School of Culture and Communication - Research Publications
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ItemWho creates the bandwagon? The dynamics of fear of isolation, opinion congruency and anonymity-preference on social media in the 2017 South Korean presidential election(Elsevier, 2018-09-01)This paper proposes a new approach to study fear of isolation (FOI), with special attention to psychological motivations/gratifications sought in the online sphere (opinion congruency-seeking and anonymity-preference), which may lead to political expression via social media. We posit that individuals with FOI will display a tendency to want to match their opinions with the majority and will also actively utilize online platforms as they offer anonymity. This empirical study collected data from a random sample of 1107 participants in South Korea, a frontrunner in terms of political expression on social media. The results demonstrated that FOI is associated with opinion congruency as well as anonymity-preference and further, political use of social media which prompts offline political engagement. Findings of this paper goes beyond conventional paradigms on political psychology (selective exposure based on partisanship or ideology) and contribute to a better understanding of how anonymous, online behaviors generate political engagement.
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ItemSocial Media Posts on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Explosion: A Comparative Analysis of Crisis Framing and Sentiments in Three Nations(Nicholson School of Communication, UCF, 2019)This study explores the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosion crisis by analyzing posts on Twitter in three nations: the United States, Australia, and South Korea. Using the perspectives of generic frames, issue-specific frames, cross-national frames, and user sentiment on Twitter, this study analyzes 600 posts (200 from each nation). Results reveal that Twitter posts frequently framed the crisis using attribution, morality, and conflict frames. Posts about the explosion were more professional frame oriented than national frame oriented. Negative sentiment was dominant in Twitter posts about the explosion. Morality, corporate breakdown, and customer concerns were highly associated with negative sentiment. The results demonstrate how global users respond to a corporate crisis. Study implications and suggestions are discussed.
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ItemUnpacking the Effects of Alleged Gender Discrimination in the Corporate Workplace on Consumers’ Affective Responses and Relational Perceptions(Sage Publications, 2019)The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) how allegations of gender discrimination affect consumers’ relationship with the brand in question, and (b) individual-level factors that affect consumers’ negative affective response to the allegations and eventually, consumer-brand relationships. Findings from a survey conducted among 473 Americans indicate that individuals’ relational perceptions with a corporate brand whose products/services they consume are negatively affected by allegations of misconduct, in this case, gender discrimination. Results revealed that individuals’ moral orientation and anticorporate sentiment predicted their perceptions of moral inequity of corporate behavior, which in turn affected their negative affective response to the allegations. Such negative affective response then affected individuals’ consumer–corporate brand relationships.
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ItemDoes Fear of Isolation Disappear Online? Attention-Seeking Motivators in Online Political Engagement(Cogitatio Press, 2019-02-19)This study investigated the effects of fear of isolation (FOI) on political content consumption and creation in the context of online communication. Using more than 1,000 respondents from South Korea, the study empirically tested a theoretical model of FOI on political content consumption and expressions with two mediators (i.e., attention/status seeking, and anonymity-seeking). Results indicated that FOI is related to seeking attention and status in political outlets also connected to anonymity-preference that leads to political expression. Implications for political communication scholarship and for practitioners are that voters’ political participations can be understood in a framework different from traditional focus on persuasion, political ideology, or demographics because—in today’s virtual and interactive media environment—users are more content consumers or community participants.
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ItemCorporate Social Responsibility Beyond Borders: US Consumer Boycotts of a Global Company Over Sweatshop Issues in Supplier Factories Overseas(Sage Publications, 2019-11-01)The current research examines the effects of individualizing moral foundations (i.e., fairness and care) on consumer boycotts against the U.S. company that is entangled in an alleged sweatshop issue at a supplier’s factory in a developing country. On the basis of moral foundations theory, the current study tests six hypotheses that demonstrate the theoretical mechanism by which individualizing moral foundations have an impact on consumer boycott intentions through blame attributions and anger. Using a representative U.S. sample of 1,124 people, a national survey was conducted to test the proposed structural equation model. As predicted, results of mediation analysis showed that individualizing foundations, consisted of the fairness/care values, led to boycott intentions fully mediated by blame attribution and anger.
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ItemConsumers' ethical orientation and pro-firm behavioral response to CSR(Springer (part of Springer Nature), 2019-11-05)This study identifies the roles of consumers’ ethical orientations and CSR (perceived corporate social responsibility) motives and the dynamics of these two variables on the subsequent consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral responses to CSR—perceived corporate authenticity and pro firm behavioral intentions. To examine the impact of individual consumers’ ethical orientations, the authors measured consumers’ ethical orientations such as deontology and consequentialism through a Web based survey conducted in Korea and in the USA. Further, to investigate the role of perceived CSR motives, the authors measured the perception of a company’s business-oriented motives and society-oriented motives in conducting CSR. Results demonstrate the different role of ethical orientation in impacting consumers’ responses across these countries. Consumers’ consequentialist orientation appears to be positively associated with pro-firm behavioral intention in both the Korean and the US studies. In the Korean study, Consumers’ deontological orientation reduces perceived corporate authenticity when corporate motives seem business-oriented. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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ItemAfter Broadband Infrastructure Saturation: The Impact of Public Investment on Rural Social Capital(USC ANNENBERG PRESS, 2013-01-01)Having attained 98% coverage in rural areas in South Korea, the Information Network Village (INVIL) project began to focus not only on constructing broadband infrastructure but also on building online social networks. The current study examined the impact of public investment in information communication technology on online interaction and social capital in rural areas after broadband infrastructure was saturated. The findings indicate that public investment can play a key role in the sustainable development of rural areas by increasing community attachment and reducing migration intention.
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ItemStrategic corporate social responsibility and local health activism: An exploration into the case of Novartis’ issues management(Korean Health Communication Research Association, 2013)Through case analysis of Novartis’ issues management and public relations strategy in South Korea, the study explores how Korean health activists evaluate the relationship with Novartis and the factors behind the negative evaluations of public relations and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategies. The study found that although they are satisfied with the relationship with Novartis and they benefit from the outcomes of Novartis’ CSR activities, the health activists don’t regard the company as good or trustworthy. Their reasons lie in two beliefs. First, they think the company never put patients’ and the community’s wellbeing before its financial interests. Also, they claimed that Novartis’ effort in CSR investment is insufficient repayment to the community in comparison to its great success in the Korean market. The study suggests global pharmaceutical company’s issues management should consider local culture and politics to build a better deal with issues raised by local health activism.
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ItemImpact of Social Media on Power Relations of Korean Health Activism(Cogitatio, 2014)This case study explores how the Korea Leukemia Patient Group (KLPG) uses social media in its internal communication strategy and how that empowers its relationship with external counterparts. This study’s findings indicate that the communication strategy of the local health Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is changing in response to the increased effectiveness and impact of social media. Using social media (e.g., Twitter) the KLPG can quickly and effectively construct an issue-based advocacy group. Consequently, more legitimacy and representativeness through collected support from the general public have further empowered the KLPG. Yet, the sustainability component in the relationships built through social media use was not evidenced in the current findings. The effects of social media use were analyzed based on data from interviews with top-level KLPG executive members and general members, and from documentation and archival materials. Limitations and suggestions for future research are included.
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ItemBeyond the Western Masses: Demography and Pakistani Media Credibility Perceptions(USC Annenberg Press, 2015)Based on a random survey sample, this study examines audience assessments of different media platforms in Pakistan. We found that in the complex Pakistani media landscape, ethnicity is a key indicator in predicting media credibility. Our study’s results indicate that minority ethnic groups tend to find domestic television to be less credible, and international television or traditional media to be more credible, than do members of the majority Punjabi group. Media reliance was found to be a significant indicator of media credibility assessment—particularly regarding media such as international television and the Internet—as media reliance hinges on the availability of a media infrastructure, especially in the context of a developing society such as Pakistan.