2026-05-16T22:37:20Z https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/oai

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/810 2020-07-21T09:48:24Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Metadata Laws, Journalism and Resistance in Australia Brevini, Benedetta digital resistance; journalists; metadata; surveillance The intelligence leaks from Edward Snowden in 2013 unveiled the sophistication and extent of data collection by the United States’ National Security Agency and major global digital firms prompting domestic and international debates about the balance between security and privacy, openness and enclosure, accountability and secrecy. It is difficult not to see a clear connection with the Snowden leaks in the sharp acceleration of new national security legislations in Australia, a long term member of the Five Eyes Alliance. In October 2015, the Australian federal government passed controversial laws that require telecommunications companies to retain the metadata of their customers for a period of two years. The new acts pose serious threats for the profession of journalism as they enable government agencies to easily identify and pursue journalists’ sources. Bulk data collections of this type of information deter future whistleblowers from approaching journalists, making the performance of the latter’s democratic role a challenge. After situating this debate within the scholarly literature at the intersection between surveillance studies and communication studies, this article discusses the political context in which journalists are operating and working in Australia; assesses how metadata laws have affected journalism practices and addresses the possibility for resistance. Cogitatio Press 2017-03-22 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/810 10.17645/mac.v5i1.810 Media and Communication; Vol 5, No 1 (2017): Post-Snowden Internet Policy; 76-83 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i59 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/810/502 Copyright (c) 2017 Benedetta Brevini http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10681 2026-05-07T15:05:34Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Migrant Social Media Influencers as Vernacular CERC Agents: Mediating Government Communication During Covid-19 Smoliarova, Anna Covid-19; digital public; government communication; health communication; influencers; migration; social media Effective government communication is crucial for promoting inclusive governance, especially in increasingly diverse societies. However, a significant gap remains in engaging residents with migration backgrounds, often leaving these communities underinformed and underserved in public discourse. This shortfall becomes especially critical during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. Among transnational migrants in various countries, social networks were the main sources of information about Covid-19. Social media influencers with migration backgrounds became crucial transmitters of governmental information to their audiences. For instance, in 2020, Russian-speaking female bloggers in almost 40 countries started a global discussion about the Covid-19 outbreak on Instagram. This article presents the results of a content analysis of 113 Instagram posts by 58 Russian-speaking female influencers in 37 countries during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. It demonstrates that influencers acted as primary information sources. Instead of relying on news media, they spread information from governmental sources to audiences within their countries of residence and globally. In this article, I highlight how strategic use of social media can bridge the communication divide, ensuring that residents with migration backgrounds integrate better into the public information ecosystem while balancing public service with ethical governance Cogitatio Press 2025-11-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10681 10.17645/mac.10681 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Government Communication on Social Media: Balancing Platforms, Propaganda, and Public Service 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i496 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10681/4787 Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Smoliarova https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5894 2022-10-31T14:57:08Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Social Media and Contentious Action: The Use and Users of QQ Groups in China Tai, Zixue China; collective action; connective action; QQ groups; social media; social protest This article presents an analysis of a netnographic study of QQ groups engaged in contentious activities in China. Informed primarily by semi-structured in-depth interviews of 34 participants and field observations through years of grounded research, the findings shed light on the communicative dynamics and mobilization strategies of QQ groups in nurturing contentious action and motivating mass participation in social protest. In-group communication stays highly focused on the respective mission of the groups, and it cultivates a sense of shared awareness conducive to collective action. There is also a noticeable contagion effect that transfers the spirit of contestation in terms of speech and action. Mobilizing dynamics in the QQ groups point to a hybrid model of activist-brokered networks, which crosscuts and interconnects elements in Bennett and Segerberg’s (2012) prototype of self-organizing networks and organizationally brokered networks. Group leaders and activists resort to a multi-layered mechanism to dissipate contentious information and to mobilize participation in protests. Cogitatio Press N/A 2022-10-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5894 10.17645/mac.v10i4.5894 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 4 (2022): Protesting While Polarized: Digital Activism in Contentious Times; 66-76 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i329 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5894/2876 Copyright (c) 2022 Zixue Tai https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1399 2020-07-21T09:48:50Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Mobile Media and Social Space: How Anytime, Anyplace Connectivity Structures Everyday Life Vanden Abeele, Mariek De Wolf, Ralf Ling, Rich Giddens; logics; mobile media; power; responsibilization; social structure Using Giddens’ (1984) structuration theory we examine how social structures in mobile communication technologies shape the everyday life of individuals, thereby re-shaping power dynamics that underlie the social organization of society. We argue that the anytime, anyplace connectivity afforded by mobile communication technologies structures society by imposing a network, social and personal logic. We discuss how each logic both reproduces and challenges traditional power structures, at the micro- as well as macro-level. At the micro-level, the network logic refers to mobile communication technologies’ capacity to organize activities in a networked fashion, granting people greater autonomy from time and place. The social logic refers to mobile communication technologies’ capacity for perpetual contact, fostering social connectedness with social relationships. The personal logic refers to mobile communication technologies’ capacity to serve as extensions of the Self, with which people can personalize contents, services, place and time. The flipside of these logics is that, at the micro-level, the responsibility to operate autonomously, to maintain personal social networks, and to manage and act based on personal information shifts to the individual. We also notice shifts in power structures at the macro-level. For instance, to reap the benefits of mobile communication technology individuals engage in free ‘digital labor’ and tolerate new forms of surveillance and control. Cogitatio Press 2018-05-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1399 10.17645/mac.v6i2.1399 Media and Communication; Vol 6, No 2 (2018): Rethinking Media and Social Space; 5-14 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i90 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1399/776 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/1399/307 Copyright (c) 2018 Mariek Vanden Abeele, Ralf De Wolf, Rich Ling http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11476 2026-04-29T09:41:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART ec_fundedresources driver

Covid-19, Community Resilience, and Marginalised Populations: Health Communication and Chinese Communities in the UK Gong, Sarah Q. Somerville, Ian communication theory of resilience; Covid-19; health communication; UK Chinese communities The Covid-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to global public health, economies, and societies. In the UK, the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, healthcare systems, and individual well-being was also profound and multifaceted. While the pandemic had far-reaching consequences for the general population, its impact was not evenly distributed across society. It has been widely reported that the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately affected ethnic minority communities, exposing and amplifying long-standing health and social inequalities. This study addresses a gap in existing research by contributing new insights to ongoing debates on ethnic minority health and public health communication. It takes a “bottom-up” approach by using focus groups to explore how UK-based Chinese communities, many of whom live at the margins of mainstream British society, drew on forms of community resilience to interpret, navigate, and endure the pandemic. Our study deploys the typology outlined in Buzzanell’s communication theory of resilience alongside thematic analysis as a framework to identify, understand, and analyse the findings from focus groups. Key findings demonstrate that UK Chinese communities constituted resilience in the face of the pandemic by engaging in the processes Buzzanell identifies. They also relied on their cultural resources to build and maintain resilience, and indeed they had to, because culturally and linguistically they had little support from government or health authorities. Cogitatio Press AHRC 2026-02-26 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11476 10.17645/mac.11476 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Communicating Risk, Trust, and Resilience Among Diverse and Marginalised Populations 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i507 eng info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/003643 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11476/4960 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copyright (c) 2026 Sarah Q. Gong, Ian Somerville https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7071 2023-12-07T10:59:47Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Distrust Profiles: Identifying the Factors That Shape Journalism’s Credibility Crisis Ksiazek, Thomas B. Kim, Su Jung Nelson, Jacob L. Park, Ahran Patankar, Sushobhan Sabalaskey, Olivia Taneja, Harsh digital intermediaries; distrust profiles; journalism folk theories; media systems; news audiences; news distrust; swing trusters; trust polarization Trust in news is declining globally and has been for some time a phenomenon that has been amplified in the context of a global pandemic, the rise in anti-media populism, and social and political unrest. Overall, public trust in journalism remains low (44% globally), according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. Building on a growing body of research on predictors of (dis)trust among news audiences, this study examines survey data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 to explore distrust profiles—comparative profiles of users based on their relative distrust in news in general, news they consume, and news accessed through digital intermediaries like social and search—across distinct news environments: India, South Korea, and the US. We conclude that, across all three countries, there are large segments who either trust everything or distrust everything, suggesting a trust polarization phenomenon. Moreover, the results identify segments of swing trusters, users who trust some news and distrust other types but do not indicate a blanket tendency to trust or distrust everything. Normative expectations about the institution of journalism (i.e., folk theories) seem to be the most powerful factors in explaining the relative likelihood of membership in all profiles, where expectations regarding impartiality, concern about fake news, and fair coverage were important indicators of (dis)trust, with varying degrees depending on the media, political, and technological contexts in which they are situated. These findings suggest that to regain trust, journalists should consider how they can change people’s folk theories when it comes to news by comprehensively taking into account the unique trajectory of a given country’s media system. Cogitatio Press Villanova University Summer Grant Program 2023-12-07 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7071 10.17645/mac.v11i4.7071 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 4 (2023): Trust, Social Cohesion, and Information Quality in Digital Journalism; 308-319 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i366 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7071/3507 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/7071/3403 Copyright (c) 2023 Thomas B. Ksiazek, Su Jung Kim, Jacob L. Nelson, Ahran Park, Sushobhan Patankar, Olivia Sabalaskey, Harsh Taneja https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2869 2020-06-23T08:18:39Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Localizing the Politics of Privacy in Communication and Media Research Möller, Johanna E. Dogruel, Leyla media research; politics; privacy; technology While previous communication and media research has largely focused on either studying privacy as personal boundary management or made efforts to investigate the structural (legal or economic) condition of privacy, we observe an emergent body of research on the political underpinnings of privacy linking both aspects. A pronounced understanding of the politics of privacy is however lacking. In this contribution, we set out to push this forward by mapping four communication and media perspectives on the political implications of privacy. In order to do so, we recur on Barry’s (2002) distinction of the political and the politics and outline linkages between individual and structural dimensions of privacy. Finally, we argue that the media practice perspective is well suited to offer an analytical tool for the study of the multiple aspects of privacy in a political context. Cogitatio Press 2020-06-23 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2869 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2869 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): The Politics of Privacy: Communication and Media Perspectives in Privacy Research; 237-247 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i162 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2869/1574 Copyright (c) 2020 Johanna E. Möller, Leyla Dogruel http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7680 2024-05-23T09:44:09Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

A Transnational Network Analysis of Refugees in Crisis Kenix, Linda Jean Gibbins, Eliot immigration policy; media; media framing; negative attributes; news coverage; policy branding; refugees Over 3,000 articles from 2012–2022 in Spanish and English across the US, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras were manually coded to better understand how refugees in crisis were framed in both home and destination countries. This study uses a detailed frame analysis and a broad transnational network analysis to highlight each refugee attribute on the media agenda that then informs policy across nations. While there is wide variation in the immigration policies of the countries sampled, there was nearly uniform negative framing and clustering of identical negative attributes across all countries sampled. This negative transnational homogenization of news content problematises the idea of unique journalism norms and may have profound “real world” consequences that can further stigmatize refugees throughout the Americas. This research also found that the valence of content became more negative and emotive over time. This suggests that the debate around immigration will continue and even escalate as a battleground of politics and culture—and that refugees may be portrayed even more negatively across media in the future. Given this increasing negativity and emotionality in coverage, societies may see more nationalistic—and xenophobic—immigration policies throughout the Americas and a less empathetic focus on the human rights of refugees. Cogitatio Press The University of Canterbury 2024-03-18 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7680 10.17645/mac.7680 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Policy Framing and Branding in Times of Constant Crisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i431 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7680/3687 Copyright (c) 2024 Linda Jean Kenix, Eliot Gibbins https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3153 2020-08-13T10:53:51Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Popular Music as Entertainment Communication: How Perceived Semantic Expression Explains Liking of Previously Unknown Music Lepa, Steffen Steffens, Jochen Herzog, Martin Egermann, Hauke entertainment; genre preferences; musical expression; music preferences; musical taste; popular music; push scenarios; semantics Our contribution addresses popular music as essential part of media entertainment offerings. Prior works explained liking for specific music titles in ‘push scenarios’ (radio programs, music recommendation, curated playlists) by either drawing on personal genre preferences, or on findings about ‘cognitive side effects’ leading to a preference drift towards familiar and society-wide popular tracks. However, both approaches do not satisfactorily explain why previously unknown music is liked. To address this, we hypothesise that unknown music is liked the more it is perceived as emotionally and semantically expressive, a notion based on concepts from media entertainment research and popular music studies. By a secondary analysis of existing data from an EU-funded R&D project, we demonstrate that this approach is more successful in predicting 10000 listeners’ liking ratings regarding 549 tracks from different genres than all hitherto theories combined. We further show that major expression dimensions are perceived relatively homogeneous across different sociodemographic groups and countries. Finally, we exhibit that music is such a stable, non-verbal sign-carrier that a machine learning model drawing on automatic audio signal analysis is successfully able to predict significant proportions of variance in musical meaning decoding. Cogitatio Press European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program IRCAM Paris, HearDis! Corporate Sound GmbH 2020-08-13 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3153 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3153 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 3 (2020): Computational Approaches to Media Entertainment Research; 191-204 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i189 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3153/1686 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/3153/1238 Copyright (c) 2020 Steffen Lepa, Jochen Steffens, Martin Herzog, Hauke Egermann http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4492 2021-12-22T09:35:07Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

A Case Study: Mada Masr—A Progressive Voice in Egypt and Beyond Leihs, Nadia alternative media; Arab Spring; authoritarianism; Egyptian media; Mada Masr; media systems; media transitions; online journalism This article questions the role of the media in times of political transformation. In doing so, it draws on theories on the interconnectedness of the different fields of society to explain the sets of roles that media outlets and journalists adopt during phases of transition. Before 2011, the Egyptian media mostly acted as collaborators of the ruling regime and rarely as an agent of change. Journalists took over the latter role more often following the advent of privately-owned media outlets, thus helping to pave the way for the events of the so-called Arab Spring. This case study focuses on the development of the online news portal Mada Masr and therefore traces the development of two newsrooms. Starting as the English edition of a privately-owned Arabic newspaper in 2009 and changing its status to an independent news outlet in 2013, Mada Masr is one of the few voices which still openly criticise the Egyptian government. Founded in a time of political turmoil and struggling against an increasingly authoritarian environment, the outlet implements innovative ways of producing content, securing funding, and reaching out to its readers. A group of young Egyptian and international journalists make use of new spaces for expression that have opened through the global changes in communication infrastructure while struggling with frequent attacks by representatives of the ruling regime. As such, Mada Masr is a role model for small and regime-critical media outlets. Cogitatio Press 2021-12-17 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4492 10.17645/mac.v9i4.4492 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 4 (2021): Ten Years after the Arab Uprisings: Beyond Media and Liberation; 275-285 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i275 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4492/2428 Copyright (c) 2021 Nadia Leihs http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/9644 2025-07-30T09:16:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Exploring the Challenges of Generative AI on Public Sector Communication in Europe Lovari, Alessandro De Rosa, Fabrizio communicators; disinformation; ethics; generative AI; public communication; public sector communication; trust This study investigates how emerging digital technologies, particularly generative AI tools, are transforming public sector communication in Europe, highlighting the profound intersection between public organizations, AI, and human interactions. In particular, it explores the opportunities and risks that public sector communicators face as they deal with and integrate digital platforms and AI‐driven tools into their strategies and practices in a contemporary scenario characterized by the spread of disinformation and a growing distrust toward institutions. The article gathers insights from in‐depth interviews with leading public sector communicators working for European governments and EU institutions. Findings reveal that generative AI is seen as a transformative tool for governments and public institutions, with communicators emphasizing both benefits and risks, as well as the importance of adopting ethical practices and new responsibilities toward citizens, institutions, and mass media. From the interviews, generative AI tools emerged as game‐changers in message delivery and content production, demanding greater professionalism and new competencies and skills to integrate these technologies into public sector communication strategies and to counteract the threats posed by disinformation campaigns and platformization. The study provides valuable insights into the evolving role of generative AI in public‐sector communication, addressing the scarcity of research in this field. As the adoption of generative AI becomes inevitable, and policy frameworks like the EU AI Act develop, communicators must ensure transparency and trust to align public sector communication with democratic values and foster meaningful dialogue in new digital‐media arenas. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Cogitatio Press 2025-05-14 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9644 10.17645/mac.9644 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): AI, Media, and People: The Changing Landscape of User Experiences and Behaviors 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i475 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9644/4369 Copyright (c) 2025 Alessandro Lovari, Fabrizio De Rosa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4955 2022-05-30T11:42:23Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

When Politicians Meet Experts: Disinformation on Twitter About Covid-19 Vaccination Pérez-Curiel, Concha Rúas-Araújo, José Rivas-de-Roca, Rubén Covid-19; disinformation; experts; fact-checking; public communication; public health; social cohesion; Twitter; vaccination The Covid-19 vaccination has meant a huge challenge for crisis communication. After months of lockdowns, mass vaccination was a silver lining moment, but it was under threat from disinformation boosted by misinformation on social media. This research explores how opinion leaders among political leaders and health experts used Twitter to create and manage messages about the vaccination process. Specifically, we show the issues (issue frame) and strategies (game frame) applied by these actors. This study employs a corpus on the words “Covid-19” and “vaccines” used on Twitter by the heads of government and 10 recognized health experts (two for each country) in the US, the UK, France, Portugal, and Spain. We also analyze the accounts of fact-checking projects on those countries (@PolitiFact, @FullFact, @decodeurs, @JornalPoligrafo, and @maldita). The sample allows the comparison of countries with different political cultures that participated differently in the production of vaccines. The data were captured from the beginning of the vaccination drive (December 14th, 2020) until most of the population above 60 were vaccinated (May 14th, 2021). A manual content analysis was performed on the tweets (n = 2,607). The results illustrate that the politicians mostly disagreed with experts regarding issues and strategies. This finding can foster distrust in the elites and, therefore, threatens the long-term success of a public health campaign. Our study contributes to discussions on the role of networks for social cohesion, arguing that the public conversation on Twitter about the vaccination has revealed high levels of controversy. Cogitatio Press VI Research Plan University of Seville 2022-05-26 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4955 10.17645/mac.v10i2.4955 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 2 (2022): Impact of Social Media on Social Cohesion; 157-168 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i308 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4955/2585 Copyright (c) 2022 Concha Pérez-Curiel, José Rúas-Araújo, Rubén Rivas-de-Roca https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10733 2025-10-02T09:23:30Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Behind the Screen: The Use of Facebook Accounts With Inauthentic Behavior During European Elections Oprea, Bogdan Pașnicu, Paula Niculae, Alexandru-Ninel Bonciu, Constantin-Cozmin Tudorașcu-Dobre, Dragoș election campaign; Facebook; fake accounts; inauthentic behavior; manipulation; Meta; political communication; social media Technology has reshaped political communication, allowing fake engagement to drive real influence in the democratic process. Hyperactive social media users, who are over-proportionally active in relation to the mean, are the new political activists, spreading partisan content at scale on social media platforms. Using The Authenticity Matrix tool, this study revealed Facebook accounts of hyperactive users exhibiting inauthentic behaviour that were used during the electoral campaign (May 10, 2024, to June 8, 2024) for the 2024 election of Romanian members of the European Parliament. The results indicate that, for some posts, up to 45% of shares were made by hyperactive users (four or more shares per post by the same account) and 33.9% by super-active users (10 or more times). This type of online behavior is considered by Meta as manipulation of “public opinion,” “political discussion,” and “public debate,” and Meta’s Community Standards is committed to preventing such behavior in the context of elections. Another key contribution of this research is the identification of dominant characteristics of hyperactive user accounts, using information publicly available on their social media profile, which provides insights into their specific features and helps users better identify them on social media. The article highlights that online social network platforms condemn these manipulative practices in theory, but they don’t take sufficient measures to effectively reduce them in order to limit their impact on our societies. Cogitatio Press 2025-09-04 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10733 10.17645/mac.10733 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Electoral Communication: European Elections in Times of (Poly)Crises 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i497 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10733/4617 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/10733/5057 Copyright (c) 2025 Bogdan Oprea, Paula Pașnicu, Alexandru-Ninel Niculae, Constantin-Cozmin Bonciu, Dragoș Tudorașcu-Dobre https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6480 2023-06-28T08:01:25Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Wellbeing Amid Digital Risks: Implications of Digital Risks, Threats, and Scams on Users’ Wellbeing Dutt, Bindiya digital fraud; digital risks; digital wellbeing; mediatized risks; online scams; online theft This study investigates how users perceive their wellbeing amid the risks associated with digital media use in Norway. According to the literature, some of these risks include digital dependence, online privacy, scams, thefts, information misuse, and harassment. To expand knowledge on how these and other digital risks are construed by users, this study addresses the following research questions: What implications do digital risks have on users’ perceived sense of wellbeing? What are the solutions proposed by users to manage these risks? Methodologically, the inquiry is led through a qualitative approach comprising 17 semi-structured in-depth interviews of university students in Norway. The investigation centers on an interpretative phenomenological analysis. This study contributes to the existing literature by empirically evaluating the notion of digital wellbeing in the everyday choices of university students, thereby comprehending their safety concerns and how they manage online risks while exploring solutions to combat the risks of digital usage. The study adds value to the present literature on digital wellbeing by juxtaposing digital risks with the construct of wellbeing in digitalized societies. Cogitatio Press 2023-06-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6480 10.17645/mac.v11i2.6480 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 2 (2023): A Datafied Society: Data Power, Infrastructures, and Regulations; 355-366 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i351 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6480/3297 Copyright (c) 2023 Bindiya Dutt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1910 2019-08-09T03:46:25Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Newsworthiness and the Public’s Response in Russian Social Media: A Comparison of State and Private News Organizations Judina, Darja Platonov, Konstantin audience; media agenda; news organizations; news values; newsworthiness; Russia; social media; social networks Social media have become one of the most important news delivery channels due to their interactivity and large audiences. The content published by news organizations on social networking sites is of particular value to sociologists, because it allows measurement of users’ attitude to certain events. However, we understand that the media choose which events become news in accordance with certain criteria, such as news values. In this study, we decided to examine how news values determine the public’s response as expressed by likes, reposts, and comments. To analyze the characteristics of different media and their audiences, we selected four popular newsgroups on the social networking site Vkontakte: TASS and Russia Today, representing the state media, alongside RBC and Meduza, representing the private media. The posts of the selected newsgroups were coded and analyzed by means of Harcup and O’Neill taxonomy of values (2016). The study showed that news organizations tend to have preferences for some news values rather than others. Regression analysis revealed positive relationships between 1) the sharing of likes and good and entertaining content, 2) the sharing of comments and the presence of celebrities or conflicts in news, 3) the sharing of reposts and comments and significant events. An unexpected discovery was a negative dependency between the number of comments and the presence of exclusive content. Cogitatio Press the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes of Saint Petersburg State University the Center for Sociological and Internet Research of Saint Petersburg State University 2019-08-09 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1910 10.17645/mac.v7i3.1910 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 3 (2019): Public Discussion in Russian Social Media; 157-166 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i159 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1910/1194 Copyright (c) 2019 Darja Judina, Konstantin Platonov http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7073 2024-02-07T12:17:54Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The War in Ukraine and the EU’s Geopolitical Role in Spanish Media Discourses Quintanal, Gracia Abad Boulos, Sonia Radeljić, Branislav European Union; geopolitics; media discourses; security; Spain; Ukraine; war The EU’s ability to protect common interests and effectively address the challenges faced by its members relating to external threats is one of the most debated questions in the European landscape. Understandably, the war in Ukraine has had a major impact on discourses regarding the EU Common Security and Defense Policy, granting them more space and thus visibility in the media and public debates. Our study examines Spanish media discourses about the EU’s geopolitical role and, more specifically, to what extent such discourses foster or hamper European integration processes. To collect data and carry out this study, we selected six media outlets based on their ownership, ideological stance, consumption frequency, and impact on public opinion. Our sample includes 540 news items, collected between July 2021 and March 2022. Our discourse analysis benefits from, inter alia, a Foucauldian framework that focuses on the sayable, conservation, memory, reactivation, and appropriation. In addition, we also identify communicative strategies that are employed to promote different discourses, as well as possible policy alternatives, concerning the EU’s geopolitical role and future prospects. Cogitatio Press European Union's H2020 Research and Innovation Programme 2023-10-19 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7073 10.17645/mac.v11i4.7073 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 4 (2023): Mediatized Discourses on European Integration: Information, Disinformation, and Polarization; 20-33 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i367 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7073/3409 Copyright (c) 2023 Gracia Abad Quintanal, Sonia Boulos, Branislav Radeljić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3878 2021-04-06T04:34:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Casting for Change: Tracing Gender in Discussions of Casting through Feminist Media Ethnography Hermes, Joke Kopitz, Linda audience research; casting; ethnography; feminist media studies; feminist method; gender; humour The moment of casting is a crucial one in any media production. Casting the ‘right’ person shapes the narrative as much as the way in which the final product might be received by critics and audiences. For this article, casting—as the moment in which gender is hypervisible in its complex intersectional entanglement with class, race and sexuality—will be our gateway to exploring the dynamics of discussion of gender conventions and how we, as feminist scholars, might manoeuvre. To do so, we will test and triangulate three different forms of ethnographically inspired inquiry: 1) ‘collaborative auto-ethnography,’ to discuss male-to-female gender-bending comedies from the 1980s and 1990s, 2) ‘netnography’ of online discussions about the (potential) recasting of gendered legacy roles from Doctor Who to Mary Poppins, and 3) textual media analysis of content focusing on the casting of cisgender actors for transgender roles. Exploring the affordances and challenges of these three methods underlines the duty of care that is essential to feminist audience research. Moving across personal and anonymous, ‘real’ and ‘virtual,’ popular and professional discussion highlights how gender has been used and continues to be instrumentalised in lived audience experience and in audience research. Cogitatio Press 2021-03-23 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3878 10.17645/mac.v9i2.3878 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 2 (2021): Gender and Media: Recent Trends in Theory, Methodology and Research Subjects; 72-85 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i244 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3878/2011 Copyright (c) 2021 Joke Hermes, Linda Kopitz http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8800 2025-02-13T08:43:23Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Beyond Play: Researching the Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in Deeply Mediatized Societies Schwarzenegger, Christian Koenen, Erik Radde-Antweiler, Kerstin Wolf, Karsten D. communicative figurations; consequence; deep mediatization; digital gaming; emergence; gamevironment; media cultures; transformation Digital gaming has evolved from a peripheral activity to a central aspect of mediatized lifeworlds, significantly impacting media culture and society. Despite its pervasive influence, digital gaming research often occupies a marginalized status within broader academic disciplines. This article advocates for recognizing digital gaming as an integral part of the media landscape and understanding its role within a deeply mediatized society. By adopting a holistic perspective, this study emphasizes the interconnectedness of digital gaming with other media forms and cultural practices, highlighting its significance in driving digital transformation. Therefore, we argue for a dual development: one that removes gaming from its segregated special status and recognizes it as an integral part of the media landscape, and another that situates the unique aspects of gaming within the broader context of a society deeply transformed and shaped by media; capturing both its significance and its role as part of the whole. We elaborate on the concept of gamevironments bridging deep mediatization research and communicative figurations to comprehend change brought about by the transformative power of digital gaming in deeply mediatized societies. Gamevironments encompass transmedia figurations and narratives, cross-media adaptations, social interactions, user-generated content, and the cultural and educational impacts of gaming. We discuss the analytical potential of gamevironments along five distinct yet interrelated areas (making of gamevironments, values in and of gamevironments, governance of gamevironments, education in and for gamevironments, and researching gamevironments) to provide a comprehensive view of digital gaming’s transformative impact on digital society. Cogitatio Press 2025-02-13 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8800 10.17645/mac.8800 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Digital Games at the Forefront of Change: On the Meaningfulness of Games and Game Studies 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i460 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8800/4128 Copyright (c) 2025 Christian Schwarzenegger, Erik Koenen, Kerstin Radde-Antweiler, Karsten D. Wolf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4152 2021-09-16T10:00:33Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Let’s Get Loud: Intersectionally Studying the Super Bowl’s Halftime Show Van Bauwel, Sofie Krijnen, Tonny discourse analysis; intersectionality; Latinidad; listening; popular culture; Super Bowl Halftime Show The study of popular culture has always been closely related to the study of class, gender, race, and sexuality. An increasing number of authors have called for an intersectional approach. However, the contradictory, fluid meanings articulated in popular culture render such an approach difficult, and many ignore the call for intersectional analysis. We will not. We will try to engage with an intersectional analysis of popular culture, using Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s performance at the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show as a case to study the intersections of identity markers. We aim to bridge the different meanings attributed to their performance and to understand them as different elements in the intersectional configuration. A discourse analysis of the performance, and of reviews thereof, was performed to unravel five elements highlighted in the discourse: the quality of the show, Shakira and Lopez’s empowered performances, the incorporation of Latinidad elements, the performers’ sexiness, and perceived political messages. Our aim to understand how the contradictory discourses about these elements arose urges the reader to use listening to grapple with the complexity of intersectional analysis. Truly listening includes putting effort into opening up academic cultures, finding other voices. It is important to recognize global gender inequity, but we need to start investing far more to understand the politics of media representations as a transnational affair that causes multiple conceptions of gender (and other related) concepts to clash, mesh, and integrate. Cogitatio Press 2021-09-13 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4152 10.17645/mac.v9i3.4152 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 3 (2021): From Sony’s Walkman to RuPaul's Drag Race: A Landscape of Contemporary Popular Culture; 209-217 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i255 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4152/2272 Copyright (c) 2021 Sofie Van Bauwel, Tonny Krijnen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/9395 2025-04-15T09:27:46Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Televisual Inequalities and Gender Dynamics in German News: Health Experts During the Covid-19 Crisis Wegner, Juliane Covid-19; gender representation; healthcare experts; televisuality; women in media This study explores gender representation among healthcare experts on German television during the first wave of Covid-19 reporting, addressing the broader issue of gender disparities in media coverage. Using Caldwell’s concept of televisuality and the audio-visual character analysis (ACIS) method for content analysis, we examined 174 corona-related news programmes that aired between 16 April and 30 April 2020. Of the 2,240 characters analyzed, 1,299 were experts, yet only 15% were women. Despite women’s strong presence in healthcare professions, men overwhelmingly dominated medical and political discussions during this period, while women were more frequently shown in supportive or emotional roles. These findings reveal a significant gender gap in the visibility and portrayal of experts during the pandemic’s early crisis communication, with men disproportionately occupying authoritative roles. This imbalance underscores how media coverage in public health emergencies continues to reinforce traditional gender norms, limiting female representation in leadership positions. The study highlights the need for more equitable media representation in crisis reporting to better reflect societal diversity and ensure inclusive communication. Cogitatio Press Elizabeth Prommer, University of Rostock Julia Stüwe, University of Rostock 2025-03-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9395 10.17645/mac.9395 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Redefining Televisuality: Programmes, Practices, and Methods 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i474 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9395/4280 Copyright (c) 2025 Juliane Wegner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1351 2020-07-21T09:48:56Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Psychasthenia Studio and the Gamification of Contemporary Culture Szabo, Victoria activist games; critical play; game studies; gamification; installation art; new media; psychology; subversion; videogames What does it mean to say that Games Matter within a new media art context? Conversely, what contributions can artists and scholars exploring the medium make to the cultural conversation around their use and meaning? This contribution highlights the ways in which our interdisciplinary art collective, Psychasthenia Studio, has addressed the cultural effects of games and gamification as they have evolved over the last decade, using a series of videogame art projects as the medium of expression and critique. As Mary Flanagan (2009) suggested in Critical Play, “games carry beliefs within their representation systems and mechanics” (p. 4). Through their thematic content and interaction design, the three videogames developed by us in the interdisciplinary Psychasthenia Studio between 2009‒2017 draw attention to those beliefs as they exist not only in the games themselves, but also more broadly in an increasingly gamified contemporary culture. Psychasthenia Studio simultaneously intervenes in the discussion around games in society and pushes the boundaries of what constitutes new media art practice today. By playing the Psychasthenia games, our hope is that users both co-author and witness their own participation in the system. Cogitatio Press Duke University, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Renaissance Computing Institute 2018-06-07 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1351 10.17645/mac.v6i2.1351 Media and Communication; Vol 6, No 2 (2018): Games Matter? Current Theories and Studies on Digital Games; 90-102 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i91 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1351/784 Copyright (c) 2018 Victoria Szabo http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6366 2023-06-09T17:35:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Selfies and Speeches of a President at War: Volodymyr Zelensky’s Strategy of Spectacularization on Instagram Plazas-Olmedo, Maite López-Rabadán, Pablo celebritization; Instagram; politainment; political communication; pop politics; social media; spectacularization; Ukraine; war; Zelensky The spectacularization of politics is not the exclusive patrimony of the media in their news coverage. Leaders from all over the world have successfully incorporated this “communicative style” into their own strategies, a style that finds a suitable space in visual social networks such as Instagram, in dynamic formats such as video, and in crisis contexts. This article analyzes the “spectacularization” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s through Instagram. The methodological proposal is based on the study of the 5W in relation to the digital image and investigates the leading role, the staging, the space, and the technical resources of the videos. Thus, a content analysis is applied to a sample of 143 videos published by the president on his official profile in February–March 2022, when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began, and in September–October 2022. We observed that Zelensky uses video in an intense and “spectacular” way: He exploits his figure in a professional style, strategically combines careful staging with amateurism, and uses resources such as subtitles to internationalize his discourse. Cogitatio Press Ministerio de Universidades Universitat Jaume I 2023-05-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6366 10.17645/mac.v11i2.6366 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 2 (2023): Political Communication in Times of Spectacularisation: Digital Narratives, Engagement, and Politainment; 188-202 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i352 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6366/3084 Copyright (c) 2023 Maite Plazas-Olmedo, Pablo López-Rabadán https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1614 2020-07-21T09:49:29Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Managing Super-Diversity on Television: The Representation of Ethnic Minorities in Flemish Non-Fiction Programmes Panis, Koen Paulussen, Steve Dhoest, Alexander ethnic minorities; ethnocultural diversity; super-diversity; media representation; public service media; television; non-fiction programmes This study examines and evaluates the representation of ethnocultural diversity in non-fiction TV programmes broadcasted by the Flemish (Belgian Dutch-speaking) public service broadcaster VRT in the 2016–2017 TV season. A qualitative content analysis of a sample comprising 36 clips and episodes of 14 non-fiction programmes was supplemented by four focus group interviews with a total of 12 participants belonging to different ethnocultural minorities. The findings suggest that despite several measures undertaken by the VRT, the representation of ethnocultural minorities is still unbalanced and biased in at least three ways: first, in presenting minorities as homogeneous groups rather than highlighting intragroup differences; second, in ‘typecasting’ people with a migration background thematically, i.e., for items on topics and issues related to their ethnocultural identity; and, third, in portraying and approaching minorities from a dominant group perspective. The article ends with the recommendation for public service media to further improve ethnocultural diversity in the workforce and to encourage their journalists and TV producers to reconsider their ‘professional pragmatics’ in order to increase their ethnocultural sensitivity and better manage the representation of super-diversity in their programmes. Cogitatio Press VRT 2019-02-05 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1614 10.17645/mac.v7i1.1614 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 1 (2019): Communicating on/with Minorities; 13-21 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i118 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1614/1007 Copyright (c) 2019 Koen Panis, Steve Paulussen, Alexander Dhoest http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6464 2023-06-29T08:37:04Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Follow the Data! A Strategy for Tracing Infrastructural Power Flensburg, Sofie Lai, Signe Sophus critical data studies; data economy; infrastructural power; internet infrastructures; political economy Recalling the well-known strategy of “following the money” when investigating the underlying power structures and business models of legacy media, this article argues that studies of digital political economies can benefit instead from following the data. Combining perspectives from critical data studies and infrastructure research, we first discuss how direct money flows can be difficult to trace in digital ecosystems, creating a need for alternative analytical approaches for studying and scrutinising contemporary power configurations in digital societies. As a theoretical backdrop, we elaborate on the concept of infrastructural power and apply it in a walkthrough of critical data infrastructures. To illustrate the efficacy of this strategy, we provide perspectives and examples from the political economies of internet infrastructures in Northern Europe and discuss how control over data is translated into economic profit and societal power. In doing so, we argue that increased attention to data infrastructures is needed to advance both critical data and infrastructure studies, improve digital market monitoring, and ground future regulation and policy. Cogitatio Press 2023-06-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6464 10.17645/mac.v11i2.6464 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 2 (2023): A Datafied Society: Data Power, Infrastructures, and Regulations; 319-329 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i351 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6464/3165 Copyright (c) 2023 Sofie Flensburg, Signe Sophus Lai https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/281 2020-07-21T09:47:43Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Role of Hackers in Countering Surveillance and Promoting Democracy Kubitschko, Sebastian big data; civil society organization; counter-power; democracy; hacker; locative media; media technologies and infrastructures; participatory media; privacy; surveillance Practices related to media technologies and infrastructures (MTI) are an increasingly important part of democratic constellations in general and of surveillance tactics in particular. This article does not seek to discuss surveillance per se, but instead to open a new line of inquiry by presenting qualitative research on the Chaos Computer Club (CCC)—one of the world’s largest and Europe’s oldest hacker organizations. Despite the longstanding conception of hacking as infused with political significance, the scope and style of hackers’ engagement with emerging issues related to surveillance remains poorly understood. The rationale of this paper is to examine the CCC as a civil society organization that counter-acts contemporary assemblages of surveillance in two ways: first, by de-constructing existing technology and by supporting, building, maintaining and using alternative media technologies and infrastructures that enable more secure and anonymous communication; and second, by articulating their expertise related to contemporary MTI to a wide range of audiences, publics and actors. Highlighting the significance of “privacy” for the health of democracy, I argue that the hacker organization is co-determining “interstitial spaces within information processing practices” (Cohen, 2012, p. 1931), and by doing so is acting on indispensable structural features of contemporary democratic constellations. Cogitatio Press 2015-09-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/281 10.17645/mac.v3i2.281 Media and Communication; Vol 3, No 2 (2015): Surveillance: Critical Analysis and Current Challenges (Part I); 77-87 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i30 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/281/223 Copyright (c) 2015 Sebastian Kubitschko http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/583 2020-07-21T09:47:59Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Target Gutahuka: The UN’s Strategic Information Intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo Jacob, Jacob Udo-Udo demobilisation; dialogue entre Congolais; disarmament; Gutahuka; repatriation This paper examines the nature and impacts of two information intervention radio programmes broadcast on Radio Okapi—the radio service of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A matched randomization technique was used to assign Rwandan Hutus and Congolese autochthons in South Kivu to listen to either of the two programmes within their naturalistic contexts for 13 months. At the end of the treatment, participants’ perceptions of barriers to peace; descriptive and prescriptive interventions; victimhood and villainity; opportunities for personal development and civic engagement; and knowledge of repatriation processes were assessed in 16 focus groups across four contexts. The study concludes that international media intervention programmes that provide robust information and a platform for objective analyses within a multiple narrative and participatory framework can enhance greater engagement with nascent democratic reforms, positive perception of long term opportunities for personal development and empathy with the ethnic Other. Cogitatio Press British Institute in Eastern Africa 2016-05-04 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/583 10.17645/mac.v4i2.583 Media and Communication; Vol 4, No 2 (2016): International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century; 104-119 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i41 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/583/340 Copyright (c) 2016 Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3091 2020-08-24T03:41:16Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

News Media Performance Evaluated by National Audiences: How Media Environments and User Preferences Matter Steppat, Desiree Castro Herrero, Laia Esser, Frank alternative media; audiences; media environment; media performance; news; online media; polarization; traditional media Media fragmentation and polarization have contributed to blurring the lines between professional and non-professional journalism. Internationally, more fragmented-polarized media environments are often associated with the emergence of non-professional news providers, the weakening of journalistic standards, and the segmentation of audiences along ideological leanings. Furthermore, these environments are home to partisan and alternative news media outlets, some of which try to actively undermine the credibility of traditional mainstream media in their reporting. By following an audience-centric approach, this study investigates the consequences of more fragmented-polarized media environments and consumption habits on users’ perceptions of news media performance. We use online-survey data from five countries that differ in the extent of fragmentation and polarization in the media environment (CH = 1,859, DK = 2,667, IT = 2,121, PL = 2,536, US = 3,493). We find that perceptions of high news media performance are more likely to be expressed by citizens from less fragmented-polarized media environments. Positive perceptions of news media performance are also stronger among users of traditional media, and those who inform themselves in a more attitude-congruent manner. By contrast, citizens from more fragmented-polarized media environments and users of alternative news media tend to express less satisfaction with news media performance. Based on these results, we argue that perceptions of news media performance among news users are shaped by their individual media choices as well as by the composition of the news media environments that surrounds them. Cogitatio Press Swiss National Science Foundation [project grant number: 100017_173286] 2020-08-24 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3091 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3091 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 3 (2020): Media Performance in Times of Media Change; 321-334 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i186 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3091/1713 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/3091/1119 Copyright (c) 2020 Desiree Steppat, Laia Castro Herrero, Frank Esser http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8670 2024-12-18T09:58:15Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Tactics of Disconnection: How Netizens Navigate China’s Censorship System He, Kun Eldridge II, Scott A. Broersma, Marcel activism; China; disconnectivity; internet censorship; populism This article explores the complex, multi-layered mechanisms of internet censorship in China, emphasizing its role as both a tool of control over public engagement and a mechanism for elites to disconnect themselves from spaces of public scrutiny, and avoid potential threats such as doxxing by bottom-up populist online movements. Through in-depth interviews with social media users, this study investigates how individuals perceive, assess, and navigate the boundaries of internet censorship, focusing on their awareness of censorship practices, the assessment of sensitive content, and the tactics they employ to circumvent restrictions. We further examine how a sophisticated censorship mechanism—comprising self-censorship, platform censorship, and physical enforcement—works to disconnect netizens from grassroots collective actions. The findings reveal that internet censorship in China not only regulates online populist activism but also serves as a protective shield for elites, allowing them to curate a controlled digital space that suppresses critical discourse. By highlighting the ways in which both ordinary users and elites navigate the challenges of digital engagement in this heavily regulated environment, this study provides theoretical insights into the practice of disconnectivity as an elite privilege. It enhances our understanding of the interplay between connectivity, censorship, and disconnectivity in shaping the digital landscape and its implications for social change and political engagement in China and beyond. Cogitatio Press Florian Schneider, Leiden University 2024-11-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8670 10.17645/mac.8670 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Disconnectivity in a Changing Media and Political Landscape 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i456 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8670/4071 Copyright (c) 2024 Kun He, Scott A. Eldridge II, Marcel Broersma https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3419 2021-02-05T04:28:44Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Uninvited Dinner Guests: A Theoretical Perspective on the Antagonists of Journalism Based on Serres’ Parasite Nordheim, Gerret von Kleinen-von Königslöw, Katharina antagonists; attack vector; hacking; news hacks; parasite; Serres; systems theory In the digital age, the crisis of journalism has been exacerbated by antagonistic actors infiltrating the journalistic system without adhering to its norms or logic. Journalism itself has been ill-prepared to respond to this challenge, but journalism theory and research have also had trouble in grasping these phenomena. It is thus the aim of this article to propose a theoretical perspective on a specific set of antagonists characterized by its paradoxical nature. It is ‘the excluded third, included’ as described by Serres, the parasite that is both part of the system and its antagonist. From the perspective of systems theory, the parasite is a subsystem that threatens the integrity of the primary system. Thus, the parasite is defined by the relations that describe its position, its behaviour towards the host system. Due to these peculiarities—this contradiction, this vagueness—it evades a classical bivalent logic. This may be one reason why the paradoxical nature of the antagonist from within, the ‘uninvited dinner guest,’ has not been described as such until now. The parasitic practices follow the logic of the hacker: He is the digital manifestation of Serres’ parasite. Accordingly, parasitic strategies can be described as news hacks whose attack vectors target a system’s weak points with the help of specific strategies. In doing so, they not only change the system output but also compromise its values and exploit its resources. Cogitatio Press 2021-02-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3419 10.17645/mac.v9i1.3419 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 1 (2021): Dark Participation in Online Communication: The World of the Wicked Web; 88-98 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i207 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3419/1951 Copyright (c) 2021 Gerret von Nordheim, Katharina Kleinen-von Königslöw http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8634 2024-10-31T10:13:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Data-Driven Campaigning in Data-Dense Small Multiparty Systems: A Party-Level Analysis Segesten, Anamaria Dutceac Sandberg, Linn data analytics; democracy; election campaigns; political communication; political parties This study examines data-driven campaign (DDC) practices in Sweden. We explore the extent of data-driven practices adopted in Swedish political campaigns, and parties’ motivations to adopt them. Since this is a comparison of domestic parties, we test the importance of four party-level factors—resources, structure, attitudes toward data use, and ideology—using extensive interviews with key campaign managers in Sweden during the 2022 election year. Our results show that the differences among the eight parties studied are rather small, and that systemic factors are more important than party variables to explain the adoption of data-driven approaches. Zooming in on these finer differences we distinguish between top DDC adopters (Social Democrats, Center, and Conservatives) and a lower tier with lower levels of DDC implementation. To explain the differences between the two tiers, we find that economic resources are important, with richer parties being more advanced in DDC use. Party structure, attitudes to data, and ideology do not affect the likelihood of a Swedish party using data analytics in their strategic decision-making. Instead, we suggest party type (catch-all vs. niche) is a potentially more useful party-level factor in explaining variation. Cogitatio Press 2024-10-31 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8634 10.17645/mac.8634 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Data-Driven Campaigning in a Comparative Context: Toward a 4th Era of Political Communication? 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i457 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8634/4023 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/8634/3870 Copyright (c) 2024 Anamaria Dutceac Segesten, Linn Sandberg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/427 2020-07-21T09:48:10Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Still ‘Watching’ TV? The Consumption of TV Fiction by Engaged Audiences Dhoest, Alexander Simons, Nele cross-media; Flanders; in-depth interviews; TV fiction; TV viewing There is no denying that television, as a medium and an institution, has drastically changed in the age of digitization and convergence. For audiences, this has not only opened up multiple opportunities to watch television content at other times and on other devices, but also to interact with its cross-media extensions. However, while much has been written about the new opportunities for audience engagement, we do not know much about the actual adoption of new technologies nor the motivations underlying such uses. Therefore, this paper draws on empirical audience research to address the key question: how do viewers engage with contemporary TV fiction? Through empirical audience research, using various qualitative research methods, three different aspects of the reception of cross-media TV fiction will be discussed: (1) how do viewers watch the TV episodes of contemporary TV fiction?, (2) how do viewers engage with the cross-media extensions of TV fiction?, and (3) how do viewers experience the social dimensions of contemporary TV fiction? We focus on a particular group, that of 'engaged' viewers, who are actively involved by personalizing their viewing practices, by communicating about it, by consuming cross-media elements of TV fiction, or producing TV fiction-related content. Our findings suggest that even this group does not make full use of all the available technological opportunities to personalize TV viewing, and that the classical TV text, linear viewing, and the social aspect of viewing remain of key importance. Cogitatio Press 2016-07-14 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/427 10.17645/mac.v4i3.427 Media and Communication; Vol 4, No 3 (2016): (Not Yet) the End of Television; 176-184 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i46 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/427/406 Copyright (c) 2016 Alexander Dhoest, Nele Simons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5316 2022-10-28T09:27:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Methodological Reflections on Capturing Augmented Space: Insights From an Augmented Reality Field Study Schweiger, Moritz Wimmer, Jeffrey augmented reality; augmented space; locative tracking; methodology; polarity profiles; spatial meaning; spatial movement; spatial perception; thinking aloud The growing popularity of augmented reality has led to an increased overlaying of physical, offline space with digital, augmented space. This is particularly evident in the public space of big cities, which already feature a multitude of holographic content that can be experienced via augmented reality devices. But how can we methodically capture the interrelation between physical and augmented space? In this augmented reality field study, a historical building was holographically reconstructed in its original size on a public city square. The test people were then able to move around and view the hologram from different angles via high-tech augmented reality glasses. Due to its explorative character and constantly changing field conditions, including, among other things, the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to critically reflect and adapt our methods to take into account technical, environmental, social, operationalisation, and recruitment issues. After evaluating our solutions to these issues, this article aims to illustrate the methodological challenges and opportunities of augmented reality field studies and to provide an overview of best practices for capturing the interrelationship of physical and augmented space. Cogitatio Press 2022-09-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5316 10.17645/mac.v10i3.5316 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 3 (2022): Across Mobile Online and Offline Spaces: Reflections on Methods, Practices, and Ethics; 290-302 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i317 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5316/2797 Copyright (c) 2022 Moritz Schweiger, Jeffrey Wimmer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/997 2020-07-21T09:48:36Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Journalists’ Associations in Poland Before and After 1980 Furman, Wojciech association; democratization; journalism; Poland; politics; professionalism Even under the authoritarian political system, the Association of Polish Journalists was able to achieve a certain level of independence. Journalists sought to use any possibility to expand the area of their freedom; however, the more possibilities arose, the bigger were differences of opinions about the ways and means of democratization. Contemporary arguments between diverse journalists’ associations in Poland reveal how difficult it is to separate a common concern for professional journalism from political divisions. Cogitatio Press 2017-09-27 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/997 10.17645/mac.v5i3.997 Media and Communication; Vol 5, No 3 (2017): Histories of Collaboration and Dissent: Journalists’ Associations Squeezed by Political System Changes; 79-84 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i73 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/997/626 Copyright (c) 2017 Wojciech Furman http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11395 2026-04-02T09:53:04Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

To Scenes Through Screens? A Study of The Offline Club Digital Detox Community Ľudviková, Zuzana Gabdulhakov, Rashid digital dependency; digital detox; digital disconnection; the Netherlands; The Offline Club As daily life, social relations, and labour increasingly unfold through digital media, users seek to regulate their digital engagement by adopting dumbphones, uninstalling applications, or participating in “digital detox.” In high-connectivity contexts such as the Netherlands, digital disengagement has gained traction among middle-class citizens and expatriate professionals. This article examines how digital disconnection is commodified, socially valorised, and collectively experienced through a case study of The Offline Club (TOC), a Netherlands-based initiative offering curated digital detox events. Drawing on a netnographic approach, we analysed 35 posts on TOC’s Instagram page, conducted participant observation at two events, and carried out nine semi-structured interviews with attendees. We argue that TOC constructs digital disconnection as a curated, temporary practice that unfolds within urban contexts where the role of digital technologies becomes increasingly ambiguous. While TOC markets disconnection as resistance to digital saturation, its own reliance on social media and platform infrastructure for outreach and legitimacy reveals a paradox of disconnection-through-connection. Our findings demonstrate how such initiatives both respond to and reproduce platform logics, simultaneously cultivating community while inadvertently reinforcing cycles of commodified digital non-use. From a digital humanist perspective, we critique the limitations of initiatives like TOC that offer symptomatic relief without addressing the structural conditions of digital dependency. While participants may temporarily reclaim attention and presence, the broader socio-technical systems that underpin digital overload remain unchallenged, raising critical questions about the efficacy and politics of commercialised digital detox movements. Cogitatio Press 2026-01-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11395 10.17645/mac.11395 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Digital Resilience Within a Hypermediated Polycrisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i499 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11395/4901 Copyright (c) 2026 Zuzana Ľudviková, Rashid Gabdulhakov https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5690 2022-11-29T12:02:16Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

How Right-Wing Populist Comments Affect Online Deliberation on News Media Facebook Pages Thiele, Daniel Turnšek, Tjaša deliberation; immigration; incivility; online news; populist communication; political communication; reciprocity; social media; user comments Right-wing populist user comments on social media are said to impair online deliberation. Right-wing populism’s anti-pluralist and conflict-centered message might hinder deliberative debates, which are characterized by reciprocity, arguments, sourcing, politeness, and civility. Although right-wing populism has been found to foster user interaction on social media, few empirical studies have examined its impact on the scope and deliberative quality of user debates. This study focuses on debates on 10 Facebook pages of Austrian and Slovenian mass media during the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015–2016. Proceeding in two steps, we first analyze how right-wing populist user comments affect the number of reply comments using a dataset of N = 281,115 Facebook comments and a validated, automated content analysis. In a second step, we use a manual, quantitative content analysis to investigate how right-wing populist comments affect the deliberative quality of N = 1,413 reply comments. We test five hypotheses in carefully modeled regression analyses. Our findings show that right-wing populist comments trigger replies but impair their deliberative quality. People-centric comments decrease the probability of arguments in replies, and anti-immigrant comments spark incivility. Countering populism further increases impoliteness. We discuss our findings against the backdrop of an increasingly uncivil online public sphere and populism’s ambivalent relationship with democracy. Cogitatio Press FWF - Austrian Science Fund ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency 2022-11-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5690 10.17645/mac.v10i4.5690 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 4 (2022): Online Communities and Populism; 141-154 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i330 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5690/2969 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/5690/2930 Copyright (c) 2022 Daniel Thiele, Tjaša Turnšek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11452 2026-04-02T09:53:04Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Hypermediated Adolescence: Tactical Resilience Through and Against the Digital in Post-Pandemic China Dong, Dandan adolescents; deep mediatization; digital resilience; everyday digital practices; hypermediated environments; platform society The Covid-19 pandemic intensified the everyday volatility of hypermediated life. Drawing on longitudinal, multi-method qualitative material from Chinese adolescents who entered puberty during the pandemic—including platform observation, repeated interviews, family-based focus groups, and mobile ethnography—this study examines how digital resilience is enacted through routine media practices across disruption and uneven normalization. The analysis identifies four recurring practice clusters through which adolescents modulate affect, manage visibility, and negotiate relational exposure: ritualizing digital routines, narrativizing fear, playful misrecognition, and liquid platform use. These practices are interpreted through a three-layer framework of mediation: infrastructural shaping by platform affordances and algorithmic design; social scaffolding via caregivers and peer networks; and symbolic negotiation through narrative, humor, and affective framing. The study advances communication research on youth and digital media by reconceptualizing digital resilience as a set of situated communicative practices through which everyday livability is sustained within hypermediated, volatile environments. Cogitatio Press National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences 2026-04-02 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11452 10.17645/mac.11452 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Digital Resilience Within a Hypermediated Polycrisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i499 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11452/5024 Copyright (c) 2026 Dandan Dong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2736 2023-01-27T09:26:51Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Enduring Popularity of Legacy Journalism: An Analysis of Online Audience Data Nelson, Jacob L. audience studies; digital native news; journalism; legacy news; news consumption; news publishers As news publishers continue to lose subscribers and advertising revenue, journalism practitioners and researchers have looked to newcomers to the field for ideas of how to adapt and succeed in a much more saturated and unstable media environment. Many have specifically looked to digital native news organizations to understand the ways that journalism is attempting to reinvent itself for a media landscape that is very different from the previous one. Yet what often gets lost in this focus on the newest news organizations is the resilience of many of journalism’s older ones. In this study, I analyze a year’s worth of U.S.-based online news consumption data to show that, even in a media environment increasingly saturated with digital native news outlets, legacy news brands continue to comprise a majority of the most popular news sites. Drawing on audience studies literature, I argue that these findings likely reflect audience preferences for familiar, established brands, as well as structural advantages these brands maintain due to their size and capital. I conclude that the fate of digital news organizations is not just a question of their innovativeness or nimbleness. It is also a question of their ability to combat a combination of powerful, stubborn forces: the habits of the people they hope to reach, and the deep pockets of their competitors. Cogitatio Press 2020-04-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2736 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2736 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Digital Native News Media: Trends and Challenges; 40-50 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i174 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2736/1496 Copyright (c) 2020 Jacob L. Nelson http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7482 2024-05-23T09:49:46Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Unraveling US Newspapers’ Digital and Print Subscriptions in the Context of Price, 2016–2022 Chyi, Hsiang Iris Jeong, Sun Ho Covid-19; digital subscription; digital transformation; newspaper circulation; newspapers; subscription revenue Despite industry-wide efforts in digitally transforming news organizations, research showed that most newspapers’ legacy products still outperformed the same newspaper’s digital offerings in terms of engagement, circulation, readership, pricing, advertising, and subscription revenue—all by a wide margin. But Covid-19 created an unprecedented scenario where the need for instant, local news updates, the fear of contacting anything tangible, and financial stress may have changed consumer behavior. To assess the state of the newspaper industry, this study analyzes short-term and long-term trends in US newspapers’ digital and print circulation before and during the pandemic. The analysis considered price, an important factor often neglected in discussions about newspaper demand. Utilizing rich industry data, this study analyzed 18 US metro daily newspapers’ circulation trends during 2016–2022. The results revealed that digital circulation increased rapidly after the onset of Covid-19 but subsequently decreased after reaching the peak in Q3 2021. Print circulation continued its rapid decline since 2016, accompanied by continuous, substantial price hikes for print subscriptions—a typical print subscription now costs over $1,000 a year. Despite circulation declines, the print edition remains the core product, with more subscribers paying far more than digital subscribers. Because of the immense price gap (6 to 1), the seemingly promising increase in digital subscriptions during Covid-19 could not generate nearly as much revenue to cover the loss on the print side, resulting in a substantial loss in total subscription revenue. The state of the US newspaper industry needs immediate attention. Cogitatio Press 2024-02-06 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7482 10.17645/mac.7482 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Examining New Models in Journalism Funding 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i398 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7482/3561 Copyright (c) 2024 Hsiang Iris Chyi, Sun Ho Jeong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812 2020-06-25T09:30:15Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators Koivumäki, Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Karvonen, Erkki communication; media research; new media; science communication; social media In contemporary media discourses, researchers may be perceived to communicate something they do not intend to, such as coldness or irrelevance. However, researchers are facing new responsibilities concerning how popular formats used to present science will impact science’s cultural authority (Bucchi, 2017). Currently, there is limited research on the microlevel practices of digital science communication involving researchers as actors. Therefore, this qualitative study explores how digital academic discourse practices develop, using the tweeting and blogging of researchers involved in a multidisciplinary renewable energy research project as a case. The results of a thematic analysis of interviews with researchers (n = 17) suggests that the researchers’ perceptions form a scale ranging from traditional to progressively adjusted practices, which are labelled ‘informing,’ ‘anchoring,’ ‘luring,’ and ‘maneuvering.’ These imply an attempt to diminish the gap between science and the public. The interviewees acknowledge that scientific facts may not be interesting and that they need captivating means that are common in the use of new media, such as buzzwords and clickbait. It appears that trials and experimentation with hybrid genres helped the researchers to distinguish the contours of digital academic discourses. The implications support suggestions to broaden the trajectories of expertise and communication, including issues of culture and identity, trust, and the relevance of science. It is argued that scientists’ embrace of new media channels will refine some articulations of the mediatization processes, and these findings support recent suggestions that mediatization could also be conceptualized as a strategic resource. Cogitatio Press This study has been funded by the Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland, project no. 292854 and the Finnish Cultural Foundation 2020-06-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Health and Science Controversies in the Digital World: News, Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement; 425-439 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i179 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812/1592 Copyright (c) 2020 Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Koivumäki, Erkki Karvonen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7774 2024-05-23T09:44:09Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Media Framing of Government Crisis Communication During Covid-19 Hayek, Lore agenda setting; crisis communication; Covid-19; media framing; political communication; political journalism During the early phase of the Covid-19 crisis, televised speeches and press conferences were one of the preferred means of government communication. They emphasized the urgency and severity of the situation and allowed actors to lead news coverage. While in the immediate phase of the crisis these press conferences were also directed at the general public, their original function was, of course, to inform and influence media coverage. The article investigates how government press conferences were received in newspapers in the first phase of Covid-19, answering two research questions: Did a rally-around-the-flag effect occur among journalists during Covid-19? And how did government press conferences influence salience and sentiment in newspaper opinion pieces? To answer these questions, I draw on a unique dataset, including transcripts of all Covid-19 press conferences in five European countries between January and July 2020, as well as opinion pieces from tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. Based on a mix of automated and manual content analysis, the results reveal how factors such as country context, newspaper type, and the progress of a pandemic can influence how the government agenda is reflected in the media in times of crisis. Cogitatio Press FWF Austrian Science Fund 2024-04-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7774 10.17645/mac.7774 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Policy Framing and Branding in Times of Constant Crisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i431 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7774/3739 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/7774/3775 Copyright (c) 2024 Lore Hayek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4437 2022-01-25T11:05:44Z mediaandcommunication:ART ec_fundedresources driver

Remixing News: Appropriation and Authorship in Finnish Counter-Media Seuri, Olli Ramstedt, Kim alternative media; appropriation; authorship; counter media; democracy; journalism; media activism; media work; remix This article outlines a first attempt at analysing counter-media publishing through the lens of remix theory. We concentrate on two key concepts—appropriation and authorship—which have a permanent standing in the remix research literature. To support our theoretical analysis, we investigate the coverage of two cases in the Finnish right-wing counter-media online publication MV-lehti. Our findings enable new readings on the nature of both counter-media work and remix culture. In fact, counter-media publishing leans more in the direction of remix culture—which is based on the act of using pre-existing materials to produce something new—than towards traditional journalistic convention, with its rules and ethical guidelines. MV-lehti’s practice of combining and layering different material is discernibly political, often resembling media activism. Our study provides the argument that counter to the utopian democratising assumptions of remix culture, the proliferation of remix practices has also given antidemocratic actors the means to challenge collectively and institutionally supported ideas of knowledge and justice. Counter-media publishing is perhaps democratising in that it offers the means to participate, but these antagonistic actors also remix news to undermine liberal-democratic ideals and social justice. Evidently, remix practices can be co-opted for a reactionary agenda. Cogitatio Press This work was supported by The Academy of Finland (320286) ”Flows of Power - media as site and agent of politics”, and also by the The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland "The impact of digitalisation on minority music" 2022-01-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4437 10.17645/mac.v10i1.4437 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 1 (2022): New Forms of Media Work and Its Organizational and Institutional Conditions; 110-119 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i274 eng info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/320286 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4437/2495 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copyright (c) 2022 Olli Seuri, Kim Ramstedt http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10042 2026-02-18T09:34:17Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Ensuring News Quality in Platformized News Ecosystems: Shortcomings and Recommendations for an Epistemic Governance Schneiders, Pascal Stark, Birgit epistemic authority; epistemic rights; governance; media policy; media regulation; news quality; platformization; social media platforms Social media platforms are fundamentally disrupting public communication in two ways. First, non-journalistic actors, such as social media influencers, now have easier access to audiences, increasing the range of epistemic authorities. Second, established news outlets are increasingly reliant on platforms, pressuring them to adapt to the demands of social media. This platformization threatens the quality of public communication and citizens’ realization of their epistemic rights. Drawing on these concerns, this article offers a holistic approach to systematically analyze and practically govern epistemic threats to news quality in the platform-driven hybrid news ecosystem by developing a comprehensive three-stage framework that distinguishes between the production, distribution, and reception of news quality. News quality needs not only to be produced (input) but also to be made visible on platforms (throughput) and processed by audiences (output) in order to contribute to an informed public discourse. Focusing on the EU, the article then discusses current regulatory shortcomings and the need for additional measures to safeguard news quality along its three dimensions. Cogitatio Press 2025-07-23 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10042 10.17645/mac.10042 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Journalism in the Hybrid Media System 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i494 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10042/4492 Copyright (c) 2025 Pascal Schneiders, Birgit Stark https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5129 2022-05-30T11:42:23Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Online Neighborhood Networks: The Relationship Between Online Communication Practices and Neighborhood Dynamics Robaeyst, Ben Baccarne, Bastiaan Meulenaere, Jonas De Mechant, Peter communication infrastructure theory; neighborhood social cohesion; online neighborhood networks; social cohesion This article builds upon communication infrastructure theory and investigates how communication practices on online neighborhood networks (ONNs) relate to the social cohesion of neighborhood communities. Specifically, we study the hyperlocal social media platform Hoplr, which provides ad-free ONNs in which neighbors can communicate with one another. Local governments can subscribe to Hoplr to communicate with their residents and engage them for community and public participation purposes. This study is based on an online survey of Hoplr members (N = 3,055) from 150 randomly selected ONNs. Social cohesion is disentangled as a combination of social support, a sense of community, reciprocal exchange, and social trust. We investigated social cohesion differences at the neighborhood level in relation to self-reported types of ONN communication practices (shared interest, supportive communication, and both tangible and informational support mobilization). The results reveal the limited value of quantified behavioral data to explain differences in neighborhood social cohesion. However, interesting patterns are revealed between different communication practices and neighborhood social cohesion, such as the importance of trivial storytelling and information exchange practices for enhancing trust, reciprocal support, and a sense of community. At the same time, a reversed relation appears when ONNs are considered explicit information exchange platforms. With these insights, we enhance the theoretical understanding of ONNs in relation to neighborhood social cohesion and within a broader repertoire of neighborhood communication infrastructures. Cogitatio Press Hoplr 2022-05-26 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5129 10.17645/mac.v10i2.5129 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 2 (2022): Impact of Social Media on Social Cohesion; 108-118 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i308 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5129/2690 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/5129/2188 Copyright (c) 2022 Ben Robaeyst, Bastiaan Baccarne, Jonas De Meulenaere, Peter Mechant https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1879 2019-07-02T04:43:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Urban & Online: Social Media Use among Adolescents and Sense of Belonging to a Super-Diverse City van Eldik, Anne K. Kneer, Julia Jansz, Jeroen adolescents; identity construction; migration; Rotterdam; self-esteem; social media; super-diversity; urban identity In a world of continuous migration, super-diverse cities consist of a multitude of migrants and non-migrants from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Yet one characteristic they all have in common is the place where they currently live. In addition, both groups are active users of social media, especially the young. Social media provide platforms to construct and negotiate one’s identity—particularly the identity related to where one lives: urban identity. This article presents the results of a survey study (N = 324) investigating the relationships between social media engagement and identity construction among migrant and non-migrant adolescents in the super-diverse city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was found that urban identity was significantly higher for migrants than non-migrants. Certain aspects of social media engagement predicted urban identity in combination with social identity. Finally, social media engagement was found to be positively related to group self-esteem. Cogitatio Press Roy Borggreve, Bouwkeet 2019-06-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1879 10.17645/mac.v7i2.1879 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 2 (2019): Refugee Crises Disclosed: Intersections between Media, Communication and Forced Migration Processes; 242-253 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i122 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1879/1151 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/1879/452 Copyright (c) 2019 Anne k. van Eldik, Julia Kneer, Jeroen Jansz http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6813 2023-08-03T10:31:36Z mediaandcommunication:ART ec_fundedresources driver

Are Online Political Influencers Accelerating Democratic Deconsolidation? Gibson, Rachel Bon, Esmeralda Darius, Philipp Smyth, Peter democratic deconsolidation; digital campaigning; micro-influencers; online election; online influencers; social media Social media campaigning is increasingly linked with anti-democratic outcomes, with concerns to date centring on paid adverts, rather than organic content produced by a new set of online political influencers. This study systematically compares voter exposure to these new campaign actors with candidate-sponsored ads, as well as established and alternative news sources during the US 2020 presidential election. Specifically, we examine how far higher exposure to these sources is linked with key trends identified in the democratic deconsolidation thesis. We use data from a national YouGov survey designed to measure digital campaign exposure to test our hypotheses. Findings show that while higher exposure to online political influencers is linked to more extremist opinions, followers are not disengaging from conventional politics. Exposure to paid political ads, however, is confirmed as a potential source of growing distrust in political institutions. Cogitatio Press European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, European Research Council 2023-08-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6813 10.17645/mac.v11i3.6813 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): Social Media’s Role in Political and Societal Mobilization; 175-186 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i358 eng info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/833177 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6813/3362 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copyright (c) 2023 Rachel Gibson, Esmeralda Bon, Philipp Darius, Peter Smyth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2294 2020-01-20T08:03:36Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

(A)morally Demanding Game? An Exploration of Moral Decision-Making in a Purpose-Made Video Game Hodge, Sarah E. Taylor, Jacqui McAlaney, John decision-making; digital games; moral foundations theory; morality; purpose-made games; video games A purpose-made video game was used to measure response time and moral alignment of in-game moral decisions, which were made by 115 undergraduate students. Overall, moral decisions took between 4–6 seconds and were mostly pro-social. Previous gameplay, in-game, and post-game experiences predicted in-game moral alignment. Real-life moral salience was not related to in-game decision-making. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of the demands of video games and in-game moral decision-making models. Cogitatio Press 2019-12-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2294 10.17645/mac.v7i4.2294 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 4 (2019): Video Games as Demanding Technologies; 213-225 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i133 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2294/1362 Copyright (c) 2019 Sarah E. Hodge, Jacqui Taylor, John McAlaney http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7181 2024-02-07T12:04:55Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Tethered Disparities: Adolescent Smartphone Use in Rural and Urban China Chen, Huan Tai, Zixue China; digital divide; media disparities; smartphone use; territorial gap The pervasive penetration of the smartphone has disproportionately affected adolescents and youth more than any other sociodemographic group. Inspired by the conceptual framework of the digital divide in internet use, this research aims to interrogate the multi-dimensional aspects of disparities in smartphone use among teens in China. Measurement was developed to assess the first-, second-, and third-level divide as manifested in smartphone access and engagement in a variety of activities, different skill sets, and myriad outcomes and consequences. Results from a cross-sectional survey of 1,511 at-school teens show various patterns of divide along the lines of age, gender, and rural/mid-sized-city/metropolitan location. Cogitatio Press 2023-11-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7181 10.17645/mac.v11i4.7181 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 4 (2023): Digital Media and Younger Audiences: Communication Targeted at Children and Adolescents; 239-251 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i368 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7181/3453 Copyright (c) 2023 Huan Chen, Zixue Tai https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8733 2025-02-13T08:43:23Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Empowered by the Experience: Playing as Female Characters in Video Games Lynch, Teresa Dooley, Annie Markowitz, David M. avatar; entertainment media; eudaimonia; gender; media psychology; video games Research on female video game characters often investigates negative outcomes of playing as stereotyped characters. Yet, video games increasingly offer people opportunities to play as capable, prominent female characters that may be meaningful and promote positive outcomes (e.g., feelings of empowerment). This manuscript shares the results of a mixed methods survey of individuals (N = 751) recruited via online forums who recalled their experiences playing as female game characters. We analyzed qualitative response data using a traditional, top-down approach to identify themes. We focus our analysis and discussion on the results of a human-derived analysis, which indicated both positive and negative dimensions of experiences that participants found meaningful. Participants reported that taking on the role of a female character was often very important to them, but the reason for this significance varied across players. Often, these reasons involved their own gender identities and the context in which the gameplay occurred (e.g., online multiplayer). We consider findings as evidence of eudaimonic media effects. Cogitatio Press 2025-02-13 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8733 10.17645/mac.8733 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Digital Games at the Forefront of Change: On the Meaningfulness of Games and Game Studies 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i460 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8733/4044 Copyright (c) 2025 Teresa Lynch, Annie Dooley, David M. Markowitz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3932 2022-08-30T09:06:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Structures of the Public Sphere: Contested Spaces as Assembled Interfaces Brantner, Cornelia Rodríguez-Amat, Joan Ramon Belinskaya, Yulia assemblage; geomedia; interface; mobile media; public space; public sphere; structures of space This article updates certain aspects of the normative notions of the public sphere. The complex ecosystem of social communications enhanced by mobile media platform activity has changed our perception of space. If the public sphere has to normatively assess the expected conditions for public debate and for democracy, the assemblage of devices, discourses, infrastructures, locations, and regulations must be considered together. The literature reviewed about the public sphere, spaces, and geographically-enabled mobile media leads this article to the formulation of a concept of the public sphere that considers such assemblage as an interface. As an empirically applicable update to the definition of the public sphere the text offers a model that helps analyze those factors considering how they shape the communicative space in four modes: representations, structures, textures, and connections. These modes consider the roles played by assemblages of devices, infrastructures, and content in delimiting the circulation of information. The second part of the article illustrates the model with examples from previous research, paying particular attention to the structures’ mode. The dissection of qualitative, quantitative, and geodata generated by digital and (visual) (n)ethnographic tools reveals three subcategories for the analysis of structures of space: barriers, shifts, and flows. The structures effectively enable/disable communication and define centers and peripheries in the activity flows. The contribution of this article is, thus, conceptual—it challenges and updates the notion of the public sphere; and methodological—it offers tools and outputs that align with the previously developed theoretical framework. Cogitatio Press 2021-07-23 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3932 10.17645/mac.v9i3.3932 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 3 (2021): Spaces, Places, and Geographies of Public Spheres; 16-27 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i252 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3932/2187 Copyright (c) 2021 Cornelia Brantner, Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat, Yulia Belinskaya http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/9362 2025-04-15T09:27:46Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Binge-Watching Netflix? Insights From Data Donations Es, Karin van Nguyen, Dennis binge-watching; data transparency; Netflix; streaming; viewing patterns Netflix is often credited with mainstreaming binge-watching through its release strategy and interface features. However, despite this reputation, data on actual consumption patterns remains scarce, enabling Netflix to shape the narrative about how content is consumed on its platform and what this implies about content quality and viewer attentiveness. This article provides unique empirical insights into Netflix viewing patterns in the Netherlands, based on a pilot study involving data donated by 126 subscribers. It introduces a definition of binge-watching tailored for computational analysis and offers an empirical understanding of its prevalence and manifestations. The findings suggest that binge-watching is a diverse and complex activity. While it is seemingly popular, in that it is practiced by many subscribers, the data suggest it occurs less frequently and is less extreme than would be expected from the hype. Cogitatio Press 2025-02-05 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9362 10.17645/mac.9362 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Redefining Televisuality: Programmes, Practices, and Methods 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i474 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9362/4202 Copyright (c) 2025 Karin van Es, Dennis Nguyen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4162 2021-12-13T11:08:28Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Algorithmic Self-Tracking for Health: User Perspectives on Risk Awareness and Coping Strategies Festic, Noemi Latzer, Michael Smirnova, Svetlana algorithmic selection; coping strategies; mHealth; risk awareness; self-tracking apps; self-quantification; societal risks; user perception; wearables Self-tracking with wearable devices and mobile applications is a popular practice that relies on automated data collection and algorithm-driven analytics. Initially designed as a tool for personal use, a variety of public and corporate actors such as commercial organizations and insurance companies now make use of self-tracking data. Associated social risks such as privacy violations or measurement inaccuracies have been theoretically derived, although empirical evidence remains sparse. This article conceptualizes self-tracking as algorithmic-selection applications and empirically examines users’ risk awareness related to self-tracking applications as well as coping strategies as an option to deal with these risks. It draws on representative survey data collected in Switzerland. The results reveal that Swiss self-trackers’ awareness of risks related to the applications they use is generally low and only a small number of those who self-track apply coping strategies. We further find only a weak association between risk awareness and the application of coping strategies. This points to a cost-benefit calculation when deciding how to respond to perceived risks, a behavior explained as a privacy calculus in extant literature. The widespread willingness to pass on personal data to insurance companies despite associated risks provides further evidence for this interpretation. The conclusions—made even more pertinent by the potential of wearables’ track-and-trace systems and state-level health provision—raise questions about technical safeguarding, data and health literacies, and governance mechanisms that might be necessary considering the further popularization of self-tracking for health. Cogitatio Press Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 176443). 2021-11-18 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4162 10.17645/mac.v9i4.4162 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 4 (2021): Algorithmic Systems in the Digital Society; 145-157 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i253 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4162/2371 Copyright (c) 2021 Noemi Festic, Michael Latzer, Svetlana Smirnova http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1205 2020-07-21T09:49:08Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Personal Power and Agency When Dealing with Interactive Voice Response Systems and Alternative Modalities Walsh, Jill Andersen, Brittany Leigh Katz, James E. Groshek, Jacob computer mediated communication (CMC); interactive voice response systems (IVRs); media equation theory; power in communication; social robots; theory of mind In summer 2015, we conducted an exploratory study of how people in the U.S. use and respond to robot-like systems in order to achieve their needs through mediated customer service interfaces. To understand this process, we carried out three focus groups sessions along with 50 in-depth interviews. Strikingly we found that people perceive (correctly or not) that interactive voice response customer service technology is set up to deter them from pursuing further contact. And yet, for the most part, people were unwilling to simply give up on the goals that motivated their initial contact. Consequently, they had to innovate ways to communicate with the automated systems that essentially serve as gatekeepers to their desired ends. These results have implications for communication theory and system design, especially since these systems will be increasingly presented to consumers as social media affordances evolve. Cogitatio Press 2018-09-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1205 10.17645/mac.v6i3.1205 Media and Communication; Vol 6, No 3 (2018): Multidisciplinary Studies in Media and Communication; 60-68 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i105 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1205/871 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/1205/235 Copyright (c) 2018 Jill Walsh, Brittany Leigh Andersen, James E. Katz, Jacob Groshek http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11521 2026-04-29T09:41:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

(Re)Contextualizing Organizing Inequities: The Communicative Production of Worker Vulnerability in Global Supply Chains Ganesh, Shiv Nandurkar, Bhoopali Keshav Sun, Sha disarticulation; fluidity; labor; supply chains; visibility; vulnerability Global supply chains are the infrastructure of contemporary capitalism and produce, define, and determine the vulnerabilities of labor. Yet much communication inquiry into work conditions does not position either risk or vulnerabilities of labor with regard to these global chains. For organizational communication studies, supply chains also offer an opportunity to recontextualize work inequities and vulnerabilities by moving beyond container metaphors of organizing and single-case studies. This article, therefore, draws upon multiple ethnographic projects conducted in India and China to examine the vulnerabilities faced by various marginalized worker groups enmeshed in global supply chains to identify three communicative conditions that fundamentally shape these vulnerabilities: fluidity, visibility, and disarticulation. Fluidity is explored through a study of fast-fashion workers in China, a primary sourcing hub for global mega-platforms such as Shein and Temu. Visibility is examined via onion supply chains in India, focusing on women whose labor is collectively essential but individually disposable. Finally, disarticulation highlights how garment workers in global cotton supply chains in India are severed from their communities, livelihoods, and each other. We argue that analyzing worker vulnerability necessitates attention to all three communicative conditions, advocating for the use of multi-sited ethnographies as a means to grasp these vulnerabilities. Cogitatio Press 2026-04-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11521 10.17645/mac.11521 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Communicating Risk, Trust, and Resilience Among Diverse and Marginalised Populations 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i507 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11521/5065 Copyright (c) 2026 Shiv Ganesh, Bhoopali Keshav Nandurkar, Sha Sun https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6070 2023-06-26T15:48:50Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Women Scientists on TikTok: New Opportunities to Become Visible and Challenge Gender Stereotypes Huber, Brigitte Baena, Luis Quesada female scholars; gender stereotypes; science communication; social media; TikTok Today, women scientists are still underrepresented in media coverage and confronted with gender stereotypes. However, social media might have the potential to challenge current gender stereotypes of scientists, foster diversity in science communication, and open new ways of becoming visible. We explore this potential by analyzing TikTok accounts of female scholars (n = 50 accounts). Results from content analysis (n = 150 videos) indicate that female scientists from a wide range of different disciplines and at different career stages are visible on TikTok. Building on previous research, we show that female scholars use TikTok mainly to explain scientific facts and concepts and to discuss what being a (female) scholar is like. Moreover, female scholars talk about private life events, give expert advice, and show science in the making. Finally, some of the videos analyzed address gender stereotypes by, for example, challenging assumptions on how a female professor should dress. Implications for science communication in the digital age are discussed. Cogitatio Press 2023-03-27 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6070 10.17645/mac.v11i1.6070 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 1 (2023): Science Communication in the Digital Age: New Actors, Environments, and Practices; 240-251 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i340 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6070/3128 Copyright (c) 2023 Brigitte Huber, Luis Quesada Baena https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/73 2023-12-27T09:05:12Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Between Objectivity and Openness—The Mediality of Data for Journalism Lesage, Frédérik Hackett, Robert A. data; data journalism; mediality; regime of objectivity A number of recent high profile news events have emphasised the importance of data as a journalistic resource. But with no definitive definition for what constitutes data in journalism, it is difficult to determine what the implications of collecting, analysing, and disseminating data are for journalism, particularly in terms of objectivity in journalism. Drawing selectively from theories of mediation and research in journalism studies we critically examine how data is incorporated into journalistic practice. In the first half of the paper, we argue that data's value for journalism is constructed through mediatic dimensions that unevenly evoke different socio-technical contexts including scientific research and computing. We develop three key dimensions related to data's mediality within journalism: the problem of scale, transparency work, and the provision of access to data as 'openness'. Having developed this first approach, we turn to a journalism studies perspective of journalism's longstanding "regime of objectivity", a regime that encompasses interacting news production practices, epistemological assumptions, and institutional arrangements, in order to consider how data is incorporated into journalism's own established procedures for producing objectivity. At first sight, working with data promises to challenge the regime, in part by taking a more conventionalist or interpretivist epistemological position with regard to the representation of truth. However, we argue that how journalists and other actors choose to work with data may in some ways deepen the regime's epistemological stance. We conclude by outlining a set of questions for future research into the relationship between data, objectivity and journalism. Cogitatio Press 2014-01-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/73 10.17645/mac.v1i1.73 Media and Communication; Vol 1, No 1 (2013): Multidisciplinary Studies in Media and Communication; 39-50 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i11 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/73/63

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1765 2020-07-21T09:49:43Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Exploring Political Journalism Homophily on Twitter: A Comparative Analysis of US and UK Elections in 2016 and 2017 Fincham, Kelly elections; groupthink; homophily; political journalism; Twitter, UK; US The tendency of political journalists to form insular groups or packs, chasing the same angles and quoting the same sources, is a well-documented issue in journalism studies and has long been criticized for its role in groupthink and homogenous news coverage. This groupthink attracted renewed criticism after the unexpected victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election as the campaign coverage had indicated a likely win by the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. This pattern was repeated in the 2017 UK election when the Conservative party lost their majority after a campaign in which the news coverage had pointed to an overall Tory victory. Such groupthink is often attributed to homophily, the tendency of individuals to interact with those most like them, and while homophily in the legacy media system is well-studied, there is little research around homophily in the hybrid media system, even as social media platforms like Twitter facilitate the development—and analysis—of virtual political journalism packs. This study, which compares Twitter interactions among US and UK political reporters in the 2016 and 2017 national elections, shows that political journalists are overwhelmingly more likely to use Twitter to interact with other journalists, particularly political journalists, and that their offline tendencies to form homogenous networks have transferred online. There are some exceptions around factors such as gender, news organizations and types of news organization—and important distinctions between types of interactions—but overall the study provides evidence of sustained homophily as journalists continue to normalize Twitter. Cogitatio Press 2019-03-21 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1765 10.17645/mac.v7i1.1765 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 1 (2019): Journalism and Social Media: Redistribution of Power?; 213-224 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i116 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1765/1043 Copyright (c) 2019 Kelly Fincham http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6660 2023-08-03T10:21:11Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Mobilization in the Context of Campaign Functions and Citizen Participation Wurst, Anna-Katharina Pohl, Katharina Haßler, Jörg Facebook; Instagram; online campaigning; political mobilization; political participation; social media Mobilization strategies are an essential part of political parties’ campaign communication. By mobilizing voters and supporters, parties promote civic participation in politics, the forms of which have multiplied given the possibilities of user activities on social media. To define their online mobilization strategies, parties have to choose which forms of participation (e.g., voting, donating, or liking or sharing a post) they will seek to mobilize. Understanding mobilization as a communicative appeal to engage audiences in participatory actions, in our study we conceptually linked parties’ mobilizing appeals with three campaign functions—information, interaction, and mobilization—to systematize different types of mobilization. We applied that categorization to the social media campaigns of parties and top candidates in Germany and conducted a manual quantitative content analysis of 1,495 Facebook and 1,088 Instagram posts published in the run-up to the 2021 federal election. Results show that parties primarily mobilized their audiences to vote and seek out more information (e.g., on the party’s website). Although user reactions are generally an important factor of performance on social media, parties mostly avoided calls to like, share, or comment on posts. When compared, the strategies of parties and candidates indicate that mobilization is more the task of parties than of candidates. Differences between Facebook and Instagram can be attributed to the different technical affordances of the platforms. Because Facebook, unlike Instagram, supports clickable links in posts, parties are more likely to encourage users on Facebook to seek out more information online. Cogitatio Press Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) 2023-08-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6660 10.17645/mac.v11i3.6660 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): Social Media’s Role in Political and Societal Mobilization; 129-140 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i358 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6660/3242 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/6660/3190 Copyright (c) 2023 Anna-Katharina Wurst, Katharina Pohl, Jörg Haßler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/344 2020-07-21T09:47:52Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Voice of the Church: A Debate about Religious Radio Stations as Community Broadcasters Velics, Gabriella Doliwa, Urszula community radio; Hungary; media policy; Poland; religious broadcasters In the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers on the role of community media in promoting social cohesion and intercultural dialogue passed on 11 February 2009 by the Council of Europe, stations run by religious institutions were explicitly excluded from the community media definition, as being too dependent on the Church. But the reality seems to be far from this definition. In practice, in many countries the religious radio stations officially belong to—or even dominate—this sector. In 2011 a new period began for community broadcasting in Hungary. While most of the former community media broadcasters could not find resources with which to operate, the community media landscape was dramatically overwhelmed by religious broadcasters both on regional and local levels. The legally-recognised third tier of broadcasting in Poland called ‘social broadcasting’ is actively and exclusively used by religious radio—seven stations broadcast locally and one is a powerful nationwide radio station called Radio Maryja. The authors gathered information and points of views from radio experts, organizations and activists living and working in different EU and non-EU states about the place of religious broadcasting in the community media sector. Two case-studies (Hungary and Poland) may be of interest for countries considering the introduction or reorganisation of regulations regarding community broadcasting. Cogitatio Press 2015-12-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/344 10.17645/mac.v3i4.344 Media and Communication; Vol 3, No 4 (2015): Turbulences of the Central and Eastern European Media; 76-90 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i35 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/344/266 Copyright (c) 2015 Gabriella Velics, Urszula Doliwa http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8167 2024-10-08T08:51:48Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Examining the Interplay of Sociodemographic and Sociotechnical Factors on Users’ Perceived Digital Skills Ragnedda, Massimo Ruiu, Maria Laura Calderón-Gómez, Daniel digital divide; digital inequalities; digital poverty; digital skills; internet users The rapid pace of technological advancements of the last decades, accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, has increased the importance of digital skills for individuals, businesses, and society. However, despite efforts to increase digital ownership and educational initiatives, the digital divide remains a persistent issue and a barrier to social inclusion. Digital exclusion is not limited to access vs. no access but encompasses a spectrum of participation influenced by factors such as geographical location, skills, motivation, and identity. The study explores what sociodemographic and sociotechnical aspects shape users’ digital skills. It is based on an online survey of English internet users aged between 20–55 with school-aged children (N = 2,004), to measure their digital skills across six dimensions and analyzes the relationship between these skills and sociodemographic and sociotechnical variables. Results show that among the sociodemographic aspects, including gender, age, education level, employment status, income, and residential area, only income significantly contributes to distinguishing groups per level of digital skills. The study also shows that motivation gap, access gap, usage gap, and social support, are all associated with individuals’ digital skills. Cogitatio Press The British Academy 2024-05-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8167 10.17645/mac.8167 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Practices of Digital In- and Exclusion in Everyday Life 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i446 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8167/3793 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/8167/3924 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/8167/3925 Copyright (c) 2024 Massimo Ragnedda, Maria Laura Ruiu, Daniel Calderón-Gómez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3252 2020-10-15T03:35:41Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Free Speech Under Pressure: The Effect of Online Harassment on Literary Writers Wegner, Juliane Prommer, Elizabeth Collado Seidel, Carlos democratic discourse; freedom of expression; hate speech; self-censorship In the perception of writers in Germany, free speech is under strong pressure. A survey study, in which 526 literature writers took part, reveals innumerable aspects of hate speech, online harassment, and even physical assaults. Every second person has already experienced assaults on his or her person and is also aware of attacks on colleagues. Three quarters are concerned about freedom of expression in Germany and complain of an increase in threats, intimidation, and hateful reactions. The research project was developed in collaboration between the Institute for Media Research, University of Rostock, and the PEN Center Germany. Cogitatio Press 2020-10-15 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3252 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3252 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 4 (2020): Freedom of Expression, Democratic Discourse and the Social Media; 145-157 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i197 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3252/1796 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/3252/1325 Copyright (c) 2020 Juliane Wegner, Elizabeth Prommer, Carlos Collado Seidel http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8680 2024-12-09T10:58:02Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Fact-Checking Role Performances and Problematic Covid-19 Vaccine Content in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa Riedlinger, Michelle Montaña-Niño, Silvia Watt, Ned García-Perdomo, Víctor Joubert, Marina Africa; Covid-19; debunking; fact-checking; journalistic role performance; Latin America; Meta; politics; social media; vaccines The move from political fact-checking to a “public health” or debunking model of fact-checking, sustained by policies and funding from platforms, highlights important tensions in the case of Covid-19. Building on findings from studies focused on journalistic role performance, we investigated how professional fact-checkers in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa conceived of and performed their professional roles when addressing Covid-19 vaccination topics. Interviews with fact-checkers from six well-established, Meta-affiliated, International Fact-Checking Network-accredited organizations operating in these regions indicated that fact-checkers recognized the diversification of tasks and new roles associated with addressing problematic content from social media users. However, fact-checkers expressed unanimous commitment to prioritizing political and media watchdog activities in response to problematic Covid-19 vaccine information spreading from elite sources. To compare these role conceptions with role performance, we conducted a content analysis of Covid-19 vaccine content posted in 2021 to these fact-checkers’ Facebook accounts. We found that content was mostly associated with explainers or debunking content (addressing hoaxes or rumors about Covid-19 vaccines from non-elite social media users). In particular, the abundance of explainers, compared with other genres of fact-checking content, aligns fact-checkers with professional roles as civic service providers, educators, and “interpreters” of health information. Only a small proportion of the Covid-19 vaccine-related posts from each fact-checker contained verifications of claims from authoritative (elite “top-down”) sources (i.e., politicians, media, and health/science professionals). This study offers insights into a particularly tumultuous time of political activity in these regions and considers implications for practice innovation. Cogitatio Press Meta Platforms Inc's 2022 Foundational Integrity Research granting scheme Laura Vodden, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology 2024-10-14 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8680 10.17645/mac.8680 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Fact-Checkers Around the World: Regional, Comparative, and Institutional Perspectives 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i458 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8680/3977 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/8680/4229 Copyright (c) 2024 Michelle Riedlinger, Silvia Montaña-Niño, Ned Watt, Víctor García-Perdomo, Marina Joubert https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3433 2021-03-05T03:36:00Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Deepfakes on Twitter: Which Actors Control Their Spread? Pérez Dasilva, Jesús Meso Ayerdi, Koldobika Mendiguren Galdospin, Terese cybersecurity; deepfake; fake news; NodeXL; social media; Social Network Analysis; Twitter The term deepfake was first used in a Reddit post in 2017 to refer to videos manipulated using artificial intelligence techniques and since then it is becoming easier to create such fake videos. A recent investigation by the cybersecurity company Deeptrace in September 2019 indicated that the number of what is known as fake videos had doubled in the last nine months and that most were pornographic videos used as revenge to harm many women. The report also highlighted the potential of this technology to be used in political campaigns such as in Gabon and Malaysia. In this sense, the phenomenon of deepfake has become a concern for governments because it poses a short-term threat not only to politics, but also for fraud or cyberbullying. The starting point of this research was Twitter’s announcement of a change in its protocols to fight fake news and deepfakes. We have used the Social Network Analysis technique, with visualization as a key component, to analyze the conversation on Twitter about the deepfake phenomenon. NodeXL was used to identify main actors and the network of connections between all these accounts. In addition, the semantic networks of the tweets were analyzed to discover hidden patterns of meaning. The results show that half of the actors who function as bridges in the interactions that shape the network are journalists and media, which is a sign of the concern that this sophisticated form of manipulation generates in this collective. Cogitatio Press Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain Basque Government University of the Basque Country 2021-03-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3433 10.17645/mac.v9i1.3433 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 1 (2021): Disinformation and Democracy: Media Strategies and Audience Attitudes; 301-312 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i208 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3433/1998 Copyright (c) 2021 Jesús Pérez Dasilva, Koldobika Meso Ayerdi, Terese Mendiguren Galdospin http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/9623 2025-07-30T09:16:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Unmasking Machine Learning With Tensor Decomposition: An Illustrative Example for Media and Communication Researchers Oh, Yu Won Park, Chong Hyun automated content analysis; explainable AI; machine learning; PARAFAC2; tensor decomposition As online communication data continues to grow, manual content analysis, which is frequently employed in media studies within the social sciences, faces challenges in terms of scalability, efficiency, and coding scope. Automated machine learning can address these issues, but it often functions as a black box, offering little insight into the features driving its predictions. This lack of interpretability limits its application in advancing social science communication research and fostering practical outcomes. Here, explainable AI offers a solution that balances high prediction accuracy with interpretability. However, its adoption in social science communication studies remains limited. This study illustrates tensor decomposition—specifically, PARAFAC2—for media scholars as an interpretable machine learning method for analyzing high-dimensional communication data. By transforming complex datasets into simpler components, tensor decomposition reveals the nuanced relationships among linguistic features. Using a labeled spam review dataset as an illustrative example, this study demonstrates how the proposed approach uncovers patterns overlooked by traditional methods and enhances insights into language use. This framework bridges the gap between accuracy and explainability, offering a robust tool for future social science communication research. Cogitatio Press 2025-04-24 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9623 10.17645/mac.9623 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): AI, Media, and People: The Changing Landscape of User Experiences and Behaviors 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i475 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9623/4338 Copyright (c) 2025 Yu Won Oh, Chong Hyun Park https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4743 2022-03-02T10:00:36Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Immigrant Influencers on TikTok: Diverse Microcelebrity Profiles and Algorithmic (In)Visibility Jaramillo-Dent, Daniela Contreras-Pulido, Paloma Pérez-Rodríguez, Amor algorithm; identity; immigration; influencer; online persona; social media; TikTok; visibility Internet celebrity has become a phenomenon of great interest for scholars in the last few years. This is partly due to its impact in contemporary media ecosystems, and its influence in political, social, cultural, and commercial behaviors around the world. Meanwhile, some segments of the population continue to be marginalized by sociotechnical configurations that perpetuate structures of dominance in the digital sphere and on social media platforms. This is the case of immigrants, who often face diverse digital, symbolic, and physical borders that neglect their voice and agency. Thus, the present study aims to explore the creative practices of immigrant tiktokers who have achieved a significant following on this platform. Using a case study approach, we explore four immigrant creator profiles with a following of 17,000 to 500,000 through in-depth interviews and a multimodal content analysis of 252 of their videos to delve into their platformed practices on TikTok. The participants are Latin American immigrant creators living in the US and Spain, identified as part of a larger study on the uses of TikTok by Latinx immigrants in these two countries exploring 53 immigrant creator profiles with more than 10,000 followers. Their practices related to algorithmic (in)visibility, and their unfolding identities including their digital, creative, political, activist, cultural, and national personas are noteworthy, and suggest unique pathways to reclaim agency through social media influence and construct multi-dimensional microcelebrity identities beyond migratory status. Cogitatio Press Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities European Regional Development Fund Andalusian Regional Government 2022-02-24 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4743 10.17645/mac.v10i1.4743 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 1 (2022): New Narratives for New Consumers: Influencers and the Millennial and Centennial Generations; 208-221 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i283 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4743/2528 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/4743/2238 Copyright (c) 2022 Daniela Jaramillo-Dent, Paloma Contreras-Pulido, Amor Pérez-Rodríguez http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10671 2025-10-02T09:23:30Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Outsourced Political Campaign: Role of Pro-Government Political Influencers in Spreading Hostile Narratives in Hungary Horváth, Kata Polyák, Gábor Urbán, Ágnes European Parliament elections; hostile narratives; Hungary; polarization; political influencers; social media During the 2024 European Parliament and municipal election campaigns, the ruling Hungarian party, Fidesz, significantly increased its use of populist rhetoric and disinformation techniques through a pro-government political influencer network known as the Megafon Központ (Megafon Center). This study explores the role of this organization in disseminating hostile and manipulative narratives on social media, with a particular focus on how these narratives influence voter decisions and reinforce social polarization in the context of the European Parliament elections. The research employed qualitative content analysis to examine the 105 Megafon videos with the highest advertising costs during the campaign period, identifying the target audience, key messages, as well as the linguistic and visual tools employed. The results show that most videos rely on demonization and fearmongering, often presenting distorted information. Conducted focus group studies revealed that perceptions of Megafon content are highly polarized along political lines. Based on representative public opinion polls, Megafon influencers and the brand itself are not widely recognized by the general public, but they do have visibility among certain social groups. Meanwhile, nearly all Facebook users encounter their content. Additionally, most voters are unaware that this content is paid political advertising. Although respondents often question the credibility of Megafon videos, their persistent presence contributes to social polarization and influences political discourse. The Megafon model is easily adaptable and poses a significant risk to democratic public discourse, as it effectively distorts the information environment for voters on social media. Cogitatio Press 2025-08-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10671 10.17645/mac.10671 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Electoral Communication: European Elections in Times of (Poly)Crises 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i497 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10671/4569 Copyright (c) 2025 Kata Horváth, Gábor Polyák, Ágnes Urbán https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6816 2023-09-28T09:49:20Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Rise of the Zombie Papers: Infecting Germany’s Local and Regional Public Media Ecosystem Assmann, Karin Germany; ghost papers; local news; news deserts; public media; zombie papers Germany’s public broadcasters, along with local newspapers, have consistently ranked among the top three most trusted news sources in Germany. Yet growing criticism of mandatory fees and recent revelations about public broadcasters’ misuse of funds have put into question the health of Germany’s news and information infrastructure. In fact, a perfect storm appears to be brewing: precarious working conditions, exacerbated by cutbacks in the wake of Covid-19 and the emergence of so-called zombie papers. These papers, published without a local staff, reporters, or newsrooms, threaten to complicate audiences’ perceptions of news credibility and trust. This study explores Germany’s emerging news deserts by examining the rise of zombie newspapers in two states, one in the Western and one in the Eastern part of the country. Analyses of existing literature through the lens of institutional political economy and of interviews with key informants show that Germany, despite its strong federalized system, is following in US footsteps by creating journalist-free zones. A network of hard-to-follow corporate collaborations is endangering the foundations of post-war Germany’s media system: pluralism and media diversity. Cogitatio Press 2023-09-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6816 10.17645/mac.v11i3.6816 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): News Deserts: Places and Spaces Without News; 360-370 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i363 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6816/3265 Copyright (c) 2023 Karin Assmann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2136 2019-08-09T03:46:25Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

AMEND: Open Source and Data-Driven Oversight of Water Quality in New England Sanders, Nathan Edward advocacy; databases; environmental data; environmental justice; Massachusetts; open source; policy; water quality The advent of government transparency through online data publication should provide a transformative benefit to the information gathering practices of civic organizations and environmental advocates. However, environmental agencies and other reporters often disseminate this critical data only in siloed repositories and in technically complex, inconsistent formats, limiting its impact. We have developed a new open source web resource, the Archive of Massachusetts ENvironmental Data or AMEND, which curates information relating to federal, state, and local environmental stewardship in Massachusetts, focused on water quality. We describe the construction of AMEND, its operation, and the datasets we have integrated to date. This tool supports the development and advocacy of policy positions with published analyses that are fully reproducible, versioned, and archived online. As a case study, we present the first publicly reported analysis of the distributional impact of combined sewer overflows on Environmental Justice (EJ) communities. Our analysis of the historical geospatial distribution of these sewer overflows and block-level US Census data on EJ indicators tracking race, income, and linguistic isolation demonstrates that vulnerable communities in Massachusetts are significantly overburdened by this form of pollution. We discuss applications of this analysis to the state-level legislative process in Massachusetts. We believe that this approach to increasing the accessibility of regulatory data, and the code underlying AMEND, can serve as a model for other civic organizations seeking to leverage data to build trust with and advocate to policymakers and the public. Cogitatio Press Mystic River Watershed Association 2019-08-06 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2136 10.17645/mac.v7i3.2136 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 3 (2019): Civic Organizations in an Age of Distrust; 91-103 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i128 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2136/1188 Copyright (c) 2019 Nathan Edward Sanders http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7053 2023-12-07T10:55:26Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Trust and Distrust in Public Service Media: A Case Study From the Czech Republic Urbániková, Marína Smejkal, Klára Czech radio; Czech television; distrust; media quality; public service media; skepticism; trust Although public service media is a trusted island in the media landscape of many countries, trust in public service media is not absolute and universal. This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore what trust and distrust entail for the public, a perspective rarely applied in trust research. Also, it explores the extent to which the sources of trust and distrust are the same and whether the concepts of trust and distrust are identical (only inverse), or linked but separate. It focuses on the Czech Republic, where the level of trust in the news is among the lowest in the world, yet public service media is the most trusted news source (Newman et al., 2022). Based on four focus group discussions with the general public (N = 24), this study analyzes the reasons for the audience’s trust and distrust in Czech public service media. There are three main categories: trust in the message (i.e., people trust public service media if, in their view, it provides objective, truthful, reliable, relevant, and fast information without sensationalism and anti-system views); trust in the source (i.e., people trust public service media if they perceive the public service media journalists as professional); and trust in the public service media organizations (i.e., people trust public service media if they perceive the regulatory framework as effective in ensuring independence from politics and oversight boards as a guarantee for quality). As the reasons leading to trust were not identical (only inverse) to the reasons leading to distrust, our findings suggest that trust and distrust in public service media are not two sides of the same coin. Cogitatio Press This work was supported by the Czech Science Agency, Grant No. GA22-30563S. 2023-12-07 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7053 10.17645/mac.v11i4.7053 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 4 (2023): Trust, Social Cohesion, and Information Quality in Digital Journalism; 297-307 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i366 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7053/3389 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/7053/3464 Copyright (c) 2023 Marína Urbániková, Klára Smejkal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2660 2023-01-31T18:46:55Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

New Opportunities in Monitoring Safety of Journalists through the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Berger, Guy journalism; monitoring; safety of journalists; Sustainable Development Goals; UNESCO; United Nations This article highlights the potential for increased and more standardised monitoring of a range of aspects of the safety of journalists. This is in the light of a specific indicator that has been agreed by the UN as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The indicator concerned treats the safety of journalists as a benchmark for tracking progress on SDG target 16.10, which specifies “public access to information and fundamental freedoms” (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.) as a development aspiration. Inclusion of this indicator in the SDGs provides a universally legitimated framework with strong catalytic potential. All this holds a promise of improved, more comparative, and increased research output, as compared to the previous situation. The results of new research stimulated by this development, particularly at country level, could have real impact on the safety of journalists. Cogitatio Press 2020-02-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2660 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2660 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 1 (2020): Rethinking Safety of Journalists; 78-88 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i161 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2660/1399 Copyright (c) 2020 Guy Berger http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3749 2021-04-06T04:34:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Pitching Gender in a Racist Tune: The Affective Publics of the #120decibel Campaign Adlung, Shari Lünenborg, Margreth Raetzsch, Christoph #120decibel; affective publics; dissonant public spheres; feminism; Germany; hashjacking; migration; racism; right-wing activism; populism This article analyses the changed structures, actors and modes of communication that characterise ‘dissonant public spheres.’ With the #120decibel campaign by the German Identitarian Movement in 2018, gender and migration were pitched in a racist tune, absorbing feminist concerns and positions into neo-nationalistic, misogynist and xenophobic propaganda. The article examines the case of #120decibel as an instance of ‘affective publics’ (Lünenborg, 2019a) where forms of feminist protest and emancipatory hashtag activism are absorbed by anti-migration campaigners. Employing the infrastructure and network logics of social media platforms, the campaign gained public exposure and sought political legitimacy through strategies of dissonance, in which a racial solidarity against the liberal state order was formed. Parallel structures of networking and echo-chamber amplification were established, where right-wing media articulate fringe positions in an attempt to protect the rights of white women to be safe in public spaces. #120decibel is analysed and discussed here as characteristic of the ambivalent role and dynamics of affective publics in societies challenged by an increasing number of actors forming an alliance on anti-migration issues based on questionable feminist positions. Cogitatio Press 2021-03-23 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3749 10.17645/mac.v9i2.3749 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 2 (2021): Gender and Media: Recent Trends in Theory, Methodology and Research Subjects; 16-26 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i244 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3749/2006 Copyright (c) 2021 Shari Adlung, Margreth Lünenborg, Christoph Raetzsch http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8483 2024-12-18T09:58:15Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Navigating Political Disagreement on Social Media: How Affective Responses and Belonging Influence Unfollowing and Unfriending Zhang, Bingbing Shoenberger, Heather affective responses; anger; anxiety; disconnectivity; need to belong; political disagreement; social media; unfollowing; unfriending While recent research has demonstrated how exposure to cross-cutting political opinions intensifies politically motivated disconnectivity on social media, there has been a notable gap in examining the influence of emotions and psychological traits in this process. Guided by the theories of selective avoidance and affective intelligence, our study employed a survey through Qualtrics panel drawn from a population-matching sample (N = 498) of the US population to investigate how perceived political disagreement on social media affects decisions to unfollow and unfriend others through the induction of affective responses (e.g., anger, anxiety) and the role of psychological trait—need to belong. Controlling for demographics and political ideology, our mediation analysis revealed that perceived political disagreement was significantly related to anger, which was further positively associated with both unfollowing and unfriending on social media. Perceived political disagreement was also related to anxiety while anxiety was positively associated with individuals’ behaviors of unfollowing and unfriending. Furthermore, results showed that the need to belong played a significant role in moderating the relationship between perceived political disagreement and unfriending. When perceiving the same level of political disagreement, individuals with a higher need to belong were less likely to unfriend others on social media, compared to those with a lower need to belong. However, the need to belong did not exert a significant impact on how perceived political disagreement influenced unfollowing behavior. This study contributes to understanding the nuanced dynamics of disconnectivity on social media, particularly in navigating political disagreements. Cogitatio Press 2024-12-05 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8483 10.17645/mac.8483 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Disconnectivity in a Changing Media and Political Landscape 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i456 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8483/4099 Copyright (c) 2024 Bingbing Zhang, Heather Shoenberger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3994 2021-09-13T10:17:58Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Innovation Function of Hybridization in Public Relations Hoffjann, Olaf advertising; entertainment; hybridization; public relations; public sphere; strategic communication; systems theory From content marketing and corporate publishing to storytelling and brand PR—the literature contains many examples of hybrid structures in strategic communication in general and more specifically in public relations (PR). The question that arises is which problem these hybrid structures solve. This article focuses on a systems theoretical basis on the function of these hybrid structures. Hybridization is understood as a process by which a social system adopts program structures of another system. Hybridization as a strategy assumes an innovation function in systems and facilitates learning. Hybridizations can be observed in PR on two logical levels: Firstly, PR is itself the result of a hybridization process. This is an example of how differentiated systems can originate from hybrid structures. Secondly, like every form of strategic communication, PR suffers from a lack of trustworthiness, attention and relevance of its communication objects. In order to be able to continue to influence decisions in the interest of those described positively, PR unscrupulously adopts structures of journalism, advertising and entertainment. Cogitatio Press 2021-08-05 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3994 10.17645/mac.v9i3.3994 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 3 (2021): Complexity, Hybridity, Liminality: Challenges of Researching Contemporary Promotional Cultures; 155-163 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i256 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3994/2224 Copyright (c) 2021 Olaf Hoffjann http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/9392 2025-04-15T09:27:46Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Datacasting: TikTok’s Algorithmic Flow as Televisual Experience Firth, Ellenrose Marinelli, Alberto algorithmic flow; datacasting; media-sharing platforms; on-demand platforms; televisuality; TikTok Recommendation algorithms have acquired a central role in the suggestion of content within both subscription video on demand (SVOD) and advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) services and media-sharing platforms. In this article, we suggest the introduction of the datacasting paradigm, which takes into account the increasing relevance algorithms have in selection processes on audiovisual platforms. We use TikTok as a case study as it is an entirely algorithmic platform, and therefore embodies the heart of our discussion, and analyse how the algorithmic flow within the platform influences user experience, the impact it has on the enjoyment of content, and whether the platform can be considered televisual. We have opted to frame TikTok within debates on flow, as we believe that is what is at the core of the platform experience. Through the analysis of in-depth interviews, we extracted two main categories of responses: TV on TikTok and TikTok as TV. The former includes all responses related to the consumption of traditional televisual material on the platform, while the latter looks at all potential connections between the platform and television viewing habits. Cogitatio Press 2025-02-27 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9392 10.17645/mac.9392 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Redefining Televisuality: Programmes, Practices, and Methods 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i474 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9392/4263 Copyright (c) 2025 Ellenrose Firth, Alberto Marinelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6051 2023-06-26T15:45:25Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Do Intensive Public Debates on Direct-Democratic Ballots Narrow the Gender Gap in Social Media Use? Bernhard, Laurent Kübler, Daniel campaign; digitization; direct democracy; gender gap; media coverage; political communication; public debate; social media; Switzerland Despite the growing importance of new technologies, research on individual opinion formation in the digital domain is still in its infancy. This article empirically examines citizens’ use of social media in the context of direct democracy. Based on previous work, we expect men to form their opinions on social media more frequently than women (gender gap hypothesis). In the second step, we focus on the contextual level by examining the role campaigns play in reducing this discrepancy. More specifically, we hypothesize that the presumed gender gap narrows in accordance with the increasing intensity of public debates that precede ballots (interaction hypothesis). The empirical analysis draws on 13 post-ballot surveys held at Switzerland’s federal level from 2016 to 2020 and supports both the gender gap and the interaction hypotheses. Cogitatio Press 2023-01-31 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6051 10.17645/mac.v11i1.6051 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 1 (2023): Referendum Campaigns in the Digital Age; 31-42 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i343 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6051/3059 Copyright (c) 2023 Laurent Bernhard, Daniel Kübler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1652 2020-07-21T09:49:23Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Channel Choice Determinants of (Digital) Government Communication: A Case Study of Spatial Planning in Flanders Laenens, Willemien Van den Broeck, Wendy Mariën, Ilse channel choice; digital by default; government communication; government services; media user profiles; public services; spatial planning Governments at all levels believe the digitisation of their services and increased interaction with citizens will bring significant advantages in terms of transparency, creation of public value, and improvement of government performance (Al-Hujran, Al-Debei, Chatfield, & Migdadi, 2015). Nonetheless, this evolution towards more digital services and communication by governments raises questions in terms of inclusivity and accessibility. We conducted focus groups with a heterogeneous panel of over 80 citizens, ranging from non-users of digital technologies to high-level users, to study their choice of channel and their perception towards the evolving digitisation of communication and services, applied to the case of spatial planning in Flanders (Belgium). The results reveal that the most decisive channel choice determinants in spatial planning relate to the channel characteristics themselves, the information, the contextual aspect of the communication flow, and digital inequality mechanisms; meaning that (a) citizens opt for local communication channels when interacting with local, regional, and national governments, (b) citizens prefer to be personally informed when the communicated message has a direct impact on them, and (c) more vulnerable digital profiles consider the transition to digital communication by default as problematic. Cogitatio Press the Department of Environment and Spatial Development and the Department of Public Governance and the Chancellery 2018-12-21 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1652 10.17645/mac.v6i4.1652 Media and Communication; Vol 6, No 4 (2018): E-Government and Smart Cities: Theoretical Reflections and Case Studies; 140-152 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i113 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1652/958 Copyright (c) 2018 Willemien Laenens, Ilse Mariën, Wendy Van den Broeck http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6358 2023-06-09T17:35:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Populist Right Parties on TikTok: Spectacularization, Personalization, and Hate Speech González-Aguilar, Juan Manuel Segado-Boj, Francisco Makhortykh, Mykola Chile; hate speech; political communication; populism; right-wing; social media; Spain; TikTok; UK Populist parties use social media as a fundamental element of their online communication strategies. This article aims to identify the strategies of right-wing populist parties and politicians on TikTok by measuring a set of features of their videos: It evaluates the presence of hate speech in these messages and the identification of certain groups as “enemies” of “the people,” and also pays special attention to the differences in engagement according to the presence of hate speech and entertaining or humoristic features. We apply a content analysis to a transnational sample (N = 293) of videos posted by the following populist right-wing parties and politicians on TikTok: Vox and Santiago Abascal (Spain), José Antonio Kast (Chile), and the UK Independence Party (UK). Findings show that while Vox and UKIP use TikTok to convey their ideology and values and to target the state as the main enemy of “the common person,” Kast used the same platform to build and project his image of leadership and to broadcast humoristic and entertaining content. Only 19% of the analyzed videos included hate speech elements. Not only was hate speech uncommon; it deterred engagement in terms of the number of comments as well. Contrarily, humour and entertainment favoured engagement. We conclude that TikTok might downplay the most controversial issues of the populist right. Cogitatio Press 2023-05-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6358 10.17645/mac.v11i2.6358 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 2 (2023): Political Communication in Times of Spectacularisation: Digital Narratives, Engagement, and Politainment; 232-240 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i352 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6358/3147 Copyright (c) 2023 Juan Manuel González-Aguilar, Francisco Segado-Boj, Mykola Makhortykh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/251 2020-07-21T09:47:41Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Theorizing Surveillance in the UK Crime Control Field McCahill, Michael capital; crime control; resistance; surveillance Drawing upon the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Loic Wacquant, this paper argues that the demise of the Keynesian Welfare State (KWS) and the rise of neo-liberal economic policies in the UK has placed new surveillance technologies at the centre of a reconfigured “crime control field” (Garland, 2001) designed to control the problem populations created by neo-liberal economic policies (Wacquant, 2009a). The paper also suggests that field theory could be usefully deployed in future research to explore how wider global trends or social forces, such as neo-liberalism or bio-power, are refracted through the crime control field in different national jurisdictions. We conclude by showing how this approach provides a bridge between society-wide analysis and micro-sociology by exploring how the operation of new surveillance technologies is mediated by the “habitus” of surveillance agents working in the crime control field and contested by surveillance subjects. Cogitatio Press 2015-09-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/251 10.17645/mac.v3i2.251 Media and Communication; Vol 3, No 2 (2015): Surveillance: Critical Analysis and Current Challenges (Part I); 10-20 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i30 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/251/218 Copyright (c) 2015 Michael McCahill http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1935 2020-07-21T09:49:59Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Reimagining Digital Literacies from a Feminist Perspective in a Postcolonial Context Bali, Maha critical thinking; digital literacies; digital platforms; empathy; fake news; feminist critical thinking Although there are many intersecting but also conflicting definitions and understandings of digital literacy, for the most part, the majority allude to critical thinking in some form or another. This article attempts to imagine a conception of digital literacy and practice of teaching digital literacy that considers a different approach to being critical while using digital technology to consume, produce and communicate. The approach builds on the feminist work of Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule’s (1986) Women's Ways of Knowing. The author will also share from her own teaching experience as a postcolonial scholar teaching Egyptian students at an American liberal arts university. Cogitatio Press 2019-06-11 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1935 10.17645/mac.v7i2.1935 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 2 (2019): Critical Perspectives on Digital Literacies: Creating a Path Forward; 69-81 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i125 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1935/1079 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/1935/528 Copyright (c) 2019 Maha Bali http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/438 2020-07-21T09:47:57Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Toward Representational Sovereignty: Rewards and Challenges of Indigenous Media in the A’uwẽ-Xavante Communities of Eténhiritipa-Pimentel Barbosa Graham, Laura R. Brazil; gender; Indigenous media; native Amazonia; A’uwẽ-Xavante Focusing on the communities of Eténhiritipa-Pimentel Barbosa of eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil, this article considers the tremendous shift that has taken place over the last twenty-five years in A’uwẽ-Xavante peoples’ use of audio-visual media to achieve greater representational sovereignty. It discusses the adoption of video in the context of A’uwẽ-Xavante ideologies and gendered patterns of dealing with the outside and their prior use of cassette technology. This case demonstrates that, while the adoption of new media has not proven to be the final assault in a Faustian bargain with modernity, media makers face a number of significant challenges and dilemmas, specifically curating, archiving, and also securing and sustaining financial and technological support. Partnerships and collaborations are essential but their often-precarious nature presents difficulties. Dedication, persistence, creativity and adaptability are assets community members draw upon in responding to challenges. Media makers are increasingly gaining more control and are now training the next generation of youths; young people are using new social media, as well as video and film, to achieve greater representational sovereignty. Cogitatio Press University of Iowa, National Endowment for the Humanities (USA) 2016-04-26 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/438 10.17645/mac.v4i2.438 Media and Communication; Vol 4, No 2 (2016): The Impact of Media on Traditional Communities; 13-32 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i40 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/438/329 Copyright (c) 2016 Laura R. Graham http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3140 2020-08-24T03:41:16Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Mapping and Explaining Media Quality: Insights from Switzerland’s Multilingual Media System Udris, Linards Eisenegger, Mark Vogler, Daniel Schneider, Jörg Häuptli, Andrea content analysis; media ownership; media performance; media quality; media types; news; Switzerland In this article, we analyse how various macro- and meso-level factors influence news media’s provision of hard news, an important element of media quality. The research draws on a content analysis of more than 100,000 news items between 2015 and 2019 from 53 print, radio, TV, and online news outlets in Switzerland, a small state with three linguistically segmented media markets, each of which is partially influenced by a large neighbouring country (Germany, France, and Italy). The research design takes into account the multi-dimensional character of hard news and allows for analysis with explanatory factors on different levels: On the meso-level, ownership types complemented with media types, and on the macro-level language regions of different market size. Findings show large differences in the importance of hard news overall and these findings are consistent across the three dimensions of hard news (topic dimension, focus dimension, style dimension). Hard news orientation differs especially between private and public media, but also within privately held media outlets, and less so within public media, which points to a general quality culture embedded within public media organizations. Thus, rather than by language region and the according media market size or by ownership types, quality differences can be best explained by media types. Cogitatio Press 2020-08-24 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3140 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3140 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 3 (2020): Media Performance in Times of Media Change; 258-269 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i186 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3140/1708 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/3140/1190 Copyright (c) 2020 Linards Udris, Mark Eisenegger, Daniel Vogler, Jörg Schneider, Andrea Häuptli http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8106 2024-09-25T09:00:13Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Double Burden: The Digital Exclusion and Identity Crisis of Elderly Patients in Rural China Zhu, Runping Yu, Xinxin Krever, Richard digital divide; digital exclusion; e-health; elderly; health care app The rapid digitalization of China’s healthcare system, a phenomenon that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, had two negative consequences for a significant portion of elderly persons in China. The first is an unfortunate practical outcome: their exclusion from many health services such as online medical appointment platforms, e-prescription requests, obtaining e-referrals, and sharing electronic medical records. The second is an emotionally debilitating identity crisis as elderly persons’ former status as knowledgeable senior mentors was replaced with social perceptions of them as helpless and ignorant souls reliant on more youthful persons for guidance and assistance. This article adopts a grounded theory to explore the phenomenon from the perception of excluded elderly persons using participatory observation and in-depth interviews of 44 elderly clients of a rural hospital in the Shandong province in eastern China. The study shows that the current focus on direct practical aspects of digital exclusion may fail to capture the impact and ancillary consequences such as a painful loss of self-esteem by the digitally excluded. As the study illustrates, the practical aspects can all be overcome through intervention by those who aid the digitally excluded but this help may exacerbate the rarely considered ancillary harms of digital exclusion. Studies of digital exclusion will make more significant contributions to our understanding of the phenomenon if they look beyond the obvious direct consequences of digital exclusion to consider possible ancillary and flow-on effects. Cogitatio Press Education Science Fund Program, Gansu Province GS[2023]GH Social Science Planning Fund Program, Gansu Province 2023YB096 National Social Science Fund of China 22XXW011 2024-07-11 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8106 10.17645/mac.8106 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Practices of Digital In- and Exclusion in Everyday Life 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i446 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8106/3842 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/8106/3935 Copyright (c) 2024 Runping Zhu, Xinxin Yu, Richard Krever https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/3216 2021-01-08T05:55:12Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Role of Spontaneous Digital Play during Young Patients’ Cancer Treatment de la Hera, Teresa Sanz, Camila Sarria digital play; digital games; meaningful play; qualitative interviews; pediatric cancer; serious digital play In Europe alone, more than 120,000 children and 150,000 adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every year. Thanks to treatment innovations the survival rates of young patients’ cancer increase substantially every year, but improved prognoses are in many cases linked to longer treatments. To cope with the social, emotional, and developmental challenges associated with cancer, play and playful activities are widely recognized as fundamental for adolescents and children. This article presents the results of an exploratory study conducted to better understand the role of free digital play for young cancer patients (0–17 years). Methodology: 15 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted, divided into two groups. The first group consisted of four experts and the second group consisted of 11 parents of young cancer patients. Conversations with the participants revolved around children’s use of digital platforms during cancer treatment, emphasizing their motivations to play digitally, methods and patterns of use, perceived benefits, and impact on children’s social interactions, identity development, and personal narrative. The results show that digital play becomes a valuable activity for young cancer patients during three phases of the treatment: (1) inpatient care; (2) outpatient care; and (3) remission. We also identified three types of digital play patients engage with: (1) playing with digital games; (2) playfully interacting with digital technologies; and (3) the overlap between digital and non-digital play. Finally, the results also show that digital play has an impact on at least three aspects of young patients’ lives: (1) social interactions; (2) identity development; and (3) communication. Cogitatio Press 2021-01-06 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3216 10.17645/mac.v9i1.3216 Media and Communication; Vol 9, No 1 (2021): Games and Communication—Quo Vadis?; 39-48 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i198 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3216/1920 Copyright (c) 2021 Teresa de la Hera, Camila Sarria Sanz http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/8687 2024-11-27T11:46:01Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Body of Mine, Yours, and Everyone in Between: Communicating Gender Dysphoria Through Immersive Storytelling Kostopoulos, Cameron embodiment; gender dysphoria; identity; immersive; interactive media; LGBTQ+; storytelling; technology; transgender; virtual reality This article explores the potential of new, immersive realities to convey the complex experiences of gender dysphoria and body dissatisfaction, using the innovative and multi-award-winning experience Body of Mine as a case study. Recognizing a gap in understanding and empathy towards gender-queer communities, Body of Mine employs an innovative full-body tracking solution to place users into the body of someone else, combined with first-person documentary interviews and interactive elements aimed at fostering a deeper connection and insight into the transgender experience. Initial feedback from users indicates a heightened awareness and emotional connection to the challenges faced by individuals with gender dysphoria, as well as an increase in self-body positivity, based on a study conducted in collaboration with the University of Tübingen’s Department of Psychology. This project underscores the power of immersive storytelling in fostering embodied understanding, while also acknowledging the ethical complexities and voyeuristic risks when sharing narratives from vulnerable communities, and explores innovative methods for tackling social issues through emerging technology. It concludes by contemplating the implications of immersive technologies for the concept of identity in a world that increasingly transcends the physical body, suggesting a future where the notion of self is not confined to physical form but is fluid, multifaceted, and continually redefined within boundless digital horizons. Cogitatio Press 2024-10-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8687 10.17645/mac.8687 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): The Many Dimensions of Us: Harnessing Immersive Technologies to Communicate the Complexity of Human Experiences 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i455 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8687/3999 Copyright (c) 2024 Cameron Kostopoulos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5300 2022-07-28T12:23:41Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Neutral Observers or Advocates for Societal Transformation? Role Orientations of Constructive Journalists in Germany Krüger, Uwe Beiler, Markus Gläßgen, Thilko Kees, Michael Küstermann, Maximilian constructive journalism; Germany; professional role orientations; solutions journalism; value attitudes Since the 2010s, a new type of journalism has emerged, especially in North America and Western Europe, called constructive journalism. Its basic idea is to complement classic problem-centered reporting by covering problem-solving approaches that could inspire the recipients. It has been harshly criticized, especially for its alleged proximity to advocacy or activism. To clarify the role orientations of the protagonists of this trend, a survey of all German journalists that call themselves constructive or solution-oriented was conducted (n = 79). The results show that constructive journalists are as diverse in age as the total of all journalists in Germany, but tend to be more women journalists, freelancers, formally higher educated, and politically leaning toward green and left-wing positions. Regarding role orientations, the field of constructive journalism not only represents a new facet of the entire journalistic field but also consists of several nuanced approaches itself: In factor analysis, we found eight role dimensions, of which the most important were the Social Integrator, the Transformation Agent, the Active Watchdog, the Emotional Storyteller, and the Innovation Reporter. In comparison to the average German journalist, the German constructive journalist shows stronger ambitions to control political and business elites, to motivate people to participate, and to contribute to social change. This can be explained as a countermovement not only to a possible negativity bias in the news but also to an increased attitude of detachment in German newsrooms. Cogitatio Press 2022-07-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5300 10.17645/mac.v10i3.5300 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 3 (2022): Journalism, Activism, and Social Media: Exploring the Shifts in Journalistic Roles, Performance, and Interconnectedness; 64-77 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i318 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5300/2791 Copyright (c) 2022 Uwe Krüger, Markus Beiler, Thilko Gläßgen, Michael Kees, Maximilian Küstermann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/989 2020-07-21T09:48:32Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Raging Against the Machine: Network Gatekeeping and Collective Action on Social Media Platforms West, Sarah Myers collective action; content moderation; network gatekeeping; platforms; social media Social media platforms act as networked gatekeepers—by ranking, channeling, promoting, censoring, and deleting content they hold power to facilitate or hinder information flows. One of the mechanisms they use is content moderation, or the enforcement of which content is allowed or disallowed on the platform. Though content moderation relies on users’ labor to identify content to delete, users have little capacity to influence content policies or enforcement. Despite this, some social media users are turning to collective action campaigns, redirecting information flows by subverting the activities of moderators, raising the visibility of otherwise hidden moderation practices, and organizing constituencies in opposition to content policies. Drawing on the example of the campaign to change Facebook’s nudity policy, this paper examines the strategies and tactics of users turning to collective action, considering which factors are most influential in determining the success or failure of a campaign. It finds that network gatekeeping salience is a good model for assessing which collective action efforts are most likely to be effective in achieving individual user goals. This indicates that the users who are already most able to harness the attention economy of social media platforms are more likely to successfully navigate the content moderation process. The analysis concludes by attending to what users might learn from the dynamics of network gatekeeping as they seek to resist the asymmetrical power relations of platforms. Cogitatio Press 2017-09-22 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/989 10.17645/mac.v5i3.989 Media and Communication; Vol 5, No 3 (2017): Acting on Media: Influencing, Shaping and (Re)Configuring the Fabric of Everyday Life; 28-36 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i70 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/989/609 Copyright (c) 2017 Sarah Myers West http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11086 2026-02-18T09:35:33Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Mapa Verde: Participatory Cartography and Technological Imaginaries of the Young Environmental Movement in Uruguay Gómez Márquez, Victoria Garzón Díaz, Carolina Oviedo Curbelo, Tatiana counter-data mapping; digital activism; environmental activism; mapping; participatory cartography; technological imaginaries; youth environmental movement This article examines Mapa Verde, a participatory digital mapping project co-created by young environmental activists and academic researchers in Uruguay between 2023 and 2025, from the perspective of participatory action research along with social and technopolitical cartography. Drawing on the observation and systematization of collaborative workshops, revision of periodical reports of activities and outcomes, and in-depth interviews with the young activists involved in the participatory cartography, the article reconstructs and interrogates the co-creation process: diagnosis, construction, and evaluation (Calvo & Candón-Mena, 2023). It also analyzes youth imaginaries regarding digital media activism and environmental advocacy through counter-mapping. Pragmatic and critical imaginaries of digital media for activism are found among the young participants who created Mapa Verde, while the collaborative enterprise reflects community-based communication and some traces of counter-data mapping that strengthen identity and foster inter-organizational collaboration. The project expands participatory cartography practices in political ecology and environmental communication, highlighting youth as both agents and cartographers of environmental action. The process shows that mapping is not only a technical exercise but also political, cultural, and pedagogical, enabling new forms of participation and knowledge production. Cogitatio Press Ecocity Fridays for Future Movimiento Abeja UNICEF Uruguay Wikimedistas Uruguay US Embassy in Montevideo. 2026-01-08 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11086 10.17645/mac.11086 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Counter Data Mapping as Communicative Practices of Resistance 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i502 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11086/4854 Copyright (c) 2026 Victoria Gómez Márquez, Carolina Garzón Díaz, Tatiana Oviedo Curbelo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5747 2022-11-29T12:06:01Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Dropkick Murphys vs. Scott Walker: Unpacking Populist Ideological Discourse in Digital Space Wilcox, Connor D. discourse; Dropkick Murphys; ideology; music; new media; populism; Scott Walker; Twitter On January 24, 2015, the folk punk band Dropkick Murphys penned a tweet to former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker that read “please stop using our music in any way…We literally hate you!!!” Within hours, thousands of users interacted with the post and a contentious mediated discussion materialized. By exporting the full conversation using the program BrandWatch and applying Sonja Foss’s ideological criticism approach, I found several recurrent ideological constructions reappear throughout the data. Through comments considering the band’s political activism as alienating, re-envisioning punk rock as right-wing, and framing Dropkick Murphys as inherently un-American and undesirable through Twitter comments, Walker supporters rhetorically dismiss the band and their message. These constructions show how new media audiences discursively construct ideologies to delegitimize opposition along the lines of political affiliation and illustrate the communicative mechanism of populism on a micro-level. Cogitatio Press 2022-11-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5747 10.17645/mac.v10i4.5747 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 4 (2022): Online Communities and Populism; 202-212 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i330 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5747/2929 Copyright (c) 2022 Connor D. Wilcox https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/11398 2026-04-02T09:53:04Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

So Emotional? The Role of Emotions for Young Adults’ Resilience to Disinformation Kont, Jülide Bozdağ, Çiğdem Elving, Wim Broersma, Marcel disinformation; emotion; resilience; young adults The chaotic information environment during (poly)crises, marked by urgency and heightened emotions, complicates truth assessments and provides fertile ground for the proliferation of disinformation. While the role of emotions in shaping disinformation beliefs and sharing is widely acknowledged, there is little empirical evidence on how and under what circumstances emotions impact responses to disinformation. To provide an in-depth understanding, we applied a qualitative study design, conducting 29 semi-structured interviews between November 2022 and April 2023 with young adults in Germany and the Netherlands. Our study outlines the context in which specific emotions arise when individuals encounter potential disinformation, connected behaviors, and the consequences for resilience to disinformation. We find that emotions of positive valence, such as feeling calm and confident, are linked to verification behaviors and can indicate and reinforce resilience to disinformation. Contrary to existing research, we find that emotions of negative valence, such as anger or discontent, can also be signifiers of resilience when accompanied by critical information evaluations. However, the intensity of emotions matters, as strong negative emotions are linked to resignation, distrust in democratic institutions, and disinformation beliefs. Illustrating the interaction between emotions and behaviors when navigating disinformation, our study offers more contextual and nuanced insights into how emotions influence, express, and may strengthen or weaken resilience to disinformation. Cogitatio Press University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences 2026-03-19 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11398 10.17645/mac.11398 Media and Communication; Vol 14 (2026): Digital Resilience Within a Hypermediated Polycrisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i499 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/11398/4998 Copyright (c) 2026 Jülide Kont, Çiğdem Bozdağ, Wim Elving, Marcel Broersma https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2495 2020-06-23T08:08:43Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

‘Fake News’ in Science Communication: Emotions and Strategies of Coping with Dissonance Online Taddicken, Monika Wolff, Laura cognitive dissonance; emotions; fake news; online disinformation; science communication; selective exposure In view of events such as the public denial of climate change research by well-known politicians, the effects of postfactual disinformation and emotionalisation are discussed for science. Here, so-called ‘fake news’ are of focus. These are considered problematic, particularly in a high-choice media environment as users tend to show selective behaviour. Much research has demonstrated this selective exposure approach, which has roots in the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1957). However, research on the processes of coping with dissonance is still considered sparse. In particular, communication scholars have overlooked emotional states and negotiations. This article analyses the affects that are aroused when users are confronted with opinion-challenging disinformation and how they (emotionally) cope by using different strategies for online information. For this, we used the context of climate change that is widely accepted in Germany. The innovative research design included pre- and post-survey research, stimulus exposure (denying ‘fake news’), observations, and retrospective interviews (n = 50). Through this, we find that perceptions and coping strategies vary individually and that overt behaviour, such as searching for counter-arguments, should be seen against the background of individual ideas and motivations, such as believing in an easy rejection of arguments. Confirming neuroscientific findings, participants felt relieved and satisfied once they were able to dissolve their dissonant state and negative arousal. Dissatisfaction and frustration were expressed if this had not been accomplished. Cogitatio Press 2020-03-18 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2495 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2495 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 1 (2020): Emotions and Emotional Appeals in Science Communication; 206-217 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i168 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2495/1444 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/2495/968 Copyright (c) 2020 Monika Taddicken, Laura Wolff http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7374 2024-05-23T09:46:42Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Institutional Arbitrageurs: The Role of Product Managers as a Locus of Change in Journalism Kosterich, Allie Royal, Cindy innovation; institutional arbitrage; institutional change; journalism; news product manager; news professional; product managers The modern news industry demands a continuous stream of products ready to meet audience needs; the emergent newsroom role of product manager serves to prioritize them by providing a holistic perspective on an organization’s goals. Product professionals bring in new skill sets and help to bridge the divide and align the priorities among editorial, business, and technology functions, serving as a locus of change in journalism. This sets the stage for institutional complexity where actors struggle to make decisions due to competing logics, which are socially constructed rules created to normalize behavior. This article thus focuses on the dynamics of change in a complex environment by examining news product professionals as institutional arbitrageurs, which are actors who bring competing logics together to create value during a time of complexity. This framing raises questions regarding the locus of change in journalism and aims to further understand the tactics used by actors in a complex environment such as the field of journalism. A qualitative study using interviews with digital journalism’s product professionals is used to address this phenomenon, which allows for a theoretical contextualization of the dynamics of change in journalism and specifically, how product managers act as a locus of change using their roles to manage complexity by bringing incompatible logics together to leverage differences between them. Cogitatio Press Fordham University 2024-02-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7374 10.17645/mac.7374 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Unpacking Innovation: Media and the Locus of Change 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i397 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7374/3540 Copyright (c) 2024 Allie Kosterich, Cindy Royal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2847 2020-06-25T09:30:15Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Visual Vaccine Debate on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis Milani, Elena Weitkamp, Emma Webb, Peter activism; misinformation; social media; social network analysis; Twitter; vaccination Pro- and anti-vaccination users use social media outlets, such as Twitter, to join conversations about vaccines, disseminate information or misinformation about immunization, and advocate in favour or against vaccinations. These users not only share textual content, but also images to emphasise their messages and influence their audiences. Though previous studies investigated the content of vaccine images, there is little research on how these visuals are distributed in digital environments. Therefore, this study explored how images related to vaccination are shared on Twitter to gain insight into the communities and networks formed around their dissemination. Moreover, this research also investigated who influences the distribution of vaccine images, and could be potential gatekeepers of vaccination information. We conducted a social network analysis on samples of tweets with images collected in June, September and October 2016. In each dataset, pro- and anti-vaccination users formed two polarised networks that hardly interacted with each other, and disseminated images among their members differently. The anti-vaccination users frequently retweeted each other, strengthening their relationships, making the information redundant within their community, and confirming their beliefs against immunisation. The pro-vaccine users, instead, formed a fragmented network, with loose but strategic connections that facilitated networking and the distribution of new vaccine information. Moreover, while the pro-vaccine gatekeepers were non-governmental organisations or health professionals, the anti-vaccine ones were activists and/or parents. Activists and parents could potentially be considered as alternative but trustworthy sources of information enabling them to disseminate misinformation about vaccinations. Cogitatio Press 2020-06-25 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2847 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2847 Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Health and Science Controversies in the Digital World: News, Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement; 364-375 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i179 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2847/1587 Copyright (c) 2020 Elena Milani, Emma Weitkamp, Peter Webb http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7778 2024-05-23T09:44:09Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

The Evolution of Crisis Frames in the European Commission’s Institutional Communication (2003–2022) Vincze, Hanna Orsolya Balaban, Delia Cristina crisis communication; crisis framing; crisis policy framing; European Union; policy areas; policy framing; public communication; public diplomacy Historical accounts of the EU recurrently turn to crisis as a periodizing or structuring concept, reflecting the observation made by scholars that crisis has become a permanent feature of the social construction of our social and political reality. The concept of crisis can also be exploited for strategic purposes by political actors pursuing various policy agendas. Our article analyzes the discursive uses of crises by one of the central institutions of the EU, the European Commission, based on a corpus of press releases that referred to crisis (N = 4,414) going back two decades (2003–2022). Thus, our article examines crisis as a political language and its discursive uses. We ask: (a) how salient is the topic of “crisis” in the European Commission’s communication; (b) what are the main domains in which the crisis frame has been activated, from geographical scope to policy areas; (c) how did the deployment of crisis frames change in time along major policy areas like economy, migration, or climate change; and (d) in what terms has the crisis-frame been activated, and how does crisis word use vary by region and policy area. Methodologically, we pursue these research questions using text-as-data methods, combining natural language processing tools for identifying geographical scopes, actors, and policy areas with corpus methods for identifying keywords and collocates and manually coding the latter, relying on qualitative and quantitative reasoning. Our research contributes to understanding the dynamics of EU policy framing in times of crisis. Cogitatio Press 2024-04-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7778 10.17645/mac.7778 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Policy Framing and Branding in Times of Constant Crisis 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i431 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7778/3718 Copyright (c) 2024 Hanna Orsolya Vincze, Delia Cristina Balaban https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/4409 2022-01-25T11:05:44Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

A Relational Approach to How Media Engage With Their Audiences in Social Media Badham, Mark Mykkänen, Markus audiences; engagement; media organizations; news dissemination; organization–public relationship strategies; relational approach; social media People are increasingly turning to social media for their news and for sharing and discussing news with others. Simultaneously, media organizations are becoming platform-dependent and posting short forms of their news on their social media sites in the hope that audiences will not only consume this news but also comment on and share it. This article joins other media and journalism studies exploring this phenomenon through a relational approach to media audiences to better understand how media organizations, particularly newspapers, are cultivating relationships with audiences via social media. Drawing on public relations theory about organization–public relationships, the article examines how news organizations nurture relationships with audiences via social media, such as through engagement and dialogic communication strategies. This article empirically examines organization–public relationships strategies (disclosure, access, information dissemination, and engagement) of nine newspapers with the largest reach in Australia, the US, and the UK. A content analysis is conducted of these newspapers’ posts (total 1807) published in March 2021 on their Twitter and Facebook sites to identify and examine these strategies. Findings show that their social media accounts are predominantly used for news dissemination rather than audience engagement. The implications are that although media professionals are frequently distributing news content among their audiences via their social media sites, they are not adequately engaging with them. Cogitatio Press 2022-01-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4409 10.17645/mac.v10i1.4409 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 1 (2022): New Forms of Media Work and Its Organizational and Institutional Conditions; 54-65 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i274 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4409/2490 Copyright (c) 2022 Mark Badham, Markus Mykkänen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10027 2026-02-18T09:34:17Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

A See-Through Curtain of Varying Texture: Negotiating Power and Material Realities in Engaged Journalism Anderson, Bissie audience engagement; community journalism; engaged journalism; hybridity; journalism; journalistic autonomy; participatory journalism Acknowledging the networked nature of journalism and shifting power relations between actors in the hybrid media system, this article invokes the metaphor of “the curtain” that separates journalists and external actors/forces in discussions on journalistic autonomy (Coddington, 2015) and applies it to the engaged journalism practices of four media startups. It places “the curtain” in the hybrid media systems paradigm and its relational ontology (Chadwick, 2017) to examine to what extent that concept applies to engaged journalism, a participatory media practice that, by definition, involves publics in journalistic processes. Drawing on interviews with engaged journalism producers in Pakistan, Romania, Malaysia, and the UK, this comparative cross-border study explores the power relations within the actor constellations involved in journalistic co-creation. The outlets examined favour a relational approach to knowledge production, in which they prioritise mutual listening and learning—together with their communities. However, there is still a separation between journalists and audiences/publics. Examining the power negotiations that shape engaged journalism in different parts of the world, this study sheds light on the unique texture of each hybrid media space of co-creation. It offers a nuanced conceptualisation of hybridity, suggesting that engagement can lend itself to varying degrees of openness. The study findings challenge idealistic notions of participation by showing that, even in engaged journalism practice, participation remains tightly controlled by journalists and is subject to their negotiation of capacity-enabling and capacity-limiting forces within the constraints of the context-specific material realities. Cogitatio Press 2025-07-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10027 10.17645/mac.10027 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Journalism in the Hybrid Media System 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i494 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10027/4442 Copyright (c) 2025 Bissie Anderson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/5053 2022-05-03T16:15:46Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Expertise, Knowledge, and Resilience in #AcademicTwitter: Enacting Resilience-Craft in a Community of Practice Eddington, Sean M. Jarvis, Caitlyn #AcademicTwitter; communities of practice; Covid-19; hashtags; resilience; Twitter Online communities of practice are a useful professional development space, where members can exchange information, aggregate expertise, and find support. These communities have grown in popularity within higher education—especially on social networking sites like Twitter. Although popular within academe, less is known about how specific online communities of practice respond and adapt during times of crisis (e.g., building capacity for resilience). We examined 22,078 tweets from #AcademicTwitter during the first two months of the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted higher education institutions greatly, to explore how #AcademicTwitter enacted resilience during this time. Using text mining and semantic network analysis, we highlight three specific communicative processes that constitute resilience through a form of resilience labor that we conceptualize as “resilience craft.” Our findings provide theoretical significance by showing how resilience craft can extend theorizing around both communities of practice and the communicative theory of resilience through a new form of resilience labor. We offer pragmatic implications given our findings that address how universities and colleges can act resiliently in the face of uncertainty. Cogitatio Press 2022-04-29 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5053 10.17645/mac.v10i2.5053 Media and Communication; Vol 10, No 2 (2022): Networks and Organizing Processes in Online Social Media; 41-53 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i310 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/5053/2653 Copyright (c) 2022 Sean M. Eddington, Caitlyn Jarvis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/10371 2025-11-26T17:30:30Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Mapping Government Use of Social Media Influencers for Policy Promotion Reveilhac, Maud influencers; engagement; government communication; government–influencer relations; political public relations; social media This study explores how national governments leverage social media through influencer partnerships and digital campaigns to promote cultural values and policy goals. Covering a broad spectrum of governmental bodies (e.g., ministries and officials), the research highlights the variety of influencer–government partnerships and collaborations. The study comes at a time when diverse regulatory frameworks are emerging globally to govern influencers’ activity, mandating transparency in sponsorships, protecting consumer interests, and setting boundaries on influencer involvement in governmental and political campaigns. The methodology combines two main steps: (a) a web search of news articles and blogs to identify relevant examples of government–influencer collaborations; (b) a manual annotation of government-led influencer strategies of the retrieved examples based on thematic areas, degree of autonomy in the partnership, and narrative strategy. The study focuses on France, the US, and Canada, chosen for their advanced digital environments and initiative-taking approaches in both social media regulation and public diplomacy. The main contribution of the study is to develop a typology of government–influencer collaborations to align public perception with (inter)national policy goals and reach their target audiences. Cogitatio Press - 2025-10-02 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10371 10.17645/mac.10371 Media and Communication; Vol 13 (2025): Government Communication on Social Media: Balancing Platforms, Propaganda, and Public Service 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i496 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/10371/4690 Copyright (c) 2025 Maud Reveilhac https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1955 2019-07-02T04:43:14Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Prospects of Refugee Integration in the Netherlands: Social Capital, Information Practices and Digital Media Alencar, Amanda Tsagkroni, Vasilki digital technologies; information practices; refugee integration; social capital Integration is a highly contested concept within the field of migration. However, a well-established view of the concept draws from underpinning migration and refugee theories, in which integration is seen as a dynamic, multidimensional, and two-way process of adaptation to a new culture and that takes place over time. Most studies have focused on the integration perspective of host societies, in particular how governments’ understandings of belonging shape legal frameworks of rights and citizenship and their impact on the process of integration itself. With a focus on refugee migration to the Netherlands, this study analyzes the newcomers’ perspectives and experiences of integration and information in the host society, as well as the role of digital media technologies and networks in mediating this relationship. Building on policies and refugee migrant interviews, the article sketches out the ongoing dynamics of social capital during refugees’ adaptation processes in the country and puts forward a perception of the role of media in the integration act. Cogitatio Press The authors did not receive funding for the current research. 2019-06-28 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1955 10.17645/mac.v7i2.1955 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 2 (2019): Refugee Crises Disclosed: Intersections between Media, Communication and Forced Migration Processes; 184-194 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i122 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1955/1146 Copyright (c) 2019 Amanda Alencar, Vasilki Tsagkroni http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6796 2023-07-18T09:24:21Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Assessing Older Adults’ Perspectives on Digital Game-Related Strategies to Foster Active and Healthy Ageing Regalado, Francisco Ortet, Cláudia Pedro Costa, Liliana Vale Santos, Carlos Veloso, Ana Isabel active and healthy ageing; digital competences; digital games; miOne; older adults; online community The growing use of digital platforms among older adults has brought increased challenges to the design and development process, thus requiring considering age-related needs and changes. Nonetheless, a growing body of research suggests that different types of applications of digital platforms, i.e., digital games, can foster new opportunities to encourage active and healthy ageing (AHA) by promoting knowledge acquisition, developing competences, fostering well-being, and deepening social connections. Therefore, this study aims to assess older adults’ perspectives and participation in digital game-related strategies and how these can foster AHA. A mixed-methods approach was applied, resorting to field notes and a questionnaire, involving 18 participants aged between 63 and 81, at the Ageing Lab (Laboratório do Envelhecimento). Through 10 exploratory digital gaming-related sessions over approximately two months, participants were introduced to game-related strategies and online communities. Overall, this study sustained previous research about the influence of digital games and online communities in the promotion of AHA, by encouraging participation in society, acquisition of new digital competences in the dimensions of information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, and safety; and maintaining one’s health and well-being. Moreover, findings suggest that continued contact with information and communication technologies stimulates digital proficiency, thus further fostering inclusion in an increasingly digital society. Cogitatio Press Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia 2023-07-18 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6796 10.17645/mac.v11i3.6796 Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): Communication for Seniors’ Inclusion in Today’s Society; 88-100 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i364 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6796/3332 Copyright (c) 2023 Francisco Regalado, Cláudia Pedro Ortet, Liliana Vale Costa, Carlos Santos, Ana Isabel Veloso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2388 2020-01-20T08:03:36Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Modality-Specific Effects of Perceptual Load in Multimedia Processing Fisher, Jacob Taylor Hopp, Frederic René Weber, René media psychology; modality; multimedia processing; perceptual load; resource availability Digital media are sensory-rich, multimodal, and often highly interactive. An extensive collection of theories and models within the field of media psychology assume the multimodal nature of media stimuli, yet there is current ambiguity as to the independent contributions of visual and auditory content to message complexity and to resource availability in the human processing system. In this article, we argue that explicating the concepts of perceptual and cognitive load can create progress toward a deeper understanding of modality-specific effects in media processing. In addition, we report findings from an experiment showing that perceptual load leads to modality-specific reductions in resource availability, whereas cognitive load leads to a modality-general reduction in resource availability. We conclude with a brief discussion regarding the critical importance of separating modality-specific forms of load in an increasingly multisensory media environment. Cogitatio Press 2019-12-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2388 10.17645/mac.v7i4.2388 Media and Communication; Vol 7, No 4 (2019): Video Games as Demanding Technologies; 149-165 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i133 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2388/1357 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/2388/679 Copyright (c) 2019 Jacob Taylor Fisher, Frederic René Hopp, René Weber http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/7198 2024-05-23T10:18:05Z mediaandcommunication:ART driver

Delayed Reflections: Media and Journalism Data Deserts in the Post-Socialist Czech Republic Císařová, Lenka Waschková Jansová, Iveta Motal, Jan Central European media; Eastern European media; data desert; media research; post-socialist media system; post-socialist transition One of the key obstacles to the normative development of post-socialist media systems, in general, and the Czech Republic in particular, is the deferral of the thoughtful reflection and critical examination of the evolution of the media industry by academics and professionals. In the early years of post-socialist development, there was a lack of collected data and relevant analysis of the state of the media and journalism. It was foreign researchers who provided the first studies of the post-socialist media systems. Plus, the commercial industry, which systematically collected data, but made it inaccessible and/or expensive. This lack of domestic contemplation and transparency led to the existence of data deserts, which made it difficult to effectively reflect upon the development of the media and its role in the transition society. This article is based on a comprehensive literature review and expert interviews with witnesses of the media industry development. These sources—academia, industry, and NGOs—make it possible to highlight specific areas that were overlooked and to propose reasons that data deserts are created in post-socialist media systems. Analysing the data through the lenses of availability, continuity, accessibility, and topicality, we delimit three eras for the general reflection of the development of the media environment, setting a distinguishable timeframe for the post-socialist media data reflection’s evolution. Cogitatio Press European scheme HORIZON 2020 – Research and Innovation Framework Program. Project number: 10100481. 2024-01-15 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7198 10.17645/mac.7198 Media and Communication; Vol 12 (2024): Democracy and Media Transformations in the 21st Century: Analysing Knowledge and Expertise 2183-2439 10.17645/mac.i389 eng https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/7198/3448 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/downloadSuppFile/7198/3322 Copyright (c) 2024 Lenka Waschková Císařová, Iveta Jansová, Jan Motal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 c35da10d312416590a2b9f701c605ecd