{"title":"How to grow a transnational field: A network analysis of the global fact-checking movement","authors":"L. Lauer, Lucas Graves","doi":"10.1177/14614448241227856","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241227856","url":null,"abstract":"The worldwide fact-checking movement has grown rapidly over the last decade and achieved remarkable prominence. This study investigates that global movement as a case of deliberate institution-building to consolidate a new transnational field. We use a comprehensive network analysis of the first eight years of the annual Global Fact conference to ask how fact-checkers grew their young field, examining the roles of leading practitioners as well as “meta-level” organizations like the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). We identify an elite tier shaping the development of the field, whose membership aligns with other markers of leadership. We show how these organizations play either internally or externally directed brokerage roles, reflecting the characteristic tension in emerging fields between maintaining community bonds and cultivating external stakeholders. And we highlight the pivotal role of the IFCN—while showing that certain fact-checking groups act like meta-level organizations, with resources dedicated to field-building and governance.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"31 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139776017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to grow a transnational field: A network analysis of the global fact-checking movement","authors":"L. Lauer, Lucas Graves","doi":"10.1177/14614448241227856","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241227856","url":null,"abstract":"The worldwide fact-checking movement has grown rapidly over the last decade and achieved remarkable prominence. This study investigates that global movement as a case of deliberate institution-building to consolidate a new transnational field. We use a comprehensive network analysis of the first eight years of the annual Global Fact conference to ask how fact-checkers grew their young field, examining the roles of leading practitioners as well as “meta-level” organizations like the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). We identify an elite tier shaping the development of the field, whose membership aligns with other markers of leadership. We show how these organizations play either internally or externally directed brokerage roles, reflecting the characteristic tension in emerging fields between maintaining community bonds and cultivating external stakeholders. And we highlight the pivotal role of the IFCN—while showing that certain fact-checking groups act like meta-level organizations, with resources dedicated to field-building and governance.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"440 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139835503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flagging as a silencing tool: Exploring the relationship between de-platforming of sex and online abuse on Instagram and TikTok","authors":"Carolina Are","doi":"10.1177/14614448241228544","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241228544","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates Instagram and TikTok’s approach to malicious flagging through users’ experience. Similar to liking, commenting and sharing, flagging is a reaction social media platforms allow users to highlight content that potentially violates community guidelines. However, flagging’s influence on moderation remains opaque: users who flag are largely unaware about the success of their reports; those who are de-platformed cannot be sure if or why their content has been reported, making them feel targeted not just by platforms’ processes, but by the retaliation of audiences themselves. Since the impact of de-platforming on users, and particularly on content creators who work through platforms, can be huge, this study provides scope to investigate flagging as an online abuse technique.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"37 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139784826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flagging as a silencing tool: Exploring the relationship between de-platforming of sex and online abuse on Instagram and TikTok","authors":"Carolina Are","doi":"10.1177/14614448241228544","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241228544","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates Instagram and TikTok’s approach to malicious flagging through users’ experience. Similar to liking, commenting and sharing, flagging is a reaction social media platforms allow users to highlight content that potentially violates community guidelines. However, flagging’s influence on moderation remains opaque: users who flag are largely unaware about the success of their reports; those who are de-platformed cannot be sure if or why their content has been reported, making them feel targeted not just by platforms’ processes, but by the retaliation of audiences themselves. Since the impact of de-platforming on users, and particularly on content creators who work through platforms, can be huge, this study provides scope to investigate flagging as an online abuse technique.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"57 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139844596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transferred expectations of human presence: Folk theories among older adults who are inexperienced users of online services","authors":"Hilde Sakariassen, Brita Ytre-Arne","doi":"10.1177/14614448241227842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241227842","url":null,"abstract":"This study analyses the expectations of older adults who are inexperienced users of online media and services, examining their sense-making processes when using the internet for informational and practical purposes. Research on older users often focuses on access and abilities, but this study instead explores older adults’ expectations of what it means to interact online. We apply a ‘folk theory’ framework to illuminate underlying perceptions that guide behaviours, by asking which folk theories older adults draw on to make sense of their experiences with the internet. The empirical data originates from qualitative in-depth interviews and participant observation sessions with 25 people aged 65–98 years in Norway. We identify four interconnected folk theories under the shared theme of transferring expectations from the offline world: expecting human involvement, expecting visibility, lack of a human safety net, and human limitations and social conventions. Our analysis shows how such folk theories inform user decisions, including hindrances and problem-solving, as older adults adapt to digital services in everyday life.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139797783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The politics of tech responsibility: Understanding companies’ responsibility as representative claims","authors":"A. Obendiek","doi":"10.1177/14614448241229406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241229406","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores responsibility claims by private tech companies. While the business literature has extensively discussed the notion of corporate social responsibility, it does not fully grasp the political significance of responsibility claims. This article proposes a novel conceptual understanding of responsibility by drawing on the concept of representative claims. It argues that by claiming responsibility for an issue or a community, companies are claiming to act on behalf of someone or some purpose—while avoiding democratic oversight. Thereby, responsibility claims not only provide reputational benefits but help companies legitimize and demarcate their political role. Empirically, it uses a representative claims analysis to compare responsibility claims of three companies—Meta, Microsoft, and the NSO Group. Companies either embrace, reorient, or refuse responsibility but frequently define the criteria to measure it. This article thus contributes to our understanding of the political significance of responsibility and tech business power.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"31 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139856706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The politics of tech responsibility: Understanding companies’ responsibility as representative claims","authors":"A. Obendiek","doi":"10.1177/14614448241229406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241229406","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores responsibility claims by private tech companies. While the business literature has extensively discussed the notion of corporate social responsibility, it does not fully grasp the political significance of responsibility claims. This article proposes a novel conceptual understanding of responsibility by drawing on the concept of representative claims. It argues that by claiming responsibility for an issue or a community, companies are claiming to act on behalf of someone or some purpose—while avoiding democratic oversight. Thereby, responsibility claims not only provide reputational benefits but help companies legitimize and demarcate their political role. Empirically, it uses a representative claims analysis to compare responsibility claims of three companies—Meta, Microsoft, and the NSO Group. Companies either embrace, reorient, or refuse responsibility but frequently define the criteria to measure it. This article thus contributes to our understanding of the political significance of responsibility and tech business power.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"66 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139796746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transferred expectations of human presence: Folk theories among older adults who are inexperienced users of online services","authors":"Hilde Sakariassen, Brita Ytre-Arne","doi":"10.1177/14614448241227842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241227842","url":null,"abstract":"This study analyses the expectations of older adults who are inexperienced users of online media and services, examining their sense-making processes when using the internet for informational and practical purposes. Research on older users often focuses on access and abilities, but this study instead explores older adults’ expectations of what it means to interact online. We apply a ‘folk theory’ framework to illuminate underlying perceptions that guide behaviours, by asking which folk theories older adults draw on to make sense of their experiences with the internet. The empirical data originates from qualitative in-depth interviews and participant observation sessions with 25 people aged 65–98 years in Norway. We identify four interconnected folk theories under the shared theme of transferring expectations from the offline world: expecting human involvement, expecting visibility, lack of a human safety net, and human limitations and social conventions. Our analysis shows how such folk theories inform user decisions, including hindrances and problem-solving, as older adults adapt to digital services in everyday life.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"262 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139857544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jieun Shin, Seth C. Lewis, Soojong Kim, Kjerstin Thorson
{"title":"Does high-quality news attract engagement on social media? Mediatization, media logic, and the contrasting values that shape news sharing, liking, and commenting on Facebook","authors":"Jieun Shin, Seth C. Lewis, Soojong Kim, Kjerstin Thorson","doi":"10.1177/14614448241228851","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241228851","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the concern over deteriorating news quality on social media, few studies have empirically examined how much high-quality news is rewarded on social media. Guided by the mediatization literature, we compared the extent to which normative values (i.e. factual reporting and public importance) in news stories as opposed to social media values (i.e. popularity) contribute to actual engagement such as sharing, liking, and commenting on Facebook. The normative values and social media values were drawn from survey participants’ evaluations of the news content, recruiting both consumers ( n = 5816) and journalists ( n = 742). Each news post’s engagement metrics were extracted from Facebook. Our analysis shows that consumers’ news judgments are overall consistent with those of journalists. More importantly, the study finds that a social media value dominates news engagement whereas normative values are eminently weak. We discuss the implications of the disproportionally powerful social media logic shaping news engagement in comparison to normative logics for news.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"23 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139797251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jieun Shin, Seth C. Lewis, Soojong Kim, Kjerstin Thorson
{"title":"Does high-quality news attract engagement on social media? Mediatization, media logic, and the contrasting values that shape news sharing, liking, and commenting on Facebook","authors":"Jieun Shin, Seth C. Lewis, Soojong Kim, Kjerstin Thorson","doi":"10.1177/14614448241228851","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241228851","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the concern over deteriorating news quality on social media, few studies have empirically examined how much high-quality news is rewarded on social media. Guided by the mediatization literature, we compared the extent to which normative values (i.e. factual reporting and public importance) in news stories as opposed to social media values (i.e. popularity) contribute to actual engagement such as sharing, liking, and commenting on Facebook. The normative values and social media values were drawn from survey participants’ evaluations of the news content, recruiting both consumers ( n = 5816) and journalists ( n = 742). Each news post’s engagement metrics were extracted from Facebook. Our analysis shows that consumers’ news judgments are overall consistent with those of journalists. More importantly, the study finds that a social media value dominates news engagement whereas normative values are eminently weak. We discuss the implications of the disproportionally powerful social media logic shaping news engagement in comparison to normative logics for news.","PeriodicalId":508039,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139857069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}