The TikTok Effect: How Storytelling in Short-Form Videos Shape Discourses on Refugees in Canada—A Mixed Methods Approach

From Café Culture to Tweets

When the Russian president divorced his wife in 2013, social media crowds coined plenty of the Internet memes to interpret the news. Anastasia Denisova, Doctoral Researcher at CAMRI, examined the framing of the story in traditional and new media and came to the surprising findings.

Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to investigate if participation in business association’s programs through the traditional and new media platforms influences family businesses in South Eastern Nigeria to diversify into similar or different businesses. Background: Before the advances in information and communication technology, businesses were carried on via the traditional media. The application of these advances has changed the way business communications and transactions are conducted globally in both family and non-family businesses. Businesses are adapting to today’s turbulent environment by opening similar or different businesses in the same or different locations that are hinged on the traditional and new media platforms. Nigerians are largely involved in social network through the traditional (face-to-face contact) and new media (e.g., Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram). Moreover, in spite of the commonplaceness of family businesses in Nigeria, these businesses still experience weak diversification, bankruptcy and loss of socio-emotional wealth. Consequent upon the foregoing, this paper specifically investigates if involvement in social network via the traditional media (i.e., participation in business association’s meetings, workshops, seminars) and the new media (i.e., participation in the business association’s interactive sessions on trending business issues through the association’s online social platform like WhatsApp, Twitter), influence family businesses in South Eastern Nigeria to diversify into similar or different businesses. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative methodology. The qualitative data were generated via interview involving 30 purposively selected businesses from South Eastern Nigeria. This comprises 15 family businesses each that have respectively adopted related and unrelated diversification strategies. Two respondents (i.e., the business owner and a top level manager) each were drawn from the selected businesses. In all, 60 respondents were interviewed. Since the unit of analysis is the family business, the interview transcriptions from all the respondents were subjected to thematic content analysis on the basis of the family businesses. Contribution: Active involvement and participation in all the meetings, discussions, workshops and seminars of the social network via the traditional and new media platforms facilitates the adoption of related or unrelated diversification in family businesses. Moreover, the adoption of similar social network platforms like WhatsApp and Twitter in all the relationships among and between employees and managers, and the transactions of the businesses is one of the key factors for achieving successful related or unrelated diversification in family businesses. Findings: In spite of the risky nature of the business environment, the adoption of related diversification strategies is significantly influenced by resources such as business consultancy services garnered through the traditional and new media platforms of the social network. Also, family businesses that are actively involved in a social network where the actors interact through the traditional and new media are influenced by the resources acquired to consider adopting unrelated diversification. These resources include: better understanding of the nature of business challenges, environments and experiences; and different lines of businesses. Thus, the traditional and new media platforms are complementary in their roles. Recommendations for Practitioners: Family business owner-managers could use the findings to develop related or unrelated strategies for diversifying into existing or new markets. This can be through the localization of manufacturing plant, improvement of product packaging, sitting of sales outlet closer to the consumers, introduction of lower prices for products/services, introduction of new and better ways of service delivery, or development of more compelling promotion strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: As a veritable guide, this study could guide future researchers in the formulation of their objectives, selection of instrument for data collection and respondents, and adoption of method of data analysis. Impact on Society: Successful diversification suggests the establishment of new or more businesses. Consequently, these new or more family businesses are expected to translate to more employment opportunities and by extension reduction in unemployment and poverty rates in the society. Future Research: Further studies should be carried out to enhance the development of family businesses, contribute to the existing literature and ensure the generalization of the findings.

The internet is widely seen to have facilitated social movement organizations (SMOs) by providing them with alternative media. In the western context, some authors suggest that additionally SMOs use the internet tactically as a tool to gain access to traditional news media. This usage is seen to reaffirm and reinforce the centrality of print and electronic news media. This article shifts the focus to China and examines the interaction between the internet and the traditional mass media in the unfolding of three internet incidents. It reveals that via the expression of public opinion on the internet ordinary people are able to collectively shape and even direct conventional news agendas. In China, where the role of the media is to ‘direct’ public opinion rather than to reflect it, this suggests that the interaction between the two forms of communication serves to challenge state control over the traditional media.

This study examines the role of social media in shaping public opinion, contrasting it with traditional media platforms through a qualitative literature review. As digital media becomes increasingly prevalent, understanding its impact on public discourse is essential. The research highlights the unique attributes of social media, including interactivity, immediacy, and user-generated content, which differentiate it from traditional media formats such as television, radio, and print. By synthesizing findings from a variety of scholarly articles, this study identifies key themes regarding how social media influences public perception, mobilizes communities, and facilitates the spread of information. Furthermore, the analysis reveals significant challenges, including the prevalence of misinformation and echo chambers, which can distort public opinion and polarize discourse. The results indicate that while social media offers opportunities for broader engagement and diverse perspectives, it also necessitates critical literacy among users to navigate the complexities of digital information landscapes. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on media studies by providing a comprehensive overview of the comparative effects of traditional and digital media platforms on public opinion formation. The findings underscore the need for further research into the ethical implications of social media usage and its potential to shape democratic processes.

The digital revolution has reshaped environmental news coverage and public discourse in China, particularly with the rise of social media platforms. This study investigates the influence of social media on environmental awareness and public engagement, juxtaposed with traditional print media. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, content analysis and in-depth interviews were conducted to analyze environmental news coverage across social media and print platforms. Quantitative data analysis revealed significant differences between traditional print media and social media in terms of source attribution, framing, and tone of environmental news coverage. Social media platforms exhibited a higher emphasis on environmental threats, a more positive tone, and a greater reliance on sources such as environmental NGOs and academia. Qualitative data analysis provided insights into the amplification of environmental issues, the diversification of voices, and the interactive engagement facilitated by social media platforms. The findings highlight the transformative role of social media in environmental communication, empowering real-time dissemination, amplifying diverse perspectives, and fostering public engagement. However, challenges such as misinformation and government regulations underscore the need for critical evaluation and media literacy initiatives. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape of environmental journalism and public discourse in China, providing valuable insights for policymakers, journalists, and environmental advocates. Future research should continue to explore the interplay between social media and traditional media, addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in the digital age.

Functions and roles of social media in media transformation in China: A case study of “@CCTV NEWS”

This article discusses the evolution of investment immigration in Canada and its impacts upon constructions of Canadian citizenship. Canada has led the way in providing permanent residency to foreign individuals in exchange for an investment. While investor immigration programs in Canada have gone through some changes over the years since it was first established in 1986, foreign investors have always had to meet certain economic criteria; the common denominator has always been a large sum of investment in exchange for the right to reside in Canada, and eventually become a Canadian citizen. There have been some recent developments in investment immigration in Canada which bring to the fore important questions, including how investment immigration is construed in Canada, how it impacts Canadian citizenship values, and ultimately how immigration laws and policies will shape the future of Canada’s economy and society. While investment immigration has existed in Canada for some time — and is now a global phenomenon — the topic remains under-theorised and understudied in Canada. In light of changes to investment immigration in Canada, this paper examines the circumstances under which investor-type immigration is justifiable, and ultimately desirable, in the Canadian context. Through an examination of the historical evolution of investment immigration in Canada and interdisciplinary scholarship, this article questions the phenomenon and argues that this kind of immigration devalues Canadian citizenship by construing it as a commodity to be traded for the right amount of investment.

How are attitudes formed in the 21st Century, and who sets the agenda for initial COVID-19 coverage in the United States? We explore these questions using a random sample of 6 million tweets from a population of 224 million tweets collected between January 2020 and June 2020. In conjunction with a content analysis of legacy media such as newspapers, we examine the second-level agendamelding process during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The findings demonstrate that in the early weeks of the pandemic, public opinion on Twitter about the virus was distinctly different than the coverage of the issue in the traditional media. The attributes used to describe it on social media demonstrate users relying on their past experiences and personal beliefs to talk about the virus. In the 1st week of February, public opinion, traditional media, and social media converged, but traditional media soon becomes the main agenda setter of COVID-19 for 13 weeks. However, for the final 5 weeks of our sample, traditional media are taken over by social media. The findings also show that, except for a few weeks at the onset of the outbreak, Twitter users relied on their personal experiences far less than what statistical models predicted and allowed. Instead, traditional media and social media to shape their opinion of the issue.

The dominant public discourse on refugees in Malaysia is characterised by portrayals of refugees as illegal, burdensome and a threat to the nation’s security. Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its related 1967 Protocol and therefore does not provide legal recognition to those who claim refugee status. Nonetheless, Malaysia is host to hundreds of thousands of refugees who live not in camp settings but in the community, most in urban environments. Refugees from Myanmar form the vast majority of Malaysia’s refugee population while smaller, though still substantial, communities are made up of refugees who originate from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Syria. This chapter interrogates key discourses around what a refugee is in Malaysia and how the dominant discourses, or what Michel Foucault calls ‘regimes of truth’, construct refugees and link them above all to the pervasive notion of ‘illegality’. The prevailing discourses pertaining to the refugee population are reiterated and shaped by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Malaysian state and its institutions, civil society, the traditional media and other consumable information systems. Here, these depictions are challenged through an exploration of alternative narratives and readings. In recent years stories of Malaysia’s refugee population have begun to emerge in the mainstream media and elsewhere. These accounts have played an important role in developing the refugee as a figure in the national consciousness. Personal stories recorded with refugees living in Malaysia are explored to demonstrate how refugee narratives are shaped by and speak back to the public discourse. The analysis suggests that the binary portrayals of refugees as either victims or agents fail to capture the multiplicity of the refugee experience.

The age of digitalization can be characterized by new media communication channels. Resulting from that, new influential subjects of information started to appear – they are often called influencers and their impact on public opinion should not be underestimated. This paper compared audience profiles of traditional Russian media and those of influencers, as well as the ways these actors provided feedback with their audience. Preferences of the above mentioned audiences primarily differ due to age: traditional media attract mainly people of the older generation, since they prefer reading personalized analytics, detailed reviews, whereas influencers’ audience is much younger, since young people tend to prefer brief, but expressively brought messages. Traditional media and influencers act as significant actors in the process of interpreting and promoting relevant political information related to important events, which should include a special military operation (SVO) conducted by Russia in Ukraine since 24 February 2022. This operation caused powerful streams of hostility discourse to develop, broadcast primarily by foreign media and influencers. These days political media discourse of hostility has become a crucial part of the information agenda, however it is variously presented on different channels of network environment. Thus, the discourse of hostility broadcast by Russian media discredit the leadership of Ukraine, the political course towards SMO conducted by the United States and a number of European states. It is also directed against a group of people who left Russia and are publicly calling for destruction of Russian’s state institutions. At the same time, Russian media and influencers are not engaged in dehumanizing the population of Ukraine, of the United States and Europe, while Ukrainian media institutions use the entire arsenal of information warfare to create an anti-human image of Russia. This paper aims to carry out a theoretical analysis of media discourse of hostility promoting through traditional media and influencers in terms of their covering the problems of the SMO. Methods used in the research appear to be mainly a comparative analysis and a discourse of hostility promoting method, the latter uses different media technologies to consider topical issues related to the SMO. The paper comes to a conclusion that since Russia’s military, political, economic and international positions strengthen during the course of its military and political campaign, information flows promoting the political discourse of hostility will naturally increase in volume.

The relevance of the article lies in the study of the value aspect of the functioning of online media, which played an important role in overcoming the COVID-19 epidemic. The object of the study is the network media Weibo, TikTok and the network platform “Gosuslugi. Let’s decide together.” Scientifi c novelty is manifested in the analysis of the little-studied problem of the value of network media as sources of information in overcoming the real diffi culty of communication in an epidemic. The value of online media is expressed in educating the audience and jointly overcoming the consequences of the pandemic. The following methods were used: mass media monitoring, comparative analysis method, study of documents. A comparative analysis of the functioning of traditional and online media led to the conclusion that during the study period (from December 31, 2019 to July 15, 2020), traditional media did not pay due attention to organizing feedback from the audience, studying its opinion, as well as its emotional state. Traditional media have focused exclusively on factual messages, unlike online media, which are interested in: 1) engaging the audience in the exchange of information; 2) articulating its information needs and 3) expressing its emotions about the pandemic. A critical analysis of the literature has shown that the value of online media increases signifi cantly in emergency situations, such as an epidemic, since these information platforms are able to overcome time and space barriers in real time, distributing high-quality news and realizing the vital interests of the audience. The study of documents and reports of international health organizations confi rmed this thesis: the activities of the media lead to changes in public opinion and behavior and can affect the general psychological state of society. In the article, the value of network media is considered in three aspects: 1) social value is expressed in bringing the voices of ordinary people to everyone’s attention, satisfying their need to express emotions; 2) the value of communication ‒ in removing restrictions in intersocial and internatio nal dialogue and information exchange; 3) the value of propaganda lies in uniting peoples and promoting social cooperation in overcoming global dangers. In the future, it seems necessary to study the value of network media in the scientifi c discourse in the dissemination of information and organization of communication in emergency situations.

Citizens are now central to national security strategies, yet governments readily admit that little is known about public opinion on security. This article presents a unique and timely examination of public perceptions of security threats. By focusing on thebreadthof security threats that citizens identify, their psychological origins, how they vary from personal to global levels, and the relationships between perceptions of threats and other political attitudes and behaviours, the article makes several new contributions to the literature. These include extending the levels at which threats are perceived from the national versus personal dichotomy to a continuum spanning the individual, family, community, nation and globe, and showing the extent to which perceptions of threat at each level have different causes, as well as different effects on political attitudes and behaviour. These findings are also relevant to policy communities’ understanding of what it means for a public to feel secure.

This study is among the first to examine how health risks are communicated through traditional and social media during a public health crisis. Using an innovative research approach, the study combined a content analysis with in-depth interviews to examine and understand how stakeholders involved in crisis response perceived media coverage after a chemical spill contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginia residents. A content analysis of print, television, and online media stories and tweets revealed that health risk information was largely absent from crisis coverage. Although traditional media stories were significantly more likely to include health information compared to tweets, public health sources were underutilized in traditional media coverage. Instead, traditional media favored the use of government sources outside the public health field, which stakeholders suggested was problematic because of a public distrust of officials and official information during the crisis. Results also indicated that Twitter was not a common or reliable source for health information but was important in the spread of other types of information. Ultimately, the study highlights a need for more deliberate media coverage of health risks and provides insight into how Twitter is used to spread crisis information.

This study examines the influence of political communication strategies on public perception and understanding of godfatherism and godson conflicts in Nigeria. The primary objective is to analyze how media framing, social media, and political rhetoric shape public attitudes towards these political dynamics. The study is grounded in the framing and agenda-setting theories, which explores how media and communication strategies influence and shape public interpretation of political issues through framing and constant focus on such issues. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative content analysis of media reports and interviews with political analysts, alongside a quantitative survey of public opinions. Findings reveal that traditional media, particularly news outlets aligned with political figures, frame godfatherism as either a stabilizing force or a corrupt practice, significantly influencing public opinion. Social media platforms also contribute to the spread of misinformation, intensifying partisan divides. Politicians' strategic use of campaign messages further polarizes views, with some presenting godfatherism as beneficial while others critique it as detrimental to democracy. The study concludes that political communication plays a pivotal role in shaping public understanding of godfatherism, either fostering informed engagement or reinforcing apathy. It recommends promoting media literacy, encouraging independent journalism, and fostering a more transparent political discourse to reduce the negative effects of biased political narratives.