This paper explores the phenomenon of hybrid tabletop games, which combine traditional physical game elements with digital technologies. The paper reviews the evolution and classification of hybrid tabletop games and proposes a theoretical framework to understand their gameplay experience and player acceptance. The paper draws on theories from media studies, game studies, and technology adoption, such as Media Richness Theory, Theory of Immersion, Flow Theory, and Technology Acceptance Model. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of hybrid tabletop games, and to identify the opportunities and challenges for their design and development. The paper also suggests directions for future research in this emerging and innovative field of game design.

Problem statement. Language is a dynamic and constantly evolving phenomenon. It adapts in response to social, cultural, technological, and political changes. One of the most vivid examples of this evolution is the emergence and widespread use of slang, particularly among younger generations. In recent years, a new form of slang has taken hold—Gen Z slang—which stands out due to its creativity, rapid development, and strong digital footprint. Generation Z, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, grew up in an era of global connectivity, social media, and digital communication platforms. For this reason, their language is shaped more by TikTok videos and Discord chats than by newspapers or formal speech. As a result, Gen Z slang is an essential linguistic and cultural marker of the current digital generation. Purpose of the article. The aim of this study is to analyze the phenomenon of Gen Z slang as it appears in English-language digital communication, and to identify effective strategies for translating it into Ukrainian. Research methodology and methods. To achieve the aims and objectives of the study, the following methods are used: descriptive method – to define slang, its features, and typologies; contextual analysis – to examine slang usage in specific digital and media situations; comparative analysis – to evaluate English expressions and their Ukrainian equivalents; translation case studies – to analyze how slang is handled in real translation scenarios; interdisciplinary synthesis – combining theories from linguistics, translation studies, and media studies. Results. Gen Z slang is its hybrid, digital-first nature. It blends meme logic, intertextuality, abbreviations, and code-mixing in ways that are contextually rich but often opaque to outsiders. The digital environment accelerates slang’s mutation and spread. The language of Generation Z is uniquely shaped by globalized internet culture. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z speaks in a way that is text-native: it blends audio-visual cues, meme references, and platform-specific tone. Several distinct linguistic and stylistic features define their slang. In sum, Gen Z slang serves as a collective mirror, humor mechanism, and emotional release valve. It is language shaped by a generation that faces global instability, online hypervisibility, and mental health challenges—and it provides young people with the tools to face these challenges using language that belongs to them. In the digital era, the spread of slang is no longer confined to local communities or subcultures—it is now driven by platform algorithms, viral content, and user-generated memes. Generation Z is especially active on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Twitter/X, Reddit, and Discord. Conclusions and prospects. Slang is a linguistic mirror of cultural shifts, political engagement, emotional expression, and identity construction in real time. To translate slang is to translate an entire worldview. As the lines between online and offline language continue to blur, translators will face new challenges—and new opportunities to act not just as linguistic mediators, but as interpreters of social meaning, emotion, and culture. Therefore, this topic will only grow in relevance, and its proper study offers essential insights into the future of translation, language teaching, and digital communication.

Problem statement. The present article addresses the transformation of traditional processes of signification in the digital era and the emergence of polysemous meaning in contemporary media. The study investigates how digital media technologies, including social networks, participatory platforms, artificial intelligence, and immersive virtual environments,reshape collective perceptions of reality and reconfigure semiotic processes. Illustrative material includes viral memes, AI-generated content, virtual worlds, and participatory media campaigns. An attempt is made to characterize the mechanisms of digital polysemy, clarify the interplay between human and algorithmic agents, and demonstrate how meaning is continuously negotiated and re-signified in the digital semiosphere. The research situates these phenomena within theoretical frameworks of contemporary semiotics, media ecology, and posthuman theory, providing a conceptual basis for understanding the dynamics of meaning production, circulation, and reception in networked environments. Purpose of the article. The aim of this article is to examine the processes through which digital signs acquire multiple, context-dependent meanings, in order to clarify the theoretical concept of digital polysemy and its implications for contemporary semiotic practice. To achieve this aim, the study addresses several objectives: 1) to describe the axes of polysemous meaning in digital media, including contextual, participatory, and algorithmic dimensions, 2) to illustrate these axes with concrete examples from memes, AI-generated content, and virtual environments, 3) to analyze the interaction between human and machine agents in meaning-making, and 4) to discuss the broader implications of digital polysemy for identity, cultural expression, and humanities research. Research methodology and methods. To meet the aims of this study, descriptive and analytical methods are applied, including semiotic analysis and case-based examination of selected digital media artifacts. This approach allows for the identification of recurring patterns of polysemy, the interrelation between visual and textual elements, and the role of algorithmic mediation in shaping visibility and interpretation. By combining theoretical reflection with empirical illustration, the study provides a coherent framework for understanding how meaning emerges and evolves in networked digital environments. Results. The analysis demonstrates that digital signs are inherently polysemous, circulating across diverse cultural, social, and technological contexts while acquiring multiple, sometimes conflicting, meanings. The Bernie Sanders mittens meme exemplifies this phenomenon, as the image simultaneously signifies humor, political critique, authenticity, and commercial potential depending on the context of reception and the participatory actions of users. Algorithmic mediation further shapes which interpretations gain prominence, creating feedback loops that amplify certain readings while marginalizing others. The interplay between human creativity, participatory engagement, and algorithmic structuring reveals that meaning is not fixed but emergent, continuously negotiated, and contextually contingent. Conclusions and prospects. In examining these examples, several key mechanisms of digital polysemy emerge. Contingent contextual shifts illustrate how a single sign acquires diverse interpretations across cultural and social environments. Participatory practices demonstrate the co-creation of meaning through remix, commentary, and audience engagement. Algorithmic mediation shows how computational processes influence visibility, circulation, and interpretive salience. The study highlights that even simple lexical units, such as the word “mittens,” acquire layered cultural and semiotic significance when integrated into visual and interactive media, revealing the entanglement of human cognition, technological mediation, and social practice. The perspective of the present study suggests that understanding digital polysemy is essential for analyzing contemporary communication, identity formation, and cultural production, and provides a foundation for further research in humanities and media studies.

ABSTRACT News media institutions in Nigeria produce editorial columns and cartoons, preoccupied with extant, trending issues of public interest regarding the state of Nigeria as a nation, with economic challenges being predominant themes. However, a few media studies have examined memes on Nigeria’s economy, while cartoons are sparsely researched. Editorial cartoons are a visual representation of the media’s institutional stance, shaping public opinion, government policies, and driving social change. Hence, this study examines selected editorial cartoons on the Nigerian economy between 2022 and 2024, which marks the apex of the economic crisis in the past three decades. Thirty-six cartoons portraying the state of the economy were selected from some frontline Nigerian dailies: the Punch, the Vanguard and the Guardian editorials, and were analysed, using Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar theory. Aspects such as the represented participants, discourse frames, and the multimodal interactions in the cartoons are examined. The findings identify four discourse frames: Nigeria’s failing economy, an economy marred by harsh fiscal policies, culminating in bankruptcy, irresponsible political leaders as the agents fueling economic crisis, and an economy marred by asymmetric power relations. These frames are metaphorically realised through the representations of the economy as a sinking sea of flood for businesses, an old vehicle in need of repairs, a sachetised economy, where inflation is king, and in which hardship and hunger are pervasive. The implications of the findings underscore the need for drastic economic policy reforms and the integration of public opinions in fiscal policy planning in Nigeria. The study contributes to broader debates on media, democracy, and economic discourse.

This study examines the dominant ideological tendencies in the media portrayal of Ghana’s Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, widely referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. By employing Framing Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the research explores how the media in Ghana constructs narratives around LGBTQ+ rights, focusing on the intersection of cultural heritage, religious morality, political expediency, and human rights discourse. The study analyzes a variety of media sources, including newspapers, television broadcasts, and online platforms, to uncover the frames and discursive practices used to shape public opinion on the bill. Findings reveal that the media predominantly framed LGBTQ+ activities as a threat to Ghanaian cultural values and religious morality, positioning the anti-LGBTQ+ bill as a protective measure against perceived moral decay and cultural erosion. The bill was portrayed as a political tool to gain public approval, while human rights discourses challenging the bill were largely marginalized. This media framing reinforced dominant ideological structures in Ghanaian society, privileging Afrocentrism and religious conservatism over human rights and social justice perspectives. The study contributes to understanding the role of media in shaping public discourse on controversial social issues, particularly in culturally conservative contexts. It highlights the media’s influence in reinforcing societal norms and marginalizing counter-narratives, with broader implications for media studies and human rights advocacy. Recommendations for future research include comparative media analysis, the role of social media in LGBTQ+ rights debates, and audience reception studies.

The proliferation of digital disinformation and radical ideologies in cyberspace has triggered a crisis of critical thinking among Muslim youth, challenging the integrity of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) as a space for liberation and ethical formation.This study employs a critical literature review design, synthesizing theories from critical pedagogy (Freire, Giroux), digital media studies, and Islamic education scholarship to construct a transformative pedagogical framework. The research aims to analyze the mechanisms of digital hegemony in shaping religious consciousness and to propose the integration of critical pedagogy into PAI as a counter-hegemonic strategy. The analysis reveals that critical pedagogy enables a fundamental paradigm shift in PAI, from an indoctrinative model to an emancipatory one, fostering critical consciousness (conscientization), dialogical learning, and socio-ethical resilience against radical narratives. It is argued that a critically-oriented PAI is essential for cultivating a generation that is not only religiously observant but also critically aware, inclusive, and capable of navigating the complexities of the digital age. This requires curricular reorientation, teacher training as facilitators of critical awareness, and the development of contextualized teaching materials.

ABSTRACT Creativity in animation education is increasingly shaped by interactive digital narratives, yet systematic pedagogical frameworks remain underdeveloped. This study introduces the Interaction Hyperspace (IH) Framework, a multidimensional discourse model designed to address the gap between technical proficiency and narrative innovation among undergraduate animation students in China. Through exploratory action research, the study examines an augmented reality (AR) animation project, utilizing discourse analysis of design diaries, semi-structured interviews, and iterative feedback sessions. Findings reveal that shifting from linear to interaction-driven storytelling encourages students to construct non-linear story structures, fostering creativity through multimodal discourse. The IH Framework provides a structured approach to integrating spatial-temporal storytelling and audience agency, bridging theoretical concepts with practical application. This research contributes to interactive learning environments by demonstrating how interactive discourse functions as a communicative and semiotic practice, with implications for animation pedagogy and digital media studies.

This article undertakes an interdisciplinary investigation of digital mourning in Türkiye through the intersecting frameworks of cultural memory, affect theory, and the politics of recognition. The primary objective is to elucidate the mechanisms by digital mourning practices reconstitute mnemonic continuity and collective identity within algorithmically mediated environments. Traditional ritual forms such as mevlit (memorial prayer gatherings), taziye evi (condolence houses), and ağıt (laments) are recontextualized within digital infrastructures in which private loss acquires collective visibility through systems of circulation, mediation, and datafication. Hashtags, commemorative profiles, and visual repertoires function as semiotic mechanisms by grief is transformed into a reproducible archive of cultural memory. The study employs qualitative content analysis and visual sociology to examine digital mourning practices in Türkiye between 2014 and 2023, focusing on emblematic events including the Soma mining disaster, the coup attempt of 15 July, and the 2023 Maraş earthquake. The findings reveal the mechanisms by digital mourning transcends the expressive domain of emotion and evolves into a hybrid ritual economy where devotional idioms, national iconography, and civic critique converge. Algorithmic visibility operates as a cultural mechanism that regulates attention, structures affective flows, and reconfigures hierarchies of recognition. By foregrounding the specificity of the Turkish case, the study challenges the universalist assumptions of Western-centered models of mourning and advocates for plural, contextually situated theoretical frameworks. It contributes to ongoing debates in cultural sociology, media studies, and the sociology of emotions by conceptualizing digital mourning as a constitutive cultural formation of the contemporary global condition.

Small-angle neutron scattering studies of porous media: Assessment of liquid and gas as contrast-matching fluids using carbon aerogel

The Royal Navy constituted one of the core pillars of the British Empire's expansion, supporting its domination on the seas and concurrently fuelling the imagination of its populace. This article analyses the stereotype that emerged during the first half of the 18th century through the study of a popular media of communication of the period: ballads. By focusing on the case of Bristol, the analysis examines sailor ballads with a Bristol orientation, thereby showcasing the types of “seamen” that emerged during this time, the underlying hierarchies that define them, and the ideologies they promote. By examining the social and cultural dimensions of the British Empire’s ideology and the networks through which the ballads were disseminated, the study argues that the “stereotypes” perpetuated by these ballads serve as “cultural” link between the local and the imperial national.

Purpose: This article focuses on the transformation from democratic discontent to modern digital dissent as seen in the 2025 uprising led by youth in Nepal, culminating with the election of an interim Prime Minister on Discord as an early example of media activism, and beginning the process of transitioning toward a technocratic order from an actual change through mass protests. The investigation also covered the #ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in 2020 to understand why it failed to achieve the same success enjoyed by the Nepal protests despite both being orchestrated using digital media applications. Methods: A systems comparative case study design was employed to investigate the phenomenon of youth-driven digital disruption in Nepal and Nigeria. This research combines academic sources with proof from global news, policy papers, and studies of digital media about hashtag campaigns and memes on platforms like Discord, TikTok, and X. Findings: The findings attribute Nepal's success to a few things: anti-corruption issues coming together, smart Discord use for command, and an unstable political leadership. On the other hand, even with its digital strength, the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria suffered. Several factors explain the lack of stronger action, most importantly the absence of a clear plan after the protests and the disruption of the protests because of ethnic, sectarian, and religious divisions. Originality: This paper provides a novel comparative framework by juxtaposing Nepal’s successful 2025 ’digital coup’ against Nigeria’s arrested #EndSARS movement to isolate the specific political opportunity structures required for digital dissent to produce tangible change.

Abstract Recent issues in student academic performance highlight the challenges posed by technology distractions, poor study habits, and excessive social media use. Students often struggle with multitasking and passive learning, leading to ineffective study sessions. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationships between social media usage, parental involvement, and study habits and their effects on academic performance. A quantitative research design using correlational study was employed, and data were collected through an online survey questionnaire. A sample of 390 students has participated in the study. The questionnaire included items covering three independent variables: social media usage, parental involvement, and study habits. The dependent variable was student academic performance. Pearson Correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Furthermore, linear regression analysis was employed to determine predictor of student academic performance. The result concludes that parental involvement and study habits significantly impacted academic performance, while social media usage also had a noticeable effect. The implication of this study suggests that focusing on time management and active learning strategies, actively engaging parents in their children’s education, and using effective teaching methods can significantly improve student academic performance. Future research could further explore other factors that critically influence academic performance, thereby contributing to improve educational outcomes. Abstrak Isu terkini mengenai prestasi akademik pelajar menunjukkan kebimbangan terhadap cabaran yang dihadapi akibat penglibatan ibu bapa yang tidak mencukupi, tabiat belajar yang lemah, dan penggunaan media sosial yang berlebihan yang menyumbang kepada penurunan prestasi akademik. Pelajar sering berdepan dengan masalah pembelajaran secara multitasking dan pasif yang membawa kepada sesi belajar yang tidak efektif. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti hubungan antara penggunaan media sosial, penglibatan ibu bapa dan tabiat belajar serta kesannya terhadap prestasi akademik. Kajian kuantitatif menggunakan kaedah korelasi telah digunakan dan data dikumpulkan melalui soal selidik dalam talian. Seramai 390 pelajar terlibat dalam kajian ini. Soal selidik ini merangkumi tiga pembolehubah bebas: penggunaan media sosial, penglibatan ibu bapa, dan tabiat belajar, manakala pembolehubah bersandar ialah prestasi akademik pelajar. Analisis Korelasi Pearson digunakan untuk menilai hubungan antara pembolehubah-pembolehubah ini dan prestasi akademik, sementara analisis regresi linear digunakan untuk menentukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi prestasi akademik. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa penglibatan ibu bapa dan tabiat belajar mempunyai kesan yang signifikan terhadap prestasi akademik, manakala penggunaan media sosial juga memberikan kesan yang ketara. Kajian ini mencadangkan bahawa meningkatkan pengurusan masa, menerapkan strategi pembelajaran aktif, melibatkan ibu bapa secara lebih aktif dalam pendidikan anak-anak, dan menggunakan kaedah pengajaran yang berkesan boleh memperbaiki prestasi akademik pelajar dengan ketara. Penyelidikan masa depan boleh meneroka faktor-faktor lain yang mempengaruhi prestasi akademik untuk terus meningkatkan hasil pendidikan.

This paper discusses how gender repression in memes and symbols is made, shared and argued out in the social media platforms during the times of an intensified India-Pakistan conflict. The study is qualitative digital ethnography, which involves thematic analysis of approximately 500 memes and associated social media posts of X (former twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. The study identifies the four key types of themes, guided by the postcolonial feminist theory: hyper-masculinity of military imagery, that the signification that toughness is ultimate national virtue; instrumentalization of female representation, or body images as metonymic indicators of national pride or victim hood; systematic emasculation of the male other as the technique of dehumanizing the enemy other; and nascent feminist and peace-oriented subaltern counter-narratives that challenge these hegemonic modalities of representation. The work is the contribution to the discourses of digital media studies, conflict studies, and gender studies in its intersectional approach to meme warfare but concentrates on the local geopolitical environment of South Asia. It also shows how digital platforms are influencing modern conflicts in an unknown but significant manner across the gender axis in a new and different way.

Audiovisual translation (AVT) is a multidimensional practice that mediates between languages and cultures, enabling the global circulation of films, television programs, advertisements, and online media. Beyond linguistic transfer, AVT involves the careful negotiation of intercultural differences, national realities, and culturally sensitive content to ensure accessibility and audience comprehension. This essay explores the challenges of cultural coherence and intercultural communication in AVT, with a particular focus on English-Uzbek translation. It examines how translators employ neutralization of inappropriate elements, adaptation, and localization strategies to reconcile source and target cultural norms while maintaining communicative and stylistic effectiveness. The analysis highlights the interplay of linguistic, semiotic, and pragmatic factors, illustrating how audiovisual translators balance fidelity, readability, cultural relevance, and audience engagement. Ultimately, the study emphasizes that successful AVT requires a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that integrates translation theory, media studies, and cultural understanding to produce content that is both linguistically accurate and culturally resonant.

This article examines the conceptual landscape of digital religion studies through the perspective of media and communication research. Over the past two decades, digital religion has developed as an interdisciplinary field that explores how religious practices, identities, communities, and authorities are shaped within the convergence of online and offline spaces. This study employs a conceptual review method, a qualitative approach to literature review in which the researcher surveys various sources related to a perspective or theory and then formulates a conceptual map based on that exploration. The discussion highlights four theoretical frameworks commonly used by scholars with a media studies background: mediatization, mediation, social shaping of technology, and media ecology. Each framework provides a different lens on the interaction between digital media and religious practices—whether emphasizing technological determinism or human agency. The study also maps six key areas of digital religion research: authority, ritual, identity, community, embodiment, and the conceptualization of religion itself. Furthermore, it identifies two major issues for future inquiry. First, the increasingly blurred boundaries between digital and physical spaces call for research on hybrid environments where online and offline religious practices intertwine. Second, the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and immersive virtual reality raises profound ethical and cultural questions regarding the future of religion and human–technology relations. By situating digital religion within the framework of media studies, this article seeks to provide a foundation for scholars, particularly in Indonesia, to contribute to global discourse on religion in the digital era.

The cognitive aim of this article is to present the principles of the communicative quality of preaching a homily in the context of contemporary cultural and social challenges, based on the theory of communicative competence developed within the field of social sciences, particularly communication and media studies. To achieve this objective, the following methods were applied: content analysis and a review of the relevant literature, including media studies (covering the art of public speaking, self-presentation, and communicative competence), as well as homiletic and theological-communicative approaches. According to the conducted analysis of the research material, the key elements of the communicative quality of a homily include a clear and concise structure, theological depth, language adapted to the audience, references to the experience and daily life of the listeners, and the authenticity of the preacher. A well-prepared homily fulfills not only a formative, evangelizing, or catechetical function, but also a communicative one, responding to the aesthetic and cultural needs of the audience. In this sense, the cognitive value of this article lies in identifying homiletic standards grounded in the main characteristics of communicative competence: effectiveness, flexibility, and appropriateness. These guidelines may serve both the practice of preaching and further research on religious communication, particularly the contemporary art of proclaiming the Gospel.

This article critically examines communities as sites of resistance to neoliberal rationality. It analyses their transformative potential in reconfiguring social relations within contemporary democratic crises. The study conceptualises communities of resistance as collective entities engaged in defending and strengthening social structures against systemic threats, while advocating for the reduction of inequalities and the protection of common resources. Using interdisciplinary perspectives from critical sociology and media studies, the analysis transcends the reductionist view of neoliberalism as a mere economic paradigm and reconceptualises it as a comprehensive rationality that fundamentally alters both social organisation and subjective formation. Tracing the evolution from traditional community formations to communities of practice and finally to communities of resistance, the article examines how digital ecosystems have reconfigured participation through the logic of connective action. The study examines vulnerability as a potentially transformative resource, particularly in liminal urban spaces where resistance is manifested through participatory processes, resource redistribution systems and mutual aid networks. The conclusion emphasises the importance of social scientists adopting critical methodological approaches to contribute to the promotion of a more inclusive and supportive society.

This research critically analyzes the role of TikTok's algorithm in forming echo chambers, strengthening political polarization, and driving the virality of political content during Indonesia's 2024 Presidential Election. As a social media platform with over 112 million active users in Indonesia, predominantly aged 18-24, TikTok has become a strategic arena for digital political discourse competition. Using an interdisciplinary approach combining media studies, political science, and digital technology, this research reveals how TikTok's machine learning-based algorithm compiles individual user timelines based on engagement patterns rather than source credibility or chronology, thereby creating echo chambers that limit the diversity of political information. Findings indicate that political content with emotional elements, dramatization, and entertainment (politainment) has a higher probability of virality compared to factual content, posing serious implications for the quality of public deliberation and digital democracy in Indonesia. Based on the analysis of virality dynamics and digital polarization, this research proposes an Algorithm Democratization Model that combines aspects of transparency, regulation, literacy, platform architecture, and research to create a healthier digital ecosystem that supports democratic discourse.Keywords: TikTok algorithm, echo chamber, political polarization, virality, digital democracy

This study explores how “invisible groups” experience “contested spaces” in landscape tourism situating the analysis at the intersection of digital media studies, museum anthropology, and tourism research. The study focuses on Arkaim, a Bronze Age archaeological site in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia and draws on survey data from 443 visitors collected in 2023. The article presents an overview of the survey results and applies additional methods to examine the marginalization of tourist groups oriented toward spiritual rather than educational or science-based tourism, as well as the socioeconomic implications of this marginalization. The findings reveal an invisible group of museum visitors who do not use digital spaces for collective organization or knowledge-building, thus challenging the assumption about the omnipresence of digital media. The study also highlights the role of word-of-mouth communication in the contemporary public sphere showing that it reinforces established epistemic norms and tends to overlook viewpoints that diverge from mainstream practices.

This study aims to analyse how the Indonesian and Malaysian state-owned national media frame the Indonesia–Malaysia football rivalry and how this framing contributes to the construction of competitive nationalism. The object of this study is the Indonesian–Malaysian football news published by Antara News (Indonesia) and Bernama (Malaysia) from 2019 to May 2025. This study uses a qualitative method with Robert M. Entman's framing model analysis approach, which includes four elements, namely defining problems, diagnosing causes, moral judgement, and treatment recommendations. The research data consists of a corpus of online news related to football matches and conflicts between supporters related to the Indonesia-Malaysia rivalry. Data analysis was conducted through systematic coding using NVivo 14 software to identify dominant framing patterns. The results show that both media outlets predominantly emphasised the elements of defining problems and diagnosing causes, framing football rivalry as a competitive dynamic fraught with conflict. Antara News tended to diagnose the causes of conflict by highlighting the actions of the opposing party, while Bernama placed more emphasis on technical factors of the match and the emotional responses of supporters. The element of moral judgement was used to legitimise the national position of each country, as well as to provide recommendations for dealing with reactive conflicts. This study contributes to media studies, particularly framing, by highlighting comparisons between the national media of Indonesia and Malaysia in their coverage of Indonesian-Malaysian football rivalry. This study emphasises the need for balanced journalistic practices oriented towards conflict management in cross-border sports coverage and the adoption of approaches to prevent conflict escalation.