Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a silent manufacturer of collective memory, shaping what societies remember and what they are urged to forget. While extensive scholarship has examined AI’s role in producing and distributing content, far less attention has been paid to its influence on the retrieval, management, and accessibility of historical media archives. This paper pioneers a critical exploration of this under-researched dimension, positioning AI not only as a technical tool but as an invisible editor of media history. Through real-world case studies, the research highlights how AI-driven systems selectively govern visibility: social media algorithms suppressing politically sensitive footage, search engines obscuring content deemed commercially or ethically contentious, and automated tools privileging certain historical materials while erasing others. These processes, often concealed within the technical structures of digital platforms, quietly dictate what resurfaces in public interactions and what remains buried. The study further reveals how these dynamics pose unique challenges for journalists, researchers, and news organizations, where access to archives is critical for documentation, accountability, and scholarship. By interrogating the mechanisms of AI-mediated memory, the paper calls on media professionals, policymakers, and scholars to recognize the ethical, professional, and social consequences of these opaque practices. Ultimately, the findings underscore an urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in the ways AI technologies curate, conserve, or eliminate historical media content.

Audience measurement studies are not limited to simply collecting and analyzing data; they extend to building strategic insights that contribute to developing media content, guiding marketing decisions, and enhancing audience engagement.The study concluded that one of the requirements of audience studies in the digital media age is the necessity of combining inquiries about user interaction with on-screen content with a description of the context of that interaction, including motivations, locations, timelines, and a map of the digital media network used, etc. This is despite the fact that it requires time-consuming projects, often employs multiple methodologies, and demands advanced technical skills.

Why are some men attracted to misogynistic groups? Drawing on literature on intergroup threat, we hypothesize that men who perceive that their status is threatened are more likely to engage with misogynistic groups. We also hypothesize that anger reactions to such threats is an important mechanism explaining why perceived masculine status threats lead to such engagement. In a survey ( N = 2,751) we find that perceived masculine status threat, measured as belief in a sexism shift, is related to higher engagement with the manosphere among Swedish men. In three survey experiments ( N s = 608, 661, 593) we manipulated masculine status threats, using fictive social media content, and measuring anger as an emotional reaction to the threat. We find an indirect effect of threat via anger in all three studies on intentions to engage with the manosphere (Study 2), with men’s rights groups (Study 3), and generally with groups working to improve men’s status (Study 4). The results provide a better understanding of why men may react to potential threats to their status with higher engagement with misogynistic groups, for example on the manosphere.

In the recent Indonesian presidential election, social media became a battleground for political campaigns, and candidates were often labelled as populists. This article challenges those claims by examining discursive patterns in the social media content of the 2024 presidential candidates on X (formerly Twitter ). The study investigates three candidates: Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo through a dataset of posts (N = 792). Using quantitative content analysis based on Cassell’s (2020a) discursive framework, the study categorises content into four master frames: populism, pluralism, technocracy, and neutrality, along with 13 related rhetorical elements. This approach allows for mapping of both populist and non-populist communication discourses, addressing the limitations of qualitative methods alone. The findings differ from the expected populist narrative. While each candidate possesses a unique frame of discourse, neutral element patterns emerged as the most frequently employed among all candidates. They turned formal political discourse into “everyday politics” by drawing on daily activities and positive emotions in their X content. This strategy reflects two sides of a coin. On the one hand, it allows candidates to build an approachable and relatable persona, while on the other, it reduces constructive and critical debate on policy and politics. This study argues that the rise of the “everyday politician” signals a transformation in Indonesian campaign strategies, one that actively depoliticises campaign discourse and poses a direct challenge to how populism is defined and measured within the evolving landscape of the digital public sphere.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are known to secrete wound healing factors. However, the delivery of the MSCs and their secretomes remains a barrier to the development of a successful regenerative medicine. Therefore, we examined the content and paracrine activity of serum free MSC conditioned media (MSC CM) generated in routine tissue culture and when cultured on a plasma polymerized membrane previously used clinically in cell therapies for skin wounds. Serum free MSC CM from murine and human MSC cultures were subjected to proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry and quantitative immunoassays and their paracrine effects were tested on dermal fibroblasts in vitro. MSC CM contained multiple wound healing factors, including extracellular matrix proteins and soluble factors. MSC CM harvested from flask cultures and plasma polymerized membrane cultures significantly increased dermal fibroblast adhesion, proliferation, and scratch wound closure (for mouse MSC CM) compared to control media. This study has: (i) shown that MSC secreted factors increased dermal fibroblast activities seen in wound healing; (ii) identified target factors potentially responsible for these paracrine effects; (iii) shown that MSC secretomes generated on a plasma polymerized membrane used in skin cell therapies also have wound healing paracrine effects.

ABSTRACT The terms trolling and astroturfing are widely used in Turkish political journalism but are often conflated, producing significant conceptual ambiguity and normative confusion. This article offers a theoretical and empirical intervention to clarify these forms of digital manipulation and to examine how they are framed in media discourse. Drawing on a stratified-random sample of 200 news and opinion articles published between January 2023 and April 2025, the study applies media content analysis across seven ideologically diverse Turkish outlets. Articles were coded using a six-dimension schema addressing conceptual framing, actor and sponsorship cues, functional intent, astroturf linkages, normative stance, and solution discourse. Findings reveal a pervasive pattern of “label inflation,” with trolling used as a catch-all term encompassing both decentralized harassment and coordinated, sponsor-driven propaganda. Explicit references to sponsorship were rare, and discussions of platform governance or policy solutions were largely absent. The article proposes a revised conceptual framework to distinguish trolling from astroturfing more precisely. It contributes to broader discussions about hybrid influence campaigns, media framing strategies, and the role of journalism in sustaining democratic accountability in digitally polarized environments.

Advancing regional cooperation to combat marine debris and enhance livelihoods in Indonesia: Translating global agendas into local action.

Testosterone has long been advertised through gendered messages that link masculinity with strength, sexual performance and vitality. In recent years, this marketing has moved onto social media, where platforms offer new ways to target audiences and shape ideas about men's health. This study examines how gender and masculinity are portrayed in social media content about testosterone testing and treatment on Instagram and TikTok. Using qualitative content analysis informed by performativity theories, we constructed four themes: (1) low testosterone as a crisis of masculinity and male sexual performance; (2) the rebranding of low testosterone from an "old man's problem" to an issue affecting younger men and their fitness; (3) self-optimisation tied to stereotypical masculine ideals; and (4) the construction of a binary opposition between being a "real man" and being feminine. These portrayals align with wider online communities, often referred to as the "manosphere", which circulate narrow and exclusionary ideas of masculinity and regressive ideas and attitudes towards femininities. The analysed social media posts prey on men's insecurities about relationships and sexual performance and co-opt advocates' emancipatory language to sell testosterone products. Such portrayals of masculinity have medicalising implications for how men perceive themselves and their mental health, but also promote capitalistic practices like consumption of testosterone products for improving the masculine self without supporting evidence.

Fitspiration content has become increasingly popular on visual social media platforms like RedNote (Xiaohongshu), presenting exercise, self-care, and body positivity as forms of health communication in the new media era. Despite these positive intentions, growing evidence suggests that such content may also be linked to psychological distress and unhealthy behaviors by reinforcing narrow appearance standards and encouraging social comparison. Guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework and Social Comparison Theory, this study investigated associations between fitspiration exposure on RedNote and body dissatisfaction, compulsive exercise behavior, and eating disorder symptoms among 527 Chinese women aged 18 to 44. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, we examined the mediating roles of appearance comparison and state self-esteem. Results indicated that fitspiration exposure was significantly associated with compulsive exercise and eating disorders, but not directly with body dissatisfaction. While appearance comparison partially explained these associations with behavioral outcomes, it did not account for body dissatisfaction patterns. State self-esteem emerged as a stronger mediator across all outcomes than comparison alone. These findings suggest that seemingly health-oriented social media content may be related to diminished wellbeing and highlight the complex ways in which new media environments are linked to health behaviors. The study underscores how digital platforms may be connected with self-evaluative processes that co-occur with problematic behaviors, raising important considerations for health communication in algorithm-driven contexts.

This paper examined feminist discourses in South Asian languages, focusing on Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and Punjabi texts. Through a qualitative comparative analysis, it explored how gender, power, and resistance were articulated across linguistic and cultural contexts. Texts including literary works, essays, and media content were purposively selected to identify recurring themes, rhetorical strategies, and language-specific expressions of feminism. Data were analyzed using discourse analysis and feminist literary criticism, allowing for the identification of both shared and divergent patterns across languages. The findings revealed that while common themes such as female agency, resistance to patriarchy, and social inequality appeared across all languages, the modes of expression differed. Urdu and Bengali texts often employed poetic and metaphorical strategies, whereas Hindi and Punjabi texts favored direct socio-political commentary. Linguistic structures, culturally embedded idioms, and narrative techniques shaped how feminist ideas were conveyed, highlighting the influence of language on discourse. These results underscore the importance of considering linguistic and cultural contexts in feminist studies and demonstrate how comparative analyses can enrich understanding of gendered narratives in South Asia. The study contributes to feminist scholarship by providing insights into the intersection of language, culture, and gendered expression, offering a foundation for future research in multilingual feminist discourse.

The rapid iteration of digital media has pushed BL (Boys' Love) culture out of the niche subculture circle, relying on various media such as online novels, film and television secondary creation, and short videos to widely spread, which has had a profound impact on the construction of contemporary youth gender cognition and the shaping of values. This article uses literature research and data analysis methods to integrate authoritative research data and real communication cases, explore the forms and communication characteristics of BL culture in media representation, analyze its dual effects on youth gender equality awareness, stereotype breakthrough, and identity cognition, clarify the inherent relationship between BL cultural communication and the transformation of youth gender concepts, and propose scientific guidance strategies. Research has found that BL culture disseminated via media helps young people dismantle traditional gender stereotypes and cultivate diverse and inclusive concepts, but there is also a potential risk of gender cognitive misguidance; The positive diversification and inclusiveness of contemporary youth's gender concepts are closely related to the media dissemination orientation and content presentation quality of BL culture.

The study explores the significance of social media influencers in affecting brand perception and buying behavior among Generation Z individuals in Baguio City. These are the population born between 1997 and 2012 and were the first generation to be fully immersed in the presence of technology, enabling them to be the main demographic exposed to influencer marketing. This research investigates the demographic profiles of the Gen Z population in Baguio City who actively engage with the content of these personalities, what types of influencers and content they typically engage in, and the factors that affect their brand perceptions. Using a quantitative research design and a purposive sampling method, the data was gathered from 250 Gen Z respondents who are actively engaging in social media content on different platforms through a survey composed of questions that determine their demographics, preferences for influencer categories, factors influencing their perceptions, and the impact of social media personalities on their purchasing behavior. The findings lean towards food-related content, demonstrating that the respondents are more likely to engage in posts that are visually appealing, emotional and culturally connected, and practical. TikTok appeared as the most popular and most used social media platform, closely followed by Instagram and Facebook, respectively. The research concludes that social media personalities are vital in shaping the brand perceptions of the participants. The study’s insights provide valuable information that may help businesses, marketers, and influencers who aim to provide content with higher value to get more engagements from the Gen Z population.

Purpose This study investigates the influence of media-driven expectations on customer experiences (CE) within Korean restaurants in Assam, India. It aims to understand how popular Korean media, especially dramas and food content, shape dining expectations and thereby impact customer satisfaction, perceived value (PV) and future behavioural intentions (BI). By focusing on both hedonic (emotional) and utilitarian (functional) values, the research seeks to unravel the mechanisms through which CE translate into loyalty. The study specifically addresses the growing popularity of Korean cuisine in Assam and explores how elevated expectations, fuelled by media and social influence, can affect the PV and intention to revisit these dining establishments. Design/methodology/approach The research employs a quantitative, cross-sectional design using structured surveys administered to 338 patrons across two Korean restaurants in Guwahati, Assam. Drawing on expectancy-disconfirmation theory and cognitive dissonance theory, the study constructs and tests a model linking CE, PV (both hedonic value, HV and utilitarian value, UV) and BI. Statistical analyses include mediation and moderation tests using bootstrapped regression and moderated regression analysis (MRA) to examine direct, indirect and interaction effects. Measures for customer expectations influenced by Korean media are mean-centred and included as moderators to explore how media-driven expectations alter the dynamics between experience and PV. The data analysis was performed in the open-source statistical software R. Findings Both HV and UV dimensions significantly mediate the effect of CE on BI, with UV showing a stronger mediating effect. Elevated customer expectations, shaped by exposure to Korean dramas and online food media, negatively moderate the link between CE and PV – reducing the positive impact of actual dining experiences. The study reveals that while emotional satisfaction (HV) is vital, practical aspects (UV) are more influential in fostering loyalty. The results underscore the risk of cognitive dissonance when media-inflated expectations are unmet, highlighting the necessity for balanced, realistic customer engagement strategies in cultural dining contexts. Research limitations/implications This research is constrained by its exclusive focus on Korean restaurants in Guwahati, Assam, which could limit the applicability of findings to other geographical locations or culinary contexts. The reliance on self-reported responses and a non-probability sampling approach may introduce bias and reduce the generalizability of results. Future studies are encouraged to examine broader or comparative contexts, employ probability sampling or utilize longitudinal designs to capture changes over time. Despite these limitations, the study advances understanding of the interplay between media-induced expectations, PV and loyalty in emerging international cuisine markets. Practical implications The results highlight how Korean media content, such as dramas and food-related reels, shape customer expectations and experiences in Korean restaurants. Practitioners should capitalize on these trends by integrating popular media references into marketing strategies, menu planning and ambience design to resonate with both hedonic and utilitarian customer preferences. Emphasizing staff training to meet heightened service expectations and balancing authenticity with local tastes can further enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. These insights enable restaurant managers to improve service quality, foster repeat patronage and stimulate positive word-of-mouth in increasingly competitive dining environments. Originality/value This research fills the gap by exploring Korean restaurants owned and managed by non-Koreans in Northeast India, a context rarely addressed in scholarly literature. It provides novel insights into how the Hallyu Wave shapes culinary expectations and behaviour far beyond Korea. By empirically testing both mediation and moderation effects, the study contributes methodologically and theoretically – demonstrating the necessity to balance emotional and functional aspects of service. Its findings are valuable for restaurant managers seeking to leverage cultural trends without falling into the pitfall of overpromising. The paper offers actionable recommendations on aligning marketing communications, managing expectations and sustaining customer loyalty in an emerging market.

Consistency in content publication is one of the main challenges in social media management, particularly for business-to-business (B2B) service organizations that rely on educational content as a communication and branding tool. The absence of a structured scheduling system often leads to irregular posting, uneven workload distribution, and difficulties in monitoring content production progress. This activity aims to improve the consistency of social media content publication through the implementation of a digital scheduling system as a strategy to enhance content management efficiency. The method used is participatory observation with a descriptive qualitative approach, in which the author was directly involved in the content planning, production, and scheduling processes during an internship program. The implementation of the digital scheduling system utilized a content calendar and task management platform to organize the content workflow systematically. The results indicate an improvement in publication consistency, a more organized workflow, and a more stable growth of social media followers. The digital scheduling system supports efficient content management without involving sensitive company data. These findings are expected to serve as a practical reference for organizations or MSMEs in managing social media content sustainably

This article applies institutional and media content analysis to investigate the legitimation and criminalisation of cross-border trade within the “Southern Chinese Seaboard,” specifically between Taiwan and China and between Hong Kong and mainland China, a region characterised by diverse taxation and legal jurisdictions, as well as rapidly evolving political-economic and regional geo-political dynamics. This study re-evaluates common media portrayals and simplistic perceptions of “illicit” and “parallel trading” as merely spontaneous actions by individuals embedded in criminal networks. Instead, we posit that such activities stem from deliberately vague taxation and legal definitions, as well as enforcement strategies resulting from collusion between state and non-state actors. Utilising the “Regime of Permission” framework, this study examines how political actors manipulate the definitions of licit and illicit trading to achieve political objectives, thereby creating loopholes that non-state actors exploit. The findings demonstrate that the delineation and oversight of illicit trade have evolved in response to shifting economic relationships and the development of enforcement institutions within a changing geo-political landscape, offering deeper insight into the state’s role in creating and maintaining liminal spaces that regulate the boundaries between lawful, unlawful, and socially illicit trade.

A key development in the post-pandemic climate movement has been the rise of small-scale civil disobedience groups, who prioritise high-profile disruptions to gain media attention. The British group Just Stop Oil (JSO) have been one of the most publicised. In this paper we research the impact of JSO and ask if they have been counterproductive, as is often claimed. We make a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary literature on climate activism by proposing a two-dimensional framework for assessing counterproductivity. We conducted a rigorous mixed-methods study, analysing how JSO's campaigning influenced media reporting and public opinion. This included media content analysis and public opinion surveys to evaluate how JSO's protests shaped discourse on climate policy, public attitudes, and government responses. Our findings show that JSO achieved considerable media visibility, yet it has had limited success in broadening public awareness of climate change. However, they did contribute to increasing the salience of the issue of new oil and gas licences, compelling political actors to publicly address the matter. JSO have not been counterproductive in the sense that they have not turned public or policymakers against Net Zero policies. Their impact on support for the climate movement and state repression is more ambiguous.

TikTok has gained significant popularity and broad adoption among young people and Generation Z, making it one of the most popular applications globally. The incessant popularity of TikTok among young adults has manifested concerns regarding its influence on learning outcomes. Hence, this study investigates the impact of TikTok usage on the academic performance of university students in Beijing, China. Herein, the self-regulated learning theory has been incorporated along with the inclusion of key factors like “usage intensity”, “content type exposure”, “multitasking ability”, “cognitive load”, “self-control”, “self-regulated learning”, and “academic performance”, based on which the research model has been developed. With the integration of a quantitative research design, from a population of 80000 spanning across reputable institutions in Beijing, a sample size of 381 students has been included. Following a primary data collection method, several statistical analyses have been conducted with the help of the SmartPLS software. The findings highlight the complex relationship between social media engagement and educational achievement, emphasising the need for mindful usage and digital literacy among students. This study contributes valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and parents aiming to balance technology use with academic excellence in today’s digital age.

Deepfake technology can produce highly realistic manipulated media which pose as significant cybersecurity threats, including fraud, misinformation, and privacy violations. This research proposes a deepfake prevention approach based on symmetric and asymmetric ciphers. Post-quantum asymmetric ciphers were utilized to perform digital signature operations, which offer essential security services, including integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation. Symmetric ciphers were also employed to provide confidentiality and authentication. Unlike classical ciphers that are vulnerable to quantum attacks, this study adopts quantum-resilient ciphers to offer long-term security. The proposed approach enables entities to digitally sign media content before public release on other platforms. End users can subsequently verify the authenticity of content using the public keys of the media creators. To identify the most efficient ciphers to perform cryptography operations required for deepfake prevention, the study explores the implementation of quantum-resilient symmetric and asymmetric ciphers standardized by NIST, including Dilithium, Falcon, SPHINCS+, and Ascon-80pq. Additionally, this research provides comprehensive comparisons between the various classical and post-quantum ciphers in both categories: symmetric and asymmetric. Experimental results revealed that Dilithium-5 and Falcon-512 algorithms outperform other post-quantum ciphers, with a time delay of 2.50 and 251 ms, respectively, for digital signature operations. The Falcon-512 algorithm also demonstrates superior resource efficiency, making it a cost-effective choice for digital signature operations. With respect to symmetric ciphers, Ascon-80pq achieved the lowest time consumption, taking just 0.015 ms to perform encryption and decryption operations. Also, it is a significant option for constrained devices, since it consumes fewer resources compared to standard symmetric ciphers, such as AES. Through comprehensive evaluations and comparisons of various symmetric and asymmetric ciphers, this study serves as a blueprint to identify the most efficient ciphers to perform the cryptography operations necessary for deepfake prevention.

The Islamic hospitality industry faces a tough challenge in maintaining repurchase intentions amid increasingly fierce competition. Although social media marketing activities (SMMAs) have become the dominant strategy, the psychological mechanisms that explain the conversion of these activities into repetitive buying behaviors are still not optimally internalized; This is reflected in the empirical paradox in which increased digital investment successfully attracts new visitors, but fails to prevent a drastic decline in retention rates. This causal explanatory research aims to analyze the role of brand awareness (BA) mediation in the relationship between SMMA and buyback intention (RI) in the context of Islamic boarding houses, as well as validate relevant theoretical frameworks. Using the Partial Smallest Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on a sample of 98 respondents who are actual customers of Islamic boarding schools in West Java, the results of the study prove that SMMA has a significant effect on the Republic of Indonesia, both directly and indirectly through the mediation of BA. In particular, Brand Awareness has been shown to act as a significant partial mediation mechanism, while also confirming the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Framework in the sharia hospitality market. These findings provide crucial practical implications for sharia lodging managers to shift the focus of their social media content strategy: optimizing efforts that consistently build brand recall and brand recognition instead of simply pursuing reach metrics), thus being able to transform brand awareness into continuous repeat buying behavior.

This paper adopts a narrative perspective to examine the domino effect of intra-party conflict within United Malay National Organization (UMNO) Sabah in the aftermath of Malaysia’s 14th and 15th General Elections. The fall of the Barisan Nasional (BN) regime marked the end of UMNO’s federal hegemony, accompanied by the loss of power in several states including Sabah. Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) successfully formed the state government while UMNO entered a period of political decline with many of its State Assembly Members (ADUNs) defecting in search of opportunities to align with the ruling coalition. The consequences of these legislative defections continued beyond GE15 when UMNO Sabah’s attempt to restore its support for the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government, failed. This development triggered internal party fragmentation and repositioned UMNO Sabah as the opposition in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN). Theoretical frameworks on party institutionalization and party system closure (PSC) are employed to access the strength abd weakness of party stability. This case study applies a chronological content analysis as the main approach using a descriptive-interpretive qualitative method based on secondary source including scholarly literature credible media content and relevant academic journals for data collection and interpretation. The findings reveal that the domino effect originated from UMNO’s repeal of the anti-party hopping enactment in 1995 which has led to recurring waves of defections in the present. This phenomenon is conceptualized as a chain reaction that destabilizes the political system undermines UMNO’s prospects of regaining power and exacerbates its internal conflict. It is further reinforced by shift in the structure of political patronage and the dilution of coalition-based power-sharing. This study argues that the enactment of anti-party hopping law is both timely and necessary to prevent post-electoral legislative defectiobs. It contributes to a deeper understanding of Sabah’s political dynamics and strengthens the case for anti-defection laws as a vital mechanism for stabilizing and consolidating party institutions while restoring public trust ahead of the upcoming Sabah State Legislative Assembly Election.