Morphological Shifts in Digital Communication: A Comparative Analysis of Generation Z and Alpha Content Creators

The article examines the digital political communication of a new generation of right-wing populist leaders in the European Union. The aim of the study is to identify the mechanisms through which systematic digital communication transforms into a stable digital reputation and becomes a significant resource for political mobilisation. The working hypothesis suggests that regular and personalised communication by right-wing populist leaders on digital platforms contributes to strengthening their public image, shaping a resilient digital reputation, and increasing their appeal among younger audiences. The study draws on contemporary approaches to populism as a style of political mobilisation, as well as on concepts of digital political communication, political personalisation, and the mediatisation of the public sphere. Digital reputation is conceptualised as the outcome of discursive, visual, and communicative practices formed in the online environment under the influence of the algorithmic logic of platforms. The methodological framework is based on a qualitative approach, including case studies, comparative analysis, and elements of digital discourse analysis. The empirical basis consists of three cases of young right-wing populist leaders: Jordan Bardella (France), Tom Van Grieken (Belgium), and Rita Matias (Portugal). The analysis focuses on the choice of digital platforms, communication styles and formats, dominant narratives, modes of leader representation, and mobilisation effects. The findings demonstrate that social media function as the central channel of political communication for right-wing populists, enabling a high degree of personalisation, emotionalisation, and direct interaction with audiences. Despite differences in national contexts, digital strategies exhibit similar discursive elements, most notably the reproduction of the populist dichotomy between “the people” and “the elite”. The identified differences point to the variability of models of digital reputation formation, ranging from personalised leadership to symbolic reputational positioning. The article concludes that digital reputation constitutes an important factor in political mobilisation and in the transformation of party leadership under conditions of digitalisation.

Teachers’ job performance has not being encouraging especially during this era which could be determined by so many factors. Researchers have work on some factors, but much work has not been done on digital leadership and communication styles. A bid to determine public primary school teachers’ job performance in Oyo State led to this study. To choose the respondents, a multi-stage sampling procedure employing a simple Random Sampling technique was used. A total of six hundred and forty-three (643) respondents from the three senatorial districts participated. Structured Teachers’ Questionnaire (TQ) was validated and Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Frequency counts, percentages, bar graphs and linear multiple regression (ANOVA) were employed to analyse the data collected. Findings showed that the level of teachers’ job performance in Oyo State public primary schools at all times is high, except for the use of instructional material. The most adopted communication style is the passive communication style. Test of Hypotheses reveals that: there is a combined influence of digital leadership and communication styles on public primary school teachers’ job performance in Oyo State (F_(2,641) =2343.688 at P < 0,05). Only aggressive communication style among school leaders (P < 0.05) has a significant relative influence on public primary school teachers’ job performance. This study has unveiled that digital leadership and communication styles have a positive influence on public primary school teachers’ job performance in the State which can be an added knowledge to the existing theories. It is recommended that there should be self-development of the school administrators on the use of software programs, applications, among others in this era in other to improve teachers’ job performance in Oyo State public primary schools.

Underpinning science education reform movements in the last 20 years—at all levels and within all disciplines—is an explicit shift in the goals of science teaching from students simply creating a knowledge base of scientific facts to students developing deeper understandings of major concepts within a scientific discipline. For example, what use is a detailed working knowledge of the chemical reactions of the Krebs cycle without a deeper understanding of the relationship between these chemical reactions of cellular respiration and an organism’s need to harvest energy from food? This emphasis on conceptual understanding in science education reform has guided the development of standards and permeates all major science education reform policy docu

Purpose This study explores the relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation and digital entrepreneurial intention, focusing on the potential mediating role of digital competencies within the framework of social cognitive theory. Individual entrepreneurial orientation – comprising risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness – is examined in connection with students’ digital competencies and their digital entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach Our sample comprised 751 Spanish university students who completed a questionnaire including questions on entrepreneurial orientation, digital competencies and digital entrepreneurial intention. The Multiple Mediator Model methodology was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results obtained show that risk-taking and innovativeness significantly support digital entrepreneurial intention. Moreover, all dimensions of individual entrepreneurial orientation were positively related to the development of digital competencies, specifically information, communication, content development and problem-solving. Importantly, the analysis confirmed the mediating effect of the digital competencies – specifically information, digital communication and content creation – in the relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation and digital entrepreneurial intention. Originality/value This research contributes to the understanding of digital entrepreneurial intention through the integration of individual entrepreneurial orientation and students’ digital competencies, offering ideas for developing specific educational programmes that foster both individual entrepreneurial orientation and students’ digital competencies.

Digital screen cultures play a fundamental role in shaping ways of thinking about the environment. Yet, digital media are highly problematic not just for the massive footprint of technological development, server maintenance, e-waste and the reproduction of the colonial extractive relationship but also for an increasing web architecture monopolized by the big-tech platforms in content creation. Nonetheless, several scholarly and activist digital practices are creatively dealing with the urgency posed by the environmental crisis, showing massive potential in challenging anthropocentric global ecoculture. Through a discourse theoretical approach to digital communication, this article offers an interpretation of selected experiences of digital communication practices as counter-hegemonic tactical communication that dislocates anthropocentric ideologies shrouded in the web informational overload. Through a narrative of the construction of one of these digital experiences, the Environmental Ideologies Map (EIDmap) website, the article discusses and calls for the multiplication of creative art-based research practices able to dislocate dominant environmental ideologies circulating in the ‘extinction internet’.

Thrifting is defined as the consumption of used branded fashion products at a lower price, which is often associated with a person's lifestyle and identity. The purpose of this research is to find out how the role of digital marketing communication and creative content on thrifting goods to attract young people in Indonesia. This research is a qualitative research using literature review method. The results of this study show that the utilization of digital communication in thrifting marketing is done with two media. The use of Instagram as a digital communication tool is done by: (1) uploading product information, (2) means of interactive communication with consumers, (3) use of hashtag features, and (4) marketing communication. The use of e-commerce as a digital communication tool includes: (1) eWOM and (2) live streaming. The existence of social media and e-commerce has a significant impact in increasing awareness and motivation to thrift. Innovative and creative use of digital materials is needed to strengthen brand identity and increase consumer awareness, which in turn will increase sales.

It is impossible to emphasize how crucial teachers' job performance is because it depends on several variables. However, little is known about digital leadership, communication, and decision-making styles. Some variables have been explored by scholars. This study was inspired by the need to investigate the job performance of public primary school teachers in Oyo State. Among other things, Vroom's Expectancy Theory was used in this study. The respondents were chosen using a multi-stage sample procedure with a basic random sampling technique. The survey drew a total of 643 participants from the three senatorial districts. The structured Teachers' Questionnaire (TQ) was validated, and the reliability of the tool was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha. Frequency counts, percentages, bar graphs, standardised coefficients and linear multiple regression (ANOVA, also known as analysis of variance), were used to analyze the data. It is used to calculate the difference between the means of three or more independent variables on a dependent variable. The findings of the test of hypotheses show that public primary school teachers' job performance in Oyo State is influenced by a combination of digital leadership, communication, and decision-making styles (F (3,640) = 3156.318; P 0.05). This study also discovered that the state's public primary school teachers' job performance is positively influenced by digital leadership, communication, and decision-making styles. It is advised that the government review the laws, policies, and rules that control the teaching profession and enhance educational technology, especially in public primary schools.

This study investigated the influence of digital literacy on the academic performance of Library and Information Science (LIS) postgraduate students at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE). Employing a descriptive survey design, it aimed to examine how digital literacy factors such as information literacy, digital communication, and digital content creation impact academic outcomes. The target population consisted of 28 LIS postgraduate students from the 2023/2024 academic session. Given the small population size, the census sampling technique was used, ensuring data collection from all participants through a structured 4-point Likert Scale questionnaire titled: Digital Literacy and Academic Performance Questionnaire (DLAPQ). This questionnaire allowed participants to express their level of agreement or disagreement on various aspects, ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree). Mean scores and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used for data analysis. Results revealed that information retrieval literacy (x̄=4.44), digital communication (x̄=4.30), and digital content creation (x̄=4.32) significantly enhance the academic performance of LIS postgraduate students at IAUE. The results also indicated that digital literacy (information retrieval) significantly impacts academic performance among IAUE postgraduate students (r= 0.752&gt;p=0.000&lt;p=0.05). Consequently, it is recommended that LIS postgraduate students attend mandatory training workshops to improve information retrieval skills, are encouraged to participate in collaborative platforms to enhance online communication, and receive institutional support for developing digital content creation skills through multimedia design and presentation workshops, which would further strengthen their academic and research capabilities.

Storytelling marketing is currently growing on the social media platform TikTok. To craft compelling and engaging storytelling, an appropriate communication style is essential. This study aims to identify and understand the Communication Style of Content Creators in Delivering Storytelling in TikTok Advertisement Content, specifically analyzing Sena Farid's communication style using Norton's Communication Style Theory as a conceptual framework. This research uses a qualitative method and selects subjects through purposive sampling. The study employs a virtual ethnography approach, which includes four levels of analysis: Media Space, Media Archive, Media Object, and Experiential Stories. To ensure data validity, source triangulation was used. The study's results revealed several key findings regarding the communication style of content creators in delivering storytelling on TikTok ads, particularly on Sena Farid's account. The research found that Sena Farid's communication style tends to fall into the categories of Impression-Leaving, Animated Expressive, Dramatic, and Friendly. Furthermore, the study identified Sena Farid's descriptions of communication style in storytelling, including comforting visuals, warm narration, and a clear purpose, which serve as references for other content creators to develop their communication styles. Keywords: Communication, Style, Storytelling, TikTok Ads.

This study aims to develop students' podcast skills as part of teaching variations to enhance digital communication capabilities in the industrial revolution 4.0 era. The method employed a structured approach consisting of four main stages: preparation, implementation, practice, and evaluation. The program was conducted at the Sociology Education Study Program, Manado State University, involving 25 students as participants. The preparation stage included needs assessment and learning module design. The implementation stage focused on theoretical understanding and technical skills development. The practice stage involved group projects where students created their podcast episodes, while the evaluation stage assessed both technical and content aspects of the produced podcasts. Results showed significant improvement in students' podcast skills, demonstrated by the increase in test scores from an average of 31.72 in the pretest to 80.56 in the posttest. The evaluation revealed that students successfully developed competencies in podcast production, from conceptualization to final editing. Additionally, participants showed enhanced abilities in digital communication, teamwork, and content creation. This program proved effective in developing students' digital communication skills while providing practical experience in modern content creation.

This study examines the effect of communication styles on free-riding behaviours in group work among Generation Z (Gen Z) undergraduate students. A mixed-methods approach was employed, which included quantitative survey data from 186 undergraduate students in Malaysia and qualitative insights gathered from 24 students through focus groups. Findings indicate significant differences in free-riding experiences across groups with varying communication styles. Students exhibiting passive and passive-aggressive communication styles were noted to have higher levels of free-riding behaviours. Conversely, those demonstrating assertive communication showed substantially lower instances of free riding. Qualitative analysis further reveals the influence of technology preferences, conflict avoidance, and accountability challenges on the prevalence of free-riding behaviours. Digital communication, as favoured by this generation combined with a tendency to avoid confrontation, was found to increase unequal participation in group tasks. The study demonstrates the significance of creating a structured environment with clear expectations to address free-riding behaviours. There is also a need to establish ways to promote transparent collaboration practices beyond peer evaluation to enhance the effectiveness of group work. These findings contribute to developing pedagogical strategies to improve collaborative learning experiences and prepare Generation Z students for successful teamwork in both academic and professional contexts. Keywords: Free riding, Gen Z, group work, communication styles, social loafing.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has significantly transformed digital communication practices, particularly within social media environments. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly used to produce text, captions, and various forms of digital content, influencing how users communicate and create online discourse. This study investigates the role of generative AI in shaping digital communication patterns, social media content creation, and linguistic innovation in contemporary online environments. Using a qualitative sociolinguistic approach combined with communication analysis, the research examines digital interactions and AI-assisted content within social media platforms, with a focus on TikTok as a dynamic communication space. The findings indicate that generative AI contributes to noticeable changes in digital communication patterns. Messages tend to become more concise, structured, and frequently influenced by AI-generated templates. In addition, AI technologies play an important role in social media content creation by assisting users in generating captions, constructing narratives, and producing digital posts more efficiently. The integration of AI in communication processes also contributes to linguistic innovation, including the emergence of hybrid language forms, creative expressions, and new types of digital slang. These developments demonstrate that AI-mediated communication is increasingly shaping how language is used and adapted in digital environments. The study further highlights several sociolinguistic implications related to the growing presence of AI in communication practices, including transformations in digital identity, evolving forms of linguistic creativity, and broader cultural changes in online interaction. Overall, generative artificial intelligence functions not only as a technological tool for content production but also as a significant factor influencing the evolution of digital communication and language use in social media ecosystems.

This study investigates the pragmatic strategies employed in digital communication, specifically within social media platforms. As the use of social media continues to rise, understanding how users navigate language and meaning in these contexts becomes increasingly vital. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the research analyzes user interactions on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to identify key pragmatic strategies, including politeness, implicature, and contextual cues. The findings reveal that social media users employ diverse strategies to convey messages effectively in an environment characterized by brevity and immediacy. Additionally, the research highlights significant cultural influences on language use, showcasing variations in communication styles, humour, and politeness norms across different cultural backgrounds. These insights underscore the importance of cultural awareness in fostering effective cross-cultural communication. Ultimately, this research contributes to the field of pragmatics by enhancing our understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and digital communication. The study also offers practical recommendations for social media users to improve their communication effectiveness, facilitating more respectful and meaningful interactions in the digital space. As digital communication evolves, further exploration of emerging trends and challenges in this area is essential for adapting to the dynamic landscape of human interaction.

The article presents the results of a study of the activity of the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy in&nbsp;social media and its effectiveness and significance for superiority over the enemy in the information and communication space. Various definitions of the concept of "social media" are analyzed, which allows us to&nbsp;highlight the quintessence of most of them: social media is a synergy of Internet tools and mass media. The opinion is substantiated that the latest digital information and communication tools (social networks, blogs, microblogs, digital platforms, etc.) have carried out a media revolution, changing the model of&nbsp;public communication from vertical to horizontal and turning the average citizen from a passive consumer of information into an active communicator and creator of information content. The&nbsp;communication practice of the President of Ukraine is studied, first of all, in such social media as TikTok and Twitter. There are three leading elements that contribute to the effectiveness of V. Zelenskyy’s communication style in social media, namely, truthfulness, connection with the audience, and immediacy. In addition, the key narratives of the President of Ukraine are revealed, aimed at the domestic audience of&nbsp;the country and the international community. The opinion is argued that the active position of the leader of Ukraine in social media is an example that encourages coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war in social media by other politicians, public figures, influencers, etc. The data of the report on digital news of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism are also partially cited, which prove that in Western countries (Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, the United States) social media ranks second after television (with a slight gap) in obtaining information for their citizens regarding the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which indicates trust in this information and communication channel.

The linguistic landscape (LL) is a sociolinguistic concept that captures power relations and identity marking in the linguistic rendering of urban space: the city read as text. As such, LL is embedded in the physical geography of the cityscape. However, with the increasing scope of multilingual capabilities in digital communications, multilingual options and choices are becoming more prevalent in virtual space. These virtual linguistic voices are important forces in global language ecology. In this paper, the concepts of virtual linguistic landscape and linguistic cyberecology are delineated and exemplified in a variety of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 applications and environments. It is argued that the LL of virtual space, though grounded in the concept of multilingual interactions within a physically defined world, has distinct characteristics to the digital world that continue to evolve conterminous with the complex relationship of the real to the digital.