This study investigated the presence and content of school policies used by Virginia school divisions to address issues arising from educators' use of social media. The study also explored Virginia school divisions' policy implementation practices and resolutions for educators' social media use issues. Survey response analysis and policy review are combined to define: 1) Virginia school divisions' experiences with educators' inappropriate use of social media, 2) how Virginia school divisions are addressing educators' social media dilemmas and 3) the characteristics of school policies used to address social media issues in Virginia. The findings indicate that while 90% of respondents are concerned about the dilemmas created by educator social media use, 89% report having effective policies in place to address these issues. Responding Virginia school divisions are using Acceptable Use Policies (98%), Code of Conduct policies (54%) and Social Media policies (32%) to address educators' social media issues. The most common reported infractions are unprofessional comments. Most teachers sanctioned for online conduct are disciplined through reprimand (written and verbal) by school system administrators. / EDD / Social media has become a part of daily life for many people. People communicate about life events, daily happenings, and personal thoughts through various forms of social media (Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter). When educators share personal or work related news through social media there can be professional consequences. When social media sharing gains negative public attention school divisions act to protect the school community. This study surveyed all school division superintendents in the Commonwealth of Virginia to find the types of social media issues that have occurred with educators and how such matters are handled. Survey responses were received from every region in the Commonwealth. Nearly every responding division had experienced issues with teacher use of social media. Most social media incidents creating issues occurred when teachers made comments on social media that the school divisions found inappropriate or unprofessional. School divisions generally reacted to social media issues through written or verbal reprimands to educators. A large majority of divisions relied on Acceptable Computer Use Agreements between the school system and educators to regulate and manage issues that occurred. Most school divisions reported that their school policies (including Acceptable Computer Use Agreements) were effective in handling educator social media issues.

This study proposes a social and emotional disclosure model for understanding the mechanism that explains sharing intimate information on social media (Twitter). Previous research has indicated that some aspects of social, emotional, and attitudinal information processing are involved in disclosure of intimate information. However, these factors have been considered in isolation. This study proposes and tests a theoretically grounded model that brings all of these factors together by combining individual and group social media behaviors and online information processing in the realm of online social movements. The core explanatory model considers the impact of peer response, emotional evaluation, personal relevance, issue orientation, and motivation to post online on intimate information disclosure online. A path analysis building on four Poisson multiple regressions conducted on 28,629 #MeToo tweets evaluates the relationships proposed in the explanatory model. Results indicate that emotional evaluation and motivation to post online have direct, positive impacts on online disclosure. Other factors such as peer response, issue orientation, and personal relevance have negative direct relationships with online disclosure. Motivation to post online mediates the effects of emotional evaluation, issue orientation, and personal relevance on online disclosure while issue orientation mediates the effect of personal relevance on motivation to post online. This study offers findings that have use for practitioners interested in hashtag virality and to social media users interested in social influence and online information sharing.

Compulsive repetitive behaviors and mental acts due to concerns about your appearance, are symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Previous research suggests that the compulsive behaviors found in people with BDD occur in online and offline settings (e.g., extensive editing of selfies intended for publication online and excessive mirror gazing offline). Also, previous research shows that BDD and social media use vary with age. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine age as a moderator in the relationship between compulsive behaviors online and the risk behaviors of BDD offline, through a cross-sectional design. The inclusion criteria for the study were being a minimum of 16 years old, a Swedish citizen and a user of social media. The data were collected through a survey, consisting of questions intended to screen for compulsive behaviors online in relation to appearance concerns, risk behaviors of BDD offline and the prevalence of BDD. The results showed that younger participants engaged in more compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD. The group in high risk of BDD also engaged more in both behaviors, than participants in low risk of BDD. In addition, the results showed that age did act as a moderator in the relationship between compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD. Age showed to especially affect the relationship between the number of compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD in older participants. / Tvångsmässiga repetitiva beteenden och mentala handlingar som beror på oro kring sitt utseende, är symptom av dysmorfobi (BDD). Tidigare forskning visar att tvångsmässiga beteenden sker både online och offline (tex., överdriven redigering av selfies i syfte att publicera dem online och att spegla sig överdrivet mycket offline). Tidigare forskning visar även att BDD och sociala medier-användning varierar med ålder. Genom en tvärsnittsdesign ämnade därför denna studie att undersöka om ålder modererar relationen mellan tvångsmässigt beteende online och riskbeteende för BDD. Datainsamlingen bestod av ett frågeformulär med frågor kring tvångsmässigt beteende online i relation till oro kring utseendet, riskbeteende för BDD samt prevalensen av BDD. Inklusionskriterierna för att delta i studien var att vara minst 16 år gammal, svensk medborgare samt användare av sociala medier. Resultaten visade att de yngre deltagarna i studien utför både fler tvångsmässiga beteenden online samt fler riskbeteenden offline än de äldre deltagarna. Den grupp som ansågs ha hög risk för BDD utförde även båda beteendena mer än de deltagarna med låg risk för BDD. Resultaten visade vidare att ålder var en moderator i relationen mellan tvångsmässiga beteenden online och riskbeteenden för BDD. Mer specifikt hade en äldre ålder störst effekt på relationen mellan beteendena online och offline.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the use of social media (SM) as a relationship marketing tool (RM) in the context of professional sport in North America. The specific objectives are (i) to explore the use of social media in meeting relationship marketing goals within the context of professional sport, (ii) to explore how professional sport teams’ managers see the opportunities of social media in meeting relationship marketing goals, (iii) to explore how professional sport teams’ managers see the challenges of social media in meeting relationship marketing goals, and (iv) to examine the benefits of social media, if any, in enhancing long-term relationships with their favourite sport team from the perspective of fans of professional sport teams. Guided by a pragmatist philosophical worldview, the project adopted a multi-domain qualitative research approach. The multi-domain approach reflects the three data sources (i.e., the medium-SM platform, organization-professional teams, and consumers-sport fans). Putting an individual emphasis on each of these three data sources, three different but interrelated studies are conducted to accomplish the overall purpose of the dissertation using an article-based format. The first study, guided by the relationship marketing theoretical framework, adopted a netnographic method to investigate professional sport teams’ use of Twitter as an RM tool. Specifically, the study focused on the three core components of RM: communication, interaction, and value. The netnography is based on data gathered from the official Twitter account of 20 professional sport teams from the four major leagues from August 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016. Results outline seven emergent communication types, six interaction practices, and ten values (co)created by the teams or/and fans. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as impetus for future research are identified. The second study aimed at obtaining a first-hand and an in-depth understanding of the role, opportunities, and challenges of SM in meeting RM goals from the perspective of senior managers of professional sport teams. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 managers from the four major leagues professional sport teams in North America. Results outline the platforms adopted, six intended objectives, seven opportunities and seven challenges of SM as an RM medium. A list of theoretical and practical implications, and impetus for future research is provided. The purpose of the third study was to first gain an empirically supported understanding of the role and benefits of SM as an RM tool from the perspective of professional sport fans and, following that, to identify, specify, verify, and refine the emergent benefits. The study employed an adaptation of the focus group method, dubbed the ‘sequential funnel-based focus group’, which is a multiphase, step-wise version of the established method. The sequential funnel-based focus group is conceptualized, developed, described, and used in this work as a research method. The adaptation allowed the identification of benefits of SM as a medium that enhances long-term relationships through a series of funnel-based focus group discussions in three sequential phases. A total of 10 focus groups with 81 participants took part in the study. The work identified seven major benefits (and 15 sub-categories of benefits) that fans see as opportunities presented by SM as a medium to enhance long-term relationship with their team. Theoretical contributions, practical recommendations, and directions for future research are provided. The findings from the three studies are integrated to construct a multi-dimensionally informed and comprehensive understanding of the use of SM in RM in professional sport. In general, data gathered from the perspective of the three domains (i.e., medium/SM platform, organizational/ professional teams, and consumers/sport fans) informed that SM is providing new directions to RM, making it an effective and affordable channel in realizing RM goals in professional sport context. The thesis also produced empirical evidence of the opportunities that SM presents and the challenges that it poses in terms of meeting RM goals in the context of professional sport. Informed by the studies data, the dissertation also extended Grönroos’s (2004) RM process model through the lens of SM in professional sport context. Contributions to scholarship, practical recommendations, directions for future research, and the limitations of the dissertation are provided.

Although some middle school teachers integrate social media platforms into instruction, they generally use traditional and teacher-centered strategies rather than those that are innovative and student-centered. A gap exists in the literature on how teachers could use social media tools such as Edmodo to engage middle school students for innovative online collaboration. This qualitative case study explored the factors that contributed to the acceptance and use of Edmodo by middle school teachers in a Mid-Atlantic urban school district. Specifically, the research explored how teachers leveraged Edmodo to initiate and sustain networked collaboration with their students. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model, sociocultural development theory, and connectivism supported the conceptual framework. A criterion selection process was used to select 6 middle school teachers as participants. Data sources included 6 semi structured interviews, a focus group of 3 educational technology leaders, and school district documents. Data were analyzed using a priori codes based on the literature review and conceptual framework. Themes that emerged from the analysis included the following: acceptance and use of Edmodo as a communication platform, increased support of students' organizational needs, enhancement of professional practice, initiation of networked collaboration, barriers and challenges in networked collaboration, and sustained networked collaboration. This research may contribute to positive social change by informing educational leaders and teachers on how to best leverage social media tools such as Edmodo in the middle school classroom to actively engage students in online collaboration, fostering a more student-centered learning environment.

Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) describes the ability to interact with people from different cultures effectively and appropriately. In the impact of globalization and information technology development, social media facilitates intercultural communication and open a new space for intercultural interactions. As the impact of social media on ICC is not often explored, this study would shed light on this unexplored domain and focus on Chinese people who currently live in Sweden by asking the question: How does social media influence the ICC of Chinese people living in Sweden? This study adopts a mixed method: it uses a survey questionnaire followed by individual interviews, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. As a result, two factors stimulating ICC are identified. The role of social media on ICC when residence in the host country is confirmed, and two stages of ICC development associated with social media in the host country are explored. Last but not least, social media seems to influence the ICC of Chinese people living in Sweden in a positive way, however this positive impact is not independent of real social interaction with the host culture. / Interkulturell kommunikationskompetens (ICC) beskriver möjligheten att integagera med människor från olika kulturer på ett effektiv och lämplig sätt. Globalisering och utveckling av informationsteknologin har gjort att det underlättar sociala mediers interkulturell kommunikation och öppnar nya sätt för interkulturella interactioner. Eftersom konsekvenserna av sociala medier angående ICC undersöks sällan ska denna studie lyfta fram denna outforskade domän, focus ska ligga på personer med kinesikt härkomst som för närvarande bor i Sverige genom att ställa frågan: Hur påverkar sociala medier ICC för personer som bor I sverige av med kinesikt härkomst? Denna studie anammar en blandad metod: den använder en enkätundersökning följt av individuella intervjuer, samlar både kvantitativ och kvalitativ data. Som resultat identifieras två faktorer som stimulerar ICC. Sociala mediernas roll på ICC när bosättning i värdlandet bekräftas, och två steg i ICC-utvecklingen i samband med sociala medier i värdlandet utforskas. Sist men inte minst verkar sociala medier påverka den kinesiska befolkningens ICC på ett posetivt sätt, men denna positiva påverkan är beroende av verklig social interaktion med värdkulturen.

Social interaktion och kommunikation sker till stor del på sociala medier i dagens samhälle. Tidigare forskning har visat på kopplingar mellan problematisk användning av sociala medier (PSMU) till faktorer som låg självkänsla och subjektivt välbefinnande (SWB). Uppsatsens syfte var att studera sambandet mellan PSMU med självkänsla och SWB, samt studera eventuella könsskillnader inom dem. En enkät innehållande 21 frågor genomfördes, där 183 personer mellan 18–76 år deltog (n = 183; 75,9 % kvinnor, 23,5 % män, 0,6 % annat; Målder = 34 år gammal). Faktorerna studerades genom självskattningsskalor, där PSMU mättes med Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, självkänsla mättes med Rosenbergs Self-Esteem Scale och SWB mättes genom WHO-5. Enligt Pearsons korrelationsanalys fanns signifikanta negativa samband mellan PSMU och självkänsla, samt mellan PSMU och SWB. Det fanns även en signifikant skillnad mellan kvinnor och mäns PSMU, men dessa skillnader återfanns inte gällande självkänsla och SWB. Sammanfattningsvis är det svårt att generalisera resultatet eftersom enkäten genomfördes i Sverige samt att könsfördelningen var ojämn. Uppsatsen vill trots detta, uppmärksamma problemet som uppstår när användningen sociala medier blir till en dysfunktionell copingstrategi. I framtida forskning kan faktorer som kultur, civilstånd och sysselsättning vara intressant att studera. / Social interaction and communication take place largely on social media in today's society. Previous research has shown links between problematic social media use (PSMU) and factors such as low self-esteem and subjective well-being (SWB). The aim of this paper was to study the relationship between PSMU with self-esteem and SWB, and to study possible gender differences within them. A questionnaire containing 21 questions was conducted, in which 183 people aged 18-76 years participated (n = 183; 75.9% women, 23.5% men, 0.6% other; Mage = 34 years). The factors were studied through self-report scales, where PSMU was measured by the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, self-esteem was measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and SWB was measured by the WHO-5. According to Pearson's correlation analysis, there were significant negative correlations between PSMU and self-esteem, and between PSMU and SWB. There was also a significant difference between women's and men's PSMU, but these differences were not found for self-esteem and SWB. In conclusion, it is difficult to generalize the results because the survey was conducted in Sweden and the gender distribution was uneven. Regardless, it highlights the problem that arises when social media use becomes a dysfunctional coping strategy. In future research, factors such as culture, marital status and occupation may be of interest to study.

Mobile applications are an important but fast changing piece of the digital forensics’ world. For mobile forensics researchers and field analysts, it is hard to keep up with the pace of the ever-changing world of the newest and most popular applications teens are using. Mobile forensic tools are quickly becoming more and more supportive of new applications, but with how quickly apps are changing and new ones being released, it is still difficult for the tools to keep up. The research question for this project examines to what extent digital forensic tools support new and emerging applications seen recently in investigations involving teenagers? For this research, a survey was conducted asking digital forensic analysts, and others who investigate digital crimes, what applications they are coming across most frequently during investigations involving teens and whether those applications are being supported by forensic tools. The top three applications from the survey that were not supported by mobile forensic tools, Monkey, Houseparty, and Likee were populated onto a test device and then evaluated and analyzed to see what forensic artifacts were found in those applications. The mobile application artifacts were then compared on two different forensic tools to see which tool obtains the most forensic artifacts from the applications. Through the examination and analysis of the applications and data contained within the apps, it was determined that 61% of the populated forensic artifacts were recovered manually and only 45% were recovered by a forensic tool for the Monkey application. 100% of the populated forensic artifacts were recovered manually and only 29% were recovered by a forensic tool for the Houseparty application. 42% of the populated forensic artifacts were recovered manually and only 3% were recovered by a forensic tool for the Likee application. It was found that the extent of support from digital forensic tools for these types of applications depends greatly on how the application stores the artifacts, but the artifact extraction support was limited for all applications. This research benefits in helping researchers and analysts by understanding the data and artifacts contained within the applications, what forensic artifacts are recoverable, and where to find those important artifacts. This research can help in finding important evidence for future investigations.<br>

This qualitative study investigates people's media use and engagement on social media. By combining prompts material and qualitative interviews with theories such as the social mediated crisis communication model (Austin et al., 2012) and uses and gratifications theory (Katz et al., 1973; McQuail, 1984), it is delimited to drawing insights into how people themselves seek information in crisis situations but also how they prefer to get information about different crises mainly to national and local levels. These perspectives enhance the study and cover perspectives in people's behaviour regarding crisis information through different perspectives on people's media usage and behavior concerning information seeking about crises in different environments such as social media but also traditional media. Moreover, this study is centred around social media use, information seeking, information vetting, and information sharing. Further, misinformation, information sharing by influential people and organisations on digital platforms are also brought up and discussed in this study, which gives background to tendencies of motivation to people’s behaviour concerning perceiving and seeking information in a digital landscape versus traditional media.  In addition, the current state of digitalisation has provided new ways of extending mass communication than more traditional communication methods such as television, radio, and newspapers (McQuail, 2010; Lindgren, 2017). In crisis, the digital landscape therefore presents an opportunity to spread and receive information, including crisis information, through means such as the Internet and social media platforms (Eriksson, 2018; Lindgren, 2017). This makes it a useful tool for organisations when it comes to crisis communication, providing more timely and punctual communication to a wider audience and stakeholders. Thus, it is important for authorities, organisations and society to understand how civilians receive and interpret the meaning of crisis information, recognising that digitalisation has evolved ways in which people receive and interpret information (Castells et al., 2007; Lindgren, 2017; McQuail, 2010). By understanding how crisis information is perceived and interpreted by individuals in the digital landscape, it enables development of effective crisis communication strategies to emerge, making it an important aspect within crisis communication research (Austin et al., 2012; Jin &amp; Pang, 2010; Vigsø, 2016). / Denna kvalitativa studie undersöker människors medieanvändning och engagemang på sociala medier. Genom att kombinera stimulimaterial och kvalitativa intervjuer med teorier som social mediated crisis communication model (Austin et al., 2012) och uses and gratifications theory (Katz et al.,1973; McQuail, 1984) avgränsas den till insikter om hur människor själva söker information i krissituationer men också hur de föredrar att få information om olika kriser på nationell och lokal nivå. Dessa perspektiv förstärker studien och täcker in perspektiv i människors beteende kring krisinformation genom olika perspektiv på människors medieanvändning och beteende kring informationssökning om kriser i olika miljöer såsom sociala medier men även traditionella medier. Denna studie är centrerad kring användning av sociala medier, informationssökning, informationskontroll och informationsdelning. Misinformation,  informationsdelning av inflytelserika personer och organisationer på digitala plattformar tas också upp och diskuteras i denna studie vilket ger bakgrund till underliggande tendenser av motivation till människors beteende när det gäller att uppfatta och söka information i ett digitalt landskap kontra traditionella medier i kontext av kris. Dessutom har digitaliseringens nuvarande tillstånd gett nya sätt att utvidga masskommunikation än mer traditionella kommunikationsmetoder som TV, radio och tidningar (McQuail, 2010; Lindgren, 2017). I kris ger det digitala landskapet därför en möjlighet att sprida och ta emot information, inklusive krisinformation, genom medel som Internet och sociala medieplattformar (Eriksson, 2018; Lindgren, 2017). Detta gör det till ett användbart verktyg för organisationer när det kommer till kriskommunikation, vilket ger mer läglig och punktlig kommunikation till en bredare publik och intressenter. Därför är det viktigt för myndigheter, organisationer men även samhället  att förstå hur människor tar emot och tolkar innebörden av krisinformation, med insikt om att digitaliseringen har utvecklat ett nytt sätt för människor i  hur de tar emot och tolkar information (Castells et al., 2007; Lindgren, 2017; McQuail , 2010). Genom att förstå hur krisinformation uppfattas och tolkas av individen i det digitala landskapet, möjliggör den därför utveckling av effektiva kommunikationsstrategier i kris, vilket gör den till en viktig aspekt inom kriskommunikationsforskning (Austin et al., 2012; Jin &amp; Pang, 2010; Vigsø, 2016).

No description available.