Ryan M. Kelly

Community-based social programs play a vital role in helping independently-living older adults to maintain social connectedness. To investigate how technology can support these programs, we co-designed Tangible Topics, a tangible technology aimed at enhancing older adults’ social interactions during program sessions. Through a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach with a local community center, this research involved three PAR cycles: (1) a co-design workshop with staff and older adults, (2) iterative co-development of Tangible Topics; and (3) deployment in three program sessions to evaluate its impact. We found that Tangible Topics enriched group interactions by expanding conversation topics, supporting broader participation, and fostering group bonding. It also made conversations more relatable and encouraged a sense of control and shared ownership. Participants suggested improvements and envisioned future applications in social, therapeutic, and educational settings. We discuss design considerations for technologies to create balanced, inclusive, and empowering social program experiences.

Monitoring patients’ pain is essential in clinical contexts, particularly post-surgery. However, collecting pain data is time consuming and relies on manual data capture by clinical staff. Few studies assess the efficacy of pain logging technology in a long-term, ecologically valid manner. We report on a 6-year deployment of a minimalist pain-logging device, the PainPad, in post-surgery orthopaedic wards in a large UK hospital. Our data shows that patients (n > 500) tend to submit more pain scores that are at a higher rating compared to nurse collected data. Interviews with the nursing staff using the device highlight the importance of understanding the complexities of the context of use when trying to integrate novel technology into clinical practice. Finally, we contribute reflections on the lessons learnt from running a significant long-term deployment of a prototype health technology in a naturalistic setting.

While short video platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are frequently criticised for facilitating the spread of misinformation, they are also increasingly leveraged as tools for countering it through debunking content. Although video-based corrections have demonstrated effectiveness, their persuasive impact may depend on the richness of their audio-visual elements. This study examines the persuasive efficacy of three fundamental presentation styles commonly used in short-form video content: (1) videos featuring only captions, (2) captions accompanied by relevant images, and (3) captions presented alongside the creator’s visible face. Our results indicate that videos incorporating either relevant and engaging imagery or the creator’s facial presence are significantly more persuasive than those relying solely on captions. Based on these findings, we propose practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of debunking videos, with the aim of promoting belief revision and mitigating misinformation on short video platforms.

Social media has blurred the line between professional journalism and personality-driven commentary, yet we know little about how users evaluate credibility and engage with news from influencers and legacy media when they appear in the same feed. This short paper investigates how political ideology and news source type shape perceived credibility and follow intentions on Instagram. We conducted a mixed-methods experiment where U.S.-based participants (N=120) viewed a set of real news posts and rated the credibility of four accounts (two legacy media–based, two influencer-based), balanced by ideology (two left-leaning, two right-leaning), and indicated whether they would follow each account. Our findings suggest that perceived credibility on Instagram is multi-dimensional, rooted in ideological alignment, yet moderated by institutional signals and perceived authenticity. These insights highlight how platform design and source dynamics can reinforce selective exposure, with implications for both mitigating polarisation and strengthening trust in online news ecosystems.

Virtual influencers (VIs) are gaining prominence on social media. Although fictional, they frequently adopt the communication strategies used by human influencers (HIs) to foster stronger audience connections. In this paper, we examine differences in user engagement between HIs and three VI types (Mimic-Real Human, Animated Human, Non-Human) when sharing self-disclosure content on Instagram. We analysed captions, reels, likes, and comments from eight influencers, and categorised their posts by self-disclosure category (informational, cognitive, affective), level (none, low, high), and emotional valence, alongside sentiment analysis of comments. Our findings show that HIs attracted higher positive engagement and lower negative comments compared to all VI types. However, Mimic-Real Human VIs outperform other influencer types, including HIs, by receiving a higher proportion of likes and comments in specific self-disclosure categories. These results advance our understanding of user engagement in the evolving virtual influencer ecosystem and provide recommendations for the design of virtual personas.