publications

2024

1. JMIR

   Online Health Information Seeking, eHealth Literacy, and Health Behaviors Among Chinese Internet Users: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

   Diyi Liu, Shuhang Yang, Calvin Yixiang Cheng, and 2 more authors

   Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2024

   Abs DOI

   The internet has become an increasingly vital platform for health-related information, especially in upper-middle-income countries such as China. While previous research has suggested that online health information seeking (OHIS) can significantly impact individuals’ engagement in health behaviors, most research focused on patient-centered health communication. This study aims to examine how OHIS influences health behavior engagement among Chinese internet users, focusing on the role of eHealth literacy and perceived information quality in influencing relationships. Methods:An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 2021 among 10,000 Chinese internet users, using quota sampling based on sex, age, and urban and rural residence, in line with the 48th Statistical Report on Internet Development of China. Nonparametric tests were used to examine the differences in eHealth literacy across sociodemographic groups. Partial correlation analysis and stepwise linear regression were conducted to test the associations between key variables. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to test the hypotheses. Our study identified significant disparities in functional and critical eHealth literacy between urban and rural residents across age groups, income levels, education backgrounds, and health conditions (all P<.001). In terms of sex and regional differences, we found higher functional literacy among female users than male users, and critical literacy varied significantly across different regions. The proposed structural model showed excellent fit (χ2404=4183.6, χ2404=10.4,P<.001; root mean square error of approximation value of 0.031, 95% CI 0.030-.031; standardized root mean square residual value of 0.029; and comparative fit index value of 0.955), highlighting reciprocal associations between 2 types of eHealth literacy and OHIS. Participants’ functional eHealth literacy, critical eHealth literacy, and OHIS have positive impacts on their health behavioral engagement. Perceived information quality was found to mediate the influence of OHIS on health behavior (b=0.003, 95% CI 0.002-0.003; P<.001). The study revealed the pathways linking sociodemographic factors, eHealth literacy, OHIS, and perceived information quality and how they together influenced health outcomes. The findings underscore the significance of enhancing eHealth literacy and improving information quality to promote better health outcomes among Chinese internet users.

2. NM&S

   Human AI communication in initial encounters: How AI agency affects trust, liking, and chat quality evaluation

   Wenjing Pan, Diyi Liu, Jingbo Meng, and 1 more author

   New Media & Society, 2024

   Abs DOI

   Artificial intelligence (AI) agency plays an important role in shaping humans’ perceptions and evaluations of AI. This study seeks to conceptually differentiate AI agency from human agency and examine how AI’s agency manifested on source and language dimensions may be associated with humans’ perceptions of AI. A 2 (AI’s source autonomy: autonomous vs human-assisted) × 2 (AI’s language subjectivity: subjective vs objective) × 2 (topics: traveling vs reading) factorial design was adopted (N = 376). The results showed autonomous AI was rated as more trustworthy, and AI using subjective language was rated as more trustworthy and likable. Autonomous AI using subjective language was rated as the most trustworthy, likable, and of the best quality. Participants’ AI literacy moderated the interaction effect of source autonomy and language subjectivity on human trust and chat quality evaluation. Results were discussed in terms of human–AI communication theories and the design and development of AI chatbots.

3. P&I

   Borderline content and platformised speech governance: Mapping TikTok’s moderation controversies in South and Southeast Asia

   Diyi Liu

   Policy & Internet, 2024

   Abs DOI

   Content moderation comes with trade-offs and moral dilemmas, particularly for transnational platforms governing borderline content where the boundaries of acceptability are subject to debate. While extensive research has explored the legality and legitimacy of platformised speech governance in established democracies, few address the complexities of less-than-democratic developing nations. Through sociolegal analysis and controversy mapping of TikTok’s localised moderation in South and Southeast Asia, the study examines how major actors negotiate the shifting boundaries of online speech. The analysis reveals that neither the platform nor regional states are well-positioned to achieve sound governance of borderline content. Primarily, TikTok localises its moderation based on pragmatic necessity rather than moral obligations, deliberately sidestepping contentious political controversies. Governments demonstrate determined efforts to control online discourse, leveraging legal uncertainty to further political agendas. Thus, local content governance often relies on vague rationales around securitisation and morality. The contradictory motives of (de)politicising borderline moderation seemingly counterbalance each other, yet in practice lead to an accountability vacuum where legitimate interests are sidelined. Given the lack of normative common ground, ensuring procedural justice and encouraging civic participation are essential to counteract rhetoric that rationalises imposition of certain speech norms hinging on imbalanced political power.

4. HMC

   What HMC Teaches Us About Authenticity

   Katrin Etzrodt, Jihyun Kim, Margot Van Der Goot, and 19 more authors

   2024

   Abs DOI

   This paper delves into what the application of authenticity to Human-Machine Communication (HMC) can teach us about authenticity and us as HMC researchers and as a community. Inspired by the 2023 pre-conference “HMC: Authenticity in communicating with machines,” two central questions guide the discussion: How does HMC contribute to our understanding of authentic communication with machines? And how can the concept of authenticity contribute to our sense of self as researchers within the HMC field? Through the collaborative effort of 22 authors, the paper explores the re-conceptualization of authenticity and presents recent areas of tension that guide the HMC research and community. With this paper we aim at offering a gateway for scholars to connect and engage with the evolving HMC field.

5. WOAH2024

   From Languages to Geographies: Towards Evaluating Cultural Bias in Hate Speech Datasets

   Manuel Tonneau, Diyi Liu, Samuel Fraiberger, and 3 more authors

   In Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Online Abuse and Harms (WOAH 2024), Jun 2024

   Abs DOI

   Perceptions of hate can vary greatly across cultural contexts. Hate speech (HS) datasets, however, have traditionally been developed by language. This hides potential cultural biases, as one language may be spoken in different countries home to different cultures. In this work, we evaluate cultural bias in HS datasets by leveraging two interrelated cultural proxies: language and geography. We conduct a systematic survey of HS datasets in eight languages and confirm past findings on their English-language bias, but also show that this bias has been steadily decreasing in the past few years. For three geographically-widespread languages - English, Arabic and Spanish - we then leverage geographical metadata from tweets to approximate geo-cultural contexts by pairing language and country information. We find that HS datasets for these languages exhibit a strong geo-cultural bias, largely overrepresenting a handful of countries (e.g., US and UK for English) relative to their prominence in both the broader social media population and the general population speaking these languages. Based on these findings, we formulate recommendations for the creation of future HS datasets.

6. CSCW2024

   Trouble in Paradise? Understanding Mastodon Admin’s Motivations, Experiences, and Challenges Running Decentralised Social Media

   Zhilin Zhang, Jun Zhao, Ge Wang, and 8 more authors

   Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Nov 2024

   Abs DOI

   Decentralised social media platforms are increasingly being recognised as viable alternatives to their centralised counterparts. Among these, Mastodon stands out as a popular alternative, offering a citizen-powered option distinct from larger and centralised platforms like Twitter/X. However, the future path of Mastodon remains uncertain, particularly in terms of its challenges and the long-term viability of a more citizen-powered internet. In this paper, following a pre-study survey, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 Mastodon instance administrators, including those who host instances to support marginalised and stigmatised communities, to understand their motivations and lived experiences of running decentralised social media. Our research indicates that while decentralised social media offers significant potential in supporting the safety, identity and privacy needs of marginalised and stigmatised communities, they also face considerable challenges in content moderation, community building and governance. We emphasise the importance of considering the community’s values and diversity when designing future support mechanisms.

7. WebSci2024

   Content Moderation, Platformised Speech Governance, and Legitimacy: TikTok in South and Southeast Asia

   Diyi Liu

   In Companion Publication of the 16th ACM Web Science Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, May 2024

   Abs DOI

   Transnational online platforms continuously navigate a mix of international and national laws, cultural norms, and political sensitivities to define what constitutes legitimate content moderation. While there is extensive research on platform governance in established democracies, less focus on the complexities of content moderation in less democratic developing countries. This integrated PhD thesis aims to contextualise how global online platforms hosting user-generated content (UGC) govern online speech within national systems that have to date been overlooked in scholarship. Sitting at the intersection of research on international political economy, platform governance, and human centred computing, the thesis draws on literature on legitimacy to offer a detailed examination of how a UGC platform originating from China (i.e., TikTok) governs online speech in two South and Southeast Asia countries - Indonesia and Pakistan. More importantly, by emphasising user insights in online speech governance, the thesis examines how users perceive the legitimacy of platformised content moderation, particularly in relation to sensitive and controversial borderline topics (i.e., gender/sexual, religious and political content). The comparative approach presents opportunities for understanding how on-the-ground insights can be mobilised to better govern algorithms and online platforms.

2023

1. IJOC

   Attracting Effective Support on Social Networking Sites: Examining Three Characteristics of Online Support-Seeking Messages

   Siyue Li, Diyi Liu, Chengyu She, and 1 more author

   International Journal of Communication, May 2023

   Abs PDF

   Effective support acquisition on social networking sites (SNSs) usually begins with strategic support seeking. This study conducted an online cross-sectional survey (N = 405) to examine whether certain characteristics of an online support-seeking post would draw more support. The results showed that negative posts could draw more emotional support compared with neutral and positive posts. SNS users who posted negative content, directly solicited support, and adopted more politeness strategies in support seeking would receive more informational support. Self-presentational concerns, however, were not associated with the examined characteristics of online support-seeking posts. The findings suggest that online support seekers can strategically compose their messages to elicit more effective support.

2022

1. CJJC

   From Monologue to Dialogue: Reimagining Intercultural Communication Studies in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative

   Jing Su, and Diyi Liu

   Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, May 2022

2021

1. CJJC

   How to Obtain Social Support in Online Support Forums? The Effects of Structural Social Capital and Politeness Principle

   Wenjing Pan, and Diyi Liu

   Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, May 2021

   Abs

   Online support forum creates a public sphere for exchanging information and meaning. In these embedded virtual communities, users share collective identities and are driven by the same goals. They accumulate social capital through dynamic interactions with each other, and, in turn, construct their own discourses for seeking social support. Based on web-scraped data from an online depression forum, this study generated the network of users’ replies, aiming to investigate their communication and interactions in this social field through the lens of both structural and constructed social capital. On the one hand, users’ discussions either focus on information about depression, or expressions of emotions and feelings, the topics of which were found to be associated with their social capital: Compared with users in the information-based discussion, users in emotion-based discussion possessed more bonding and bridging social capital; the reply distribution in the information-based discussion was more skewed than that in the emotion-based discussion. On the other hand, the language people used when seeking support represented their psychological and cognitive process, and was found to be associated with the volume and quality of received social support: The use of informal language in the posts was positively associated with the number of users’ received replies; the use of first-person plural pronouns and words reflecting cognitive processing positively predicted the average length of received replies, while the use of informal words and the posts’ emotional positivity were negatively associated with the average length of received replies. This study not only offers practical guidance for users seeking support in online support groups or forums, but also promotes the development of China’s "Internet plus Health Care" campaign.

2. Frontiers

   An examination of factors contributing to the acceptance of online health misinformation

   Wenjing Pan, Diyi Liu, and Jie Fang

   Frontiers in psychology, May 2021

   Abs DOI

   This study examined factors including health-related anxiety, preexisting misinformation beliefs, and repeated exposure contributing to individuals’ acceptance of health misinformation. Through a large-scale online survey, this study found that health-related anxiety was positively associated with health misinformation acceptance. Preexisting misinformation beliefs, as well as repeated exposure to health misinformation, were both positively associated with health misinformation acceptance. The results also showed that demographic variables were significantly associated with health misinformation acceptance. In general, females accepted more health misinformation compared to males. Participants’ age was negatively associated with health misinformation acceptance. Participants’ education level and income were both negatively associated with their acceptance of health misinformation.

2020

1. IJERPH

   Social bots’ sentiment engagement in health emergencies: A topic-based analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic discussions on Twitter

   Wen Shi, Diyi Liu, Jing Yang, and 3 more authors

   International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 2020

   Abs DOI

   During the COVID-19 pandemic, when individuals were confronted with social distancing, social media served as a significant platform for expressing feelings and seeking emotional support. However, a group of automated actors known as social bots have been found to coexist with human users in discussions regarding the coronavirus crisis, which may pose threats to public health. To figure out how these actors distorted public opinion and sentiment expressions in the outbreak, this study selected three critical timepoints in the development of the pandemic and conducted a topic-based sentiment analysis for bot-generated and human-generated tweets. The findings show that suspected social bots contributed to as much as 9.27% of COVID-19 discussions on Twitter. Social bots and humans shared a similar trend on sentiment polarity—positive or negative—for almost all topics. For the most negative topics, social bots were even more negative than humans. Their sentiment expressions were weaker than those of humans for most topics, except for COVID-19 in the US and the healthcare system. In most cases, social bots were more likely to actively amplify humans’ emotions, rather than to trigger humans’ amplification. In discussions of COVID-19 in the US, social bots managed to trigger bot-to-human anger transmission. Although these automated accounts expressed more sadness towards health risks, they failed to pass sadness to humans.