Doo-Hun Choi

Considering the changing news consumption patterns driven by new media technology and the decline of traditional local news outlets, the current research explored how the use of news portals for local news as emerging channels of news consumption affects the news audiences’ psychological health, particularly their subjective well-being. This study investigated how thwarted belongingness mediates the association between the use of news portals for local news and subjective well-being and how this mediating path varies according to one’s level of self-esteem. Using data from a national online survey in the Republic of Korea, the present research analyzed the direct relationships, mediation effect, and moderated mediation relationship among news portal use for local news, thwarted belongingness, self-esteem, and subjective well-being. Findings show that using news portals for local news has a negative relationship with thwarted belongingness, which is negatively related with subjective well-being. The mediating impact of thwarted belongingness on the association between news portal use for local news and subjective well-being became more pronounced as self-esteem increased. Results suggest that greater news portal use for local news may be associated with higher subjective well-being through lower levels of thwarted belongingness, highlighting the psychological health benefits of local news engagement through digital platforms.

Applying the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, this study explored how instant messaging app use is associated with suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. Furthermore, the study examined the moderating role of emotional support in the indirect route to suicidal ideation. Using online panel survey data collected in South Korea, this study performed an SPSS PROCESS macro analysis (Models 4 and 7). The results revealed that instant messaging app use is positively related to lower levels of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, which in turn is associated with lower levels of suicidal ideation. Moreover, emotional support significantly moderated the mediating relationship between instant messaging app use and suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. This study suggests that the use of instant messaging apps is indirectly associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation.

This study examined he impact of using a local community-based app for second-hand dealings in an online marketplace (i.e., Danggeun Market) on civic participation, as well as the mediating effects of neighborhood belonging and collective efficacy in this relationship. The study analyzed original nationwide online survey data ( N = 1,000) collected from South Korean citizens in November 2021. The analysis revealed that the use of a local community-based app was positively associated with civic participation. The results also showed positive indirect effects by which the use of the local community-based app was linked to civic participation through neighborhood belonging and collective efficacy. Based on these findings, this study concludes that the local community-based app for second-hand dealings can serve as a new local media platform for promoting civic participation. These findings have important implications for local media research and civic community development.

Analyzing two-wave panel survey data from adolescents in South Korea, this study examined how instant messaging app use is associated with depression. Specifically, this study tested a moderated mediation model to determine between instant messaging app use and depression through self-esteem, and whether this pathway differs according to one’s level of neuroticism. The results showed that instant messaging app use was positively associated with self-esteem, which was negatively related to depression. Furthermore, the indirect association between instant messaging app use and depression through self-esteem was stronger as adolescents’ neuroticism level increased. These findings advance our understanding of the effect of instant messaging app use on depression among adolescents. The current study has important implications regarding the role of instant messaging app use in adolescents’ psychological health.

This study investigated how social media use among South Korean adolescents influences life satisfaction, using two-wave panel survey data. Specifically, this study examined the mediating mechanism by which adolescents’ social media use is associated with their life satisfaction through social support and social capital. The results demonstrated that social support and social capital mediate the relationship between social media use and life satisfaction. Social media use is positively related to social support, and social support has a positive relationship with a higher level of social capital which, in turn, is related to a higher level of life satisfaction. This study improves our understanding of the relationship between social media use and adolescents’ life satisfaction and presents significant implications for those attempting to help such individuals promote their life satisfaction and mental health.

Social media are important channels to propagate health information and influence preventive behavior during a public health crisis, as witnessed during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). This study explored the association between social media use and preventive behavior during the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea. Using the national survey data ( N = 1,500), the study examined the mediating role of social norms in the association between social media use for news and information about COVID-19 and preventive behavior. In addition, the study tested the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the mediating path of social media use for preventive behavior via social norms. Conducting a moderated mediation analysis method, this study found that social norms mediated the relationship between social media use and preventive behavior ( b = 0.046). Moreover, the study revealed that the indirect relationship between social media use and preventive behavior through social norms becomes stronger as an individual’s level of self-efficacy decreases (low: b = 0.044, middle: b = 0.036, and high: b = 0.030). The study provides empirical evidence of the beneficial impact of social media use on preventive behavior. The findings of the study recommend promoting messages on social norms through social media for facilitating preventive behavior.

This study examined how social media use is associated with risk perception and social distancing as preventive behavior, which in turn can elicit negative emotions. The study is based on data collected from a nationwide online panel survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. Results show that social media use directly and indirectly impacts people’s negative emotions through risk perception and social distancing. The analysis also shows that risk perception and social distancing directly influence negative emotions, which plays a mediating role in the relationship between social media use and negative emotions. The findings of the study provide important implications for effective risk and health communication and health policy during an infectious disease outbreak.

The three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality content is widely used for educational and training purposes, and there has been interest in how virtual reality environments influence users’ learning effect. Analyzing survey data collected from a game play, this study examined how presence in a 3D virtual reality car driving simulation game impacts players’ learning transfer intention through flow, arousal, and enjoyment. Using structural equation modeling, the results showed that presence was positively associated with flow and arousal, which in turn contributed to an increase in enjoyment of the game. The enjoyment played a significant role in elevating the players’ learning transfer intention. These results provide an understanding of the psychological mechanisms behind the impact of presence on learning transfer intention in a 3D virtual reality driving simulation game. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed in greater detail.

This study advances communication infrastructure theory by testing the effects of an integrated community storytelling network (ICSN) and social media as a newly emerging community storytelling agent on civic engagement. A nationwide survey in South Korea indicates that, while ICSN is a robust driving force for civic engagement, social media news use and social media news expression played a vital role in promoting collective efficacy as well as neighborhood belonging and online civic participation, respectively. In particular, social media news use moderated the effects of ICSN on offline and online civic participation. These findings suggest that social media as an emerging storytelling network in the CIT framework can play distinct yet selective roles in predicting civic engagement.

Analyzing data from a nationwide online panel survey in South Korea, this study examined the impact of media use on attribution of responsibility to individuals and the government, perceived risk, and policy support regarding the problem of fine dust in the atmosphere. Our study found that media use had a direct and indirect effect on policy support through attribution of responsibility to individuals and the government and perceived risk related to the air pollution problem. The results also showed that people’s attribution of responsibility to individuals and the government played a large role in mediating the association between media use and perceived risk, which could consequently affect support for public policy aimed at mitigating the fine dust problem.