Literature Media Research Articles

Special issue on verse structure and linguistic modelling: introductory notes

Verse was first.Verse and its forms have always held the attention of linguists and other humanists. Just over the last seven years there have been meetings spotlighting metrics at the University of Essex (2015), the University of Tallinn (2017), the University of Stockholm (2018), the University of Padua (2022) and most relevant to this special issue, a full session on historical metrics at the 2021 International Conference on English Historical Linguistics (ICHEL 21) in Leiden. Academic publishers, too, have over the same span brought out major new titles devoted to matters historical and metrical – Neidorf et al. (2016), Weiskott (2016), Cornelius (2017), Russom (2017), Gunkel & Hackstein (2017), Donoghue (2018), Duffell (2018), Putter & Jefferson (2018) and Ryan (2019) would here be representative – and it does not seem coincidental that in the UK, the Poet Laureate has been busy of late translating The Owl and the Nightingale into contemporary English (Armitage 2021) – a work that accompanies the same writer's earlier re-rendering of Gawain and the Green Knight (2009). The English language, with its intricacies, its long history of use as a literary medium and its spectacular formal developments in both verse and prose, figures largely in many of these renewed descriptions and analyses.

Mapping the Political Landscape on Social Media Using Bibliometrics: A Longitudinal Co-Word Analysis on Twitter and Facebook Publications Published Between 2012 and 2021

Topics such as disinformation, misinformation, political polarization, and populism are frequently discussed in the social media literature. The purpose of this article is to investigate how the political emphasis on social media has evolved in the academic publications published in the last decade. Thus, using co-word analysis of the social science articles published between 2012 and 2021, which discuss politically about Facebook or Twitter ( N = 3389), this article investigates whether certain major and unexpected political events—such as Donald Trump’s presidential victory and the Brexit referendum—have influenced in any way the knowledge field related to social media publications. Thus, the 2017–2021 map brings new and popular words, such as “Covid-19,” which is associated in similar clusters with words such as disinformation, fake news, and infodemic. Furthermore, the emergence of the word “Russia” places it in a common cluster with words such as bots, elections, and agenda-setting. Also, the Twitter map, unlike the Facebook one, brings a particular emphasis on Donald Trump’s activity, which appears in clusters that are similar to topics that brought him popularity on Twitter, such as: meme, migration, and refugees. Such bibliometric associations should increase policymakers’ attention to the potential use of social media as a political tool, along with designing the solutions to limit such intrusions into future political events.

THE THEORETICAL ORIGIN OF FIRDAUSI'S PHILOSOPHICAL WORLD VIEWS. (ANALYSIS OF PART 2)

The article analyzes the theoretical and ideological origin of writing the poem "Shakhnoma". Firdousi's Shakhnoma memorably repeated the history of the Persian kings, strengthened the influence of the Persian language as a literary medium, and preserved knowledge of Iran's ancient glory, its political ethics and cultural identity.

THE THEORETICAL ORIGIN OF FIRDAUSI'S PHILOSOPHICAL WORLD VIEWS. (ANALYSIS OF PART 3)

The article analyzes the theoretical and ideological origin of writing the poem "Shakhnoma". Firdousi's Shakhnoma memorably repeated the history of the Persian kings, strengthened the influence of the Persian language as a literary medium, and preserved knowledge of Iran's ancient glory, its political ethics and cultural identity.

The Power of Likes: The Role of Media Approval in the Relationship Between CSR and CFP

An abundance of research examines the relationship between firms’ social and financial performance. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) research suggests that corporate social performance (CSP) elicits social approval, reflected in positive coverage in media that confers legitimacy and reputation. The media literature shows media approval increases stakeholder reciprocity, which translates to a higher level of CFP. Linking these streams of literature and drawing on stakeholder theory, we posit that social approval as reflected in media, mediates the relationship between a firm’s CSP and CFP by enabling the firm to benefit more from CSP to improve its CFP. More specifically, considering media’s selective coverage and the increasing scrutiny and contestability of higher levels of CSP, we propose that the relationship between CSP and media approval is nonlinear, such that the positive impact of CSP on increasing media approval is at a decreasing rate, and CFP is positively influenced by media approval. The curvilinear relationship between CSP and media approval flattens when firms’ top managers are found to be excessively wealthy, which we argue can change stakeholders’ expectations of the firm and thereby influence media approval. Our analysis of a panel data set of 1,809 Chinese publicly listed firms from 2012 to 2017 lends support to these arguments.

Activism in the Era of Social Media: Platform Activism and Affordances the Case of @GGreenpeaceBr (WITHDRAWN)

As social media platforms become more prevalent in our societies, it is critical to examine what they afford for activism. Hence, we ask, do social media platforms provide new spaces for activism for SMOs? To address this gap, we examined how one SMO, Greenpeace Brazil, translates its actions on social media platform Twitter. Thus, we investigate how @GreenpeaceBR affords GPBR’s practices. Adopting a Critical Realist approach to technologies, we argue organizations exert agency and influence society while choosing how to use such technologies within their activities. We argue that such affordability characterizes activism in the era of social media platforms. We contribute to organization studies of social media literature firstly by advancing the understanding of how a particular organization reconfigures its practices and organizing into Twitter. Secondly, we identify Twitter's main affordances for SMOs and activism. Thirdly, while doing so, we reconfigure the idea of activism in the era of social media, further elaborating the concept of platform activism.

Social media celebrities and new world order. What drives purchasing behavior among social media followers?

Social media celebrities (SMCs) and social media platforms (SMPs) have become indispensable in today's business and marketing settings. Drawing on the celebrity influence model (CIM), this study examines the impact of SMCs on their followers' purchase intention and the moderating influence of SMP usage on the relationships between (a) SMCs and their followers' purchase intention, (b) para-social relationships (PSR) and purchase intention, and (c) identification and purchase intention. We collected 665 valid responses via an online questionnaire in China and then employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the proposed relationships between the variables. The findings revealed that SMCs do not significantly influence their followers' purchase intention directly; however, they do exert such influence through PSR and identification. The results further indicated that SMP usage moderates the effect of PSR and identification on purchase intention. Our study offers both theoretical and managerial contributions. Theoretically, the incorporation of CIM into this study's model augments the PSR and identification literature in the context of SMCs. Again, the moderating effect of SMP usage that we reveal is novel in the social media literature. In practice, marketers in China should consider the credibility and rapport a particular social media celebrity has with his or her followers before contracting that particular celebrity to endorse their products.

ESPOUSAL OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS (OSNS) IN TOURISM SUPPLY CHAIN NETWORK (TSCN) DURING COVID-19

The COVID-19 epidemic has broken the original business network structure and globally affected the tourism supply chains. Online social networks (OSNs) have become a necessary component of ICT-enabled services, affecting every area of human existence. The espousal of OSNs into tourism supply chain networks during a pandemic is crucial. However, scarce studies have been conducted on the espousal of OSNs in tourism supply chain networks. The study developed a research model based on the IS success model, uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, institutional theory, and transaction cost theory to analyze the espousal of OSNs in the tourism supply chain network (TSCN) during COVID-19. The study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine 99 data acquired via online surveys from supply chain specialists in the travel and hospitality sectors. The research model outperforms better and fulfills all model fitness requirements. The research found that tourism supply chain experts adopt online social networks to address supply and demand disruptions caused by COVID-19. Utilitarian features (e.g., supply chain perceptibility), technological features (e.g., system quality), and cost-benefit aspects substantially influence the espousal of OSNs in the tourism supply chain network. Espousals of OSNs improve tourism supply chain performance during Covid-19. As a result of this research, tourism supply chain management, MIS, and social media literature will be enriched by introducing OSNs in the tourism supply chain environment. The research will also provide adequate implications to supply chain managers and OSNs service provider to adopt OSNs in the tourism supply chain during COVID-19.

ELLIPSIS ANALYSIS IN TERI TERRY’S NOVEL “SLATED” (SYNTACTIC APPROACH)

Language as the mean of communication is related to literature because language is the media of literature. Literature is abstract so that has different meaning and perception which it may be very difficult to define correctly. The writer was interested in conducting research entitled “Ellipsis analysis in Teri Terry’s novel “Slated” (Syntactic Approach)” and focused on analyzing ellipsis. In this research, the writer investigated the novel Slated by Teri Terry as the source of data. This novel consists of 51 chapters and 281 pages and the writers identified 22 chapters. The writers concluded the results of the research, as follows; the writers found twenty five ellipsis include three kinds of ellipsis, Nominal Ellipsis (NE), Verbal Ellipsis (VE) and Clausal Ellipsis (CE).

Relationship between Social Exchanges and Financial Performance: Examining a Virtual Community Sponsored by a Cloud Provider

ABSTRACT To attract a stream of potential clients and transform them into competent cloud adopters for sustained growth, cloud providers (CPs) sponsor YouTube virtual communities to build an interactive knowledge base and manage client relationships. This study investigates both the long- term equilibrium and the short-term dynamics of the relationships between social exchanges in CP sponsored virtual community and its financial performance. Social exchanges are measured with the number of unique posters (UP) and CP-posted quality content (QC), and financial performance is measured with quarterly CP revenue. With the advancement of CP-sponsored virtual community structure and dynamics laying the foundation, hypotheses are developed from multiple theoretical perspectives and time series data from Amazon Web Service sponsored YouTube community are analyzed. It is found that the long-run equilibrium and the short-run dynamics (of the relationships between social exchanges and financial performance) sharply contrast with each other, reminding community sponsors that they need to balance the long-run survival with the short-run success of their communities. Empirical results also reveal the steepness of the learning curve in the cloud computing industry as an entry barrier with implications for CPs and their clients. Further, based on empirical findings, both a stage model (about the impact of increase in CP revenue on increase in UP) and feedback loops (among participation, content, and value) are developed to help social media management visualize how their communities may dynamically evolve over time. This paper contributes not only to the cloud computing literature on the role social media plays in developing a competent client base, but also to the social media literature regarding the relationships between social exchanges and financial performance in knowledge intensive industries.

Intermediating Aural and Visual Divides in Ahmed Shafie’s Print Literary Media and Hassan Khan’s New Media Art

Abstract New literary media in print has changed its paradigms by converging with new media art; likewise, new media art draws on narrative techniques and poetic images. These paradigm transmutations have generated collaborative links binding distinct creative practices, intensifying the reading engagement and/or immersive experience. The mutual interpenetrations of print literary media and new media art challenges traditional understandings of literary, visual and acoustic practices, urging us to rethink mainstream/popular and local/global divides. This paper draws on new literary writing in print by Ahmed Shafie (b. 1977), a Cairo-based writer, poet and translator, along with new media art by Hassan Khan (b. 1975), a Cairo-based writer, composer, and new media artist, both informed by regional and worldwide cultures. By intermediating their visual, verbal and/or aural experiences, this paper addresses the convergent strategies used to produce signification in a worldwide rapidly changing cultural context. The intensity of the reader’s/viewer’s/user’s engagement with the literary or visual experience will be explored to reconsider intermediation as an act of intervention.

비평으로서의영화, 영화적주석(註釋)으로서의메타시네마

This thesis was submitted as one of the planned topics of 'Transformation of Literary Media and Storytelling'. The aspect of how the form of writing called criticism is realized through the medium of film was reviewed. The subject of review is <The Gravity of Green Tea> and <The Hundred Second Cloud>, a documentary by Jeong Seong-il, which deals with Im Kwon-taek and his film world. Through the concept of 'meta cinema', these films were analyzed as a critique and their meaning was explored. It is presumed that the critical work performed by Jeong Seong-il through the medium of film was greatly influenced by Godard's profound works on films of 'self-reflection'. As two teachers and pioneers who awakened Jung Sung-il to the most intense awareness of the ontology of cinema, we examine his influence on Godard and Im Kwon-taek. This thesis confirms Jung Sung-il's clear self-consciousness about the 'field' as a film school from the perspective of kung fu (工夫) and culture (敎養). And how it is reflected in the two texts dealt with in this paper was reviewed. In this part, the meta-cinema characteristics and meanings as a critique performed by Jung Sung-il through film were intensively discussed. Although it is a medium of film, the characteristics of actively using type and quoting texts published in print media are revealed. In addition, the process of knowing and awakening about the film derived by strictly observing the production site is expressed with subjective sensitivity. Through this, it can be confirmed that the critique as a meta-cinema opened up the possibility of capturing and expressing the vividness of the 'field' that could not be expressed through the medium of writing through his subjective emotions.

Consumer experience co-creation in speciality coffee through social media sharing: its antecedents and consequences

PurposeThe present study aims to examine consumers’ happiness experiences for speciality coffee consumption in Thailand by considering the role of consumers’ active participation, sharing of experience and consumer experience co-creation.Design/methodology/approachA purposive survey was conducted in speciality coffee shops located in the largest commercial city and industrial development centre in the Northeastern Region of Thailand, Khon Kaen City, which yielded 271 usable and valid responses. The proposed model was evaluated by using a structural equation analysis with a partial least squares technique.FindingsThe results confirmed that consumers’ active participation and sharing of experience affected their experience co-creation, which in turn contributed to the consumers’ happiness experience at the speciality coffee shops.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the consumer experience co-creation and social media literature by proposing a conceptual model for the speciality coffee consumption experience. Furthermore, the study findings contribute to the existing literature by investigating new linkages, such as the role of consumer experience co-creation in a speciality coffee context as a mediating variable of consumer active participation and the sharing of experience with consumers’ happiness experience.

Some Reflections on Bobrow's Counterpoint to Walach's Review

I am grateful for Robert S. Bobrow’s “Counterpoint”. Discourse and controversy are essential elements, both of science and of finding political consensus. Both have suffered immensely over the last two years. And in my view, this has to do with the subtle mechanisms of censoring installed. Dissenting voices are silenced, in the media and in academia. Political opinion is no longer a free, consensus seeking debate. All is put under the umbrella of “unity for fighting the pandemic”.
 I think the way one can read Kennedy’s book, my review of it, and Bobrow’s comments hinges on two central questions. I am not going to answer them, but I wish to raise them for discussion. I will give a few bits of my opinion and my reasons for it.
 The first question is: Is it true that we were faced with a “pandemic”, i.e,. a worldwide, devastating infectious disease problem? The second question is: Can we really trust our institutions, i.e. the political executive (in the US the president and his administration, in Germany our chancellor and its executive ministry), our media, our parliamentary democracy?
 Depending on your own answer to these questions, you will find both my review and Kennedy’s book annoying or helpful. Bobrow obviously answers both questions in the positive.
 I would agree with him: Vaccinations have done a lot of good, especially in the case of polio. But, following some studies and reports relayed by Kennedy, the recent polio vaccination campaigns in India and Africa have led to more unwanted effects than benefits and were stopped by the governments for that reason. That might have been completely different in the 60ies, when polio was a real threat. But one fact, easily overlooked, likely not so relevant for polio, but for other diseases is: all infectious diseases were on a steep decline many years before vaccines became available. That vaccines might have accelerated the decline is likely. Had we not found any vaccines, we might have seen the same decline, only a bit slower. This argument is old and was made, to my knowledge, first by McKeown (McKeown, 1976). But the point is, Covid-19 vaccines are not vaccines. But let me get back to that argument later.
 Back to our central questions: I was, by and large, of the opinion that our institutions function well. Until I started to read a bit more widely in political texts, media literature and critical social analysis. For instance, reading well researched books like Sands (2020); Sutton (1976); Talbot (2015) gives you some taste of underground politics where quite some background forces are at work that steer the seemingly benevolent forces of visible political actors toward the agenda of powerful elites and their own benefit. It is a bit like losing your virginity: you are different, once you realize this. And with that kind of knowledge, you are more willing to be critical, regarding publicly presented narratives. Therefore, I am at least willing to entertain the proposition that our political leadership is not necessarily benevolent and that powerful forces backstage try to get their will.

Gothic in Comics and Children’s Literature: An Interview with Julia Round


 Julia Round is Associate Professor in English and Comics Studies at Bournemouth University, where she teaches various courses including English and Literary Media. Her main fields of research are the gothic comics and children’s literature. She’s one of the editors of the peer-reviewed academic journal Studies in Comics, as well as one of the organizers of the annual International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference. She’s also one of the editors of the book series Encapsulations from Nebraska University Press. Besides publishing numerous essays, she’s published the monographs Gothic in Comics and Graphic Novels: A Critical Approach (2014) and Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics (2019). She’s also an author of short comics that have been published in anthologies and fanzines, including ‘Doll Parts’ (with art by Catriona Laird), ‘The Haunting of Julia Round’ (with art by Letty Wilson) and ‘Borrowed Time’ (with art by Morgan Brinksman). She shares her work at www.juliaround.com. 

Auxiliary Verbs of Nocte, Khappa, Ollo and Tutsa

The unit of study is Tirap district which lies in the south-eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh; and the languages or varieties are Nocte, Khappa, Ollo and Tutsa.Presently, Tirap is mainly inhabited by Nocte; few villages in the district show occupancy by Nocte-Ollo and Nocte-Khappa. Noctes form the bulk of population of Tirap. This study probes the so-called sub-tribes of Nocte – Ollo and Khappa. Khappa is regarded as a literary medium of Nocte; hence the variety is used in composing songs and poetry. Ollo seeks to be an independent tribe in near future. Tutsa was regarded as a sub-tribe of Nocte, until 1991 the former got registered as an independent tribe.The study is an attempt to lay out grammatical features based on the usage of auxiliary verbs and Be Verbs found in these languages/ varieties – Nocte, Khappa, Ollo and Tutsa; and trace how far the morphology of these languages bears the same source or show resemblances. The features taken into account here are as follows:The study illustrates the various auxiliary verbs featuring in these languages like toŋ, nyi, daŋ jaŋ, diaŋ. It brings into focus that the existential verbs and possessive verbs are derived from posture verb toŋ ‘sit’ and verb nyi/daŋ ‘live/stay’ and je ‘exist’. These verbs provide an understanding not only of the cognates which is interestingly shared among the four; but also, the usages of content and function words shared by the same.In addition, the study describes the Be verb hon in Ollo and Tutsa which perform inchoative functions.The description adds not only to the understanding of rich varieties of auxiliary verbs used in these languages.; but also, source of lexical/grammatical cognates shared by these languages despite retaining their uniqueness.

Media portrayal of ethical and social issues in brain organoid research

BackgroundHuman brain organoids are a valuable research tool for studying brain development, physiology, and pathology. Yet, a host of potential ethical concerns are inherent in their creation. There is a growing group of bioethicists who acknowledge the moral imperative to develop brain organoid technologies and call for caution in this research. Although a relatively new technology, brain organoids and their uses are already being discussed in media literature. Media literature informs the public and policymakers but has the potential for utopian or dystopian distortions. Thus, it is important to understand how this technology is portrayed to the public.MethodsTo investigate how brain organoids are displayed to the public, we conducted a systematic review of media literature indexed in the Nexis Uni database from 2013–2019. News and media source articles passing exclusion criteria (n = 93) were scored to evaluate tone and relevant themes. Themes were validated with a pilot sample before being applied to the dataset. Thematic analysis assessed article tone, reported potential for the technology, and the scientific, social, and ethical contexts surrounding brain organoids research.ResultsBrain organoid publications became more frequent from 2013 to 2019. We observed increases in positively and negatively toned articles, suggesting growing polarization. While many sources discuss realistic applications of brain organoids, others suggest treatment and cures beyond the scope of the current technology. This could work to overhype the technology and disillusion patients and families by offering false hope. In the ethical narrative we observe a preoccupation with issues such as development of artificial consciousness and “humanization” of organoid-animal chimeras. Issues of regulation, ownership, and accuracy of the organoid models are rarely discussed.ConclusionsGiven the power that media have to inform or misinform the public, it is important this literature provides an accurate and balanced reflection of the therapeutic potential and associated ethical issues regarding brain organoid research. Our study suggests increasing polarization, coupled with misplaced and unfounded ethical concern. Given the inhibitory effects of public fear or disillusion on research funding, it is important media literature provides an accurate reflection of brain organoids.

The Effect of Social Media Activities on Consumers’ Attitudes and Behaviour in Aviation Sector

The decline of ticket prices to reasonable levels, the increase of airports and the change in the perception of geographical distance have also increased interest in the airline passenger transportation sector. Therefore, it’s important to determine the attitudes and behaviors of passengers as consumers for all segments of the sector. In this study, the effect of social media on consumer behavior and attitudes of passengers in air passenger transportation, whose role in consumer behavior has been shown by different studies in recent years, has been examined with an experimental study. The findings of the study show that there are significant differences in consumer attitudes and behaviors of those who are exposed to social media content compared to those who are not. Also, attitudes and perceptions of the consumers may change according to gender and age. It’s hoped that the results will contribute to marketing practitioners in the industry and expand the social media literature.

The public impact of academic and print media portrayals of TMS: shining a spotlight on discrepancies in the literature

BackgroundTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an FDA approved treatment for major depression, migraine, obsessive compulsive disorder, and smoking addiction. TMS has gained popular media support, but media coverage and commercial reporting of TMS services may be contributing to the landscape of ethical issues.MethodsWe explore the differences between the academic and print media literature portrayals of TMS to evaluate their ethical impact for the public. We performed a comprehensive literature review using PubMed and NexisUni databases to evaluate the literature available on TMS from 2014 to 2019. Our sample consisted of 1632 academic articles and 468 print media articles for a total of 2100 articles. We then coded each article for seven specific top-level codes: (1) type of source, (2) year of publication, (3) purpose of TMS application, (4) age of subjects, (5) population, (6) overall tone, and (7) specification of TMS parameters. We also made some additional notes of the TMS parameters where specified and the breakdown of mental health applications.ResultsOur results indicated several discrepancies between the academic and the print media reporting about TMS technology, particularly with regards to tone and specificity. Namely, the academic sample was largely neutral and specific about the parameters under which TMS was being applied, while the print media sample was heavily optimistic and presented the application of TMS with far less specificity. There was some convergence between the two samples, such as the focus of both on therapy as the predominant TMS application.ConclusionsWe call upon the academic community to increase scrutiny of TMS services in order to ensure that people’s knowledge of health technologies is not unduly influenced by sensational claims and a general lack of adequate information.

Predicting value cocreation behavior in social media via integrating uses and gratifications paradigm and theory of planned behavior

PurposeThis research (1) investigates value cocreation behavior and the underlying activities on social media; (2) examines the motivational values and psychological predictors of cocreation intention on social media via uses and gratification paradigm (U&G) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB); (3) investigates an underlying mechanism linking the motivational values to cocreation intention, via attitude.Design/methodology/approachStructural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the mediation analysis are used to test the data from 417 Facebook users.FindingsCocreation intention is (1) robustly influenced by extrinsic motivational values, such as purposive value; (2) indirectly affected, through attitude, by intrinsic motivational values such as entertainment and social enhancement; and (3) not associated with subjective norms, behavioral control and self-discovery. The latter is a likely result of this study's focus on explaining value cocreation rather than social media usage.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is one of the first to identify antecedents of cocreation intention on Facebook, using an integrative model of TPB and U&G. Attitude serves as a key construct, mediating the effects of motivational values on cocreation intention, with mediation being partial for some values and complete for others. The existence of direct and indirect effects of motivational values and the mediating role of attitude points to the illustrious yet contested value–attitude–behavior hierarchy and offers explanations as to why some of the motivational values were not linked to the cocreation behavior on Facebook (Pelletier et al., 2020).Practical implicationsFirms should strive to influence the attitude of their users toward cocreation intention as it links the influence of motivational values on value cocreation. Managers should strive to prepare an appropriate platform where customers can easily interact with one another and communicate different value propositions. The goal should be to enable customers to derive extrinsic values as they interact with corporate-sponsored social media content. More specifically, purposive value, followed by socializing value, should be emphasized during social media content design. For example, the content should feature concrete and convenient informational and instrumental benefits (purposive value) and provide customers with tools that enable them to create social support, friendship and intimacy (socializing value). In addition, entertainment value should not be dismissed.Originality/valueThis research builds upon the emerging social media literature and a robust decision-making model to investigate value cocreation, predictors and an underlying mechanism explaining the relationships.