{"title":"Guarding against deception through news literacy interventions: Impact of issue involvement and participation on young French adults’ fake news vulnerability","authors":"Ambre Gambin, Andreas Munzel","doi":"10.1177/14614448251342796","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251342796","url":null,"abstract":"In the so-called <jats:italic>post-truth</jats:italic> age and the rise of social media, news circulates widely and quickly, leading to information overload. In this context, individuals experiencing high issue involvement tend to engage more with information. Literature has recently focused on news literacy interventions to protect people from fake news. However, few have addressed these initiatives’ immediate and differential effects simultaneously on young adults’ vulnerability to deception. Through three experiments involving undergraduate university students in France, we demonstrate that intervention-based educational methods can mitigate the impact of issue involvement on belief in fake news. Yet, they do not enable individuals to protect themselves in the long run and may even prove counterproductive by triggering information overload. Our study contributes to the research investigating preventive practices to help users arm themselves against fake news in media communication, social media, and social marketing.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144334902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Uses and effects of AR- and VR-based animal embodiment: A field study at a beach music festival","authors":"Daniel Pimentel","doi":"10.1177/14614448251346153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251346153","url":null,"abstract":"Amid growing ecological threats to wildlife, organizations are increasingly exploring multimedia solutions to spur action. One such strategy involves enabling audiences to embody threatened wildlife (animal embodiment) via augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). Despite AR/VR’s capacity to visualize threats onto one’s virtual body, little is understood about how these platforms differ in their uses and effects. Thus, A field study was conducted at a music festival where attendees ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 99) evaluated custom-designed AR and VR games enabling animal embodiment. Results showed clear modality preferences for the AR game, though both AR and VR elicited high levels of connection, or body transfer (BT), with the animal body. BT also predicted pro-environmental behavior intentions, though this effect was strongest for direct (donations, volunteering) rather than indirect actions (social media advocacy). Results yield insight into the requirements for BT with animal bodies and establish support for animal embodiment as a viable environmental communications strategy.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144328664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sydney Nicolla, Allison J Lazard, Deen Freelon, Lucinda L Austin, Heathe Luz McNaughton Reyes, Kathryn E Moracco
{"title":"Communicating about sexual violence on TikTok: A content analysis","authors":"Sydney Nicolla, Allison J Lazard, Deen Freelon, Lucinda L Austin, Heathe Luz McNaughton Reyes, Kathryn E Moracco","doi":"10.1177/14614448251341484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251341484","url":null,"abstract":"TikTok presents an opportunity for strategic and health communicators. There are more than 300 million views associated with the hashtags #sexualassaultawareness and #sexualassaultsurvivors on TikTok. Using quantitative content analysis, we analyzed 150 TikTok videos about “sexual assault” for trends in self-disclosures (RQ1), message framing (RQ2), types of sexual violence (RQ3), emotions (RQ4), creator characteristics (RQ5–7), and engagement (RQ8). We found that millions of people are seeing and engaging with this content. Coded videos were often (68%) framed from the perspective of educating or creating awareness. Video creators often engaged in displays of authenticity like showing their face on camera (84%). Coded videos often (60%) framed information in a way that “calls out” perpetrators or social norms surrounding sexual violence. This study sets the stage for future explorations of strategic communication on TikTok, including but not limited to projects related to sexual violence resistance and prevention.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144328665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Video chat and in-person modality switches in online dating: An exploration of modality-switching motives, modality expansion, channel choice, and outcomes","authors":"Erin M Sumner, Audrey Herrera, Artemio Ramirez","doi":"10.1177/14614448251344290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251344290","url":null,"abstract":"The present study sampled online daters to (a) inductively explore their motives for meeting a potential partner for face-to-face (FtF)-like interaction (i.e. a modality switch [MS]); (b) examine modality-switching motives and pre-MS modality expansion in relation to MS channel choice (e.g. video chat or in person); and (c) investigate whether MS motives, degree of pre-MS modality expansion, and MS channel are associated with partners going on a second FtF-like date. Results revealed that online daters possessed both relational (i.e. romantic, sexual, and platonic companionship) and information-seeking (i.e. fact-checking and exploration) MS motives. Holding the MS in person was associated with romantic, sexual, and platonic companionship motives, whereas meeting through video chat was associated with fact-checking motives and the degree of pre-MS channel expansion. Romantic MS motives and having held the MS through video chat were both associated with online daters going on a second FtF-like date.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144328661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OnlyFans use and satisfactions with oneself and others: The role of upward social comparison","authors":"Yadong Ji, Yachao Li","doi":"10.1177/14614448251342235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251342235","url":null,"abstract":"OnlyFans is a patronage platform primarily for sexually explicit content. Unlike professionally produced pornography, OnlyFans allows users to actively select their subscriptions and engage directly with creators. However, little is known about how the use of OnlyFans relates to various satisfaction with oneself and others. This study ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 293) explores the association of OnlyFans usage—including viewing and interaction—with different types of satisfaction: sexual self-esteem, relational satisfaction with sexual partners, and sexual satisfaction. The study also examined the role of upward comparisons (e.g. comparing oneself to performers, comparing sexual partners to performers, and comparing one’s sex life to depicted performances) in these dynamics. Contrary to expectations based on previous pornography research, the data revealed a positive relationship between OnlyFans use and satisfaction through upward comparisons. The findings suggest that OnlyFans use was associated with upward comparisons with content creators, which in turn may relate to increased sexual knowledge, skill development, and inspiration.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"268 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144328663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Silicon Valley revisited: On Californian ideologies and the differences they make","authors":"Dan M Kotliar","doi":"10.1177/14614448251342575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251342575","url":null,"abstract":"While research has highlighted the ties between algorithms and culture, this article focuses on how cross-cultural encounters shape developers’ perceptions of their algorithmic work. I ask: How do cultural transitions and intercultural encounters influence people’s perceptions of their algorithms? How do key issues regarding algorithmic production get translated and reinterpreted? Based on 50 semi-structured interviews with Israelis who immigrated to Silicon Valley, I show that their interpretation of the cultural differences between Israeli and Silicon Valley cultures—and their culturally specific <jats:italic>logic of difference</jats:italic> —informs how they perceive the algorithms they develop and their ethical implications. I argue that these perceptions stem from deep-seated cultural tropes but are also potentially ameliorated by their encounter with Silicon Valley’s culture. Thus, this article calls for a more diverse view of Silicon Valley’s ideologies, showing that attention to cross-cultural encounters can both reveal and complicate the performative logics sustaining Silicon Valley’s liberal image.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Italian adolescents’ perspectives on online pornography and perceived harms","authors":"Cosimo Marco Scarcelli","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333730","url":null,"abstract":"The evolving technological and social landscape offers adolescents new avenues for engaging with digital content, particularly in the realm of intimate activities. Public discourse often oversimplifies the intricate relationship between adolescents and online pornography. The prevailing narrative tends to portray pornography as detrimental to health and well-being, relying on a limited exposure and effects model that fails to grasp its nuanced significance in young lives. Online pornography, easily accessible to young individuals, is criticised for potentially replacing informative sex education with representations of violent and risky relationships. Employing media and cultural studies tools, this research positions porn consumption within the broader context of new mediated intimacies. The study aims to unravel how young Italians (15- to 18-year-olds) perceive and interpret harms in relation to online pornography. Findings reveal that despite a critical perspective, many participants maintain stereotypical views on gender and age dynamics, reflecting broader societal discourses about effects and addiction.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"5 1","pages":"2513-2531"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Catherine Page Jeffery, Alan McKee, Catharine Lumby
{"title":"Young people and sexually explicit content online: Exploring Australian parents’ concerns","authors":"Catherine Page Jeffery, Alan McKee, Catharine Lumby","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333728","url":null,"abstract":"Ongoing discussion between parents and their children, including listening to young people, is essential to enable young people to safely navigate the online sexual ecosystem. Research suggests, however, that parents and their children conceptualise and discuss online risks in different ways. This article documents findings from interviews and focus groups with 40 Australian parents exploring their perspectives and concerns about online pornography, and provides insights into the extent to which the adults report listening to and engaging with young people. It reveals that while parents are concerned about online pornography, most do not know what their children are doing online and do not appear to be discussing the issue with their children in ways which explore their children’s experiences, perspectives and concerns. It concludes by suggesting that education about online pornography be extended to parents so that they are better able to support young people in navigating the online sexual ecosystem.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"12 1","pages":"2620-2637"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, Rubén Olveira-Araujo, Kaveri Subrahmanyam, David Šmahel
{"title":"Individual factors of expected and unexpected sexting and the subsequent feelings: A nationally representative study in adolescents","authors":"Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, Rubén Olveira-Araujo, Kaveri Subrahmanyam, David Šmahel","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333731","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333731","url":null,"abstract":"Sexting is prevalent among adolescents, yet we lack an understanding of adolescents’ responses to its various forms and the factors that may drive those responses. This study adopts an integrative media effects framework and a nationally representative sample of Czech adolescents (11–16 years old, <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 2500, 50% girls) to investigate: (1) the associations between depression, loneliness, self-esteem, happiness, sensation seeking, age and gender, and the different types of sexting behavior (both expected and unexpected receiving and sending of sexts); and (2) the role of individual factors in feeling happy and upset after different types of sexting. While we found a similar pattern for the associations of individual factors with engagement in the three sexting behaviors, we found no pattern for the associations across the outcomes (i.e. feeling happy and upset). Our findings show that the outcomes of sexting must be researched as individual behaviors, not as one “sexting” behavior.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"2 1","pages":"2552-2574"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Young people’s perceptions of harm from accessing online sexual content","authors":"Despina Chronaki, Debra Dudek, Giselle Woodley","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333746","url":null,"abstract":"Harm—and the ways in which it is interpreted, negotiated, discussed, and unpacked by adolescents themselves—is a key term in almost all debates about young people’s experiences with online pornography. This essay situates the topic of this special issue—adolescents’ perceptions of harm from accessing online sexual content—within a broader context of the discourses and practices that inform research in this field. We show how discourses of harm and risk circulate around the figure of the innocent child in need of protection and argue for more nuanced understandings of and research about childhood that take into account the lived experiences and perspectives of young people themselves. The papers in this special issue cover a range of academic perspectives and reflect diverse epistemological, methodological, and academic cultures. The special issue underscores the complex nature of the topic and the need for nuanced, rigorous, and robust empirical research.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"12 1","pages":"2457-2472"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}