Media & Communication
Material Media-Making in the Digital Age
There is now no shortage of media for us to consume from streaming services and video-on-demand to social media and everything else besides. This has changed the way media scholars think about the production and reception of media. Missing from these conversations though is the maker: in particular the maker who has the power to produce media in their pocket.
How might one craft a personal media-making practice that is thoughtful and considerate of the tools and materials at one's disposal? This is the core question of this original new book. Exploring a number of media-making tools and processes like drones and vlogging as well as thinking through time editing sound and the stream Binns looks out over the current media landscape in order to understand his own media practice.
The result is a personal journey through media theory history and technology furnished with practical exercises for teachers students professionals and enthusiasts: a unique combination of theory and practice written in a highly personal and personable style that is engaging and refreshing.
This book will enable readers to understand how a personal creative practice might unlock deeper thinking about media and its place in the world.
The primary readership will be among academics researchers and students in the creative arts as well as practitioners of creative arts including sound designers cinematographers and social media content producers.
Designed for classroom use this will be of particular importance for undergraduate students of film production and may also be of interest to students at MA level particularly on the growing number of courses that specifically offer a blend of theory and practice. The highly accessible writing style may also mean that it can be taken up for high school courses on film and production.
It will also be of interest to academics delivering these courses and to researchers and scholars of new media and digital cinema.
A critical inquiry into the discourses of war and occupation in the wake of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza
The aim of this article is to use one central assumption of Wittgenstein’s philosophy – language games – to review some important aspects of communication and language issues that typically have arisen in the aftermath of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. I draw specifically on a critical inquiry of purposefully selected samples of discursive and linguistic practices accompanying the war in Ukraine and the occupation of its territory by Russia and the war in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. References will also be made to the types of language games used by mainstream western media to categorize other wars and occupations discursively and socially such as those of Iraq Yemen and Afghanistan. I argue that the use of language is crucial for the understanding and representation of these wars and occupations and a cause of failure in intercultural interaction. The central argument is as follows: While language games have different senses and not all people attach the same meaning to them in case of conflict and controversy those with power attach additional or different interpretations to them in a way they think is reasonable to change or at least rearrange their meanings. According to Wittgenstein’s deliberations of language games the meaning of each of the various linguistic utterances like words sentences or symbols is defined in terms of its setting and use. To unravel how and why certain linguistic practices are reinforced and others are thwarted the article supplements Wittgenstein’s deliberations of language with Hollihan and Baaskes’ definition of rhetorical source credibility Thomas Hobbes’ ‘Leviathan discourse’ and Foucault’s notion of discourse and power.
Virtual Facades: Exploring the Relationship Between Self-Presentation on Facebook and Social Anxiety Among Egyptian Generation Z Users
This study investigates the correlation between the ‘false-self’ – the persona presented to the public that may not accurately reflect one’s true identity – and social anxiety among Generation Z Facebook users in Egypt. An integrated methodology approach was used to explore the connection between Facebook usage false self-presentation and social anxiety levels. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire targeting 420 Facebook users belonging to Egypt’s Generation Z demographic. The study findings demonstrate a strong positive correlation between higher Facebook usage intensity and false self-presentation. Furthermore false self-presentation was found to be positively correlated with social anxiety. Significant gender differences in self-congruence on Facebook were revealed supported by theories related to social norms and gender roles. These findings illustrate the potential influence of social media on gender identity and self-presentation underscoring the need to take gender differences into account when studying the effects of social media on mental health. Additionally significant differences in Facebook intensity and attachment between genders were revealed. This study adds to our understanding of the intricate relationship between social media use self-presentation and mental health outcomes among Generation Z by providing insight into the risks associated with false self-presentation and high Facebook usage intensity.
Solutions for Tech Companies, Government, and the Public
Effective Journalism
This book provides journalists and the public with a broad overview of all the ways modern communication technologies and information approaches make it difficult for people to effectively find and interpret information and what they can do about it. The public may have a general awareness that things like confirmation bias content algorithms and the backfire effect exist and can influence their behaviour but this book will explain them in one place in plain language. Journalists likewise know that their audiences are dealing with some of these issues but continue to operate under the assumption that if they just publish facts the truth will win out in the court of public opinion.
The central argument of the book is that journalists and audiences can no longer afford to pretend that all information is competing on an even playing field and that it is enough for journalists to simply publish “the facts.” Just as behavioural economics provided a new way of thinking about economics one that understood people as non-rational actors this book attempts to explain the reality rather than the ideal of how people seek and process information and what journalists and their audiences can do to try to create an informed public in the face of that reality.
For many American journalists their work and their responsibility to the public is grounded in the concept of a marketplace of ideas. Journalists believe they should just report the facts as neutrally as possible and let the public judge those facts and put them in context. The marketplace of ideas requires individuals to rationally consider the information that is presented to them and weigh it against other available information. Through this process bad ideas will be judged and dismissed and good ideas will win out. We might like to believe that we are all capable of carefully and rationally evaluating information but the evidence is clear that it is simply not true. If it were true we would not observe such things as the continued persistence of flat-Earthers and moon-landing sceptics and others who champion backward social ideas that were dismissed decades or even centuries ago. The fact that these ideas continue to persist tells us that the public is not engaging in a clear-eyed rational consideration of all the available verified facts.
Framing the wild: A qualitative analysis of environmental news coverage during the 2020 coronavirus lockdowns
News media coverage of the natural world frames perceptions and policies related to the environment. Studying its reporting brings insight for how meaning is assigned to humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife. Through qualitative content analysis this study examines digital articles on the environment published from March to December 2020 amidst mass lockdowns due to the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Claims about the impact of humanity being locked down were analysed using framing theory. Findings revealed four major frames generated in connection to (1) wildlife behaviour (2) a new normal post-COVID (3) climate change being displaced and (4) human–nature symbiosis. The results of qualitative inquiry offer a more nuanced understanding of how media frames the complex human–nature relationship which tends to feature negative and hostile associations. This furthers the notion that such framing can limit perspectives even if unintended and arguably weakens viewing our relationship with nature as symbiotic.
Politics of phygital protests: Palestinian #GreatMarchofReturn discourse on Twitter
Twitter aids public discourse hashtag activism and sociopolitical advocacy. In terms of Palestinian resistance discourse against Israel the hashtag #GreatMarchofReturn represents a peaceful digital protest by the Palestinian refugees based in Gaza. We identified 13000 tweets related to #GreatMarchofReturn which we analysed using content analysis and descriptive analysis followed by a visualization of the findings. We argue that hashtag activism facilitates the collective Palestinian protest discourse on Twitter about Israel’s oppressive diplomacies in Palestine. The activism endorses Palestinian nationalism and the mobilization of civilian rights. Moreover the micro-blogging site becomes a significant platform for politicizing Israel’s punitive populism and subsequent subjugation of Palestinian refugees especially in Gaza. The psycho-politics of phygital protests affects the socio-emotional mobilization of the Great March of Return in both virtual and physical public spheres.
Planetary health: Sickness, the environment and air in film
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that human and more-than-human health is connected to environmental (un)health. This article explores the linkages between health and the environment in cinema. It draws on such issues as pandemics pollution and air to illustrate how films like Wolfgang Petersen’s Outbreak (1995) Todd Haynes’s Safe (1995) M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening (2008) Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion (2011) and Colm McCarthy’s The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) each in their unique ways address the problem of planetary health. Airborne zoonoses monstrous plants toxic fungi and pollution – the films tackle all these issues to emphasize invisible danger toxicity and sickness that surround humans and more-than-humans alike. Connecting the ideas of health and well-being to the environment and illustrating how this nexus becomes visible in film specifically through air this article calls for justice consideration and care of planetary health. Explicating the tight linkages between pandemics climate change and environmental degradation at large as depicted in the selected cinematic examples this article claims that the recognition of humanity’s dependence on and responsibility for more-than-humans is crucial in times of environmental and health crises.
Status of women in the Ghanaian media: Are women conscious of their own inequalities?
Historical and contemporary scholarship paint a picture of women in media as under-represented misrepresented and lacking the opportunity to influence what happens in media and their own status in media. This is despite years of interventions – including pushing for affirmative action – targeted at improving their status and working conditions. In this study we argue that part of the solution lies in conscientizing women in media to become more aware of the inequalities they face. Through a nationwide survey of women in the Ghanaian media and premised on feminist media theory we show that though progress is visible in the status of women inequalities persist. Respondents were ambivalent about status parity with males pointing to the possibility that they acquiesce to unfair practices because they are unaware of the embedded inequality. We discuss these findings and their implications for scholarship and practice.
The Middle East is watching: Iranian and Saudi Arabian newspaper framing of the 2020 US presidential elections
Despite its importance there has been little research into how Middle Eastern news outlets cover American politics. This content analysis uses framing theory to explore coverage of the 2020 US presidential election in two Middle East dailies Iranian Hamshahri and Saudi Arabian Al-Watan. Because Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals and take different approaches to American politics hypotheses predicted meaningful framing differences. While some findings were consistent with researcher expectations most findings were not. As predicted Al-Watan was less likely to frame Trump negatively. However contrary to expectations the examined newspapers did not differ in terms of how they framed Biden the 6 January breach of the Capitol or allegations of voter fraud. The newspapers also did not differ in terms of how likely they were to use pro-Trump and pro-Biden sources. The unexpected findings suggest a cautious approach by Al-Watan which may not have wanted to show strong support for a US president Trump who was likely outgoing. More generally and as the ‘Discussion’ section explains Al-Watan’s approach likely reflected the Saudi government’s perceptions about ongoing developments on the US political scene. In one sense then Al-Watan’s editorial line was an extension of Saudi foreign policy towards the United States. The ‘Discussion’ section also attempts to make sense of Hamshahri’s framing patterns which seemed to reflect larger Iranian distrust in the American political system.
Data Dating
What does it mean to love with technology? Does data improve our emotional interactions? The collection approaches the query with critical essays and works of new media art to look into the construction of love and its practices in the time of digitally mediated relationships. With expertise coming from recognized researchers critics and artists in the field of media and cultural studies it analyses relationship trends and affect cultures that have emerged from technological acceleration.
Data Dating: Love Technology and Desire is a comprehensive study of love and intimacy under digitalism that reflects on the structure of feeling(s) and libido environments in the high-tech and media-bound landscapes of contemporary technocracies. Organized around ten chapters and ten works of new media art the collection offers an extensive critical analysis of technologized romance (and other emotional relations) as well as provides an insight into the codification execution deployment and evolution of the patterns of togetherness in the so-called Tamagotchi era.
The chapters engage in the problems of new material planes that have emerged from the abstraction of networked communication and dispersion of traditional notions of physicality. They close-read the templates of contemporary fantasy fetish and eroticism as shaped by platform capitalism datafication and new commodity cultures in which self-promotion for bonding relies on the new possibilities that are coming in with new media self-mediation formats. Central to the analysis is the carbon-silicon dynamics of love’s contemporary DNA and libidinal techne – practiced in the environment where screens interfaces algorithms data protocols and non-organic objects of affection and affect delineate organize and program the trajectories of encounter limerence and erotic pleasure. All the chapters are authored by recognized researchers in the field of love emotion media technology and cultural studies and they critically explore various aspects of love/intimacy under technocracy approaching them with expertise the goes beyond the typical high-modernist and post-structural reading of the media-ridden life practices and environments.
More importantly the collection includes landmark works of new media art coming from prominent new media artist gathered around 'Data Dating' – new media art exhibition curated by Valentina Peri (co-editor of the collection) and presented in Paris Tel Aviv and London. As such the collection proffers a unique and original critical approach – one that combines artistic practice and cultural criticism – to comment upon the transformation of human relationships and emotional standards under technological development with reference to the social change and cultural condition.
The collection of essays each accompanied by a work of media art that provides a comprehensive insight into the construction of love and its practices in the time of digitally mediated relationships.
Primary readership will be among educators researcher and students in disciplines including cultural studies media and communications philosophy sociology psychology and gender LGBTQ+ and sexual studies. It will be an extremely valuable resource for those in these fields.
It will be of interest to other groups including art curators online platform designers social media content managers and designers and data specialists.
LIFE
LIFE: A Transdisciplinary Inquiry examines nature cognition and society as an interwoven tapestry across disciplinary boundaries. This volume explores how information and communication are instrumental in and for living systems acknowledging an integrative account of media as environments and technologies.
The aim of the collection is a fuller and richer account of everyday life through a spectrum of insights from internationally known scholars of the natural sciences (physical and life sciences) social sciences and the arts.
How or should life be defined? If life is a medium how is it mediated? Viewed as interactions transactions and contexts of ecosystems life can be recognized through patterns across the sciences including metabolisms habitats and lifeworlds. The book also integrates discussions of embodiment ecological values literacies and critiques with bioinspired synthetic and historical design approaches to envision what could constitute artful living in an ever-evolving interdependent world.
The volume foregrounds systemic approaches to life drawing on a wide range of disciplines and fields including architecture art biology bioengineering chemistry cinema studies communication computer science conservation cultural studies design ecology environmental studies information science landscape architecture geography journalism materials science media archaeology media studies philosophy physics plant signalling and development political economy sociology and system dynamics.
This is the second volume in the MEDIA • LIFE • UNIVERSE Trilogy. It follows and builds upon the 2021 collection MEDIA: A Transdisciplinary Inquiry ISBN 9781789382655
‘They are us’: Orientalist perspective challenged in New Zealand newspapers’ coverage
It has frequently been debated that western media coverage of Islam and Muslims constructs an Orientalist image of Islam – often that Islam is a threat to the West – that sidelines and dehumanizes Muslims. However by examining the terrorist incident that occurred in Christchurch New Zealand in March 2019 in which 51 Muslims were killed at a Mosque this study discursively argues that an Orientalist view was not manifest in the coverage of New Zealand’s newspapers. Focusing on two mainstream newspapers the New Zealand Herald and The Press this study also argues that New Zealand’s newspapers played a constructive role in their opposition to and condemnation of the terrorist attacks. This study argues that while covering the attacks these media outlets fully supported and reinforced the view that the people of New Zealand belong to a society of which Muslims are an essential part. The way these newspapers framed the issue the terminology used and the metaphors they selected to construct the terrorist attack challenged Orientalist perceptions and thereby rejected any perceived clash of civilizations. The selected newspapers were supportive of the victims the victims’ families and the Muslim community as a whole. This study also observes that a shift in media coverage from negative to positive perceptions of Muslims is possible.
The digital navigator programme in the time of COVID-19: A case study on Philadelphia’s programme
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed dire challenges for digital inclusion and digital literacy among marginalized communities. This article adopts a case study approach to analyse how the digital navigator programme (DNP) in Philadelphia addresses these challenges. The DNP in this city implements a policy design and governance strategy which presents a novel approach to bolstering universal access to information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure digital inclusion and digital literacy in order to combat the pandemic’s pernicious impact in worsening the digital divide in the city. This policy approach entails collaborative governance and cross-sector partnerships to address digital equity issues exacerbated by the pandemic. This study offers empirical evidence on the demands that the city’s residents placed on the DNP to address their digital inclusion and digital literacy issues. It also provides an understanding of the measures that the DNP’s partners adopted to respond to the citizens’ needs for digital equity.
Neorealist portrayal of refugee children in Capernaum (2018)
This article explores the social and form-related similarities and differences between the film Capernaum and Italian neorealism focusing on the portrayal of refugee children. The Syrian Civil War has displaced millions of people and children who have sought refuge in Syria’s neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Turkey have become victims of poverty and moral degeneration. Similarly the Second World War left children orphaned and many harsh realities emerged such as child labour delinquency abuse and neglect. The Italian neorealism movement highlighted post-war issues such as these in cinema. Capernaum reflects the new realities of the Syrian Civil War as sociological concepts such as forced migration due to war extreme poverty and the victimization of children. This film is important because of its power to generate empathy and (pro-)activism. With an analysis of the mise en scène and contents of Capernaum we show that the film bears significant traces of neorealism and that nothing has changed for Syrian refugee children. In a spatial sense the phenomenon of migration brings a new reality to Capernaum and neorealist films give a voice to victims via actors who express their experiences. Children in both countries have been victims of extreme poverty and moral degeneration due to war.
‘Press the Start Button’
This short take is a reflective piece that describes the author's personal relationship with a handheld games console in which through thinking of their connection to this material object the author experienced sensations of nostalgia memory and familial ties.
On, Off, and in the Map: Materializing Game Experiences Through Player Cartography
This chapter focuses on maps produced and used by players seeking to understand them as recording devices that capture and preserve narratives and experiences. It takes the position that the materiality of maps emerges both in their very existence and relation to place and in the way they chronicle experience and record a past. For fictional gameworlds this distinction is arguably emphasized because the relation to ‘real’ place is weakened or non-existent.
Cartographic practices in games are however also enmeshed in discussions about colonialism. In many games exploration is connected with conflict and mapping often represents the objectification of space in the service of player narratives. Such objectification surely limits the forms of narrative that can emerge so what narratives – and what pasts – can and do such maps record? How do they offer an account of experience? And what is it that is made material in their materiality?
Conclusion: Shifting Horizons of Possibility
This concluding chapter addresses the materiality of media – devices storage formats platforms – as tied up with feeling; the sense of things. If media technology presents a material ever-shifting horizon of possibility for what can or cannot be done at any given point in time it also gives rise to modes of sensation as sounds and images materialise in different ways and as they become differently experienced.
Media Materialities
Provides new perspectives on the increasingly complex relationships between media forms and formats materiality and meaning. Drawing on a range of qualitative methodologies our consideration of the materiality of media is structured around three overarching concepts: form – the physical qualities of objects and the meanings which extend from them; format – objects considered in relation to the protocols which govern their use and the meanings and practices which stem from them; and ephemeral meaning – the ways in which media artefacts are captured transformed and redefined through changing social cultural and technological values.
Each section includes empirical chapters which provide expansive discussions of perspectives on media and materiality. It considers a range of media artefacts such as 8mm film board games maps videogames cassette tapes transistor radios and Twitter amongst others. These are punctuated with a number of short takes – less formal often personal takes exploring the meanings of media in context.
We seek to consider the materialities which emerge across the broad and variegated range of the term’s use and to create spaces for conversation and debate about the implications that this plurality of material meanings might have for the study of study of media culture and society.
Materialities of Television History
This short take reflects on the process and experience of accessing fanzines about television. These fanzines published in the 1970s and 1980s account for the materiality of historical relationships with television in at least three directions: 1) Reflecting on working with paper documents and their digital copies; 2) Noting where collections overlap but the handwritten annotations on archived pieces differ; and 3) Material conditions of watching television are part of fans’ accounts of being an audience.
Thirty-Seven Retweets
Despite its many immaterial qualities the digital world has acquired a certain symbolical authority. In recording and registering all our acts it enacts formal control over what we do. But what is likely to disturb us most is not a lack of control over our digital lives but how we are somehow both passive and instrumental in its symbolic power over us. In this chapter I will argue how the tension resonating between the materiality of the physical and the digital world stems from a difficulty in reconciling how subjectivity emerges from the distance both have from one another. Inevitably as the digital domain leeks further into our physical worlds what we experience is a short-circuiting of subjectivity in which fantasy and reality collide with one another.
Making Order Out of Chaos
How a simple solar powered calculator has provided a narrative to my professional career and as a result. The calculator has followed my journey of mathematical development from failed Maths O'Level to managing millions of pounds.
Location, Agency, and Hashtag Activism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
I have always been torn between my physical home in the UK and my sense of home in Africa. I use ‘Africa’ deliberately because in the last few years I have become increasing connected to a continental outlook and not a national one focused solely on Nigeria where I am from. While I continue to reflect on the word to describe my identity I cogitate ‘Afropolitan’ a word coined by Taiye Selasi (2005) and which Eze (2014; 239) describes as a term used in an “effort to grasp the diverse nature of being African or of African descent in the world today”. For me I use it to describe an empowered stance which does not take its starting point from a resistance to the West and that rejects notions of victimhood.
The Solid State of Radio
The ephemerality of radio is one of its defining characteristics. And yet the artefact of a radio is certainly real enough. This chapter explores the interplay between the physicality of radio and its existence as an intangible medium. It reflects on the attachment that can develop between a listener and their radio before considering how modern radio manufacturers have influenced this relationship through design and functionality. While the proliferation of platforms content and station choice provide an inexhaustible supply of radio via a series of simple swipes or clicks for many listeners there remains a preference for the human-machine interface of traditional knobs and dials. Unpicking this nostalgia for the medium's supposed ‘golden age’ and its associated aesthetics provides insight into the bond between the listener and the materiality of the radio.
Still Angry: Still Feeding
This short take is a nostalgic and reflexive account of my nascent and now life long relationship with punk rock and specifically anarcho-punk a more politically focussed sub-genre of punk rock that emerged in the UK in the late 1970s. Through the story of acquiring British anarcho-punk band Crass’ seminal anarcho-punk album Feeding of the 5000 this short take shows the continuing impact that song lyrics and visual imagery can have on an individual 44 years later.
Stamp of Approval: A Prosopography of the English Midlands Videogame Industry
This chapter examines the formation of the UK Midlands Videogames’ Industry within the scope of the political economy of the region. By using prosopography data points from primary data in the form of interviews and archival resources are tessellated to reveal the network of the early videogames’ industry and its relation to factors of production consumption marketing and distribution. The chapter charts how new technologies built on pre-existing practices found in industrial and textile manufacture in the region and the importance of local regional national international and transnational communication links to its early and continued economic success. It concludes by demonstrating how in spite of the deployment of new technologies parochial andtraditional practices remain embedded in theregion and the ramifications this has for workingpractices in the games’ industry in the 21st century.
Enhancing prosocial behaviour and donation intentions through neuroscientific techniques (EEG and eye tracker): Exploring the influence of charitable advertisement appeals
This study investigates the impact of charitable advertisement appeals on prosocial behaviour and intentions to donate employing cutting-edge neuroscientific techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracker. It also seeks to analyse the moderating effect of altruism social norms and moral intensity on the relationship between advertising appeal and prosocial behaviour and intention to donate. Findings indicate that negative appeal is more effective than positive appeal in influencing prosocial behaviour and intent to donate. Furthermore using an eye tracker showed that individuals try to avoid painful scenes in charitable advertisements. This study provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms that drive prosocial behaviour and donation intentions by delving into the influence of various charitable advertisement appeals (both positive and negative) on individuals’ neural and ocular responses. We therefore argue that findings from this research hold significant implications for marketers and advertisers seeking to create more effective and persuasive charitable advertisements ultimately promoting greater engagement and support for philanthropic causes.
Exploring Arab communication research: A systematic review from 2000 to 2021
This exploratory meta-analysis aims to investigate the current trends in Arab communication research by studying a sample of media and communication articles published in Arab academic journals between 2000 and 2021. The results reveal an increase in the number of published articles after 2011 with a more significant surge after 2016. Egyptian journals exhibited the highest publication rate among all journals. Arab researchers predominantly focused on journalism followed by mass communication and media studies. Most of the articles analysed lacked a theoretical foundation and quantitative methods and surveys were frequently employed for data analysis while qualitative methods particularly personal interviews were less common. Traditional media such as television and newspapers were the most discussed media platforms followed by social media networks such as Facebook. Geographically African Arab countries notably Egypt and Algeria dominated in terms of published articles and discussions related to these countries surpassing Asian Arabic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Falsehood on social media in Egypt: Rumour detection and sentiment analysis of users’ comments
The dissemination of rumours and fabricated information via social media has the potential to adversely impact social cohesiveness and contribute to political polarization which may lead to political divisions by casting doubt on the effectiveness of government and politicians. In light of the global economic crisis caused by the Russian–Ukrainian War this study aims to identify economic rumours that were circulating in Egyptian society via social media. Machine learning was employed as a means of analysing the sentiment of user comments on various posts thus providing an effective method for debunking fake news. In order to identify the most salient features of misleading information the study qualitatively assessed the visual and linguistic elements of the postings. A total of 10031 comments were analysed after being categorized into main groups. The study’s results revealed key features pertaining to the sentiments expressed in the comments as well as identifying common textual traits of rumours and specific visual sentiments depicted in accompanying photos. This research sheds light on the importance of identifying and debunking rumours and fabricated information in order to mitigate their potentially negative effects on social cohesiveness and political polarization. Additionally it highlights the utility of employing machine learning as a tool for analysing sentiment in user-generated content on social media platforms.
Political hyper-reality in social media: A case study of female candidates in the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) of South Sumatera, Indonesia
This study focused on the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) election in South Sumatra Indonesia and examined the creation of hyper-reality in the social media campaigns of female legislative candidates (caleg). Furthermore it specifically concentrated on the use of social media platforms. A mixed-methodology approach was used which combined content analysis of social media posts with semi-structured interviews involving twelve informants. This study also aimed to determine how female DPD candidates project their image on social media and the effect on voters. The results showed that female DPD candidates presented themselves on social media in a manner consistent with sociocultural expectations of the role women are expected to play in politics. They portrayed themselves as individuals who can maintain a healthy balance between professional and personal lives who are educated devout and have connections with influential people and the general public. It was also shown that voters are still influenced by hyper-realistic depictions of political candidates shared on social media even though they can differentiate between photographs shared on social media and actual reality. This demonstrated the significant impact of social media on shaping public opinion and the conduct of political actors. This result will contribute to the expanding academic literature on hyper-reality politics and social media. It will also shed light on the creation of hyper-reality in the political campaigns of women seeking legislative office. This study emphasized the importance of social media as a strategic tool in contemporary politics and how hyper-reality constructions may influence voters’ perceptions and behaviour in the context of DPD elections in South Sumatra.
Mediated mythical discourses: A critical analysis of the female docility and religious discourses in Indian TV soap operas
Media representations have the power to evoke and circulate meanings about a dominant favoured ideology. Like films television soap operas too may become the sites of hetero-patriarchal representation. This article foregrounds the visual and textual tropes applied to coerce the audience into accepting patriarchal gender roles in the disguise of religious discourse. Using critical discourse analysis of three select Hindi soap operas Saath Nibhana Sathiya Choti Bahu and Bade Achche Lagte Hai this article flags the use of religious motifs as disciplining strategies of patriarchy. The resort-seeking behaviour of the female protagonists towards the male Hindu deity for the resolution of crisis becomes a marker of sexism. Furthermore this one-dimensional representation of a multicultural and multireligious Indian society in these Hindi soap operas has evolved them into Hindu Socials with their dominant tropes of Hinduness within the storyline rituals melodrama and misogynism.
Beauty hacks, wardrobe suggestions and DIY regimes for a Muslim bride: Analysis of bridal beauty vlogs
Drawing on beauty vlogs uploaded on specific Malayalam YouTube channels the article documents the digitally mediated circulation of bodily and sartorial norms for a Muslim bride from the region of Kerala. The study explores how fashion vlogging and social media participation assist in furthering the imageries of Malayali Muslim women as neo-liberal feminine subjects by placing the role of consumption as consequential to the emerging sources of their identity. It is proposed that these vlogs catalyse the creation of a Muslim womanhood at the conjectures of cultural notions of modesty faith and identity aspirations arguably in the backdrop of transnational Islam and free market ideology. Furthermore the study hints at the limitations of the analytical device of ‘Brand Islam’ in explaining facets associated with a bridal beautification scene where the bodily and sartorial prescriptions are mediated by the diversity of co-participants involved and variations in the sartorial references endorsed.
‘It is just a tweet … do not take it seriously!’ Humour posts on Twitter during coronavirus: The case of Kuwait
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus outbreak triggered chaos panic and fear worldwide. During the outbreak many humorous posts tweeted and retweeted addressed the virus with a laugh. Humour is a way to escape reality but at the same time it may have negative outcomes. In Kuwait many such posts spread on social media especially Twitter. They reduced panic educated the public or made people ignore the seriousness of the pandemic. This study investigates the negative implications of using humorous text images and video messages on Twitter. A qualitative discourse analysis of 907 humorous texts images and videos posted on Twitter during the crisis revealed that humorous posts may foster negative attitudes concerning sectarianism tribalism racism sexism and hatred. Interestingly humorous posts in less emotionally charged categories such as sports family and children also include many negative connotations and denotations. This study is unique in addressing an understudied area; humour on social media in the Arab and Gulf region. Its findings show that humorous posts can produce negative outcomes and cause fear and hatred in society. There may be a need for self-censorship and moral behaviour to prevent social tension. The notion that jokes are only jokes and people should not be offended may have unforeseen negative repercussions.
Media Pluralism and Online News
The book arises from an international research project that explores the future of media pluralism policies for online news. It investigates the latest European policies and techniques for regulatory intervention and examines the consequences of innovative news practices asking ‘How will automation of news affect public opinion in the age of social media platforms and what are the consequences?’
In Media Pluralism and Online News the authors make the argument that there is an urgent need for revitalised thinking for a media policy agenda to deal with the trends to platform power and concentrated media power which is an ongoing global risk to public interest journalism.
In the transition to a media landscape increasingly dominated by broadband internet distribution and the dominance of US-centric new media behemoths Google Facebook Apple Amazon and Netflix the book investigates measures that can be taken to reduce this ongoing march of concentration and the attenuation of media voices.
Securing the public interest in a vibrant and sustainable news media sector will require that merger decisions assess whether there is a ‘reduction in diversity’ -- calling for a new public interest test and a more expansive policy focus than in the past. This would include consideration of the sustainability of local businesses; the encouragement of original and local news content; quality of content in terms of the promotion of news standards; and new modes of delivery and consumption including the ‘automated curation’ of news content by digital platforms.
Media Pluralism and Online News
The book arises from an international research project that explores the future of media pluralism policies for online news. It investigates the latest European policies and techniques for regulatory intervention and examines the consequences of innovative news practices asking ‘How will automation of news affect public opinion in the age of social media platforms and what are the consequences?’
In Media Pluralism and Online News the authors make the argument that there is an urgent need for revitalised thinking for a media policy agenda to deal with the trends to platform power and concentrated media power which is an ongoing global risk to public interest journalism.
In the transition to a media landscape increasingly dominated by broadband internet distribution and the dominance of US-centric new media behemoths Google Facebook Apple Amazon and Netflix the book investigates measures that can be taken to reduce this ongoing march of concentration and the attenuation of media voices.
Securing the public interest in a vibrant and sustainable news media sector will require that merger decisions assess whether there is a ‘reduction in diversity’ -- calling for a new public interest test and a more expansive policy focus than in the past. This would include consideration of the sustainability of local businesses; the encouragement of original and local news content; quality of content in terms of the promotion of news standards; and new modes of delivery and consumption including the ‘automated curation’ of news content by digital platforms.
The concept of ‘new media’ among Jordanian news producers
The aim of this study is to understand how Jordanian journalists view social media networks as being related to the news industry in Jordan and the extent of their dependence on these networks in producing news. It also explores the opinions of Jordanian journalists on the pros and cons of these networks through the lens of the relationship between these networks and professional journalism. This study uses the qualitative approach by conducting interviews with a number of professional journalists. The findings indicate that Jordanian journalists perceive social networks as an essential and beneficial development. There is optimism among journalists about the relationship between professional journalism and social media. Also social networks have brought several benefits to professional journalism. The results also show that journalists firmly believe that social networks cannot be considered a substitute for traditional media.
The virtual mask: The dark underbelly of digital anonymity and gender identity construction in Turkey
This study explores the impact of online identity on individuals’ perception of self and communication codes. Specifically the study investigates the relationship between the presentation and construction of identity and gender identity. The research methodology involves conducting in-depth interviews with eight Turkish university students aged 19–23 hailing from various cities across Turkey. Through these interviews and subsequent evaluations the study identifies significant differences between social and digital identities which can be attributed to various demographic factors including gender. Furthermore the study argues that the digital realm provides favourable opportunities for individuals to express their identities while serving as a platform for mobilization opposition and alternative modes of communication that challenge existing societal norms. Moreover results show that young people sometimes experience fears about their social media posts and anxiety that society and the government will punish them.
Media control and the protection of family values: Case study of the current practices of women TikTok users in Egypt
During the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a rise of TikTok video usage and sharing worldwide. Meanwhile the 2018 Cyber Crime Law has been activated against the so-called women TikTokers in Egypt who were accused and arrested for violating ‘family values’ and ‘inflaming debauchery’. Public opinion expressed that media control is a grey area that includes ambiguous description of these violations. Social scrutiny became viral on social media platforms inciting a debate over the prosecution of those women. This article is a case study that explores the play behaviour of women TikTok users in Egypt. Through employing a content analysis method it seeks to find out whether users resist or adapt to the strict media control. Findings revealed that women TikTok users have several motives for their adopted behaviours such as the fear of missing out (FoMO) and self-expression. Audiences who interpreted the behaviours TikTok women adopted as immoral used hashtags for social activism and generated content to oppress women based on gender rather than fairly evaluating their play behaviours. The research highlights key practices that women TikTok users are currently using in order to adapt to the vague ‘Egyptian family values and morals’. Whether mimicking a meme performing and/or singing women TikTok users have been considering their conservative cultural context carefully to avoid the severe consequences that pervious women TikTokers have faced. Furthermore women TikTok users are reluctant to boldly resist the strict media control in Egypt. Instead of using controversial sex appeal they resort to using humour for garnering views and utilizing the platform’s entertainment nature.
Digital Platforms and the Press
James Meese argues that there is a growing risk of a platform-dependent press a development that threatens liberal democracies across the world. The book provides the first comprehensive account of how platform dependence manifests in the news media sector.
Platform dependence is a concept used to describe what happens when businesses or an entire sector become reliant on one or more digital platforms for its survival. The situation is occurring across the news industry to the extent that it is difficult to imagine the production distribution and long-term survival of news in liberal democracies without the involvement of platforms.
With governments regulators and citizens increasingly concerned about platform power Digital Platforms and the Press is the first book to highlight the long-term economic and social consequences of platform dependence for the news sector.
Featuring a rich selection of case-studies and written in an accessible style Digital Platforms and the Press provides a strong grounding in relevant debates for the interested student reader and important takeaways for subject matter experts in journalism studies and media policy.
Digital Platforms and the Press will be of interest to journalism and media policy scholars other scholars in communication as well as industry practitioners and policymakers.
A brief history of China’s livestreaming industry: Evolution along with state–business interactions
In contemporary China livestreaming is one of the most popular communication technologies continuously shaping the digital media landscape. In order to trace the evolution of China’s livestreaming industry this study first situates it in the broader context of China’s digital economy and highlights how state–business interactions influence the development of China’s digital economy. This research then examines the development trajectory of China’s livestreaming industry from 2016 to 2022 by analysing regulatory and business documents. Three key phases for the development of China’s livestreaming industry are identified in the analysis. By doing so this research reveals the complex and contingent dynamics between state and business in China’s livestreaming industry and how this industry has evolved into a complex and intricate cultural and commercial sector jointly regulated by industrial stakeholders and state regulators.
Contemporary British and Italian Sound Docudrama
The book focuses on radio and sound docufiction and docudrama through comparative analysis of the British and the Italian output from post war years to the 2010s from both a historical and formal point of view. It sheds light on a rather neglected area of study providing a systematic survey of the development of the form and of its current status and perspectives and at the same time constructing viable analytical tools that can be used to investigate individual productions.
Considering the different docudramatic output in formats and quantity in the two countries the book explores case studies from BBC Radio which continue to air a high number of programmes with a great variety of formats and subgenres and Italian case studies from both independent bodies and the Radio RAI whose docudramatic production has declined since the late 1980s.
Specifically the study seeks to explain how radio language in its purely acoustic dimension allows access to unpredictable layers of truth often complementary when not overtly alternative to the documental truth of declaredly journalistic or scientific programmes.
A well-researched resource for university students scholars researchers and educators in media sociology of media and history. In-depth analysis of an original topic.
Women in Portuguese Print Media
Our research is focused on examining the role of women in print media both considering how Portuguese media portray women and how they are being used as sources by journalists. We focus also on the areas women are news protagonists and whether their “voices” are being taken in the first hand.
Drawing from the idea that media representations constitute a normative function of the language that reveals or distorts what is taken as true about gender issues our approach combines a quantitative content analysis with qualitative discourse analysis to explore the way women are being portrayed in Portuguese print media (daily and weekly newspapers and magazines over 3 years over 10 thousand news items). Content analysis is designed to characterize the relevance and highlight of news on women but also reading protagonists features news sources to whom main “voices” in the news belong and news direction. Discourse analysis focuses on major arguments for a positive or negative direction in the news and the speech subtleties that reveal gender stereotypes.
Narratives About Women's Identity in Yugoslavia From a Croatian Perspective
This paper aims to investigate and describe the presentation of articles on narratives in Yugoslavia in Croatian academia using the example of the central portal of Croatian academic journals Hrčak which provides access to journals after the Open Access Initiative. Thus the main focus of the research is to examine the academic discourse on selected Croatian portals on the topic of women in Yugoslavia. Narratives in Yugoslavia are part of an ideology created through propaganda activities. Therefore the aim is to investigate which narratives about women in Yugoslavia are offered by academic texts as publicly available media sources for reporting on this period. A total of 49 articles were empirically analysed using qualitative and quantitative content and narrative analysis. The data were coded and analysed according to the period of publication (during and after the disintegration of Yugoslavia).
The Media Representation of Female Politicians in Croatia: Who Will Give Us Power if We Think We Do Not Deserve It?
Croatia is the latest member of the European Union (2013) and one of the European countries where the Catholic Church's social role is very powerful. Since Croatia entered the EU the strengthening of clerical catholic associations’ social influence has significantly increased. Croatian media represents women in the politics further reflects these deep-rooted prejudices and the extent of the Catholic Church's influence. The chapter through indepth interviews explores why and how five Croatian women political journalists from national daily newspapers participate in the creation of such media representations. As a former politician I was intensively gendered stereotyped in the media and I find the deepening of gender stereotypes extremely dangerous. If such phenomena are not deconstructed we could soon witness the realization of The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood's novel.
The Female Profile Promoted in Scânteia During the First Decade of the Communist Regime in Romania
The chapter addresses the representation of women in the written media of the early communist instalment in Romania focusing on the Scânteia newspaper. The publication was the party's official voice one of the main instruments of communist enforcement ideological and informational control a barometer of policy changes intent and actions of the political movement coordinated from Moscow thus making it the perfect source of information. The newspaper addressed the general public and appeared daily with rare exceptions until 1965. The period of interest was the first decade of the communist establishment which was also the harshest repressive regime that the country endured until the Revolution of December 1989. After browsing almost 30000 pages from the indicated timeframe each mention of a woman was selected and entered into a database that grew to over 18600 text and photo references which later transformed into interesting and original conclusions.
When Sexism in Politics Became a Media Issue in France: Mobilization of Female Political Journalists
On May 5th 2015 forty-one mostly anonymous women signed an open letter in the French national daily newspaper Libération entitled “We women political journalists and victims of sexism ...”. They explained that they wanted to denounce the impunity of politicians whose sexist behavior towards them sometimes extending to sexual harassment constituted a gender constraint in conducting political journalism on a daily basis so they felt disadvantaged in the strategic news-gathering process compared to their male colleagues. This open letter is our starting point for questioning the mediatization of sexism in politics. By what processes under what conditions and in what context was the public denunciation of sexism exerted by elected representatives on women journalists possible? At the crossroads of sociology of journalism gender studies and social problem construction this research is based on an on-the-ground survey consisting of semi-structured interviews (13) with male and female political journalists working in various media (print online press radio television) and under different employment statuses (permanent freelance).
One Human, Unequal Gender: A Critical Appraisal of Women and News Creation in Nigeria
This story examined through content analysis 208 stories of two Nigerian newspapers over a period of two years to ascertain the gender distribution of reporters and topics they cover as well as the gender distribution of story sources and the topics they are used in. The results of the study indicated that men were generally over-represented as journalists and sources. Female journalists predominated only in lower-ranked areas and topics such as entertainment and arts while their male counterparts dominated politics business and other highly ranked areas. Also men took the lead in terms of number of expert sources and areas and topics of usage. Despite the increase in number of female journalists female journalism graduates and influx of female journalism students findings indicate a profession and practice dominated and controlled by men in all ramifications.
Visual Representations of Fashion and Clothing Practices in the Post-War Period of Socialist Yugoslavia in the Magazines Žena u borbi (Woman in Struggle) and Naša moda (Our Fashion) 1
AFŽ (Anti-Fascist Women's Front) as the main platform of women's emancipation in the period of the National Liberation War and in the post-war period of socialist Yugoslavia promotes and propagates the concept of “New Women” (emancipated politically and socially active worker) through direct propaganda in the magazine Žena u borbi (Women in Struggle). Immediately after the liberation AFŽ began to publish a very popular magazine with fashion content called Naša moda (Our Fashion). This paper presents both magazines through the analysis and comparison of different clothing and fashion content which reveal the relationship to fashion and clothing as part of everyday clothing practices and the development of clothing culture. This case study relates to the period of early Yugoslav socialism from 1945 to 1953. Intense post-war modernization influenced the culture of dress and the aestheticization of life. However the gradual development of industrial production was not at the same time in balance with the new reality and the desire for prosperity and consumption.
New New New (n3) Portrayals of Women in Television and Postfeminist News
This chapter looks at new develops in representations of women in television in terms of women’s relationship to work to traditional gender roles to each other and to emergent social movements created by women. Concepts such as proto-feminist feminist emerging and post-feminism are used and explained.
Whither Gender Equality? The Image of Women in News over Time
The representation of women in the news media has been prominent on the policy and research agenda since the 1960's- 1970's. The study maps the evolution in the prevalence of female news actors and sources in male female or neutral topics in Dutch-speaking Belgian news media between 2003 and 2013. Within the research sample there was no increase of female actors between 2008 and 2013 however some significant improvements were found between 2003 and 2013. Overall the gender balance was the lowest within male topics (Simpson's Dz of .56) and the highest within female topics (Simpson's Dz of .91). Within neutral topics no sufficient gender diversity was found (Simpson's Dz of .78). Although VRT (Public Service Media) has an explicit diversity policy strategy the study did not reveal a significant higher share of women in the newscasts of VRT compared to the commercial counterparts.
Being a Female Journalist in Serbia: Socialist and Post-Socialist Perspective
For many decades during the 20th century Serbia was a part of socialist Yugoslavia. After the war and the tragic war-related consequences to the political social and cultural ties between former republics Serbia entered a transitional process that has still not ended. However there are many differences between the socialist media environment and today’s media system. In Yugoslavia there was a strong relationship between the nature of news production and state control. The domination of the public media service was evident. Understanding the reasons behind the socialist journalistic practice is important to determine its further transformation into the post-socialist commercial digital or revitalized state media system. In the sense of describing the social framework the term socialist in recent literature can often refer to a onedimensional perspective. On the other hand the term post-socialist is characterized by more dispersed spaces complexity and a range of identities. Looking into everyday life social order is morphing into new empirical evidence that requires wider reflection. However female journalism is an underdeveloped field of research in Serbia. Another largely unexplored field of study is the lack of comparing the experience of elderly women journalists from the socialist media environment and the experience of younger women employed in today’s media organizations. Our research intends to fill the gap in expert literature with a critical insight into female journalism which provides a nexus for the detailed examination of gendered news production the commercialization process power and control. Building on critical media studies and qualitative methodology our research draws attention to the role of female journalistic experience in socialism and post-socialism. Using the methods of indepth interview and focus group we will explore to what extent female journalists occupied significant positions in newsrooms then and now in Serbia.
Who Creates the News About Violence Against Women? The Case of Spain
Violence against women (VAW) is a topic that has been progressively increased as an international concern. However the role of journalists in the construction of VAW news has not been yet exploredindepth. This chapter explores first if there is a feminization of the coverage of VAW news; second if the newspapers treat VAW as a main theme; third if the sex of the editor influences the quality of the news and fourth if the sex of the authors has an impact onsources selection. A sample of sexist murders news published during 2016 in three relevant Spanish newspapers (El Mundo eldiario.es y Diario de Sevilla) has been analyzed.The results show a journalistic dependence of the News Agencies that have a lower grade of quality than the news signed by journalists. In conclusion mostly the sources used in VAW news are expert and/or official. Alsoa progressive implementation of the existing deontological recommendations is deduced. Moreover most of the news published by the Spanish media are agency news. Finally agency news presents a considerably worse quality than those signed by media professionals