{"title":"Artificial humanity: A multi-method exploration of user responses to AI influencer affordances in short video platform","authors":"Crystal T. Lee , Yung-Cheng Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102245","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102245","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The advent of social media has led to the emergence of AI influencers. However, research on how affordances by AI influencers shape consumer perceptions remains limited. We addressed this gap by conducting a text-mining analysis of 12,467 user comments on social media related to AI influencers. In addition, we surveyed 978 followers of AI influencers, employing structural equation modeling (SEM) to delineate the affordances of AI influencers. The thematic analysis extracted four key AI affordances, namely modality, autonomy, guidance, and interactivity, that positively shape AI influencers’ perceived humanness and trust, which in-turn drives purchase intention and active engagement. These findings offer multi-method evidence on how the strategic use of AI affordances shapes consumer perceptions and behaviors in human-AI interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"98 ","pages":"Article 102245"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143225981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How emojis and relationships shape sarcasm perception in computer-mediated communication","authors":"Qiaoyi Xue , Yu-Chi Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous studies have reported that the ‘Wink’ emoji <figure><img></figure> is considered an effective indicator of sarcasm in computer-mediated communication. However, few studies have compared the effects of different emojis on perceptions of sarcasm and available information about how emojis and relationships jointly affect perceptions of sarcasm. Thus, this study investigates how emojis and sender-receiver relationships influence the perception of sarcasm in ambiguous texts, whether positive or negative. A total of 127 Chinese participants rated sarcasm, unfriendliness, and humour across 36 communication scenarios (six emojis × three relationships × two sentence valences). The three-way analysis of variance results indicated that the use of the ‘Unamused’ emoji <figure><img></figure> significantly affects the sarcasm perception and emotional responses to ambiguous text replies, where it is an effective indicator of sarcastic criticism. The use of the ‘Wink’ emoji <figure><img></figure> affects sarcasm perceptions and emotional responses to ambiguous messages. In Eastern cultures, using a ‘Wink’ emoji <figure><img></figure> in positive ambiguous replies tends to reduce the sarcastic tone, which contrasts with the findings from Western contexts. The ‘Tears of joy’ <figure><img></figure>, ‘Smirk’<figure><img></figure>, and ‘Smiling’ <figure><img></figure>emojis provide only limited enhancement, resulting in ambiguous interpretations. In addition, the effects of relationship and sentence valence were significant for emotional perception. These findings may support clearer communication and more harmonious relationships.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102242"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trust in AI chatbots: A systematic review","authors":"Sheryl Wei Ting Ng , Renwen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled increasingly natural and human-like interactions with conversational agents (chatbots). However, the processes and outcomes of trust in AI chatbots remain underexplored. This study provides a systematic review of how trust in AI chatbots is defined, operationalised, and studied, synthesizing factors influencing trust development and its outcomes. An analysis of 40 articles revealed notable variations and inconsistencies in trust conceptualisations and operationalisations. Predictors of trust are categorized into five groups: user, machine, interaction, social, and context-related factors. Trust in AI chatbots leads to diverse outcomes that span affective, relational, behavioural, cognitive, and psychological domains. The review underscores the need for longitudinal studies to better understand the dynamics and boundary conditions of trust development. These findings offer valuable insights for advancing human–machine communication (HMC) research and informing the design of trustworthy AI systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102240"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The pursuit of online misinformation literacy: Understanding age-varying competence for misinformation recognition","authors":"Junyeong Lee , Jung Lee , Jinyoung Min","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Addressing online misinformation has become increasingly critical due to the widespread use of the Internet and social media. However, studies show conflicting results regarding competencies in recognizing misinformation across different age groups; thus, initiatives for misinformation literacy have not been as effective as anticipated. To reconcile this conflict and provide a strategy for supporting misinformation literacy, this study aims to explore how perceived competence in recognizing misinformation—comprising confidence and endeavor —varies among age groups and what factors influence this competence. Using data from a media panel survey in South Korea involving 9,060 participants, we found that younger adults exhibit higher confidence and endeavors in recognizing misinformation compared to older adults. Additionally, factors such as smart device usage capability and critical attitudes toward media content significantly influence misinformation recognition across all age groups, with varying impacts. Notably, social media use has contrasting effects as it decreases younger adults’ confidence and endeavors in misinformation recognition but enhances older adults’ confidence. Our findings provide key insights into the age-specific challenges and factors shaping misinformation literacy, emphasizing the importance of tailored educational programs that consider the diverse needs and behaviors of various age groups. These insights can help enhance the effectiveness of misinformation literacy initiatives in the digital age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102228"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analyzing media bias in defense and foreign affairs: A deep learning and eXplainable artificial intelligence approach","authors":"Jungkyun Lee , Min Su Park , Eunil Park","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to investigate media bias in news articles related to defense and foreign affairs by applying deep learning models and eXplainable artificial intelligence (XAI) techniques. We collected and analyzed seven, representing five major Korean media outlets, from conservative and liberal perspectives. The objective is to classify political bias and identify the specific words that contribute to this classification. We employed the BERT-base model from the Korean Language Understanding Evaluation and used local interpretable model-agnostic explanations for a comprehensive analysis. Our methodology achieved a remarkable accuracy of 98.2% in classifying the political bias of news articles, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness. The findings revealed distinct biases in coverage and statements across the media outlets: conservative outlets were more likely to emphasize threats and use singular references, while liberal outlets preferred peaceful and inclusive language. This study provides valuable insights into how the political biases of news media influence both the topics covered and the language used, even within the same category and time frame, ultimately shaping public perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102227"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoya Yang , Chen Luo , Yimeng Xu , Yifei He , Ruhan Zhao
{"title":"Unpacking cyberchondria: The roles of online health information seeking, health information overload, and health misperceptions","authors":"Xiaoya Yang , Chen Luo , Yimeng Xu , Yifei He , Ruhan Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cyberchondria, the excessive search for health information online coupled with elevated health anxiety or concerns, has garnered growing scholarly attention recently. Anchored by the S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) model and information science literature, this study theorizes a pathway from online health information seeking via diverse sources (“S”) to cyberchondria (“R”) through health information overload and misperceptions (“O”). Structural equation modeling based on an online survey (<em>N</em> = 690) disclosed that health information overload was positively associated with searching for health information on online search engines and news media. Additionally, seeking health information from health-specific websites and online news media was positively tied to health misperceptions. Furthermore, increased health information overload was related to stronger health misperceptions, and they were both positively tied to cyberchondria. Theoretically, this study affords a more nuanced understanding of cyberchondria by zooming into the roles of seeking health information via different online sources. Besides, health misperceptions, as a relatively innovative predictor of cyberchondria, have been examined empirically. Practically, the findings furnish feasible strategies to optimize online platforms to mitigate the undesirable consequences of online health information consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102225"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Retire or get retired: Stocks, memes, and desperation capitalism on r/WallStreetBets","authors":"Albi Nani, Keegan McBride","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102195","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102195","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is growing discontent with the financial services industry. The roots of these feelings are old but have expanded during the 2008 financial crisis and were enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated cost of living crisis. This has given rise to the concept of “desperation capitalism”, where individuals are resorting to high-risk measures to try to achieve economic security. This research paper presents new insights into desperation capitalism and its participants through an exploratory case study of the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit. The case study asks: how does social media impact the behaviour of retail investors? Drawing on multiple sources of primary and secondary empirical evidence, the paper makes two core contributions. First, the paper offers an initial conceptualization and model for understanding the phenomenon of “desperation capitalism”. Second, the paper demonstrates how the decision-making processes of retail investors can be influenced by social media.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102195"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huiqian Sun, Peng Jing, Yaqi Liu, Daoge Wang, Jie Ye, Wanru Du, Hongyu Ma, Can Wang, Shuang Zhang
{"title":"How do older adults cross the digital divide and enjoy the benefits of ride-hailing services with the collision of the aging and digital society in China?","authors":"Huiqian Sun, Peng Jing, Yaqi Liu, Daoge Wang, Jie Ye, Wanru Du, Hongyu Ma, Can Wang, Shuang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous scholarly endeavors to examine the digital divide about using ride-hailing services among older adults from a macro perspective fail to delve into the specific challenges within each operational step. This study aims to investigate ride-hailing services among older adults in China, focusing on the digital divide in using processes from a micro perspective. We used the face-to-face survey data of older adults (<em>N</em> = 811) to conduct a step-by-step analysis to explore the digital divide in ride-hailing app operations among older adults by dividing it into nine steps. Next, the diffusion of innovation theory was extended and applied to investigate how innovative and digital factors influence older adults’ intention to use ride-hailing services. The results show that older adults faced a great “using divide” in operating the ride-hailing apps, especially in the following three steps: Step 6: Choose a suitable ride-hailing model, Step 2: Sign up and log in to a ride-hailing account, Step 5: Locate my current location. Considering user characteristics, the structural equation modeling further revealed the differential effect of variables on the intention of ride-hailing among two age groups by dividing older adults into those aged 50–64 s and over 64 s. Theoretically, this study contributes to the existing research by providing one of the pioneering endeavors to comprehend the digital divide in ride-hailing service usage among older adults. Practically, our study holds considerable utility for policymakers, investors/the private sector, the end users (older adults), and their families to help bridge the digital divide of older adults using ride-hailing services. For example, policymakers could consider enhancing public Wi-Fi connectivity in communal spaces (community centers, parks, senior centers) and advocating for subsidized or specialized data plans tailored to the older population’s needs. Our study underscores the need for more considerable attempts among each stakeholder to bridge the digital divide for older adults in ride-hailing services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102239"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nenagh Kemp , Rebecca Kovacic , Elisabeth Beyersmann
{"title":"Is the period really “pissed”? The effect of punctuation and message length on perceptions in digital communication","authors":"Nenagh Kemp , Rebecca Kovacic , Elisabeth Beyersmann","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2025.102241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Including a period at the end of a one-word text message (“yes.”) can elicit perceptions of insincerity and negativity. We assessed whether these negative perceptions would hold in longer messages. Australian undergraduates (<em>N</em> = 200) read 30 fictitious message exchanges; positive, neutral, or negative in valence. Exchanges ended in a short (one word), medium (three to four words), or long (six to eight words) message; half with a final period, half without. Participants rated how they thought the friend felt about their message, on a 7-point scale. Across valences, messages with a period were rated more negatively than those without, as were both short and medium messages. In long messages, the period’s presence or absence did not significantly affect ratings. The results imply that this punctuation mark can convey emotional or grammatical information, depending on message length. The findings have implications for the way people compose and interpret digital messages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102241"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond the screen: Exploring pathways to reduce SNS dependency","authors":"Pedro Nascimento, Tiago Oliveira, Joana Neves","doi":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tele.2024.102224","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research investigates the factors impacting the reduction and discontinuation of social networking site (SNS) usage, employing the situation-organism-behavior-consequence (S-O-B-C) framework. Previous research on reducing SNS use has primarily focused on the factors that lead to such behavior, with limited attention to the behavioral consequences of this reduction. Furthermore, there is a gap in understanding how a dynamic interplay of situational and internal factors drives these behavioral changes and transitions. The validity of the proposed S-O-B-C framework was assessed empirically, drawn from 802 responses collected from Instagram users. The findings indicate that higher levels of perceived severity and vulnerability amplify feelings of fear and exhaustion, subsequently fostering users’ intentions to reduce SNS usage. Additionally, the reduction in SNS usage correlates with discontinuation, a relationship that is positively moderated by cognitive dissonance. This study explores the transitions from overuse to reduction and from reduction to discontinuation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48257,"journal":{"name":"Telematics and Informatics","volume":"97 ","pages":"Article 102224"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143183158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}