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Start date: 2023Subject: search.filters.subject.460806 Human-computer interaction

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    Cyborg knowledge production with an AI psychologist : tangled threads of gendered harm, ethics, and care amidst a mental health crisis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2025) Wylde, Ollie
    This thesis explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to provide mental health advice and the potential perpetuation of harmful gendered discourses through the technologisation of care. Situated within the ongoing mental health crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand and the exponential rise of generative AI, this study deals with the unprecedented complexities of operating within an emerging and rapidly evolving research field. Maintaining ethical relational dilemmas with limited institutional guidance and reinforcement of human exceptionalism challenged reflexive partnering with AI chatbots to co-produce knowledge. Donna Haraway's cyborg metaphor guided the methodological and epistemological considerations for the study, contributing to the introduction of critical concepts cyborgphancy (the sycophantic nature of AI chatbots) and cyborg knowledge production to facilitate understanding of this rapidly evolving research area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the AI Psychologist chatbot from the Character.ai platform. ChatGPT was utilised as a research assistant and an emic advisor. A threaded narrative analysis embraced the contradictory nature of cyborg knowledge production, weaving together partial and multiple relationships between researcher, AI chatbot, and help-seekers within the reproduction of psychological, gendered and biological essentialist discourses. Findings challenge the illusion of neutrality, interrogating the AI Psychologist's gender-neutral responses as reproduction of androcentric knowledge bases, reinforcing gendered power dynamics and systems of oppression. ChatGPT's emic analysis confirmed the perpetuation of harmful discourses, attributing this to fundamental design features of AI chatbots. This study offers a qualitative feminist post-structural analysis to the emerging practice of engaging with AI chatbots for mental health support. There is substantial potential for harm to be perpetuated by AI within this context, due to the proliferation of AI chatbot usage and the failings of the mental health system to provide support. This risk necessitates greater scrutiny of AI chatbot use for mental health purposes, education of potential harms, and robust safeguards to protect help-seekers.
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    Binge-scrolling behaviour on user-generated media based on uses and gratification theory : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Information Sciences at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Wang, Shaojun
    Recent advances in User-Generated Media (UGM) and short-form video applications (apps) have led to the emergence of a phenomenon known as binge-scrolling. Engaging in long periods of unconscious scrolling through short videos is a common practice that resembles binge-watching series. Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) is often used to explain the relationships among user motives, needs and gratifications and the consequences of media interactions. Previous research has rarely explored the binge watching behaviour of users with regard to short videos. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of engagement with UGM (short video platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and WeChat channels) on binge-scrolling, addiction and mental health. Data (N = 606) were collected using an online survey and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that 1) motivation is positively related to binge-scrolling as an antecedent, which is consistent with UGT, and informational motivation is one of the primary motivations for using UGM; 2) binge scrolling is positively associated with addiction and mental health; and 3) user engagement has a moderating effect on the relationship between binge-scrolling and problematic binge-scrolling. The findings of this study contribute to UGT research on binge-scrolling with regard to short videos and provide useful information to support the prevention of binge-scrolling addiction and mental health disorders as well as relevant interventions.
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    Self-viewing and attitudes towards distance learning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Information Sciences at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Yu, Ting
    The outbreak of COVID-19 has dramatically changed learning modes worldwide. To reduce and avoid physical contact, teachers and students conduct remote studies via video conferencing. In this study, we explore the relationship between self-viewing and the attitudes towards distance learning and analyze the factors (such as self-awareness, engagement and communication) influencing this relationship in distance learning. Data is collected using questionnaires (N = 863, in which teachers are 200 and students are 663) comprising eight Likert scales (four for teachers, four for students) on teachers’ and students’ video conferencing. The results show that for distance learning, (i) the frequency of self-viewing can directly affect attitude, and (ii) the frequency of self-viewing can also indirectly affect attitude through communication, engagement, and self-awareness. In this study, the results provide new ideas for the research on cognitive theory, verify objective self-awareness theory and provide some implications for the use of cameras and the effect of cameras on academic performance in distance learning.