This study examines the phenomenon of politically motivated selective avoidance on Facebook in context Hong Kong Umbrella Movement protests 2014. We conceptualize as individual choices that users make to shield themselves from undesirable dissonant views by removing unwanted information and breaking social ties transmit such information. Given political turmoil high level polarization during protests, we argue was related socio-psychological factor perceived out-group threat. present an...

In an era of pervasive misinformation, equipping citizens to counter its spread is increasingly critical. This study examines news authentication—individuals’ proactive verification news—as a key indicator resilience misinformation. Guided by the theory planned behavior and model, we examine how individual characteristics structural contexts interact influence authentication. To do so, adopt multilevel comparative approach, analyzing authentication in three distinct societies: Hong Kong,...

This study reviews and analyzes the published empirical research on role of social media in promoting political expression participation Confucian Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan. In addition to providing a narrative review literature, our analyses show clear numerical estimates relationships among different types use (i.e., informational, expressive, relational, recreational), expression, states. The findings reiterate importance expressive media, showing...

One of the democratic promises social media relies on expectation that citizens will be exposed to more diverse sources information and consequently likely encounter views challenge their beliefs opinions. Still, recent evidence suggests although may increase exposure difference, citizen also take active steps reduce dissonance they by engaging in selective avoidance tactics such as political unfriending unfollowing. We report findings from first comparative study conducted Asia, which...

Abstract The human brain undergoes profound developmental changes in the cortex during early life. Functional parcellation of may also be altered, but there was a limited methodology for quantification. Here, we employed connectivity-based sub-regions as marker to characterize heterogeneous development cerebral cortex. Particularly, investigated primary motor (M1), sensory (S1), and insula based on tractography-based connectivity among 3 stages first 2 yr life adulthood. We identified 4...

Growing evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been linked with the dysfunction of glymphatic system. Previous studies were primarily cross-sectional and focused on only one specific component, hindering understanding overall function in AD. We evaluated longitudinal changes multiple components system (blood-brain barrier (BBB) transcytolemmal water exchange (TWE) permeability) AD mice. Five female wild-type four 3 × Tg-AD mice from 5 to 13 months age scanned monthly using two...

Journal Article Social Media and Offline Political Participation: Uncovering the Paths From Digital to Physical Get access Marko M. Skoric, Skoric Department of Communication, City University Hong Kong, China is Associate Professor at Kong. He holds a PhD in Communication from Michigan, BSc Psychology College London, UK. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Qinfeng Zhu student She an MA National Singapore BA School Journalism Nanjing University, China....

This study examines the political implications of social media through lens digital disconnectivity. Specifically, it focuses on politically motivated unfriending and its influence individuals’ engagement, namely expression information consumption media. Furthermore, considering importance minority–majority relations for understanding disconnection phenomena, we investigate whether impact is more pronounced among opinion minorities than majorities. Using a two-wave panel survey conducted in...

This study examines whether disconnective practices on social media such as unfriending could constitute a form of selective avoidance and investigates its boundary conditions. To do so, we whether, to what extent, under which conditions exposure disagreement predicts politically motivated unfriending. Specifically, examine how the relationship varies in different relational contexts it is conditioned by opinion minority status. Using survey data collected shortly before 2017 Chief Executive...

The Internet and social media create an environment in which individuals can selectively approach information supporting their political worldviews while also being incidentally exposed to socially shared that challenges beliefs. These competing consumption patterns may help explain whether how digital contribute affective polarization (i.e. affect-based division between groups). This study examines pro-attitudinal selective exposure counter-attitudinal incidental tandem influence emotions....

While existing research suggests that the closed digital spaces of Instant Messaging (IM) platforms have important democratic implications, this study examines how users actively curate such through disconnection. Using a mixed-method approach within context Hong Kong politics after introduction National Security Law (NSL), we examine extent to which and why IM engage in disconnective behaviors (tie dissolution, content filtration), explain socio-psychological structural factors. Statistical...

This research aims at combined and relative effect levels on anxiety of: (1) perceived risk, knowledge, optimism, pessimism, social trust; (2) four sub-variables of trust among inhabitants concerning living heavy metal contaminated soil. On the basis survey data from 499 Chinese respondents, results suggest that have individual, significant, direct effects anxiety, while knowledge does not. Knowledge has combined, interactive together with respectively, but not risk optimism. Social trust,...

Previous studies have identified various individual factors explaining news avoidance, but the understanding of how these function within broader political information environment is limited. This study, leveraging a large-scale cross-national survey, reveals that relationships between interests, trust, and avoidance differ across countries with varying levels press freedom. In nations where strong free, personal preferences minimally influence individuals’ active hard news. News not solely...

Social media offer an avenue for the formation of citizen-driven global networks that are vital to mobilizing international support and curating public discourse in social movements. This study looks into flow information communication about Hong Kong's Occupy Central Movement with a focus on country/territory-level network emerged Twitter. Drawing world systems theory literature movement, it examines whether globalization local movement via is circumscribed by existing order system (i.e.,...

This study examines the phenomena of political unfriending and content removal on social media in three Western democracies—France, United Kingdom, States. We seek to understand role crosscutting discussion, confrontational discussion style, ideological extremity triggering media, while shedding light cross-country differences. The findings show that selective avoidance behaviors are much more common States than either France or Kingdom. They also style predictors across all above countries,...

Instant messaging (IM) platforms are believed to foster intimate and controlled conversations within small groups hence provide safe social settings for political conversations, yet we know little about how talk emerges from the everyday interactions in these environments. To fill gap, this study examines sociability small, private WhatsApp shapes extent forms of among young adults. Relying on in-depth interviews conducted Netherlands, find that people perceive politics as personal,...

While research on flagging misinformation and disinformation has received much attention, we know very little about how the of propaganda sources could affect news sharing social media. Using a quasi-experimental design, test effect source people’s actual behaviors. By analyzing tweets ( N = 49,126) posted by 30 China's media accounts before after Twitter's practice labeling state-affiliated media, reveal corrective role that plays in preventing people's information from sources. The...

Abstract High‐resolution ex vivo diffusion MRI (dMRI) can provide exquisite mesoscopic details and microstructural information of the human brain. Microstructural pattern anterior part hippocampus, however, has not been well elucidated with dMRI, either in normal or disease conditions. The present study collected high‐resolution (0.1 mm isotropic) dMRI post‐mortem hippocampal tissues from four Alzheimer's diseases (AD), three primary age‐related tauopathy (PART), healthy control (HC) brains...

While E-participation promotes citizen participation in democratic decision-making processes, and often takes place through deliberation, citizens are expected to be cool-headed individuals equipped with reason logic, insulating their actions from the impulse of emotion. However, research neuroscience cognitive science has found that emotion plays a vital part processing is instrumental decision-making. This study thus fills this gap by examining effect emotions eliciting on youth platform....

Multi-echo gradient-echo (mGRE) is an important method to quantify myelin water fraction (MWF) of the human brain, but results may depend on field strength given difference in T2*. This study performed mGRE-based MWF ex vivo brain at high resolution both 3T and 7T. We found MWF-derived from 7T showed higher measurements with lager standard deviations compared those 3T, moderate agreement. These findings indicated mapping result was field-strength dependent further validations were needed...