Gustavo Mesch

University of Haifa | haifa · Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Background Healthcare workers play a central role in communicating information to the public regarding vaccines. Most of the literature has focused on healthcare workers’ hesitancy and doubts about getting the flu vaccine themselves. However, few studies have dealt with how they perceive their role in communicating information regarding vaccines, e...

Background: Despite several empirical studies that have emphasized the problematic and ineffective way in which health organizations 'correct' information which does not come from them, they have not yet found ways to properly address vaccine hesitancy. Objectives: (1) Examining the responses of groups with different attitudes/ behaviors regardi...

Understanding the media effect on behavioral outcomes is critical during a health crisis. Mechanisms explaining the mediation effect of media induced risk perception on individual fears and preventive behavior adoption rarely attend to the assumptions and methods to make a causal inference, nor to explore how the effect differs by socioeconomic sta...

Background Vaccination is widespread in Western countries and, overall, there is a high vaccination rate. However, immunization is still an enduring challenge. In recent years, the number of parents who choose to delay or refuse vaccines has risen. Objectives (1) to identify the perceptions and attitudes of hesitant and anti-vaccination parents re...

Research of face-to-face meetings between adolescents and people met online stands on untested assumptions that these meetings are uniform, and adolescents attend them to expand their social circle. It is also unclear what makes such meetings pleasant or unpleasant. This study examined meetings of 611 Czech adolescents (age 11–16, Mage = 14.04, SD...

Purpose Internet studies have rarely addressed gender and/or ethnic differences in health information seeking on social media. Moreover, the role of locality size in explanation of this phenomenon has been overlooked. This study proposed a diversification approach to address these issues. According to it, belonging to numerous disadvantaged groups...

The purpose of this article is to study the effects of media communication regarding COVID-19 on the adoption of healthy behaviors. Specifically, we investigated the role of fear in the relationship between media exposure and adoption of healthy protective measures while also identifying individual effects for traditional media (TV and newspapers)...

The accelerating development of autonomous vehicles is expected to have important effects on society such as reducing the number of traffic accidents, preventing the disabilities and deaths attributed to car accidents, and reducing pollution. However, their adoption depends on the willingness of the population to accept this innovation and incorpor...

Objective: This research presents the construction and evaluation of a recycling device designed based on the Theory of Fun to collect plastic waste.Originality/relevance: This device consists of an instrumented "dump," which, after its use, communicates with the user, thanking the deposition of the waste and offering content in the form of audio a...

Background Vaccines have contributed to the decline in mortality, morbidity, and even the eradication of various infectious diseases. Over time, the availability of information to the public and the request for public involvement in the health decision-making process have risen, and the confidence in vaccines has dropped. An increasing number of pa...

Background The issue of whether to include seasonal influenza vaccinations in school-located vaccination programs (SLIV) has been examined in many countries, mainly in the context of economic effectiveness and morbidity prevention. Yet not enough studies have examined the impact of parental risk perceptions, health literacy and SLIV on parental vac...

The current study examined ethnic differences in the perceived influence of health information found on social media websites on health decisions and behaviors. These differences were examined through the lens of the social diversification hypothesis. The data were collected through a telephone survey. The sample included Israeli adult social media...

Abstract Background Parents in the Arab population of Israel are known to be “pro-vaccination” and vaccinate their children at higher rates than the Jewish population, specifically against human papilloma virus (HPV) and seasonal influenza. Objectives This study seeks to identify and compare variables associated with mothers’ uptake of two vaccinat...

Background A major earthquake in Israel is inevitable. Individual risk perceptions and preparedness can mitigate harm and save lives. The gap between the public’s concerns and those of experts is reflected in their differential perceptions regarding the components that influence the occurrence of an earthquake in Israel. Whereas the public believes...

Background Studies investigating ethnic inequalities in the Internet use relied on the social diversification hypothesis, according to which minority ethnic groups are more likely than the majority group to use the Internet for various purposes in order to expand their scope of social capital. Yet ethnic inequalities in health-related social media...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors associated with the adoption of preventive behaviors during the COVID19 pandemic in China and Israel. We relied on the 3Cs model that has been used to predict the adoption of a specific preventive behavior (vaccinations) with the goal of testing its applicability to other preventive behaviors...

The current worldwide COVID19 pandemic has required the rapid and drastic adoption of social distancing and protective measures as the leading method for reducing the spread of the disease and death. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors associated with the adoption of such measures in a large sample of the Brazilian population. W...

Gender and ethnic inequalities in searching for health information have been studied extensively in the context of the internet as a whole, but rarely with respect to social media. Moreover, locality size has rarely been considered as a determinant in the search for health information. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to differences betw...

Studies in health-related social media use tend to predict its actual use. However, the academic knowledge on the future intention to such use is scarce. In addition, studies in this field are mostly qualitative, thereby restricting the possibility to provide generalized view of health-related social media use. The goal of this study is to examine...

In a world increasingly driven by digital technology, cyber-safety is becoming a pressing concern for Internet users. This article contributes to sociological, psychological, and criminological literature on digital risks by investigating the determinants of individuals’ cyber-safety behaviors. Our study adds new insights to digital inequalities st...

Background: Height is considered an indicator of health and well-being of an individual and population. Height variation results from a complex interaction of genetic, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural influences. In order to understand the contribution of environmental stress associated with the child's growth, we correlated indicators of...

In recent years, there has been increasing social concern about the impact of automation on labor market outcomes, a phenomenon known as technological unemployment. Specific concerns revolve around the decline in wages and the increase in unemployment in occupations that are predominately routine. While there is insufficient evidence for massive un...

The literature indicates that trust plays an important role in people’s decision-making with respect to vaccinations. This research seeks to examine the impact of trust on the high response rate to vaccinations among the minority Arab population living in Israel. The research employs the qualitative phenomenological research method, using personal...

Women use the Internet more for health purposes than men, probably due to their gender socialization as caregivers. Indeed, women’s use of social media for health is not a one-time occurrence but is expected to continue for a long time to come. Hence, it is important to understand women’s future intention to use social media for health purposes. Th...

Health-related use of the internet and social media entails a combination of searching for health information and participating in health-related activities. While searching for health information has been extensively studied, the internet sociology literature has focused very little attention on participation in online health activities. Moreover,...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between vaccination hesitancy and fear, trust, and expectation of a potential imminent and proximate outbreak of Ebola. Our hypothesis is that people engage in self-protective behavior against an infectious disease when they are: fearful about things in general; trustful of government's abili...

Background: Designing web-based informational materials regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has become a challenge for designers and decision makers in the health authorities because of the scientific and public controversy regarding the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness and the sexual and moral concerns related to its use. Objective:...

The theory of parental mediation refers to the role of variations in the types of parent–child interactions about media use and consumption. It differentiates among three broad strategies: active mediation, which refers to talking to children about the content of media; restrictive mediation, which involves rule setting and enforcing limitations on...

Background: Designing online informational materials regarding the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine has become a challenge for designers and decision-makers in the health authorities due to the scientific and public controversy regarding the vaccine's safety and effectiveness as well as the sexual and moral concerns related to the vaccine. Obje...

BACKGROUND Designing online informational materials regarding the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine has become a challenge for designers and decision-makers in the health authorities due to the scientific controversy in the literature regarding the vaccine's safety and effectiveness as well as the sexual and moral concerns related to the vaccine....

Background During epidemic crises, some of the information the public receives on social media is misinformation. Health organizations are required to respond and correct the information to gain the public’s trust and influence it to follow the recommended instructions. Objectives (1) To examine ways for health organizations to correct misinformat...

This study investigates the risk of being a target of an attempt at fraud through email by assessing the role of low self-control, online activities, and the disclosure of personal information. A secondary analysis of the 2014 U.S. “Caught in the Scammers’ Net”, a national survey of online victimization (N = 1,539), indicates that those with low se...

Race, Ethnicity and the Strength of Facebook Ties Abstract This study investigated the role of race and ethnicity in the self-reported strength of the social ties of young adolescents on Facebook. Based on the social diversification hypothesis, which argues that in multicultural societies, race and ethnicity are key factors that shape the nature o...

Cyber-safety behaviors are important in preventing the loss of an individual's digital assets and ensuring the safety of important daily online activities. Individuals’ cyber-safety is also critical for national cybersecurity. The issue is highly relevant for Israel, a country that relies on the digital capabilities of its workers for its major tec...

E-health holds the promise of changing the delivery of health care by extending and enhancing its reach, and democratizing and improving the access of disadvantaged groups to health care services. This study investigated ethnic inequalities in access to e-health information, communication and electronic services in Israel. Based on the diversificat...

Studies have shown that using social networking contributes to social capital. This study investigated the association between specific features of Facebook and online social capital. Two contrasting hypothesis were tested. The first posits that the “rich get richer,” meaning that creation of social capital online reflects the stock of offline reso...

This study examines the role of a parent–child connection on social networking sites on negative online experiences of young adolescents. Using data from a secondary analysis of teenagers (aged 12 to 17 years old) who participated in the 2011 Teens and Digital Citizenship Survey and controlling for their participation in risky online activities and...

Cyberbullying is a disturbing behavior associated with the use of communication technologies among adolescents. Many studies have been devoted to the activities of cyber victims as risk factors, while others have considered parental mediation a protective factor. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating the joint contribution of parenta...

In searching for the social and cognitive antecedents of risky online behaviors, some studies have relied on the theory of planned behavior. According to the theory, three components serve as predictors of a given behavior-attitudes toward the behavior (beliefs that people hold about a given behavior), subjective norms (perceptions of what signific...

Following the increasing adoption of mobile communication, scholars have shown interest in the role of place on the structure of mobile social networks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between spatial distance and the closure and diversity of businesses mobile social networks. We used a database that aggregates actual mo...

Following the increasing adoption of mobile communication, scholars have shown interest in the role of place on the structure of mobile social networks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between spatial distance and the closure and diversity of businesses mobile social networks. We used a database that aggregates actual mo...

The rapid increase in the adoption and use of information and communication technologies among the population of developed and less-developed countries has prompted researchers to investigate the social impact of these technologies on patterns of interpersonal communication; access to educational, housing, and job opportunities; and the attainment...

This article examines the role of media on the local community from three perspectives. One approach examines how different media outlets affect the identification and participation of residents in the local community. The second examines the characteristics of online communities and its main features. The third approach looks at the emerging role...

PurposeThis study investigated the association between structural conditions and social incentives and their effect on the ethnic composition of mobile social networks. Regarding structural conditions, we examined the role of the ethnic group’s size, socioeconomic status, and heterogeneity of the city in which the business was located. Regarding so...

Background: Public acceptance of vaccination programs is essential for vaccine preventable diseases. However, increasing sectors of the population have expressed hesitancy about participating in such programs, leading to the re-emergence of vaccine preventable diseases. In this study we rely on a recreancy hypothesis to test the association betwee...

Purpose: This study investigated the association between structural conditions and social incentives and their effect on the ethnic composition of mobile social networks. Regarding structural conditions, we examined the role of the ethnic group’s size, socio-economic status and heterogeneity of the city in which the business was located. Regarding...

The Spatial and Social Network Dimensions of Mobile Communication: A Test of the Social Stratification and Social Diversification Hypotheses Abstract Studies have shown that ethnic segregation is conducive to social segregation. With the advent of information and communication technologies, mobile communication can support non-local social inter...

Culture is a set of values that influences attitudes and social behavior. Despite the role of culture in shaping attitudes and motivations, most of the extensive research literature on the determinants and patterns of social media use has focused on psychological and social factors. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by investigating the...

Studies have shown that ethnic segregation is conducive to social segregation. With the advent of information and communication technologies, mobile communication can support non-local social interactions and reconfigure the network composition of ethnic groups. This study focused on the similarities and differences between ethno-national groups in...

While the field of digital inequality continues to expand in many directions, the relationship between digital inequalities and other forms of inequality has yet to be fully appreciated. This article invites social scientists in and outside the field of digital media studies to attend to digital inequality, both as a substantive problem and as a me...

The most recent internationally widespread disease outbreak occurred during the flu season of 2009 and 2010. On April 2009 the first cases of influenza A/H1N1 (Popularly called, Swine Flu) were confirmed in the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) following a novel virus that was first identified in Mexico. As the virus spread rapidly, the risk of morbidit...

Abstract Culture is a set of values that influence attitudes and social behavior. Despite the centrality of culture in motivations, needs and use of social media, most of the extensive research literature on the determinants and patterns of social media use has focused on psychological and social factors. The purpose of this study is to fill this g...

Previous studies have shown that parental mediation of adolescents online is associated with the latter’s participation in risky behavior online and being a victim of online harassment and bullying. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating the differential contribution of peers’ norms and parental mediation on adolescents’ engagement in...

Parental mediation, peer norms and risky online behavior among adolescents Abstract Previous studies have shown that parental mediation of adolescents online is associated with the latter’s participation in risky behavior online and being a victim of online harassment and bullying. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating the differenti...

On the basis of general theories of delinquency and the specific situation of immigrants, this longitudinal study investigated predictors of initial levels and rates of change in delinquency among 188 male ethnic German Diaspora immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in Germany, 237 male native German adolescents, and 182 male Jewish Diaspor...

This study examines the narrative strategies that the blogs of hate groups adopted before and after a central political event, namely, the 2008 election of President Obama in the U.S. Using data from a large number of hate blogs (N=600), and sentiment analysis and data mining, we tested two alternative hypotheses derived from social identification...

This paper examines the relationship between attention to the mass media and concern about becoming infected with H1N1 in two nationwide random samples interviewed during the flu epidemic of 2009. The first sample (N = 1004) was taken at the end of the first wave of the outbreak in the US and the second sample (N = 1006) was taken as the second wav...

Most research on social media tends to focus on individual or group-level characteristics, neglecting to consider the influence of relational and cultural variables. To fill this void, we collected social network data in Israel (N = 492) and Canada (N = 293) to investigate the effect of individual, relational, and cultural variables on the frequenc...

Long‐term studies monitoring the process of young people adopting new media patterns of social interaction and communication with parents and peers are needed to better understand how young people cope with perpetual peer communication, how parents and adolescents deal with intergenerational conflicts, and the outcomes of these practices and confli...

This study investigated the association between trust in individuals, social institutions and online trust on the disclosure of personal identifiable information online. Using the Internet attributes approach that argues that some structural characteristics of the Internet such as lack of social cues and controllability are conducive to a disinhibi...

E-mail survey methodology is a new and rapidly evolving field. This chapter considers and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages related to conducting online surveys identified in previous research. In particular, it describes the methodology and examines some advantages and disadvantages of conducting online survey research. Advantages include...

Group differences in the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) were investigated, to test the diversification hypothesis that argues that minorities and immigrants will be more likely to use CMC to compensate for their lack of social capital. Data were gathered from a sample of Internet users reflecting the percentage of minorities in the ge...

Group differences in the search of health information were investigated, to test the diversification hypothesis that argues that disadvantaged groups in society will be more likely to use the Internet and computer mediated communication to access health information to compensate for their lack of social capital. Data were gathered from a sample of...

This longitudinal study investigated friendship homophily (i.e., the preference for intra-ethnic over inter-ethnic friends) among immigrant adolescents in Israel and Germany. Based on acculturation theories and known differences between Israel and Germany in the establishment of Russian-speaking immigrant communities in these countries, it was hypo...

E-mail provides organizations with detailed and timely information that cuts across hierarchical levels and departmental boundaries. The speed, asynchronicity and "one-to-many" aspects of e-mail can lead to efficiencies such as reduced office administration leading to both time saving and management rewards. At the same time, e-mail might create in...

This study compares the adaptation of diaspora immigrant adolescents from the former Soviet Union, ethnic Germans in Germany, and Russian Jews in Israel, using a new measure of acculturation-related hassles, which were defined as minor negative experiences originating from being an immigrant. Participants, who were 16 years of age on average in bot...

Internet adoption has expanded rapidly in recent years and its use is been associated with the formation of social networks, the accumulation of social capital and a wage premium. Thus, lack of Internet access might reflect and even enlarge existing social inequalities. Considering the need for a better understanding of Internet inaccessibility, we...

This study investigated whether norms of self-disclosure of one's online and offline identity are linked to online disclosure of personal and intimate information. We expected online disclosure of personal and intimate information to be associated with norms of online disclosure. Secondary analysis of the 2006 Pew and American Life Survey of parent...

Access to and use of information and communication technologies have expanded rapidly. This circumstance has focused academic attention and interest in social groups that are not bounded in a specific geographic place and for which well-documented evidence exists of social interaction and involvement among individuals who in many cases have never m...

The debate on the social impact of information and communication technologies is particularly important for the study of adolescent life, because through their close association with friends and peers, adolescents develop life expectations, school aspirations, world views, and behaviors. This book presents an up-to-date review of the literature on...

The effect of Internet connectivity on social involvement, civic participation, and community sentiments has recently received research attention. Mostly, previous studies have been limited in that they did not account for the mechanism that might link Internet connectivity and community participation.This study uses a longitudinal design to examin...

The purpose of the study is to examine how e-mail affects work performance. E-mail communication studies have aroused both praise and query regarding the suitability, appropriateness and effectiveness of electronic messages in information management. Less is known about the effects of e-mail on work performance. We consider (1) which e-mail feature...

Cyberbullying, the use of information and communication technologies to intentionally harm others, has become an important area of research. Studies have begun to investigate the extent of cyberbullying and its victims' personality characteristics. Less is known about the effect of specific online activities and the role of parental mediation on th...

As online communication is more and more integrated in everyday life to support and maintain existing social ties, this study examined the factors associated with preference of face to face, phone or online conversations. A contextual framework that emphasizes the role of relationship origin, relationship intensity and content of communication on c...

As the Internet has been adopted and integrated in the daily lives of an increasing number of young adolescents in western countries, scholars and commentators are debating and speculating on the impact of these new media on the activities, social relationships and worldview of the young generation. The communication environment has become more and...

Concern has grown regarding possible harm to the social and psychological development of children and adolescents exposed to Internet pornography. Parents, academics and researchers have documented pornography from the supply side, assuming that its availability explains consumption satisfactorily. The current paper explored the user's dimension, p...

Will the World Wide Web and search engines foster access to more diverse sources of information, or have a centralizing influence through a ‘winner-take-all’ process? To address this question, we examined how search engines are used to access information about six global issues (climate change, poverty, HIV/AIDS, terrorism, trade reform, and Intern...

Whereas traditional criminological theories treat juvenile delinquency largely as a reactive and expressive behavior that only seldom leads to specialized criminal offending or a criminal career, this article proposes an alternative classification of offenses that accounts for the difference between youthful reactive conduct and specialized crimina...

This chapter explores how cultural differences influence the use of communication technology. It also discusses how adolescent Israeli Jews and Arabs who belong to different cultures entirely were studied regarding their use of communication technologies to see the role culture plays in technology use. The chapter presents the difference between th...

Experts analyze how mobile communication is changing daily life and local culture around the world, in both industrialized and developing countries. Mobile communication has become mainstream and even omnipresent. It is arguably the most successful and certainly the most rapidly adopted new technology in the world: more than one of every three peop...

The purpose of this study has been to gain knowledge about the shaping of social identity among immigrants and the effect of that identity on delinquent behavior. The data are based on a longitudinal study conducted in Israel on 773 immigrant youths from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) who participated in the study for three years. Results from logis...