Browsing by Author "Roberts, Jessica"
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- Empathy cultivation through social media? A counter to compassion fatiguePublication . Roberts, Jessica
- Gregory P. Perreault, digital journalism and the facilitation of hatePublication . Roberts, Jessica
- Social media users’ perceptions of roles and responsibilitiesPublication . Roberts, JessicaGiven how much the behavior of social media users influences the content displayed to other users— directly, through the content they post, and indirectly, through the content they click, watch, like, or comment on—assessing the attitudes shaping user behavior are essential to understanding and ultimately positively affecting content on social media sites. The purpose of this study was to understand how respondents perceive the role of social media user and the associated responsibilities. An online survey (n=395) asked users of several popular social media platforms how they view their role and that of other users, and who they say is currently responsible for and who should be responsible for various aspects of content on social media sites. Results of the survey indicate that a majority view social media companies or journalists as responsible for keeping users informed, maintaining civility on social media sites, and other obligations. The only area where the majority said users bear responsibility was to report harmful content. The survey results reveal how users see themselves as having little responsibility for the content on social media sites and expect social media companies and journalists to provide oversight.
- Space, place, and the self: reimagining selfies as thirdspacePublication . Koliska, Michael; Roberts, JessicaThe rise of digital and visual communication has brought an increased focus to the places that people occupy. While places are created through various meaning-making processes, one way of establishing the meaning of a place is by inserting oneself into spaces by taking selfies. The places depicted in selfies may reflect a desire to associate oneself with the place, to make a statement challenging that place or the dominant meaning associated with it, or to create new meaning concerning the place and the self. Drawing on the concepts of Thirdspace and heterotopias, we proffer a framework for the practice of taking and sharing selfies that depict a place. We argue that people colonize points in space to reproduce, counter, or mix the meanings of places. People then both draw from and contribute to the construction of places and are motivated to “place” themselves to provide alternative or personalized perspectives of these places but also to represent their self.
- The toll of fighting misinformation: precarity in fact-checking workPublication . Roberts, Jessica; Koliska, MichaelStand-alone fact-checking organizations are a relatively recent addition to the journalistic genre, linked to the rapid adoption of social media and a concurrent rise in fake news, misleading, and false information shared on social media sites. Fact-checking organizations around the world increasingly share norms, practices, and epistemologies, suggesting a growing institutionalization of fact-checking. These institutional similarities suggest that fact-checkers may also share similar professional challenges. To better understand the challenges, the effects of dealing with those challenges, and the ways fact-checkers cope with those effects, this study draws on interviews with 51 fact-checkers working at 41 fact-checking organizations from around the world. Findings suggest that fact-checkers face precarity on multiple levels. Fact-checking work itself presents a challenge as many fact-checkers expressed frustration and despair at the recurring falsehoods or “zombie” misinformation they had to debunk, and others are exposed to misinformation that includes upsetting graphic images that impact fact-checkers’ mental health. Additionally, fact-checkers are frequently attacked by audiences and public figures, such as politicians, even as they face financial challenges to organizational survival. Participants in the study shared a number of strategies to prevent, mitigate, or cope with the worst psychological effects, but the findings point to a need to more systematically address the precarity of fact-checking work.
- A typology of content creatorsPublication . Roberts, Jessica; Steiner, Linda