Social media is increasingly reshaping individuals, organizations, and societies. For individuals, social media sites serve as primary platforms for news, self-expression, interpersonal communication, social support, and community engagement. Organizations use these platforms to support customer interactions, develop and foster brand loyalty, leverage data-informed decision-making, expand global reach, and facilitate internal knowledge sharing. At the societal level, social media provides foundational infrastructure for social movements, public service efforts, civic participation, and political activism.

Track Chairs;
Hani Safadi, University of Georgia
Satish Krishnan, National University of Singapore
Hanna Krasnova, University of Potsdam in Germany

Schedule
2026
Monday, December 14th
12:00 AM

A Deer in the Digital Forest: Social Media Use in Times of Adversity

Lorraine Morgan, NUI Galway

12:00 AM

A Tri-Dimensional Network Perspective on Social Media Framing and Polarization in Climate Disasters

Weimin Liang, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Indika Dissanayake, University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst
Monideepa Tarafdar, University of Massachusetts Amherst

12:00 AM

Across Exposure Stages: Framing Incongruence and User Engagement on Social Media

Ziyang Huang, Southern University of Science and Technology

12:00 AM

AI Moderation as an Accommodating Force: Evidence from Retail Investor Discourse

Shenghui Hu, City University of Hong Kong
Alvin Leung, City University of Hong Kong

12:00 AM

AI Sanitization Paradox in Online Discourse: Declining Participation and Rising Toxicity

Xiaohui Zhang, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Cheng Chen, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Zhongju Zhang, Arizona State University

12:00 AM

Am I Actually Satisfied With What I See? How Information-Limiting Environments Shape Social Media Switching Intentions

Moritz Gimnich, University of Bamberg
Johannes Bernard, University of Bamberg
Christoph Weinert, University of Bamberg
Tim Weitzel, University of Bamberg

12:00 AM

Beyond Emotional Contagion: How Sensemaking Shapes Reactions to Digital Outrage on Social Media

Zheyi Xu, Auburn University
Dejun Tony Kong, University of Colorado Boulder
Lin Jiang, University of South Florida
Dezhi Yin, University of South Florida

12:00 AM

Content Credibility Signaling and Trust in Professional Social Networks: Evidence from LinkedIn

Nasreen Azad, LUT university

12:00 AM

Eroding Policy Legitimacy: A Policy Triangle Analysis of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Restriction Policy

Anagi Gamachchi, Deakin University
Ruwan Nagahawatta, Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce
Chintha Dammi Kaluarachchi, Deakin University
Kaushalya Nallaperuma, Deakin University
Chandima Asith Wickramatunga, Deakin University

12:00 AM

Examining Naturalness of Synthetic Conversations: A Framework and Evaluation

Alvin Shrestha, National University of Singapore
Prakash Sukhwal, National University of Singapore
Atreyi Kankanhalli, National University of Singapore

12:00 AM

How do Social Media Managers Manage Algorithms? Uncovering Folk Theories of Algorithm Management

Xhovana Prenga, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

12:00 AM

How Does Early Random Exploration Shape Content Allocation on Platforms? Evidence from a Large-scale Field Experiment

Yilin Li, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Ningzhe Zhou, City University of Hong Kong
Shuxiao Wang, University of International Business and Economics
Chuan Yu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chong (Alex) Wang, City University of Hong Kong

12:00 AM

InfoPsych-MoE: An Information-Theoretic Case-Based Reasoning Mixture-of-Experts Framework for Mental Health Detection

chuang yao, Beijing Institute of Technology
Zhijun Yan, Beijing Institute of Technology
Shaoze Cui, Beijing Institute of Technology

12:00 AM

Is Decentralizing Democratizing? Self-Organization and Unintended Centralization in Decentralized Social Media

Xiaoxiao Wang, Temple University
Xue Bai, Temple University
Subodha Kumar, Temple University

12:00 AM

Making Sense of Deepfakes – How Online Communities Exchange Technological Frames on Reddit

Marilu Miotto, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Anna Priante, Rotterdam School of Management

12:00 AM

Making Sense of the Feed: A Recursive Process Model of Finfluencer Influence

Julius Töpfer, Reutlingen University
Philipp Wunderlich, Reutlingen University
Jörg Büechl, Reutlingen University

12:00 AM

Same Structure, Different Trajectories: Community Dissolution on an AI Agent Social Platform

Shichao Jia, Stevens Institute of Technology
Aron Lindberg, Stevens Institute of Technology

12:00 AM

Skeptical Yet Engaged: Unpacking Engagement Mechanisms of Generative AI Influencers in Mixed-Reality Contexts

Shiqin Chen, Shenzhen University
Huiyu Liu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

12:00 AM

When Reframing Becomes Misinformation: An Agent-Based Model of Vaccine Discourse on Social Media

Lumin Shao, University of Bristol
Roberta Bernardi, University of Bristol
Jie Zhang, University of Bristol

12:00 AM

When the Story Survives the Scandal: Understanding Social Media Audiences’ Post-Scandal Support for Deceptive Entrepreneurs

Madeleine Meurer, Rotterdam School of Management
Felix Honecker, University of Glasgow

12:00 AM

When Trust Does Not Translate into Engagement: A Decoupling Perspective on AI Disclosure in Short-Form Video Platforms

Ruyu Yan, UMass Amherst
Ying Liu, University of Massachusetts Amherst

12:00 AM