Contemporary Media Research Articles

Entrepreneurial Influencers: Harnessing History to Guide Contemporary Opportunities

This research utilizes management and entrepreneurial philosophies from Robert S. Abbott to highlight the life and accomplishments of an early influencer and the principles that contributed to his entrepreneurial success. In addition to exploring the influence of an early figure, the study employs essential pedagogy to develop an initial model that formulates a value proposition rationale for contemporary social media influencers who seek to leverage their influence for entrepreneurial gain.

From ink to influence: analyzing the impact of media translations in late Qing China through media system dependency theory

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of periodicals in late Qing China through Media System Dependency theory. It emphasizes the synergy between media and translation studies, exploring how this combination influenced public discourse and catalyzed social reforms. It also focuses on how periodicals – as exclusive access to foreign knowledge – created a dependency among readers. This exclusivity and dependency empowered these publications to shape the intellectual and cultural milieu through strategically embedded translations. After analyzing cognitive, affective, and behavioral effects, this study demonstrates how media messages, particularly translations, introduced progressive concepts and advocated for social reforms, ultimately driving social and cultural shifts. By applying Media System Dependency theory, this study underlines the role of media as an agent of social change, extending insights beyond the historical context of late Qing China to contemporary media dynamics. This interdisciplinary approach contributes to a deeper appreciation of how media and translations collectively function as catalysts for cultural exchange and social transformation.

How Does Jade Dynasty Become a Big IP? Mapping Digital Media Ecology in Contemporary China

Abstract Jade Dynasty (Zhuxian) emerged as one of the pioneering and most celebrated online novels of the early 2000s in China. First serialized online in mainland China around 2002 and later published as a book series in Taiwan between 2003 and 2007, JD has been expansively adapted across various media forms, including video games (from 2007 to the present), TV dramas (2016), films (2019), and animation series (starting from 2022). Scholars acknowledge it as a pioneer in the transmedia adaptation of Chinese online novels, highlighting its significant IP (intellectual property) impact. In the realm of transmedia storytelling, scholars have pointed out different production modes, including media convergence, media mix, and “affective modules” regulated by digital platforms. Referring to the emphasis on media connections made in the studies of media mix and the issue of intermediality indicated in IP, this paper investigates the digital media ecology manifested in the transmedia system of the Jade Dynasty. By examining the online fantasy novel in the early 2000s, the video game in the mid-2000s, and the animation series in the 2020s, this study argues that each stage represents significant turning points in the contemporary Chinese digital media industry.

The relics of Jesus and Eucharistic miracles: scientific analysis of shared AB blood type.

Various relics ascribed to have been in physical contact with the historical Jesus of Nazareth have been evaluated for the presence of blood, including the Tunic of Argenteuil, the Sudarium of Oviedo, and most famously, the Shroud of Turin. Interestingly, the blood type on all three textiles was found to be AB by serological testing; a similar result was observed for various modern Eucharistic miracles, in which consecrated hosts are reported to change into human cardiac tissue and blood. As AB is a relatively rare blood type, these collective observations have been used in numerous contemporary media outlets to support the idea that all such objects share a common origin. Here, the scientific validity of mutual blood type expression is evaluated. As discussed, AB antigens are not unique to human red blood cells but are also expressed in bacteria, providing a practical connection between such varied objects. Moreover, this article clarifies that the communal presence of specific and unique polymorphic markers would be required to validate that bloodstains associated with such items truly originate from a single source.

The Construction of Female Media Images in the Rise of "Her Culture": A Case Study of The Story of Rose

Abstract: This paper, under the perspective of "Her Culture," takes the TV series The Story of Rose as the research object to explore the construction of contemporary female media images. By analyzing from two dimensionslanguage expression and visual symbolsthis study examines how elements such as speech, tone, vocabulary, music, images, color, costumes, and artwork contribute to shaping female media images through the dual relationship of "signifier" and "signified" from a semiotic perspective. Utilizing cultivation theory, the paper investigates the significance of The Story of Rose in constructing female media images, emphasizing its crucial role in awakening female consciousness, breaking traditional stereotypes, and promoting the de-labeling of female images.Represented by The Story of the Rose, the rise of television dramas from the perspective of "her culture" is not only a revolution in female media images, but also a powerful impact on social and cultural concepts, providing valuable inspiration and reference for building a more equal and inclusive gender discourse system, reflecting the diversified trend of female media image construction.

Practitioner Theories of Contemporary Media Planning: Forces Shaping the Discipline and the Challenges They Bring

Media planning as a profession has received little recent attention in the advertising research literature. Given the major changes in media systems, this study explores the experiences of today’s working media planners to address three overarching questions: What is the nature of media planning in today’s marketing environment? To what do media planners attribute the nature of contemporary media planning? What challenges do planners face in the contemporary media planning environment? The results of in-depth interviews about the experiences and views of media planners reveal a range of media practitioner theories and assumptions that guide planners’ thinking and work. These theories provide insights into the systems that are shaping the institution of contemporary media planning and suggest multiple avenues for future academic research and theory development.

The Digital Superhero: Conspiracy and Convergence

ABSTRACT The superhero is a popular figure in contemporary media: not just single characters, plots and movies, but entire universes and ‘phases’ spread across multiple protagonists, narrative arcs, devices, mediums and formats, from films and television shows to video games and books. Across much content, a reliance on conspiracy is evident: to motivate characters, link together plots, and move them across time and space. This article articulates paranoia and conspiracy as an emergent aesthetic bound up with the affordances of digital technology. It thus articulates these aesthetic impulses as the outcome of a cultural logic of convergence embodied in the affordances and demands of digital technologies and ecosystems. Considering the three aspects of convergence culture identified by Henry Jenkins (technology, culture, participation), and how they operate within superhero media under the aegis of digitization, this article discusses their penumbra: conspiratorial technology, conspiratorial culture, and conspiratorial participation.

Reimagining motherhood:Media narratives and gender dynamics in contemporary Kenyan magazines

This study investigates the portrayal of motherhood in contemporary Kenyan media, focusing on how women's conventional roles within the family are depicted. Through critical discourse analysis (CDA), the research examines narratives from The Parents Magazine and True Love East Africa magazines, revealing how motherhood is framed as a natural and preferred life choice for women. The analysis uncovers the emotional and challenging aspects of motherhood, societal expectations, and the reinforcement of traditional gender norms. The study also highlights the evolving concept of millennial motherhood in Kenya, emphasising how modern Kenyan women navigate career and family challenges while defying traditional roles. Additionally, the study explores the construction of the ideal and authentic woman through media representations, challenging patriarchal structures and redefining gender roles, illustrating a shift towards a more liberated and self-sufficient model of motherhood. The findings underscore the complex power dynamics and persistent traditional norms that shape women's identities and social roles in contemporary Kenyan society.

Short videos, big impact: How Chinese youth perceive and engage with news on short video platforms

In the contemporary media landscape in China, short video platforms (SVP) have emerged as significant news sources, especially among young audiences. Anchored in an understanding of news literacy as situated knowledge, this study investigates how Chinese youth (aged 13–18) perceive and engage with news content on these platforms. Based on qualitative interviews with 30 middle and high school students across five provinces in China, we found that 1) participants wanted short video news to be objective and straightforward, and felt that the affordances of short video platforms detract from these values; 2) they reported using news literacy skills when consuming short video news, but the strategies they shared were problematic; and 3) they were reluctant to engage with news content online and preferred to discuss it offline with people they trust. This study sheds light on the complex and often contradictory news consumption engagement and practices among Chinese youth on SVPs.

Fringe discourse networks 1932–2022: a media archaeological approach to (Ex)communication and (De)platforming

ABSTRACT In 1932, the Dutch writer Ernest Michel was banned from publishing with a Catholic publisher for critiquing the Catholic church and Dutch democracy. After his ban, Michel joined Verdinaso, a political organization with strong ties to upcoming National Socialist movements in the Netherlands, where he continued to write, frequently advocating for free speech, and against censorship. In this paper, we will compare the case of Michel with the case of Laurens Buijs, as well as contemporary processes of deplatformization and replatforming. We will discuss the removal of right-wing political actors from mainstream platforms, and analyze their narratives of victimhood and cultural decline, as well as the ‘network of technologies and institutions’, i.e. the ‘discourse networks’ that make far-right and populist political communication possible. We follow a media archaeological approach allowing us to show the continuities in seemingly distant times and seemingly different material and institutional networks, as well as the discontinuities in the development of contemporary media. With this analysis, we aim to contribute to current debates concerning the governance of anti-democratic and right-wing media, and their material and institutional networks.

Global Leader, Local Challenges: An Overview of Streaming in India

The rise of digital technologies in the past three decades transformed how individuals and societies consume and interpret media. This digital penetration impacts almost every aspect of social life, including the form, content and affordances transnational media conglomerates offer. The post-2000 shifts from traditional broadcasting to digital streaming introduced new questions about contemporary media technologies. One such question is the significance of global media conglomerates’ localisation of technologies and texts in diverse markets such as India, where the streaming industry is expected to hit $15 billion by the decade’s end. This study, grounded in the theoretical frameworks of global media, political economy and cultural studies, attempted to enhance existing scholarship on hybridity or glocalisation, the fusion between global and local cultures, by analysing the effects of streaming in India’s rapidly digitising economy. Through textual and document analysis, the study examined the factors across content preferences, pricing policies and regulatory environment that contributed to Netflix’s struggles and the relative success of Disney+Hotstar and JioCinema in the Indian market. Investigating cultural and economic factors revealed that global media conglomerates and platforms must localise their messages, agendas and ideologies for adequate consumption, interpretation and adoption.

Tendencies and characteristics of public fitness behavior in the digital era: an Internet ethnography study based on the K Community in China.

The deep integration of media technologies into fitness activities in the era of digital intelligence has created a new and evolving landscape for public fitness. This transformation significantly impacts the practices and experiences of fitness. This study employs Internet ethnography as a qualitative research methodology, focusing on the daily activities of participants in a digital fitness community known as the K-community. Through immersive observation and analysis, the research seeks to uncover the evolving patterns and characteristics of fitness practices in China during the digital era. As media technology and network culture advance, participants in digital fitness increasingly display fragmented, digitized, entertaining, ritualized, and highly socialized behaviors. These traits reflect the community's desire for varied and complex exercise experiences within the context of modern technology. The evolution of fitness behavior not only reflects the operational principles of contemporary media technologies but also encapsulates the essence of popular culture in the digital age. This study enhances our comprehension of fitness practices in digital environments and their wider cultural ramifications.

The Impact of Short-Form Video and Optimistic Bias on Engagement in Oral Health Prevention: Integrating a KAP Model.

College students are recognized as a demographic particularly susceptible to higher oral health risks due to irregular and unhealthy habits. While previous research has underscored these risks through descriptive studies within this group, a significant gap persists in the literature regarding the impact of contemporary media, specifically oral-health-related content, on the engagement in oral health prevention among Chinese college students. To address this gap, this study, guided by the extended knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) theory model, explores the direct, mediated, and serially mediated mechanisms through which exposure to oral health short-form videos on Douyin influences their participation in oral health prevention. An empirical cross-sectional online survey was conducted, with valid data (N = 421) analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression. Mediation and serial mediation analyses were also performed using SPSS version 25.0. The analysis revealed that exposure to oral health short-form videos had a positive direct effect on both oral health knowledge and the reduction of optimistic bias among Chinese college students. Furthermore, a significant serial mediation effect of oral health knowledge and oral health attitude was identified. The findings underscore the substantial applicability and explanatory power of the extended KAP theory model in understanding engagement in oral health prevention.

The Pictorial Turn and Visual Rhetoric: Analyzing Image Agency and Persuasion in Contemporary Media

In a time where the role of the image within academic and cultural contexts is undergoing a paradigm shift, especially since the notion of the pictorial turn proposed by the American art historian W J T Mitchell, the following paper will argue that the image is not only a passive representation, but has also become an active force in the construction of social realities, public opinion and the formation of subjectivity. The theory of image agency by Mitchell will be discussed in order to explain how images in political propaganda, social movements and advertising are used to either reaffirm or challenge hegemonic decisions. Examples such as the poster Rosie the Riveter and the advertisement If Youre Not Fast, Youre Food by Timberland will be used to illustrate the persuasive power of the image in modern communication. The proliferation of digital platforms such as Instagram or TikTok, which support a predominantly visual mode of communication, will be discussed in order to demonstrate how images come with an expanded force of impact. In this manner, the conclusion will underline that image studies and visual rhetoric are of utmost importance to an understanding of the contemporary information dissemination.

‘Grand designs?’ Investigating the cultural and spatial logics of Channel 4’s media hub workspaces in Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow

This article explores the evolving spatiality of media production through an analysis of recent developments in UK broadcaster Channel 4’s move to a multi-site operating model. Historically, media buildings have served as landmarks of power and influence, embodying the aspirations and identities of media organisations and, as such, offer a fruitful lens for the specific exploration of the spaces of contemporary media production. Through a detailed analysis of Channel 4’s decision-making process, site selections and the significance of the chosen buildings within areas with an urban regeneration focus, the study investigates the complex interplay between media industry dynamics, regional development policies, and wider political and economic forces. Drawing on a range of academic literature and evidence from media, industry and policy reporting, the article highlights the strategic motivations behind Channel 4’s decentralisation efforts, positioned by the organisation as an effort to address diversity in terms of nations and regions representation but significantly shaped by political factors. However, it also raises critical questions about the long-term sustainability, economic viability and cultural impact of these relocation decisions. The article discusses how Channel 4’s regional media spaces and decentralisation reflect the impermanence and crisis facing Public Service Media, emphasising the shifting power dynamics within the media landscape and the need for adaptive strategies in an increasingly volatile industry environment. By examining the evolving investment in media buildings, this research contributes to a growing body of research seeking to understand the complex dynamics shaping contemporary media landscapes and urban environments.

Cronenberg Adapts (Us to) McLuhan: Watching "Videodrome", Reading "Understanding Media"

This article argues that Videodrome and the film’s novelization can both be said to adapt McLuhan’s account of television in Understanding Media. Cronenberg’s film adopts McLuhan’s style of thought by rendering figurative language as visceral cinematic image; Martin’s novelization, in turn, uses the literary device of ekphrasis to depict the protagonist’s TV-possessed inner world. Videodrome the film and Videodrome the novel express, respectively, the cinematic imaging and the synesthetic verbal description of media as «the extensions of man». The essay concludes that attending to the ways in which both the film and the novel adapt McLuhan’s writing not only attests to the intermedial nature of the interpretive act, but helps delineate the contours of the contemporary media landscape.

ОНИМ «ГОРЬКИЙ» И РИТОРИКА ПЬЕСЫ «НА ДНЕ» В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОЙ МЕТАФОРЕ

The article examines metaphors from M. Gorky’s play “The Lower Depths” in the printed and electronic media texts of the last decade. In the contemporaty political discourse they are represented in a wide range of structural and functional vatiations: exact quotation; truncated quotation; quotation with the replacement of one part or the introduction of an additional component into the construction; cognitive function, clarifying the nature of a particular social phenomenon or object; emotive-evaluative and modeling functions, clarifying the meaning of a certain social phenomenon or aiming at its discrediting; hypothetical and polemical functions, characterizing civilizational processes. The article reveals that the onym «Gorky» is less spread than Gorkian metaphors in the contemporary as well as in the entire post-Soviet media. In the early Soviet journalism the situation was the opposite. It is noted that in the 1920s Gorkian metaphors were negatively applied to the personality of the writer himself; the 1930s were characterized by the unprecedented frequency of the usage of the onym in order to glorify the writer, while his creative work was quite neglected. Meanwhile, elements of direct and implicit polemics with the author of «The Lower Depths» in contemporary media, and the «Gorky.media» Internet project reveal certain convergence of the onym with the metaphor. The article states that the attention to Gorky’s rhetoric in the media environment is mostly related to the peculiarities of the writer’s creative personality (artist and public figure in one person) as well as to his genre and style preferences (maxims, aphorisms, allegory, symbol, journalistic techniques).

Digital Narratives: The Evolution of Storytelling Techniques in the Age of Social Media

This article discusses the evolution of storytelling techniques in the era of social media through the approach of digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is a method of conveying narratives that combines elements of images, text, audio, and video to create a more engaging storytelling experience. This research indicates that digital storytelling can enhance the literacy skills of the younger generation in Indonesia, which faces challenges related to low reading interest. With advancements in information technology and widespread internet access, digital platforms such as vlogs and podcasts can be utilized to introduce stories to young audiences. The research methodology employed is a literature review, gathering data from various relevant sources. The findings suggest that digital storytelling is effective in increasing literacy interest among the younger generation and has the potential to serve as an innovative educational tool. This article aims to provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of digital storytelling within the context of contemporary social media.

Finding The Old School Groove

RuneScape (2001–Present) has had over twenty years of musical development. Throughout the history of the game, the music has shifted to meet the needs and desires of both developers and players. Through examining developer posts, design documents, and game file data, this article explores the history of the music of RuneScape as an example of a browser-based game from the early 2000s and examines how the composition and implementation of music for the game was altered when the underlying technological affordances of the game were expanded. The emergence of Old School RuneScape in 2013 also offers a chance to reflect on how constructs of nostalgia can emerge in contemporary media, and how we might consider player relationships to games with iterative development such as RuneScape as being centered in nostalgia, and also as a form of retrofuturism.

Science, Fiction, and Contemporary Media: Blurred Borders in Knowledge Dissemination in Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain

This study examines the technical methods used by Michael Crichton to blur the lines between factual information and fictional elements in his novel The Andromeda Strain. The creative use of scientific terminology and artistic documentation that supports a sense of reality plays a role in creating a certain blurring that works to enhance the blurring of the boundaries between reality and imagination. The study aims to explore the novel within the framework of postmodern literary theory, questioning the concept of absolute truth, and emphasizing the role of language and literary discourse in constructing reality. Through a critical analysis of the novel, this study seeks to clarify the methods followed by Crichton to employ language and discourse to create an atmosphere of authenticity that contributes greatly to blurring the line between reality and imagination. In addition, the study comprehensively analyses modern media platform technologies that are used to erode the boundaries between objective reality and fictional narratives, and their consequent effects on the dissemination of information. The study concluded that Crichton's novel The Andromeda Strain embodies the successful integration of scientific concepts with fantasy elements, which resulted in a captivating and intellectually stimulating narrative.