News on the Move: Predictors of Mobile News Consumption and Engagement Among Chinese Mobile Phone Users

News on the Move: Predictors of Mobile News Consumption and Engagement Among Chinese 

Mobile Phone Users

Abstract

 This study examines smartphones as a platform for mobile news consumption by identifying key antecedents and consequential behavioral patterns. A causal model was proposed for empirically testing the interrelationships. A sample of 719 randomly selected young adults in China, which boasts the world’s largest mobile phone population, was used in the testing the model. Findings suggest that respondents who owned a smartphone with a higher level of surveillance gratification were more likely to read mobile news and further be engaged in mobile news. That is, reading mobile news was positively related to involvement in mobile news by following a variety of digital news sources such as tweets, blogs, and bloggers. The study concludes that mobile news consumption is an engaging and participative behavior. The theoretical and social implications of the results are discussed in relation to China’s current predicament of being media-rich but information-poor.

Download the full study Click here

The iPhone Effect: The Quality of In-Person Social Interactions in the Presence of Mobile Devices

The iPhone Effect: The Quality of In-Person Social Interactions in the Presence of Mobile Devices

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the presence of mobile devices and the quality of real-life in-person social interactions. In a naturalistic field experiment, 100 dyads were randomly assigned to discuss either a casual or meaningful topic together. A trained research assistant observed the participants unobtrusively from a distance during the course of a 10-min conversation noting whether either participant placed a mobile device on the table or held it in his or her hand. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, it was found that conversations in the absence of mobile communication technologies were rated as significantly superior compared with those in the presence of a mobile device, above and beyond the effects of age, gender, ethnicity, and mood. People who had conversations in the absence of mobile devices reported higher levels of empathetic concern. Participants conversing in the presence of a mobile device who also had a close relationship with each other reported lower levels of empathy compared with dyads who 

Download the full study Click here

Beyond “connected presence”: Multimedia mobile instant messaging in close relationship management

Abstract

Despite its worldwide popularity, mobile instant messaging (MIM) as a new mode of interpersonal communication has received scant scholarly attention by far. Drawing upon the notion of “connected presence,” this study extends related discussions by exploring the patterns of MIM interaction in the management of close relationships. Focusing on WeChat, the most popular MIM in China, this study presents findings based on interviews with young Chinese as WeChat users. This study finds that WeChat’s wide functionality enabled multimodal communication in varying situations. Four modes of WeChat interaction were identified: General information exchange, experience articulation, technical support, and sympathetic companionship. The study also analyzes how user construction attaches social meaning to certain communicative practices on WeChat.

Download the full study Click here

Social network service use on mobile devices: An examination of gratifications, civic attitudes and civic engagement in China

Social network service use on mobile devices: An examination of gratifications, civic attitudes and civic engagement in China

Abstract
As mobile social network services have been integrated in many people’s daily lives, this study investigated the relationships between gratifications-sought, social network service use on mobile devices, civic attitudes and civic engagement in Mainland China. Data were gathered in a survey of 760 university students. Results showed that gratifications for technological convenience (accessibility), information exchange (cognition needs), and social interaction (recognition needs) significantly predicted civic engagement. The results also demonstrated that civic attitudes and social network service use on mobile devices are positively related to civic engagement. These findings well demonstrated the important role of mobile-based communication in connecting citizens to civil society.

Download the full study Click here

 لتحميل الدراسة كاملة أضغط هنا 

مدى استخدام الجمهور الفلسطيني للخدمات الإعلامية التي يقدمها الهاتف النقال

مدى استخدام الجمهور الفلسطيني للخدمات الإعلامية التي يقدمها الهاتف النقال ، مجلة جامعة فلسطين للأبحاث والدراسات العدد الثامن- الجزء الثاني،  يناير 2015 - ص 98 - ص124.

لتحميل الدراسة كاملة اضغط هنا