Wonsun Shin

Parental mediation of teenagers’ video game playing: Antecedents and consequences

This study analyzed nationally representative survey data of teenagers and parents in the USA to investigate parental mediation of teenagers’ video game playing and its influence on various types of teenagers’ gaming behaviors. Three forms of parental mediation of video game playing were examined: co-playing, game rating checking, and stopping children from playing games. A weak and negative correlation was found between teenagers’ age and parental mediation. Also, parents who presumed negative influence of video games were more likely to restrict video game playing of their teenage children. Parental mediation — particularly game rating checking — was found to be significantly related to teenagers’ game playing frequency and engagement in deceptive gaming behaviors.This study analyzed nationally representative survey data of teenagers and parents in the USA to investigate parental mediation of teenagers’ video game playing and its influence on various types of teenagers’ gaming behaviors. Three forms of parental mediation of video game playing were examined: co-playing, game rating checking, and stopping children from playing games. A weak and negative correlation was found between teenagers’ age and parental mediation. Also, parents who presumed negative influence of video games were more likely to restrict video game playing of their teenage children. Parental mediation — particularly game rating checking — was found to be significantly related to teenagers’ game playing frequency and engagement in deceptive gaming behaviors.

Building Relationships Through Integrated Online Media Global Organizations’ Use of Brand Web Sites, Facebook, and Twitter

Many studies have examined organizations’ use of specific types of online media, but few studies have examined how organizations generate dialogues and develop relationships by using multiple online communication platforms. This study takes an integrated approach by examining how top global organizations incorporate brand Web sites, Facebook, and Twitter to cultivate relationships with stakeholders. Its findings suggest that those particular online media are used similarly, that is, more for information dissemination than user engagement and more for one-way than two-way communication. The findings also suggest that the types of products promoted can affect the way that organizations use different online media to develop relationships.

Developmental antecedents to children's responses to online advertising

Many critics have raised concerns about online advertising directed to children. This study investigated the role of several antecedent variables that may impact children’s attitudinal and behavioural responses to online advertising. Specifically, online ad scepticism, family communication patterns, time spent on the internet, and perceived internet competency were examined as factors that may impact children’s online advertising attitudes and behaviours. A survey conducted with a dyad sample of 381 parents-preteens in South Korea revealed that children with high scepticism towards online advertising, who spent less time using the internet and who perceived lower levels of confidence about their internet skills were more likely to have a negative attitude towards online advertising and less likely to disclose personal information to online marketers. However, the relationship between family communication and children’s responses to online advertising found in this study was inconsistent with the previous empirical findings. Implications of findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.

Parental socialization of children’s Internet use: A qualitative approach

This study explores how parents feel about the Internet and its impact on children, how they manage children’s Internet use, and how they view the role of various socialization agents in creating a safer Internet environment for children. In-depth interviews with parents of children aged 7–12 revealed that parents presumed more positive than negative influence of the Internet on their children and felt confident about their ability to manage their children’s Internet use. This high confidence in their own management, however, seemed to lead parents to be less engaged in purposeful and communication-based parental mediation and be less interested in updating their Internet knowledge. Nonetheless, they argued that parents should be actively engaged in communication with their children and be equipped with Internet knowledge to promote a safer online environment for children. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Multinational corporate website strategies and influencing factors: A comparison of US and Korean corporate websites

This study, using a content analysis method, explored whether and to what extent multinational corporate websites targeting different markets are standardized. It also tested three organizational factors – country of origin, company size, and product type – for their potential influence on the level of corporate website standardization. A sample of 52 top US-based multinational companies and 52 Korea-based multinational companies was drawn and a total of 104 pairs of websites for these companies were content-analyzed. Overall, the degree of website standardization was not significantly different between companies based in the two countries. The results suggest that both US and Korean multinational corporations tend to maintain their websites in a similar way when targeting the home and foreign markets. Among the three organizational factors, only product type – B2B versus B2C products and durables versus non-durables – was found to be significantly associated with the level of website standardization. This study makes important contributions to the research literature by offering new information on the current state of multinational corporate website strategies and advancing our knowledge about international marketing communications on the Internet and influencing factors.

How does “talking about the Internet with others” affect teenagers’ experience of online risks? The role of active mediation by parents, peers, and school teachers

This study investigated how active mediation employed by three key socialization agents—parents, peers, and school teachers—is associated with teenagers’ engagement in online risks. A survey with 746 students aged 12–18 years found that different socialization agents focus on different aspects of the Internet when they engage in active mediation. Parents and teachers focus more on making instructive remarks whereas peers are more likely to engage in neutral facets of active mediation (e.g. helping or recommending). However, parental mediation tends to diminish whereas peer mediation tends to escalate with age among teens. The findings also suggest that school teachers’ Internet-related discussions can reduce teens’ potential exposure to online risks while peer interactions may increase teens’ vulnerability to online risks.

Building relationships through dialogic communication: organizations, stakeholders, and computer-mediated communication

Abstract Online media are integral to daily life, and while many organizations use them to reach broad audiences, others still appear to be uncomfortable with online media because they do not understand how to maximize their potential to interact effectively with stakeholders. Numerous organizations use online media for one-way communication to disseminate information, despite the affordances of the media platforms for two-way, dialogic communication. This article draws on two dominant interpersonal theories of computer-mediated communication—social information processing theory and the hyperpersonal model—to propose dialogic strategies that organizations can use to improve their online communication with their stakeholders. We illustrate the application of these principles through three stages of relationship building: initiating/experimenting, intensifying, and integrating/bonding. The article integrates the applications within an overall dialogic communication strategy, and provides organizations and practitioners with a model with which they can engage stakeholders with dialogic methods via social media.

Social Networking Site Use and Materialistic Values among Youth: The Safeguarding Role of the Parent‒Child Relationship and Self-Regulation

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become common avenues for young people to share their life experience with peers, including their consumption experience. Although prior research on the media effects of SNSs has shown how online communication on SNSs promotes various volitional behaviors, current understanding is limited with respect to how young people’s use of SNSs is associated with their consumption experience and materialistic values. This study examines how SNS use related to consumption experience is associated with materialistic values among young adults and how their social perceptions mediate such association. This investigation also proposes that young adults’ self-regulation and close relationships with parents would buffer the impact of SNS use. Survey data gathered from 903 youths in Singapore lend strong empirical support to the hypotheses proposed. Implications are discussed.

Consumer responses to pharmaceutical-company-sponsored disease information websites and DTC branded websites

Purpose – This study aims to investigate pharmaceutical company-sponsored disease information websites that are created and operated by pharmaceutical companies. Without clear indication of the site ownership, these websites look like non-advertising health information websites. Consumers’ responses to pharmaceutical company-sponsored disease information websites were examined in comparison to their responses to typical direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug brand websites. Design/methodology/approach – A field experiment was conducted with a representative sample of US adults. Study subjects were randomly assigned to one of three live websites: pharmaceutical company-sponsored disease information website; DTC brand website with a high level of trust cues; and DTC brand website with a low level of trust cues. After viewing the assigned websites, participants completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included measurements for perceived website trust, attitude toward the website, intention to use informat...

Active mediation of television, internet and mobile advertising

Purpose The purposes of this study are to examine how parents implement discussion-based parental mediation (i.e. active mediation) to influence the way children understand advertising on television, computers and smartphones and to investigate factors associated with parental mediation practices. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with parents in Singapore whose children were watching television, using computers with internet access and using smartphones. Findings The degree to which parents engage in active mediation of advertising is similar across different media. Active mediation of advertising is more a function of parents’ attitudes toward advertising directed to children, parents’ concerns about media influence on their children and parental self-efficacy rather than the age of their children. Research limitations/implications The survey was conducted in a single country and did not examine the consequences of parental mediation of advertising. Future research should consider cross-cultural perspectives and investigate the outcomes of parental mediation. Practical implications For advertising practitioners, this study argues that it is important to understand how parents view different forms of advertising. For media educators and policy makers, this study suggests that various parental factors should be considered to develop effective guidelines for parents. Originality/value This study adds novel insights to the literature on consumer socialization by investigating how parents – the primary socialization agents in children’s development of consumption-related behaviors – help children understand advertising across different media.