At the time of our study, more than five hundred days had passed since the beginning of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. Given the sufficient time gap and the significant amount of media output, I can thus analyse a unique phenomenon that appeared in the Slovak media shortly after the beginning of the occupation – the appearance of previously unused variants of the names of the cities Kyjev or Kyjiv [Kyiv], Charkov or Charkiv [Kharkiv], and Ľvov or Ľviv [Lviv]. Through a quantitative analysis, we focused on media content across publishing houses N Press (Denník N), Petit Press (SME), OUR MEDIA SR (Pravda) and news portals www.tasr.sk and www.sita.sk. As a follow-up to the performed analysis, I directly confronted representatives of individual media with the findings, including ascertaining the motivations and reasons that led the editors to change, or persistence in using the original names. In the study, I also point out the phenomenon of the emerging language problem, which is already occupying the attention of linguists today.

In recent years, social media have developed the strong potential to effectively communicate and to create a value proposition about university educational services, research activities and their third role. The social media content should be designed in a way which creates value for social media users to build a stronger level of engagement and facilitate brand communication. The conducted research not only investigates how selected universities use their profiles on Facebook and Instagram and communicate with the public, but the analysis also focuses on a deeper understanding of the characteristics that influence the interactivity and the relationship between a selected university and its page visitors. The findings reveal that different types of post sources generate different engagement per post (by follower) and behaviour of target groups. Furthermore, content analysis was performed to assess differences among universities in their communication. The findings document how selected categories according to uses and gratifications theory influence target groups’ engagement. The results offer scholars and practitioners new knowledge for communication in the higher education field using social media.

This study explores the impact of digit(al)isation and convergence on television in Bosnia and Herzegovina, considering the fact that the digital revolution, sparked by the proliferation of advanced digital technologies, has brought significant changes to the media sphere. One of the key phenomena in contemporary media is media convergence, a multi-meaning concept influencing various stakeholders in the media landscape – media owners, management, journalists, editors, advertisers, and audiences. Qualitative research was conducted in this study, through semi-structured in-depth interviews (N=27) with management, journalists, and editors from Bosnian Herzegovinian TV stations (N=15). The aim of the study is to understand how media professionals navigate digital/convergent circumstances and which advantages and challenges they identify. Based on this research, it can be concluded that media professionals recognise the significance of quality content in the media (irrespective of technological changes), as well as the importance of collaborative effort that underscores shared responsibility to uphold standards and excellence within the dynamic digital media landscape.

Extreme situations, such as military conflicts, generate interest in how they are perceived by the public, which must process a broad array of media stimuli in a certain way. In this study, we discuss how the basic aspects of the current military conflict (the war in Ukraine) were perceived by young people (Generation Z) in Slovakia, with a focus on the initial part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We argue that the digital resistance of Slovakia’s citizens is currently low, which – in conjunction with the extremely focused activity of the disinformation scene – creates a risky environment. We use the Semantic Selection Test as a psychosemantic method on a sample of Slovak university students. One of our basic findings is the associative closeness of the concept of “Self” in Generation Z and Instagram, popular Internet memes and educational videos in connection with expertise. We also found that the recipients were subject to positive media manipulation (the Ghost of Kyiv) and were able to identify standard linguistic propaganda (negative associations of terms “war in Ukraine” and “special military operation”). The results can help us understand the perception of emergency situations by Generation Z.

This study analyses the role of the main Spanish political groups in the polarisation of public opinion and the promotion of the culture of disinformation through Twitter (now Platform X). The study carries out an analysis of issues associated with tweets and retweets in Spanish of the total published (n = 33,506 messages out of a total of 49,288 messages), which are contrasted with 2,730 disinformation publications identified by the two most relevant fact-checking projects in Spain (Maldita.es and Newtral.es). Based on the applied methodology, a political-communicative context is observed on Platform X characterised by a high level of self-promotion and polarisation, facilitated by the communication strategy of specific topics, applied by the actors analysed. The results show how these political actors can play an active and differentiated role in the promotion of disinformation content identified by the Maldita.es and Newtral.es data verification projects. This may contribute to the polarisation of Spanish public opinion on Platform X by delegitimising the opinions of their opponents on issues of interest to the public.

The aim of the study is to present a theoretical model that describes the value of a media product while presenting a synergy of economic, content, social, cultural and other factors. This synergy brings an expanded perception of the value of a media product not only as a commodifiable and consumable product, but it also enriches the value of a media product with new perspectives and insights. At the same time, the model is applicable to all types of media products (print, audio and audiovisual, online, offline media products). Due to the limited amount of available literature that is directly related to the presented topic and as a result of the impossibility of following a relevant theory that exists, exploratory research (focused on new features) was conducted, which was followed by a qualitative research method – Grounded Theory. The new model of the value of media product that is presented is followed by defining new concepts (these concepts have not been used so far) that are related to media products with a high cultural value – heritage media products (media products focused on the topic of cultural heritage) and total heritage media products (heritage media products that are cultural heritage in themselves).

Conducting research in the field of consumer purchasing behaviour gained an attention during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors of this study decided to focus their attention on selected factors influencing tourism. Since consumer purchasing behaviour is a broad topic, only selected factors that influence tourism demand are addressed. The expected research result is an insight into consumer behaviour in selected international catering establishments in Czechia. Moreover, at a time when the COVID pandemic is slowly fading, purchasing behaviour is becoming increasingly important. The aim of this contribution was to find the factors that most influence the choice of selected tourism facilities in Czechia. Among the key factors that influence the choice of international catering establishments in the Czech Republic, the majority of customers consider the atmosphere of the establishment, the opinion of friends, the right choice of music, and the location of the restaurant as the most important based on their preferences. A more detailed analysis of the survey results revealed that more than one-third of men consider the ability to pay by card to be an important factor that influences their choice of international catering establishments and the right choice of music is moderately important for most respondents in terms of their education. The exceptions to this are respondents with a university diploma who mention the factor of the right choice of music for selecting international catering establishments as the most important.

One of the fundamental pillars of properly set up marketing communication is customer orientation, defining their needs and preferences and then creating their profiles. Following this fact, the aim of the study is to create subsegments of Generation Y (Millennials) in the Czech market based on identified factors in terms of lifestyle as the non-traditional segmentation descriptive variable. In order to achieve the aim of the study, AIO parameters within psychographic segmentation were used to process primary data collected by marketing research carried out in the form of a questionnaire. Overall, 999 respondents who are residents of the Czech Republic participated in this marketing research. The characteristics of Generation Y (Millennials) and the determination of the main points for external and internal marketing strategies create the basis for the comparison of subsegments based on the criteria determining the possible success of the company in this process.

An attractive human face is a significant communication tool used in visual media. Due to various psychological mechanisms, a beautiful face is associated with additional characteristics; individuals with attractive faces are perceived as trustworthy, intelligent, and qualified, thereby increasing their impact on the perceiver. However, the question remains as to what constitutes an attractive human face and what parameters it should possess. One of the most influential characteristics associated with facial attractiveness is the presence of sexually dimorphic features. Since previous research has yielded conflicting findings, this study examines the influence of masculinity and femininity on the attractiveness of computer-generated facial composites, both generally and in the context of the age and gender of the evaluators, using a quasi-experimental approach. The study involved 2,159 participants (mean age = 24.18 years; SD = 10.167), with women comprising 59.6% of the sample. The results showed that while the femininity of facial features universally increases the attractiveness of female faces (most notably among younger men), the effect of sexually dimorphic features on the attractiveness of male faces is nonspecific. Therefore, for the universal utilisation of the attractive face effect on the evaluator (perceiver), it is recommended to employ a feminine female face. In the case of male faces, the attractiveness of masculine features may be contingent on additional circumstances/factors.

In this longitudinal study, we examine the changing landscape of storytelling in the streaming era, with a specific focus on Netflix’s original content from 2016 to 2022. Our primary goal is to understand the evolving patterns of storytelling techniques employed by Netflix during this period. We reviewed 150 original Netflix productions, consisting of 100 series and 50 movies, representing approximately one-third of Netflix’s original releases during the specified time period. Our analysis includes ten different storytelling criteria, including nonlinear, serialised, character-driven, documentary, anthology, flashback, episodic, interconnected, immersive, and real-time storytelling techniques, across both English and non-English content. The analysis revealed dynamic trends in the use of these storytelling techniques. Nonlinear storytelling, flashback storytelling, documentary-style and interconnected storytelling have shown positive correlations over time, indicating their increasing popularity. In contrast, serialised, anthology, and real-time storytelling have negative correlations, suggesting fluctuations or declining use. The analysis supports the alternative hypothesis (H1) that there is a significant shift, with an increasing emphasis on nonlinear storytelling, flashback storytelling, and interconnected storytelling. These findings underscore the ever-changing nature of Netflix’s storytelling methods, shedding light on the importance of adapting to audience preferences and evolving trends in the streaming industry.