Search Results (5)

This article examines how social media and digital channels are related to information behavior and voting among young voters (aged 18–30) during the 2025 German federal election. Based on an online survey (n = 673) conducted after the election among participants from southwest Germany and three diverse educational backgrounds, our exploratory study found no overarching generational effect in social media use or political socialization. Instagram emerged as the most important platform for political information. TikTok played a limited role overall; however, the Left Party was the only party able to gain visible support from it. In contrast, voters of the radical right Alternative for Germany (AfD) often reported receiving political content via private messenger groups, highlighting the role of non-public channels in political communication. Concerning vote choice, we find that it depends on the platform to what extent a party can benefit from digital campaigning, e.g., the Left Party benefits from frequent TikTok usage, while YouTube correlates with voting for the Greens, and messenger usage with voting for the AfD. The findings, therefore, suggest a more professionalized and targeted approach to digital campaigning, with specific parties reaching distinct voter groups through tailored platform strategies. Full article

With billions of users worldwide, social media has become a powerful force in shaping lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity (PA), particularly among young adults. This narrative review examined the growing role of social media–driven interventions in promoting PA among young adults at risk of obesity. We analyzed the application of behavior change theories, including Social Cognitive Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, the COM-B, and specific behavior change techniques, alongside the role of intersectionality in shaping intervention effectiveness. Platform-specific strategies across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook were summarized, highlighting engagement mechanisms, personalized content delivery, and behavior change approaches that influence behavioral, physiological, and motivational outcomes. Despite these opportunities, challenges such as ethical concerns, misinformation, accessibility barriers, and quality control issues remained significant. Finally, future directions were outlined, including integration with wearables, AI-driven multi-platform strategies, co-designed interventions, and policy frameworks to optimize digital health promotion. In conclusion, social media offers considerable potential as a cost-effective, accessible tool for promoting PA and preventing obesity in young adults, though effectiveness is limited by misinformation, unregulated content, and poor quality control. Full article

This study examines how social media platforms influence tourism marketing strategies, consumer perceptions, and travel behaviors, addressing their sustainability implications. It aims to evaluate the current state of research on social media in tourism marketing, identify dominant trends, assess empirical evidence of impact, and critically highlight research gaps. The analysis focuses on three core marketing outcomes: destination image, travel intention, and user engagement—and includes a section examining sustainability considerations across environmental, sociocultural, and economic dimensions. The study uses a systematic critical review of 147 peer-reviewed academic articles published between 2015 and 2025, combined with a meta-analysis of 38 quantitative studies that report statistical effect sizes. The meta-analysis uses a random-effects model to compare the influence of different platforms and study contexts. Moderator variables include geographic region, platform type, and methodological design. Findings show that social media marketing has a statistically significant positive effect on destination image (Cohen’s d = 0.61), travel intention (d = 0.54), and user engagement (d = 0.43). The analysis also reveals geographic bias, limited research on emerging platforms, and a lack of longitudinal and ethical inquiry. Findings suggest that tourism researchers and marketers may have to adopt more context-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and ethical approaches. Critical sustainability concerns emerge, including “overtourism”, cultural commodification, digital inequities, and algorithmic biases. Further studies may focus on specific platform-related behaviors, long-term impacts, and integrated online strategies appropriate for global tourism diversity. Lastly, this paper advocates for context-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and ethically grounded approaches to ensure sustainable digital tourism marketing strategies. Full article

This study explores the relationship between social media usage for investment advice and financial satisfaction across different generations. Ten ordered logit models were estimated using Stata to explore this relationship. Ordered logit analyses using data from the 2021 National Financial Capability Study State-by-State and Investor survey reveal that Generation X and millennials are less financially satisfied than baby boomers. While general social media use shows no statistically significant association, platform-specific analysis finds that Instagram and TikTok users report higher financial satisfaction, whereas YouTube users report lower satisfaction. Notably, millennials who use social media for investment advice are more financially satisfied than their peers. Detailed analyses reveal that Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter positively influence financial satisfaction across Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X, with more platform-specific associations observed for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit among millennials and Gen X, respectively. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, financial professionals, and researchers, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to enhance financial well-being through social media. Full article

Despite the increasing prevalence of social media usage in health care contexts, its impact on skin cancer prevention and awareness has not been largely investigated. We conducted a review of literature on this topic with the objective of summarizing and analyzing the role of social media in skin cancer and sun damage awareness and to identify the uses, benefits, and limitations of different social media platforms on skin cancer prevention. In today’s technological society, it is critical to understand and study the best form of communication. Specific platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok vary in originators of material, target demographics, messaging strategies, and reliability of information with regards to skin cancer, sun, and indoor tanning damage. Our results demonstrate that social media interventions have shown promise in skin cancer prevention and continue to escalate by the day. Dermatologists should keep pace with the latest dermatological content on social media and examine its evolution to target the right audience with the proper messages. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and true impact of social media on meaningful and lasting behavior change for skin cancer prevention. Full article