The present study examines the stigma associated with online relationship initiation and its relation to women's self-protective behavior. Self-protective behaviors are those an individual engages in to avoid becoming a victim of dating violence. Female participants from a Midwestern university (N=82) were asked to read scenarios describing a hypothetical date. In one scenario, the prospective ...

While most of the existing research about online health information focuses exclusively on either the provider or the user side of communication circuits, this article aims to integrate and discuss both sides and their mediated relation to one another. Drawing on actor-network theory, it conceptualizes the provision and use of online health information as sociotechnical. It questions concretely...

Suggestions that the internet has facilitated existing trends towards the increasing disconnection of individuals from substantive communities have been balanced by a variety of empirical case-studies demonstrating evidence of significant communal features on some online discussion forums. While recognising the role of discussion forums in facilitating community, this paper seeks to shift the f...

Given the enormous growth and significant impacts of group buying on Internet business marketplaces, this study aims to understand consumer decision making process in an online group buying context from a Means-end Chain (MEC) theory perspective. The laddering interview technique was used to interview 58 online group buying users and to capture their reasons behind the online shopping behaviour...

Despite increased availability of online promotional tools for prescription drug marketers, evidence on online prescription drug promotion is far from settled or conclusive. We highlight ways in which online prescription drug promotion is similar to conventional broadcast and print advertising and ways in which it differs. We also highlight five key areas for future research: branded drug websi...

Many hopes exist regarding the opportunities that the internet can offer to young people as well as fears about the risks it may bring. Informed by research on media literacy, this article examines the role of selected measures of internet literacy in relation to teenagers’ online experiences. Data from a national survey of teenagers in the UK (N=789) are analyzed to examine, first, the demogra...

CONTEXT Efforts to promote organ donation have traditionally relied on mass-mediated or interpersonal communication to promote donor registration. Despite its popularity, the use of online media has yet to be carefully evaluated as a platform to promote organ donation. OBJECTIVE To describe results of an intervention to promote donor registration that relies solely on online media to communic...

background: there are thirteen who collaborating centres in iran which no mechanism or model has ever been foreseen for the evaluation of them. this original research is innovative in iran, which has been offered by the researcher through a joint research project with who. methods: the aforesaid model has been approved by the international relation department of ministry of health& education. t...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of various online techniques (word reference, media, and vocabulary games) on reading comprehension as well as vocabulary comprehension and production. For this purpose, 60 language learners were selected and divided into three groups, and each group was randomly assigned to one of the treatment conditions. In the first session of tre...