Adam N Joinson
Biographic Data
| ID | 336644 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Adam N Joinson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Adam N |
| FAMILY NAME | Joinson |
| SIGNATURE | JOINSON A N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bath |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7019-7038 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 47 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 125 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 17 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
What is Digital Identity? A Transdisciplinary Meta-synthesis
Who do you think you are? An experimental comparison of online and offline identities using NLP techniques
Researchers have been debating whether our online identities are different from our offline identities since technology enabled us to operate in the digital space. This paper advances the online-offline debate by utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to compare identity-related statements across online and offline contexts. Participants (N = 120) completed twenty “I am...” statements in two conditions: one reflecting online ident…
Online Signals of Extremist Mobilization
Psychological theories of mobilization tend to focus on explaining people’s motivations for action, rather than mobilization (“activation”) processes. To investigate the online behaviors associated with mobilization, we compared the online communications data of 26 people who subsequently mobilized to right-wing extremist action and 48 people who held similar extremist views but did not mobilize ( N = 119,473 social media posts). In a three-part …
Development and testing of a dimensional typology of cyberdeviance
Not All Interventions are Made Equal: Harnessing Design and Messaging to Nudge Bystander Intervention
This study examined the influence of design “nudges” on bystanders’ willingness to intervene in online harassment using a social media simulation. Utilizing a 2 × 2 experimental design, we tested the ability of key design features (community guidelines and pop-up messaging) to induce a sense of self-efficacy (low/high) and personal responsibility (low/high) and thence to influence intervention levels. Participants ( n = 206) were invited to “beta…
Conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement of machine companionship: A scoping review
The notion of machine companions has long been embedded in socio-technological imaginaries. Recent advances in AI have moved those media musings into believable sociality manifested in interfaces, robotic bodies, and devices. Those machines are often referred to colloquially as “companions,” yet there is little careful engagement of machine companionship (MC) as a formal concept or measured variable. This PRISMA-guided scoping review systematical…
Internet Memes as Stabilizers of Conspiracy Culture: A Cognitive Anthropological Analysis
Internet memes have emerged as the de facto language of the internet, where standardized memetic templates and characters distill and communicate narratives in simple, shareable formats. While prior research has highlighted their broad appeal as they traverse diverse audiences, their cultural function within online communities has received less attention. To investigate this function, we draw on cognitive anthropological conceptualizations of cul…
Digital data and personality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of human perception and computer prediction
Machine heuristic: Concept explication and development of a measurement scale
Human assumption of superior performance by machines has a long history, resulting in the concept of “machine heuristic” (MH), which is a mental shortcut that individuals apply to automated systems. This article provides a formal explication of this concept and develops a new scale based on three studies (Combined N = 1129). Measurement items were derived from the explication and an open-ended survey (Study 1, N = 270). These were then administer…
Too scared to share? Fear of social sanctions for political expression on social media
While social media provide opportunities for political expression, many people may be reluctant to share their opinions if they fear personal or professional repercussions for posting political views. Fear of social sanctions (FOSSs) therefore represents a promising approach to investigate why people often avoid expressing political opinions online. Using panel survey data collected during the 2020 U.S. election, this study examines the predictor…
To Like or Not to Like? An Experimental Study on Relational Closeness, Social Grooming, Reciprocity, and Emotions in Social Media Liking
We conducted a randomized-controlled experiment with 201 participants to investigate the effects of relationship closeness, emotions, and the receipt of Likes on reciprocal Liking behaviors. We found that individuals engaged in interchange-oriented social grooming by giving Likes to close friends regardless of whether they had received Likes from them before. However, when relationship closeness was low, participants mirrored their acquaintances’…
To intervene or not to intervene: Young adults’ views on when and how to intervene in online harassment
Incidents of online harassment are increasing and can have significant consequences for victims. Witnesses (“digital bystanders”) can be crucial in identifying and challenging harassment. This study considered when and how young adults intervene online, with the aim of understanding the applicability of existing theoretical models (i.e., Bystander Intervention Model; Response Decision-Making Framework). Thematic analysis of eight focus groups (UK…
Digital traces of offline mobilization
Since 2009, there has been an increase in global protests and related online activity. Yet, it is unclear how and why online activity is related to the mobilization of offline collective action. One proposition is that online polarization (or a relative change in intensity of posting mobilizing content around a salient grievance) can mobilize people offline. The identity-norm nexus and normative alignment models of collective action further argue…
Exploring Age and Gender Differences in ICT Cybersecurity Behaviour
Known age differences exist in relation to information and communication technology (ICT) use, attitudes, access, and literacy. Less is known about age differences in relation to cybersecurity risks and associated cybersecurity behaviours. Using an online survey, this study analyses data from 579 participants to investigate age differences across four key cybersecurity behaviours: device securement, password generation, proactive checking, and so…
Capturing social presence: Concept explication through an empirical analysis of social presence measures
Initially the province of telecommunication and early computer-mediated communication (CMC) literature, multiple systematic reviews suggest “social presence” is now used for an increasingly diverse set of phenomena across various communication settings. Drawing upon Chaffee’s (1991) description of concept explication as the dialectic process between the conceptual and operational aspects of research, this study provides a mixed methods analysis o…
Battle for Britain: Analyzing Events as Drivers of Political Tribalism in Twitter Discussions of Brexit
In the aftermath of the 2016 referendum on European Union (EU) membership, Britain was divided into identity groups (or tribes) of Leavers and Remainers. In this study, we investigate how Brexit tribalism—in the form of outgroup derogation—has unfolded over time on Twitter. We analyze data from 32 months of discussions ( n = 9,027,822), using identity‐based keywords as proxies for tribalism. First, we characterize the nature of the discussion by …
Emotional responses to likes and comments regulate posting frequency and content change behaviour on social media: An experimental study and mediation model
Shape Shifting Across Social Media
Individuals change and adapt their behavior according to their social situation (e.g., transitioning from work to home). However, how does this shape shifting of self-presentations and identity translate into various online platforms? This exploratory study utilizes a novel and mixed methodological approach to better understand user behavior across social media platforms. We interviewed 22 participants and employed a repertory grid technique to r…
Imagined Audiences, Emotions, and Feedback Expectations in Social Media Photo Sharing
The present research explores the effects of imagined audiences, emotions, and feedback expectations on social media photo sharing. We focus on the audience-oriented approach to sharing and on how discrepancies between expected and received feedback might shape photo sharing behaviors. Twenty-four participants were interviewed using scenario-based semi-structured interview method. The participants were asked to develop an imagined story about two…
“It wouldn't happen to me”: Privacy concerns and perspectives following the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Self-affirmation and goal difficulty as moderators of the question-behavior effect
The question-behavior effect suggests that asking people questions about their behavior influences future behavior. We investigated the moderating roles of self-affirmation (Studies 1–3) and goal difficulty (Study 3). Participants completed questionnaires that included one/no-prediction question about fruit and vegetable consumption. Some participants completed a self-affirmation task as part of their questionnaire and all participants received a…
Social Desirability in Spouse Ratings
Whether or not socially desirable responding is a cause for concern in personality assessment has long been debated. For many researchers, McCrae and Costa laid the issue to rest when they showed that correcting for socially desirable responding in self-reports did not improve the agreement with spouse ratings on the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience Personality Inventory. However, their findings rest on the assumption that ob…
Same Kind of Different: Affordances, Terrorism, and the Internet
Linguistic Style Accommodation Shapes Impression Formation and Rapport in Computer-Mediated Communication
Communication accommodation theory predicts that social power plays an important role in influencing communicative behaviors. Previous research suggests these effects extend to linguistic style, thought to be a nonconscious aspect of communication. Here, we explore if these effects hold when individuals converse using a medium limited in personal cues, computer-mediated communication. We manipulated social power in instant messaging conversations…
“What do they snapchat about?” Patterns of use in time-limited instant messaging service
Self‐disclosure in computer‐mediated communication: The role of self‐awareness and visual anonymity
Three studies examined the notion that computer‐mediated communication (CMC) can be characterised by high levels of self‐disclosure. In Study One, significantly higher levels of spontaneous self‐disclosure were found in computer‐mediated compared to face‐to‐face discussions. Study Two examined the role of visual anonymity in encouraging self‐disclosure during CMC. Visually anonymous participants disclosed significantly more information about them…
Characterizing the Linguistic Chameleon: Personal and Social Correlates of Linguistic Style Accommodation
Linguistic style accommodation between conversationalists is associated with positive social outcomes. We examine social power and personality as factors driving the occurrence of linguistic style accommodation, and the social outcomes of accommodation. Social power was manipulated to create 144 face-to-face dyadic interactions between individuals of high versus low power and 64 neutral power interactions. Particular configurations of personality…
Machine heuristic: Concept explication and development of a measurement scale
Human assumption of superior performance by machines has a long history, resulting in the concept of “machine heuristic” (MH), which is a mental shortcut that individuals apply to automated systems. This article provides a formal explication of this concept and develops a new scale based on three studies (Combined N = 1129). Measurement items were derived from the explication and an open-ended survey (Study 1, N = 270). These were then administer…
Linguistic Style Accommodation Shapes Impression Formation and Rapport in Computer-Mediated Communication
Communication accommodation theory predicts that social power plays an important role in influencing communicative behaviors. Previous research suggests these effects extend to linguistic style, thought to be a nonconscious aspect of communication. Here, we explore if these effects hold when individuals converse using a medium limited in personal cues, computer-mediated communication. We manipulated social power in instant messaging conversations…
Explanations for the Perpetration of and Reactions to Deception in a Virtual Community
Cases of identity deception on the Internet are not uncommon. Several cases of a revealed identity deception have been reported in the media. In this article, the authors examine a case of deception in an online community composed primarily of information technology professionals. In this case, an established community member(DF) invented a character(Nowheremom) whom he fell in love with and who was eventually killed in a tragic accident. When ot…
Too scared to share? Fear of social sanctions for political expression on social media
While social media provide opportunities for political expression, many people may be reluctant to share their opinions if they fear personal or professional repercussions for posting political views. Fear of social sanctions (FOSSs) therefore represents a promising approach to investigate why people often avoid expressing political opinions online. Using panel survey data collected during the 2020 U.S. election, this study examines the predictor…
To Like or Not to Like? An Experimental Study on Relational Closeness, Social Grooming, Reciprocity, and Emotions in Social Media Liking
We conducted a randomized-controlled experiment with 201 participants to investigate the effects of relationship closeness, emotions, and the receipt of Likes on reciprocal Liking behaviors. We found that individuals engaged in interchange-oriented social grooming by giving Likes to close friends regardless of whether they had received Likes from them before. However, when relationship closeness was low, participants mirrored their acquaintances’…
Storming and Forming a Normative Response to a Deception Revealed Online
Reactions to an admitted charade of bogus self-presentation within an online community were examined over time for themes of support, condemnation, and interactivity. Evidence for the subjective group dynamics account of intragroup reactions to perceived deviance was observed in that support was modeled by a cubic function over time, whereas condemnation remained prominent. The community eventually expelled the deceptive member, supporting the bl…
Capturing social presence: Concept explication through an empirical analysis of social presence measures
Initially the province of telecommunication and early computer-mediated communication (CMC) literature, multiple systematic reviews suggest “social presence” is now used for an increasingly diverse set of phenomena across various communication settings. Drawing upon Chaffee’s (1991) description of concept explication as the dialectic process between the conceptual and operational aspects of research, this study provides a mixed methods analysis o…
Shape Shifting Across Social Media
Individuals change and adapt their behavior according to their social situation (e.g., transitioning from work to home). However, how does this shape shifting of self-presentations and identity translate into various online platforms? This exploratory study utilizes a novel and mixed methodological approach to better understand user behavior across social media platforms. We interviewed 22 participants and employed a repertory grid technique to r…
Imagined Audiences, Emotions, and Feedback Expectations in Social Media Photo Sharing
The present research explores the effects of imagined audiences, emotions, and feedback expectations on social media photo sharing. We focus on the audience-oriented approach to sharing and on how discrepancies between expected and received feedback might shape photo sharing behaviors. Twenty-four participants were interviewed using scenario-based semi-structured interview method. The participants were asked to develop an imagined story about two…
Putting the social (psychology) into social media
Deviance and the Internet: New Challenges for Social Science
Internet Memes as Stabilizers of Conspiracy Culture: A Cognitive Anthropological Analysis
Internet memes have emerged as the de facto language of the internet, where standardized memetic templates and characters distill and communicate narratives in simple, shareable formats. While prior research has highlighted their broad appeal as they traverse diverse audiences, their cultural function within online communities has received less attention. To investigate this function, we draw on cognitive anthropological conceptualizations of cul…
To intervene or not to intervene: Young adults’ views on when and how to intervene in online harassment
Incidents of online harassment are increasing and can have significant consequences for victims. Witnesses (“digital bystanders”) can be crucial in identifying and challenging harassment. This study considered when and how young adults intervene online, with the aim of understanding the applicability of existing theoretical models (i.e., Bystander Intervention Model; Response Decision-Making Framework). Thematic analysis of eight focus groups (UK…
Digital traces of offline mobilization
Since 2009, there has been an increase in global protests and related online activity. Yet, it is unclear how and why online activity is related to the mobilization of offline collective action. One proposition is that online polarization (or a relative change in intensity of posting mobilizing content around a salient grievance) can mobilize people offline. The identity-norm nexus and normative alignment models of collective action further argue…
Same Kind of Different: Affordances, Terrorism, and the Internet
Attitude change and social influence on the net
This article summarizes how social influence can be exerted in computer-mediated communication (CMC). It outlines research on short-term effects of CMC on attitudes and behaviour, rather than on long-term effects of social influence. The article first presents a model of three types of social influence that can be discerned in groups, representing the current state of research on social influence. Subsequently, the characteristics of CMC relevant…
The psychological dimensions of collective action, online
This article examines the consequences of the migration of collective action into the mediated sphere. It focuses on the impact of the Internet on key psychological factors that are involved in collective action. The structure is as follows. First, the article considers the theoretical backdrop to its themes, focusing first on the classic literatures on crowds and on mediated communication, followed by more contemporary perspectives – identifying…
Self‐disclosure in computer‐mediated communication: The role of self‐awareness and visual anonymity
Three studies examined the notion that computer‐mediated communication (CMC) can be characterised by high levels of self‐disclosure. In Study One, significantly higher levels of spontaneous self‐disclosure were found in computer‐mediated compared to face‐to‐face discussions. Study Two examined the role of visual anonymity in encouraging self‐disclosure during CMC. Visually anonymous participants disclosed significantly more information about them…
Explanations for the Perpetration of and Reactions to Deception in a Virtual Community
Cases of identity deception on the Internet are not uncommon. Several cases of a revealed identity deception have been reported in the media. In this article, the authors examine a case of deception in an online community composed primarily of information technology professionals. In this case, an established community member(DF) invented a character(Nowheremom) whom he fell in love with and who was eventually killed in a tragic accident. When ot…
Deviance and the Internet: New Challenges for Social Science
Storming and Forming a Normative Response to a Deception Revealed Online
Reactions to an admitted charade of bogus self-presentation within an online community were examined over time for themes of support, condemnation, and interactivity. Evidence for the subjective group dynamics account of intragroup reactions to perceived deviance was observed in that support was modeled by a cubic function over time, whereas condemnation remained prominent. The community eventually expelled the deceptive member, supporting the bl…
Development of measures of online privacy concern and protection for use on the Internet
As the Internet grows in importance, concerns about online privacy have arisen. The authors describe the development and validation of three short Internet‐administered scales measuring privacy‐related attitudes (Privacy Concern) and behaviors (General Caution and Technical Protection). In Study 1, 515 people completed an 82‐item questionnaire from which the three scales were derived. In Study 2, scale validity was examined by comparing scores of…
Looking at, looking up or keeping up with people?: Motives and Use of Facebook
This paper investigates the uses of social networking site Facebook, and the gratifications users derive from those uses. In the first study, 137 users generated words or phrases to describe how they used Facebook, and what they enjoyed about their use. These phrases were coded into 46 items which were completed by 241 Facebook users in Study 2. Factor analysis identified seven unique uses and gratifications: social connection, shared identities,…
Privacy, Trust, and Self-Disclosure Online
Author biographies Adam Joinson is a psychologist with interests in information systems, computermediated communication and privacy; he is a senior lecturer in Information Systems in the School of Management at the University of Bath Ulf-Dietrich Reips is a psychologist with interests in Internet-based research methodology (particularly experimental methodology); he is Assistant professor (Oberassistent) in the Department of Psychology, Universit…
Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology
The Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology brings together many researchers in what can be termed Internet Psychology. Though a very new area of research, Internet Psychology is a fast-growing one. In addition to well-studied areas of investigation, such as social identity theory, computer-mediated communication, and virtual communities, the book also includes articles on topics as diverse as deception and misrepresentation, attitude change and p…
Tokyo youth at leisure
This article describes some suggestive findings on how young adults in Tokyo use mobile- and PC-based Internet resources outside of work or school. The primary interest is to explore leisure activities – and most notably, leisure outings – and how they are supported online. The findings presented here are initial results from an extensive research project designed to explore how Tokyo youth spend leisure time, and how they tend to coordinate, pla…
Gathering data on the Internet
This article outlines the range of possibilities for conducting qualitative interview, observation, and document-analysis data-gathering procedures in an Internet-mediated research (IMR) context. It considers the range of approaches, tools, and technologies for supporting such research, as well as the advantages and disadvantages incurred in using the different techniques. The article argues that mixed-methods approaches are valuable, and that th…
Love letters
This article considers the history of dating throughout the ages, and compares how previous forms of dating might compare to the way individuals initiate and develop relationships in cyberspace. Similarities between the ways individuals in the past developed relationships using the telegraph and love letters are elucidated. Some important differences between the Internet and these spaces are also presented. While early theories on computer-mediat…
Online social support groups
To give and receive social support is an important aspect of social interaction, and since the Internet has become more and more integrated with everyday life, it is no surprise that much social support is exchanged online. Features of computer-mediated communication (CMC) offer possibilities for social support in a manner that would be less easy or even impossible in a face-to-face context. This article focuses on three key elements that are oft…
Context effects in Internet surveys
This article first presents a definition of context effects that eliminates from consideration factors beyond the control of survey researchers yet is sufficiently broad to incorporate diverse but related sources of survey context. It then examines four types of context effects that have been documented in mail and telephone surveys with an eye towards identifying new concerns which have arisen or may arise as a result of conducting Internet surv…
Digital deception
The prevalence of both deception and communication technology in our personal and professional lives has given rise to an important set of questions at the intersection of deception and technology, referred to as ‘digital deception’. These questions include issues concerned with deception and self-presentation, such as how the Internet can facilitate deception through the manipulation of identity. A second set of questions is concerned with how w…
Assessing interactivity in computer-mediated research
Interactivity is not unique to computers or networks and cannot be reserved solely for the discussion of so-called ‘New Media’. Restricting analysis of interactivity to the domain of computerized and new technology alone problematizes comparisons with traditional media as well as with further developments of the new media. This article begins by reviewing some of the leading definitions and by highlighting the primary conceptual development of in…
Using Online Panels in Psychological Research
Online panels (OPs) are an important form of web-based data collection, as illustrated by their widespread use. In the classical sense, a panel is a longitudinal study in which the same information is collected from the same individuals at different points in time. In contrast to that, an OP has come to denote a pool of registered people who have agreed to occasionally take part in web-based studies. Thus with OPs, the traditional understanding o…
Internet use and abuse and psychological problems
This article focuses on the relationship of Internet abuse to psychological disorders and personality factors. It first provides an overview of definitions and criticisms of the concept of Internet abuse. Then,the article looks at different approaches to understanding the relationship of Internet abuse to various psychological disorders and personality factors. Finally, it presents emerging theories about the etiology of Internet abuse
Self-disclosure, Privacy and the Internet
This article examines the extant research literature on self-disclosure and the Internet, in particular by focusing on disclosure in computer-mediated communication and web-based forms – both in surveys and in e-commerce applications. It also considers the links between privacy and self-disclosure, and the unique challenges (and opportunities) that the Internet poses for the protection of privacy. Finally, the article proposes three critical issu…
Attitude change and social influence on the net
This article summarizes how social influence can be exerted in computer-mediated communication (CMC). It outlines research on short-term effects of CMC on attitudes and behaviour, rather than on long-term effects of social influence. The article first presents a model of three types of social influence that can be discerned in groups, representing the current state of research on social influence. Subsequently, the characteristics of CMC relevant…
The psychological dimensions of collective action, online
This article examines the consequences of the migration of collective action into the mediated sphere. It focuses on the impact of the Internet on key psychological factors that are involved in collective action. The structure is as follows. First, the article considers the theoretical backdrop to its themes, focusing first on the classic literatures on crowds and on mediated communication, followed by more contemporary perspectives – identifying…
Putting the social (psychology) into social media
“What do they snapchat about?” Patterns of use in time-limited instant messaging service
Characterizing the Linguistic Chameleon: Personal and Social Correlates of Linguistic Style Accommodation
Linguistic style accommodation between conversationalists is associated with positive social outcomes. We examine social power and personality as factors driving the occurrence of linguistic style accommodation, and the social outcomes of accommodation. Social power was manipulated to create 144 face-to-face dyadic interactions between individuals of high versus low power and 64 neutral power interactions. Particular configurations of personality…
Same Kind of Different: Affordances, Terrorism, and the Internet
Linguistic Style Accommodation Shapes Impression Formation and Rapport in Computer-Mediated Communication
Communication accommodation theory predicts that social power plays an important role in influencing communicative behaviors. Previous research suggests these effects extend to linguistic style, thought to be a nonconscious aspect of communication. Here, we explore if these effects hold when individuals converse using a medium limited in personal cues, computer-mediated communication. We manipulated social power in instant messaging conversations…
Computer Science (37 works) · Psychology (36 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · World Wide Web (20 works) · Internet privacy (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Impact of Technology on Adolescents (16 works) · The Internet (16 works) · Social Media and Politics (14 works) · Political science (12 works)