comments in the language other than the videos’.

United in the Name of Justice: How Conformity Processes in Social Media May Influence Online Vigilantism.

In order to advance the understanding of conformity processes in online environments, this research examined how peer reactions to an ethically questionable call to vigilantism on Facebook influence the individual’s responses to this initiative. In an experiment, we varied peer reactions in form of textual comments and numeric displays (the number of people who have already “liked” or “shared” a message). While the valence of peer comments and numeric information had an interaction effect on the individual’s intention to support this call online, offline support intentions and attitudes toward the call were only affected under conditions of high identification with commenters. Dispositional altruism and empathy directly influenced individuals’ willingness to participate in this initiative of vigilantism—independently of other users’ reactions. Implications for theoretical models of conformity processes in online realms are discussed.

Krisenkommunikation bei Facebook? Wie sich die Social-Media-Nutzung öffentlicher Institutionen auf ihre Glaubwürdigkeit auswirkt

Die Nutzung von Social-Media-Anwendungen wie Facebook, YouTube, Twitter oder Weblogs hat in den vergangenen Jahren stark zugenommen. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt sich die Frage, ob auch offentliche Institutionen diese Kanale zur Kommunikation von krisenbezogenen Informationen nutzen sollten oder ob ihre Glaubwurdigkeit durch die Nutzung sozialer Medien und mogliche negative Nutzerreaktionen sinken kann. Dieser Beitrag gibt zunachst einen theoretischen Uberblick uber das Konzept Glaubwurdigkeit und stellt dar, nach welchen Mechanismen im Rahmen der Online-Kommunikation Glaubwurdigkeitszuschreibungen vorgenommen werden. Anschliesend werden erste empirische Erkenntnisse zur Wahrnehmung und Bewertung krisenbezogener Nachrichten offentlicher Institutionen im Umfeld sozialer Netzwerkseiten berichtet.