Media Messages Research Articles

CYBERBULLY DETECTION USING MACHINE LEARNING

Cybercrime has emerged as a result of rising Internet usage and easier access to online groups like social media. Today, cyberbullying is a pretty regular occurrence. In recent days, it appears that riots were caused by some statements made by one community against another. This study explores the application of machine learning techniques for detecting cyberbullying across various online platforms. Traditional methods of monitoring online behavior are often inadequate due to the scale and rapid evolution of abusive language. Our approach leverages machine learning algorithms to automatically classify and detect bullying content, using text analysis on social media comments and messages. We employ Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, such as tokenization, lemmatization, and sentiment analysis, to process textual data and capture underlying sentiments. Algorithms like Support Vector Machines (SVM), Naïve Bayes, and neural networks are trained on labeled datasets of cyberbullying content to distinguish harmful messages from benign ones. The proposed system demonstrates promising results in identifying potential cyberbullying instances, aiming to create safer online environments. By providing real-time detection capabilities, this research contributes to preventive measures that could reduce online harassment, raising awareness and fostering healthier digital interactions.

Insights From Diverse Perspectives on Social Media Messages to Inform Young Adults With Cancer About Clinical Trials: Focus Group Study.

Low rates of adolescent and young adult (YA; aged 15-39 y) clinical trial enrollment (CTE), particularly among underserved groups, have resulted in a lack of standardized cancer treatments and follow-up guidelines for this group that may limit improvement in cancer treatments and survival outcomes for YAs. To understand and address unique barriers to CTE, we conducted focus groups to learn about informational, financial, and psychosocial needs of YAs surrounding CTE and identify strategies to address these barriers. We conducted 5 focus groups in 2023 among a diverse sample of YA patients from across the United States. An interview guide was developed collaboratively with YA advocates. Specifically, informational needs, financial concerns, and psychosocial issues were explored, and participants were probed to suggest strategies, especially those that leverage technology, to address these barriers. Sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using direct content analysis. Findings were synthesized through consensus discussions. We confirmed the previously proposed thematic barriers regarding YA CTE and identified 9 subthemes: awareness, lack of clear and accessible CTE information, fear of the unknown, assumptions about costs, insurance coverage, navigating financial responsibilities, clinical trial discussions, clinical trial misconceptions, and desire for a support network. Throughout, YAs mentioned needs that might be addressed through informational outreach leveraging digital technology, the internet, and social media. This study expands knowledge of YA perceived barriers to CTE. These findings suggest that leveraging digital technology to disseminate reliable information to address needs may be an effective strategy to improve clinical trial participation in the YA population.

Generation Z Identification of the Concept of Authority and the Process of the Management of Media Messages in the Catholic Church

The growing importance of the influence of the media on the Catholic faithful calls for an answer to the question of to what extent the church’s activity in initiating messages of faith is subordinated to the logic and pragmatics of the media, which change the forms of the presence of religion in the lives of Catholics and the contexts in which it is positioned? As a result, it should force reflection: how to form and distribute religious messages using the tools of the media and, more generally, to manage the process of building relationships with the faithful. In this process, it is crucial to identify the factors influencing the faithful and especially the validity of existing values in their lives. The authors of this article focus on the concept of authority, identifying it in the research process conducted in Generation Z, aiming to form a conclusion as to whether it can constitute a value in the initiated media messages. The conducted study and its conclusions are considered from a Catholic perspective, referencing the importance of authority as one of the Church’s fundamental values. This value strengthens the building of a community of believers, as religious authorities, their behaviors, and views reinforce the transmitted ideas. The authority, which serves to enhance the conveyed messages, frequently appears in media transmissions. The concept of authority is explored in the theoretical section of the article.

Elevating Customer Brand Advocacy Through Owned Social Media Content

This study examines the relationship between personal values embedded in brand-owned social media (OSM) messages and customer brand advocacy (CBA) using text mining data of tweets from Fortune 500 companies. We employ an economics approach to examine how personal values influence CBA across service and manufacturing brands. Our findings reveal that self-enhancement and conservation values significantly boost CBA, while self-transcendence and openness to change are less impactful. Furthermore, this study highlights that conservation values are more effective for manufacturing brands, whereas self-enhancement, self-transcendence, and openness to change drive higher CBA in service brands. This study contributes to the literature on social media marketing by providing actionable insights for brand managers, demonstrating that aligning OSM content with personal values can enhance CBA. This study offers a nuanced understanding of how personal values and industry characteristics intersect to influence consumer behavior, helping brands craft more effective and resonant social media strategies.

Attribution of Media Texts Based on a Trained Natural Language Model and Linguistic Assessment of Identification Quality

The creation of effective systems for filtering media texts is due to the need to develop artificial intelligence systems, which is a large language model that should be trained using “correct” text samples that do not contain signs of disinformation, infodemic and unreliability. The article presents the results of automatic detection of high-quality media texts, as well as text samples with infodemic features carried out using a trained natural language model based on a manually labeled corpus. Manual marking of the corpus was carried out by experts based on the parameterization of the text content. The goal of our work is to build a model of the language of media messages, assess the quality and identify detection errors caused by the linguistic characteristics of texts. Creating a model of the language of media messages is a condition for increasing the efficiency and quality of artificial intelligence systems. It has been established that the test use of a trained natural language model allows filtering media texts with fairly high accuracy. The support vector machine method proved to be most effective. The share of incorrectly recognized informative texts that meet the criteria of reliability and novelty is low and amounts to 6.2 percent. The percentage of incorrectly recognized uninformative texts is approximately 3.9 percent, which indicates a fairly high efficiency of the developed model. The errors in the detection of informative texts are associated with the use of proper names (anthroponyms, toponyms) and numerals in the headings. Linguistic features of misclassified texts containing signs of fake and misinformation comprise text samples using statements with speech verbs that are often used in informative texts.

Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Diabetic Patients in Jordan: An Online Survey

It is envisioned that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the mental health of many individuals, especially those who have diabetes. The present study evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on diabetics' mental health. A pretested online questionnaire was developed to assess the concern related to COVID-19, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and resilience to stress of people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 371 surveys was collected. The majority (71.2%) of the responders' aged between 41 to 64 years. Chronic disease was present in 69.3% of respondents, while 76.8% indicated overall good health. Most respondents (82.5%) were worried a lot or worried about the economic recession, whilst 53.9% of respondent were worried a lot or worried about frightening media messages. Around 35% of those surveyed were feeling depressed for at least three days a week for the previous two months, and 30.5% were fearful for at least three days a week for the previous two months. Approximately 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had difficulty getting through stressful events. The current study revealed elevated rates of fear and depression symptoms, and noticeable difficulties in managing stressful situations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic within diabetes patients. These results highlight the importance of addressing the mental health issues within the chronic diseases patients at the time of crises. Which can be realized via specific interventions at the time of pandemics, which would reflect on the overall mental well-being and ability to adapt in stressful situations.

Designing Positive Psychology Interventions for Social Media: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Experiment With Young Adults With Cancer.

Young adults (ages 18-39 years) with cancer face unique risks for negative psychosocial outcomes. These risks could be lessened with positive psychology interventions adapted for social media if intervention messages encourage intentions to do the activities and positive message reactions and if young adults with cancer perceive few downsides. This study aimed to assess whether social media messages from evidence-based positive psychology interventions encouraged intentions to do the intervention activities and intended positive message reactions, overall and among sociodemographic or cancer characteristic subgroups. We also aimed to identify perceived downsides of the activity that would negatively impact the interventions' feasibility. Young adults (ages 18-39 years, cancer diagnosis ages 15-39 years) were randomized to a between-persons web-based experiment. Participants viewed a social media message with social context cues (vs not) for 1 of 2 types of intervention (acts of kindness vs social connectedness). Participants reported intentions to do the activity, along with their perceived social presence in the message (how much they felt the sense of others) and forecasted positivity resonance (whether they would experience socially connected positive emotions when doing the activity), with 5-point items. Participants also reported their self-efficacy (how certain they can do the intervention activity) with a 0-100 item and potential downsides of the activity categorically. More than 4 out of 5 young adults with cancer (N=396) reported they "somewhat" (coded as 3) to "extremely" (5) intended to do the intervention activity (336/396, 84.8%; mean ranged from 3.4-3.6, SD 0.9-1.0), perceived social presence in the messages (350/396, 88.4%; mean 3.8, SD 0.7), and forecasted positivity resonance (349/396, 88.1%; mean 3.8-3.9, SD 0.8). Participants reported having self-efficacy to complete the activity (mean 70.7% of possible 100%, SD 15.4%-17.2%). Most (320/396, 80.8%) did not think of the downsides of the interventions. Messages with social context cues (vs not) and both intervention types were rated similarly (all P>.05). Black young adults reported lower intentions, perceived social presence, and forecasted positivity resonance than White young adults (all P<.001). Participants in active treatment (vs completed) reported greater intentions to do the activities (P<.001). Positive psychology intervention messages adapted for social media were perceived as acceptable and feasible among young adults with cancer. The social media-based messages encouraged increasing one's social connectedness and performing acts of kindness. Young adults with cancer also predicted they would have feelings of positive social engagement (positivity resonance) when doing the interventions-the key ingredient for experiencing the health benefits of these activities. This study provides promising evidence for the development of age-appropriate, highly scalable interventions to improve psychosocial health among young adults with cancer.

Brazilian Immigrants’ Stigma Reduction: A Multi-Level Communication Perspective

ABSTRACT The immigration process is associated with experiences of psychological disequilibrium, and as such it is imperative to evaluate immigrants’ mental health. Yet, many immigrants may face stigma that dissuades them from seeking help. This study investigates how Brazilian immigrants in the United States reduce their mental health stigma. In-depth interviews revealed that physical and psychological proximity to new perspectives on mental health (i.e. exposure to individuals with mental illness, a culture with less perceived mental illness stigma, and positive media messages) can impact stigma management communication strategies. These changes occur in intra-, inter-, and mass communication contexts.

The ‘Known Unknown’: Changes in the Media over the Last Quarter Century (2000–2025)

Social media, generative AI, fake news and deepfake, influencer communication. Five concepts that have shaped the media landscape and market over the last 25 years. But how do they interact to form a system for describing changes in the media platforms, channels and content? Based on a review of the relevant literature (desktop research), the paper captures and describes four dominant paradigms of change that have emerged over the past quarter century, which have profoundly and irreversibly transformed our everyday practices, habits and attitudes in and through the media. These trends are: 1. changing media messages: the rise of autonomy and virtuality; 2. changing communities and audiences: the rise of personal agency; 3. changing information: the rise of the false; 4. changing representations: the rise of the artificial. The list of four we propose can, of course, be extended and narrowed. However, it is assumed that, by summarising them, we can see more clearly the phenomena and trends that characterise our present and draw conclusions for the future.

How Digital Cats Tame Ideology: the Cat Content of Soviet Nostalgia as an Ideological Mediator

The article deals with the mechanics of broadcasting ideology through online user content, dedicated to domestic cats. The author believes that digital culture is changing the logic of the relationship between written and oral, long and short genres of objectification of ideology in mass consciousness. It ensures the presence of complex long ideological genres of Modernity in the media space, reinforcing it with a wide “protective belt” of microformats characteristic of entertainment content. The most typical type of the latter is cat content, which is understood as a form of social reflection that sets a cliched reaction to a media message through the image of a digital cat. The purpose of the article is to analyze the use of political ideologies in the context of Soviet nostalgia. The author examines the polar versions of the visualization of Soviet nostalgia in the context using the example of Vasya Lozhkin’s cats and the VK public “Cats for Communism”. The semantic multilayering of Vasya Lozhkin’s paintings is ensured by the fluidity and interchangeability of zoo- and anthropomorphic features of the characters and the ease of their ethical (de)evolution. The transition of cats to the red side is shown as a rather late phenomenon of digital culture, inscribed in the period of the last five years. Digital cats dearchaize communist ideology by associating it with digital fashion. In general, digital cats disassemble ideological narratives into micro-rhythms and creolize them, performing the function of a mediator forwarding the actualized old ideologies into the digital media space.

With a little help from my friends: Social support, hope and climate change engagement.

Hope is a future-oriented emotion that attunes people to the possibility of positive change, and thus could potentially catalyse societal engagement with climate change. A recent meta-analysis suggests that the relationship between hope and climate action is most robust when the target of hope is climate engagement (i.e. action hope) rather than climate change more broadly. Yet, this previous meta-analysis also suggests that fostering action hope and climate engagement may be challenging via typical short media messages used in many studies. Here we consider an alternative source of action hope: receiving social support. Two studies tested whether social support motivates climate action via increased action hope. Study 1 (correlational online survey, pre-registered, N = 887) demonstrates that, as predicted, both instrumental and emotional support predict intentions to take civic action and these effects are explained by action hope. Study 2 (field study, Neducators = 84, Ncontacts = 520) mostly replicates and extends these findings in a field setting, demonstrating that social support recipients' action hope is also associated with social support reported by support providers (here, environmental educators) and that this action hope again explains a possible relationship between social support and climate engagement.

Designing Social Media Messages to Promote Action by Suicide Gatekeepers

Objective Suicide prevention professionals and programs have focused on reaching not only individuals with suicide ideation, but also family, friends, and other acquaintances, referred to as suicide gatekeepers. Social media provide platforms that allow health communicators to reach a large population. This research focuses on examining and testing the most effective message framing (how the message provides a reward or consequence for the receiver) and message construct (precise focus and wording of a message) for social media posts intended to positively influence suicide gatekeeper intervention behavior on behalf of a friend or peer. Method An experiment tested the influence of message construct (between subjects) and message frame (within subjects). The experiment randomized the 1285 participants between the ages of 18 and 34 into the three message construct conditions (significance, preventability, and beneficence). Results The results suggest gain-framed messages have a more positive influence than loss-framed messages on all social media message outcome variables (likelihood of social media message engagement, perceived message effectiveness, self-efficacy, response efficacy, empathy, and behavioral expectation), and state empathy mediates the relationship between message frame and these variables. Message construct condition and other mediation results were less substantial, although some evidence suggests that the significance message construct may increase social media message sharing and perceived message effectiveness. Conclusion Results show strong evidence of the effectiveness of using gain frames in social media messages aimed at suicide gatekeepers. Other considerations include highlighting the significance of suicide and utilizing empathy appeals to strengthen social media message engagement and behavioral intention.

News coverage and the social dimension of belief reinforcement: a longitudinal mixed-methods approach

Abstract Understanding the conditions behind media-driven belief maintenance and reinforcement is critical for a comprehensive account of long-term media effects. Focusing on news coverage and beliefs about crime developments in Sweden, this study addresses the so-called “filtering function” of interpersonal communication: the idea that media messages and beliefs are validated in social networks. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods approach—combining content analysis of news coverage, a six-wave panel survey, and (focus) group discussions—the study analyses the long-term processes as well as the social validation mechanisms embedded within interpersonal discussion networks to understand belief reinforcement over time. Both the quantitative and the qualitative data support the basic social validation mechanism underpinning reinforcement effects, suggesting several distinct ways in which news coverage and beliefs are validated (and rejected) in social communication. These findings contribute to research on dynamic media effects, cultivation theory, and social networks.

Examining Women's support for birth encouragement policies in China: an extension of the influence of presumed media influence model.

This study employs the influence of the presumed media influence (IPMI) model to explore how media messages and interpersonal communication indirectly affect Chinese women's support for birth encouragement policies. Surveying 616 Chinese women of reproductive age, this study finds that exposure to media messages regarding childbirth benefits and interpersonal communication are positively correlated with the presumed influence of such media messages on others. Presumed media influence on others is further positively associated with perceived personal norms and social norms regarding support for birth encouragement policies. Perceived social and personal norms, in turn, are positively associated with Chinese women's support for birth encouragement policies. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are examined.

A Media Literacy Education Approach to Sexual Health Promotion: Immediate Effects of Media Aware on the Sexual Health Cognitions of Young Adult Community College Students

This study evaluates the efficacy of Media Aware, a comprehensive sex education program with a media literacy education approach, for improving sexual health cognitions among 1139 U.S. community college students (ages 18–19) from 23 campuses. Students were randomized to condition (intervention or delayed-intervention control) and completed pretest and posttest questionnaires. Several main effects of the intervention were found at posttest, including reduced perceived realism of media messages, positive attitudes about risky sex, and descriptive normative beliefs about unprotected and risky sexual activity, and increased self-efficacy to use dental dams. Gender and pretest levels moderated some intervention effects. Women in the intervention group reported less identification with media messages compared to women in the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported lower pretest levels of self-efficacy to use dental dams and to refuse unprotected sex had higher posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported higher pretest levels of normative beliefs about risky sexual activity had lower posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Results suggest that Media Aware is a promising method to improve the sexual health of young adults attending community college.

A Writer and A Book: The effectiveness of the media message of Arab news agencies

A Writer and A Book: The effectiveness of the media message of Arab news agencies

Deep Learning Classification of Traffic-Related Tweets: An Advanced Framework Using Deep Learning for Contextual Understanding and Traffic-Related Short Text Classification

Classifying social media (SM) messages into relevant or irrelevant categories is challenging due to data sparsity, imbalance, and ambiguity. This study aims to improve Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) by enhancing short text classification of traffic-related SM data. Deep learning methods such as RNNs, CNNs, and BERT are effective at capturing context, but they can be computationally expensive, struggle with very short texts, and perform poorly with rare words. On the other hand, transfer learning leverages pre-trained knowledge but may be biased towards the pre-training domain. To address these challenges, we propose DLCTC, a novel system combining character-level, word-level, and context features with BiLSTM and TextCNN-based attention. By utilizing external knowledge, DLCTC ensures an accurate understanding of concepts and abbreviations in traffic-related short texts. BiLSTM captures context and term correlations; TextCNN captures local patterns. Multi-level attention focuses on important features across character, word, and concept levels. Experimental studies demonstrate DLCTC’s effectiveness over well-known short-text classification approaches based on CNN, RNN, and BERT.

Media Matters: How Information Release Shapes Monkeypox Vaccination Willingness

Background/Objectives: Despite the growing body of evidence addressing the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy, the positive role of media as a key environmental factor influencing vaccination, as well as its function in publicizing and encouraging vaccination, has been less thoroughly explored; Methods: This study focuses on the context of the current Monkeypox epidemic, examining the influence of media release channels and message framing on the public’s willingness to receive the Monkeypox vaccine. The findings are empirically validated through a survey experiment conducted in China; Results: The study reveals that both media channels—traditional TV media, official online media, and user-generated media—and media content framings, specifically thematic and episodic, significantly impact the public’s willingness to be vaccinated against Monkeypox. Notably, in the context of this public health event, individuals were more inclined to trust the episodic framing of traditional TV media and the thematic framing of official online media. Compared to thematic framing, episodic framing generally enhances respondents’ willingness to vaccinate. Furthermore, user-generated media exhibited a more negative effect on vaccination intentions during the Monkeypox epidemic, particularly when combined with episodic framing. Heterogeneity analysis indicated a significant difference in the effectiveness of official online media based on audience identity (student vs. non-student), with the student group showing a preference for official online media channels; Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of public health communication in carefully selecting media release types and message framings. Additionally, it is crucial to consider audience heterogeneity and to employ differentiated communication methods to enhance the effectiveness of vaccine promotion.

Some aspects of international cooperation and information exchange among journalists during armed conflicts: current challenges and prospects

The article examines the contemporary challenges of international journalism in the context of armed conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine. It focuses on the risks to journalists’ safety, issues of censorship and information manipulation, as well as the impact of new technologies on the timeliness and accuracy of news. The study expands existing knowledge about international journalism by proposing a new model for analyzing the interaction of political, social, and technological factors in conflict situations. Using a comprehensive case study methodology and bibliometric research, the article explores practical aspects of information exchange, including the creation of secure communication channels, adherence to ethical standards, and fact-checking. Content analysis of media messages and surveys of journalists working in conflict zones are employed in the research. The study reveals that the war in Ukraine has led to a significant decline in international cooperation due to difficulties in ensuring the credibility of information, an increase in censorship and manipulation. Particularly pressing are the issues of journalists’ safety, restrictions on access to critical information sources, and challenges in maintaining media independence. Additionally, the article highlights that armed conflicts pose numerous threats to journalists, such as risks of physical attacks, detention, and even life-threatening situations. In combat conditions, journalists often face restricted access to important information, complicating their work and impacting the quality of event coverage. These conditions necessitate new approaches to protecting journalists at both individual and institutional levels, as well as improving international safety standards and support. The findings indicate the need to develop new strategies for protecting journalists, ensuring the accuracy of information, and strengthening international media cooperation. These conclusions have broad implications for understanding modern information wars and forming effective mechanisms to counter disinformation. The article makes a significant contribution to the advancement of journalism and may be useful for journalists, scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in safeguarding freedom of speech and developing a democratic society.

Media Literacy Skills for Promoting Sustainable Development in Rivers State

The study examined media literacy skills for promoting sustainable development in Rivers State. Three research questions guided the study. The study anchored on information literacy theory. The survey research design was adopted using a sample of 167 respondents drawn from a population of 278 lecturers in the four departments of Communication, film and media studies using proportionate sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire which was validated by experts and used for data gathering. The reliability of the instrument was established at 0.82 using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (PPMC). The study found amongst others that critical and analytical thinking, digital literacy, environmental literacy, cultural and social awareness, and collaborative communication are media literacy skills needed for promoting sustainable development. The study concluded that media literacy and education can potentially empower the citizens to be able to critically analyze and evaluate media messages, be better informed, engage, and be proactive in addressing both local and global issues that can bring about sustainable development in Rivers State. Media literacy skills were essential for the citizens to be well informed on the various types of media outlets and their roles in promoting sustainable development in Rivers State-Nigeria. The study recommended amongst others that Policymakers and curriculum planners begin to think along the lines of integrating media literacy into the school curriculum. This will help students develop a holistic understanding of media and its impact on society.