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Article
Publication date: 6 December 2019

Alon Sela, Orit Milo, Eugene Kagan and Irad Ben-Gal

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel method to enhance the spread of messages in social networks by “Spreading Groups.” These sub-structures of highly connected…

603

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel method to enhance the spread of messages in social networks by “Spreading Groups.” These sub-structures of highly connected accounts intentionally echo messages between the members of the subgroup at the early stages of a spread. This echoing further boosts the spread to regions substantially larger than the initial region. These spreading accounts can be actual humans or social bots.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reveals an interesting anomaly in information cascades in Twitter and proposes the spreading group model that explains this anomaly. The model was tested using an agent-based simulation, real Twitter data and questionnaires.

Findings

The messages of few anonymous Twitter accounts spread on average more than well-known global financial media groups, such as The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg. The spreading groups (also sometimes called BotNets) model provides an effective mechanism that can explain these findings.

Research limitations/implications

Spreading groups are only one possible mechanism that can explain the effectiveness of spread of tweets from lesser known accounts. The implication of this work is in showing how spreading groups can be used as a mechanism to spread messages in social networks. The construction of spreading groups is rather technical and does not require using opinion leaders. Similar to the case of “Fake News,” we expect the topic of spreading groups and their aim to manipulate information to receive growing attention in public discussion.

Practical implications

While harnessing opinion leaders to spread messages is costly, constructing spreading groups is more technical and replicable. Spreading groups are an efficient method to amplify the spread of message in social networks.

Social implications

With the blossoming of fake news, one might tend to assess the reliability of news by the number of users involved in its spread. This heuristic might be easily fooled by spreading groups. Furthermore, spreading groups consisting of a blend of human and computerized bots might be hard to detect. They can be used to manipulate financial markets or political campaigns.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates an anomaly in Twitter that was not studied before. It proposes a novel approach to spreading messages in social networks. The methods presented in the paper are valuable for anyone interested in spreading messages or an agenda such as political actors or other agenda enthusiasts. While social bots have been widely studied, their synchronization to increase the spread is novel.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2021

Tamar Icekson, Anat Toder Alon, Avichai Shuv-Ami and Yaron Sela

The growing proportion of older fans and their potential economic value have increased the need for an improved understanding of age differences in fan behaviour. Building on…

560

Abstract

Purpose

The growing proportion of older fans and their potential economic value have increased the need for an improved understanding of age differences in fan behaviour. Building on socioemotional selectivity theory, the current study examines the impact of age differences on fan hatred as well as on the extent to which fans actually engage in aggressive activities and fans' perceptions of the levels of appropriateness of certain physical and verbal acts of aggression.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used an online panel-based survey that offered access to a real-world population of sport fans. The participants were 742 fans of professional football (soccer).

Findings

Results from structural equation modelling indicated that older fans reported lower levels of fan hatred, lower self-reported aggression and lower acceptance of physical and verbal aggression. Moreover, fan hatred partially mediated the relationship between age and levels of aggression and between age and acceptance of verbal aggression. In addition, fan hatred fully mediated the relationship between age and acceptance of physical aggression.

Originality/value

The current study makes two important contributions. First, it demonstrates that sport clubs may particularly benefit from understanding the potential but often neglected importance of older sport fans in relation to the problematic phenomenon of fan aggression. Second, it offers a thorough theoretical account of the manner in which fan hatred plays a significant role in the relationships between age and fan aggressiveness.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

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Article
Publication date: 25 October 2021

Anat Toder Alon, Avichai Shuv-Ami and Liad Bareket-Bojmel

The current study postulated that fans' social identities (derived from the team sport clubs of which they perceive themselves to be members) coexist with their personal…

992

Abstract

Purpose

The current study postulated that fans' social identities (derived from the team sport clubs of which they perceive themselves to be members) coexist with their personal identities (derived from views of themselves as unique, individual sport fans). The study examined the relationship between identity salience and both positive and negative aspects of fans' attitudes, emotions and behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Seven hundred and twelve (712) Israeli professional football fans participated in this study. The study employed a survey drawn from an Internet panel with more than fifty thousand members.

Findings

Utilizing structural equation modelling (SEM), the authors demonstrated that while social identity salience is related to positive aspects of being a sport fan (love of a favourite team and loyalty), it is also related to negative aspects of being a sport fan (hatred and perceptions of the appropriateness of fan aggression). Personal identity salience was found to be related to the decrease in negative outcomes of being a fan (hatred and perceptions of the appropriateness of fan aggression).

Research limitations/implications

Marketers and sport organizations will benefit from stimulating sport fans' personal identity salience to mitigate possible negative consequences of team affiliation.

Originality/value

The current study expands upon past sport management studies by demonstrating the existence of relationships between sport fans' identity salience and their emotions, attitudes and behaviours. The identity salience of fans is relevant from both academic and applicative perspectives.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

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Article
Publication date: 28 June 2013

Rafi Nets

Collective memory of conflicts is assembled around major events, such as, in the context of the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, the 1948 Palestinian exodus from the central cities…

1105

Abstract

Purpose

Collective memory of conflicts is assembled around major events, such as, in the context of the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, the 1948 Palestinian exodus from the central cities of Lydda and Ramla. To date, however, various theoretical aspects of major events of conflicts have not been considered in the literature. This article aims to address this lack by exploring for the first time the way in which the causes for that exodus were presented in Israel from 1949 to 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, this is based on studies that have analyzed separately the publications by various Israeli state establishments (e.g. National Information Center, Ministry of Education, the National Archive, and the army – IDF), and those by various Israeli‐Jewish societal establishments (e.g. the research community, newspapers and 1948 war veterans).

Findings

Theoretically, the article contributes various insights, pertaining, for example, to: the five Manifestation Characteristics and the two Influence Characteristics of major events of conflicts; the eight determinant factors that shape the impact of these events; and the dynamic nature of the representation of major events.

Originality/value

Taken altogether, this article contributes to the empirical and theoretical research on the major events in conflicts.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2024

Danilo Abis, Patrizia Pia and Yam Limbu

This review aims to present the state of the art regarding the impact of financial technology (FinTech) on financial inclusion and its implications for consumers and institutions…

423

Abstract

Purpose

This review aims to present the state of the art regarding the impact of financial technology (FinTech) on financial inclusion and its implications for consumers and institutions in terms of accessibility, usage and quality. An integrated framework is developed to illustrate the primary thematic areas for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

We performed a systematic literature review (SLR) to summarize and synthesize existing research published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Forty-two eligible studies were identified from the Web of Science database and a cross-reference search.

Findings

The results suggest that FinTech promotes financial inclusion for consumers and businesses by increasing the accessibility, usage and quality of financial products. We present a multidisciplinary integrative framework that links the three dimensions of financial inclusion (i.e. access, usage and quality) to financial technology. Finally, we propose several avenues for future research.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first SLR on how FinTech is associated with the accessibility, usage and quality of financial products. We provide an integrative framework for understanding the topic with implications in different fields.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 63 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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