Participatory Media Research Articles

Participatory Development Communication Strategy of an Urban Farming Program in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Participatory development communication strategies to enhance local food security in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, have made substantial progress through urban farming initiatives. This study examines how these strategies contribute to improving local food security by analyzing urban farming programs initiated by the city government. Urban farming, as a key innovation, has become increasingly important due to diminishing arable land and the need for sufficient nutritional intake in both quantity and quality, necessitating active community involvement. The research employs observations and in-depth interviews with leaders and members of farmers’ groups, agricultural extensions, and the local Department of Agriculture and Food staff, reinforced by focus group discussions. Findings indicate that the communication strategy, rooted in a bottom-up participatory development communication approach from planning through evaluation, embodies community empowerment, making the success and sustainability of the program a shared responsibility. Despite some accomplishments, the initiative has not yet been adopted by all community members. The harvest is also limited to daily needs and has not greatly improved group members’ income. The key to participatory development communication in the urban farming program is regularly scheduled meetings held by farmer groups as a participatory medium to manage activities.

The evolution of online public opinion on earthquakes: a system dynamics approach

Earthquakes endanger lives and properties and trigger widespread online public opinion. If the government fails to implement emergency measures quickly, the risks associated with this online public opinion may escalate and present significant challenges in managing it. To solve this issue, this paper investigates the M5.7 earthquake in Yibin, China, as a case study, drawing data from China’s Sina Weibo. It also develops an evolutionary model of earthquake online public opinion using the life cycle theory of public opinion dissemination, public opinion crisis management theory, and system dynamics methods. This study chooses a system dynamic model because it can capture overall trends and feedback cycles. This approach provides a comprehensive view of the evolution of the whole system’s behavior and public opinion during the crisis. This model analyzes the evolution of the online public opinion of the earthquake from the perspective of the earthquake, netizens (social media users), media, and government. This study explores the differences between online public opinion by adjusting the size of different variables in the model. This provides an entry point for better control of the development and communication of earthquake online public opinion. The findings indicate that, following the earthquake, the media exerted the most significant influence on public opinion, mainly through media participation, diffusion, and impact, demonstrating a significantly positive correlation with the magnitude of public opinion. Moreover, the simulation revealed that the government is leading in preventing and controlling online public opinion. This study presents the following innovations: (1) It builds a comprehensive online public opinion model for earthquakes, which provides insights for studying online public opinion regarding other sudden natural disasters. (2) It employs system dynamics to simulate earthquake online public opinion, providing countermeasures and recommendations for the government to manage and regulate this discourse effectively.

Towards new forms of using social media: Museums activity on LinkedIn

The social media landscape changes very fast. It regards, among others, the accessible platforms and the features of social media tools. It also concerns the broad spectrum of institutions that start their virtual activity in different ways, and museums’ participation in social media can be indicated here. Their activity mainly focuses on communication with the audience or other museums, but some new approaches can also be observed. One of them is activity on LinkedIn, which is closely connected to the professional perspective and employee-related issues. Hence, the article aims to explore the main paths and forms of the Polish museum’s activity on LinkedIn. The study was conducted using social media content analysis with the support of observations and interviews. Results revealed four main categories of museums’ activity on LinkedIn, with only a small part of them focused on “truly” profession-related issues. Still, even if LinkedIn is rather not a popular platform, some good practices in using this social media platform were observed.

Navigating Tensions Between Indigeneity and Social Media Participation: A Case Study of the Guarani Community in South America

Navigating Tensions Between Indigeneity and Social Media Participation: A Case Study of the Guarani Community in South America

EXPRESS: Individual Sellers’ Social Media Participation and Sales Performance in Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment

Recent advancements in communication and social technologies have resulted in the growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplaces, such as Xianyu and Poshmark. Individual sellers in these markets, most of whom are unbranded and lack credibility, often face immense challenges in building trust to facilitate P2P transactions. We consider the potential of sellers’ use of social media to establish trust and drive sales. Specifically, we address whether social media use benefits the sales performance of individual sellers, and how social media use affects customer retention and acquisition. We draw on social capital theory to explore the theoretical mechanisms by which social media participation may affect sales, hypothesizing that such participation enables the seller to accumulate social capital and develop trust. We empirically test this by exploiting a quasi-natural experiment wherein a large P2P marketplace for second-hand goods (Xianyu) unexpectedly removed its social media feature (Fishponds). We employ a difference-in-differences design, leveraging a proprietary dataset capturing social media participation and sales activities for individual sellers, covering more than 180,000 transactions over a multi-week period around the event. We find that sellers who initially participated in social media channels experienced a significant decline in sales after the shutdown, which is attributable to poorer customer retention and acquisition. We explore heterogeneity in the effects and find that the sellers who benefit most from social media participation are those with the most to gain from trust-building. An additional online controlled experiment provides further evidence of the trust-building mechanism. Our study implies individual sellers can harness social media to generate additional sales from existing and new customers. These insights are important, as they speak to the value of social media channels as drivers of trust in P2P marketplaces.

Anonymization of Voices in Spaces for Civic Dialogue: Measuring Impact on Empathy, Trust, and Feeling Heard

Anonymity is a powerful component of many participatory media platforms that can afford people greater freedom of expression and protection from external coercion and interference. However, it can be difficult to effectively implement on platforms that leverage spoken language due to distinct biomarkers present in the human voice. In this work, we explore the use of voice anonymization methods within the context of a technology-enhanced civic dialogue network based in the United States, whose purpose is to increase feelings of agency and being heard within civic processes. Specifically, we investigate the use of two different speech transformation and synthesis methods for anonymization: voice conversion (VC) and text-to-speech (TTS). Through a series of two studies, we examine the impact that each method has on 1) the empathy and trust that listeners feel towards a person sharing a personal story, and 2) a speaker's own perception of being heard, finding that voice conversion is an especially suitable method for our purposes. Our findings open up interesting potential research directions related to anonymous spoken discourse, as well as additional ways of engaging with voice-based civic technologies.

Examining the impact of incivility and intolerance on participation in social media discussions: An experimental investigation

This study investigates how incivility and intolerance impact participation in social media discussions by examining the emotions they evoke. An online experiment (N=1,192) was conducted where participants were exposed to civil, uncivil, and intolerant conditions through simulated Twitter conversations. The study aimed to determine which emotions — anger, anxiety, and disgust — are triggered under these conditions and how these emotions influence individuals’ willingness to participate in social media discussions. Results indicated that anger increased participation in uncivil conditions but had a reverse effect in intolerant conditions, reducing participation. Participants exposed to intolerant comments felt higher levels of disgust and anxiety, leading to a significant decrease in their willingness to participate. Conversely, civil discussions did not elicit strong negative emotions and thus did not significantly impact participation. These findings highlight the nuanced effects of different types of incivility on emotional responses and subsequent engagement in online discussions. The study underscores the importance of distinguishing between uncivil and intolerant discourse to understand their distinct impacts on social media participation.

African Broadcast Media Participation in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding: An Examination of Practices Across Nine Countries

ABSTRACT This paper draws on interview data from nine African countries and explores how the broadcast media participate in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Africa. The study found that the media’s news and current affairs programs largely contributed to the resolution of various forms of conflict, including domestic and marital disputes, community conflicts rooted in history, and political conflicts. However, political influence manifested through ownership, control, and censorship; resource limitation and the lack of expertise to provide depth and accuracy to conflict reporting – conceptualized as the PER framework – influenced how media organizations mitigated conflicts. The study further identified public education as a key strategy employed in de-escalating conflicts.

Kultura uczestnictwa w mediach społecznościowych (na przykładzie picturebooka „Pan Wyrazisty” Olgi Tokarczuk i Joanny Concejo). Refleksje dydaktyczne

The article is devoted to the culture of participation in social media and the issue of creating an image on the Internet, using the example of the picturebook Mr. Expressive by Olga Tokarczuk and Joanna Concejo. Due to the fact that the writer and illustrator took up topics relevant to the net generation, such as consumerism, addiction to digital media, narcissism, loneliness, lack of acceptance and understanding of different attitudes, the word-and-graphic story of contemporary culture was subjected to didactic reflection (as a proposal for reading in Polish language classes).

Stories for Us, or for Others: Digital Storytelling with a Harm Reduction Organization as Culture-Centered Health Communication

ABSTRACT Digital storytelling is a participatory media creation process. To illustrate how digital storytelling may be used as a method within the culture-centered approach to health communication, this paper presents a case study analysis of two 2-day digital storytelling workshops in collaboration with a local harm reduction organization that supports people who use drugs. Storytellers used the communicative space of digital storytelling to confront stigmatizing cultural and institutional narratives related to substance use. Storytellers also demonstrated how harm reduction work engendered a sense of purpose and an alternative to punitive drug policies. However, storytellers felt that stories produced for the harm reduction community could be misunderstood by outsiders, limiting the potential of the stories for advocacy communication. Overall, we find that digital storytelling as a method within the culture-centered approach has potential to elevate the experiences, understanding, expertise, and goals of communities that have been excluded from health communication. The digital storytelling method will have the most value as a critical narrative intervention if the principles and reflexivity of the culture-centered approach are foundational to the process.

Participatory Media and Game Preservation: A Taxonomy of YouTube Game‐Related Content

ABSTRACTVideo games are both information objects as well as experiences of play. However, current methods of game preservation often fail to capture the full gaming experience. To address this, one proposed solution involves leveraging player‐generated content as an alternative to emulation. To investigate the viability of this suggestion, we examine the following research questions: (1) What types of gameplay content exist on the platform YouTube? and (2) What are the challenges and opportunities in utilizing this style of community created content for game preservation? We introduce a Taxonomy of YouTube Game‐Related Content to answer these questions and discuss its application, along with the challenges and opportunities that arose during its creation. Our taxonomy and findings suggest that although utilizing this content for game preservation requires additional knowledge of games and their community, as well as consideration of how the platform and creators impact game history, it also presents opportunities to preserve more diverse voices and experiences of play. Furthermore, it suggests YouTube videos offer a potential avenue, not only for preserving the game object, but also for preserving its broader cultural significance and multiple forms of knowledge.

Webtoons, Desperately Seeking Viewers: Interactive Creativity in Social Media Platforms and Cultural Appropriation of Global Media Production

Webtoons optimize interactivity and participation of media users in the world of digital media by consolidating a unique digital culture. This article examines the role of users in interactive media by exploring the case of webtoons in the context of a changing global political economy and cultural dominance. Korean platform monopolies have established a new business model for webtoons and developed it as a center of Korean creative power. While webtoons have increasingly expanded and attracted the global market and the global audience, some persistent social issues remain, including the precarious labor structure, monopolistic power in the industry, and ideological dominance in content. Although webtoon viewers are often recognized as cultural intermediaries and powerful agents for their contributions to interactive creativity, their role has fluctuated according to changing political-economic structures and industrial strategies. In the course of expanding to the global market and to new business areas such as intellectual property (IP), webtoons have evolved in new fashions while disclosing the ambivalent nature of participatory media and digital interactivity. This article elucidates the double faces of interactive creativity focusing on viewers’ participation in webtoon production in the context of changing webtoon industry and growing partnership with global media.

'I have to remind myself that everyone's search is different': experiences and outcomes of searching and not searching for donor connections among donor conceived adults.

What are the experiences and outcomes of donor conceived adults who are actively searching for, open to contact with, or not searching for donor connections? Most participants were actively searching or open to contact, and 67% had found or been found by a connection; finding or not finding experiences were complex. There is variation among donor conceived individuals in their interest in donor connections. Individual reasons for searching for connections, and which donor connections are searched for, also vary. Most research studies have focussed on individuals who are actively searching for their donor or donor siblings. Global increases in direct-to-consumer DNA testing and social media participation mean that connections may be made to individuals unaware of their (or their relatives') involvement with donor conception. These social and technological changes have also increased the chances of donor conceived individuals being contacted without expecting or desiring contact. This study included 88 donor conceived adults, in the UK, who participated in an online multi-method survey between January and August 2022. The survey was designed in consultation with staff and volunteers from the UK's largest community networks for donor conception families (Donor Conception Network, DCN) and donor conceived people (Donor Conceived Register Registrants' Panel, DCRRP). It was piloted by five donor conceived people before its launch. Participants were recruited with assistance from DCN and DCRRP, via social media, university mailing lists, and snowballing. Participants were mostly female (n = 65, 74%) and sperm donor conceived (n = 79, 90%). Of the 88 participants, 39 (44%) were actively searching for their donor connections, 44 (50%) were open to contact but not actively searching, and 5 (6%) were not searching. Questions were closed (yes/no, rating scale, or multiple choice) or open-ended, addressing experiences of donor conception, searching for connections, and finding or not finding connections. Data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative results showed no differences between the groups on any demographic variables or in when or how they found out about being donor conceived, and no differences between active searchers and those open to contact in whether they had found their donor connections. Significant differences were found between groups in their interest in their genetic history and the perceived importance of genetics to their sense of identity, with active searchers being more interested and rating this as more important than those open to contact. Methods of searching significantly differed across groups, with active searchers using genetic testing and social media more than those open to contact. 59 participants across all groups (active searchers (n = 29, 74%), open to contact (n = 27, 61%), not open to contact (n = 3, 60%)) had found or been found by a donor connection. Experiences of finding or not finding donor connections among participants actively searching or open to contact were captured by the theme complexities, with six subthemes: uncertainties in searching and relating; searching as open-ended; different donor connections, different experiences; expectations and realities; searching and finding or not finding as catalysing change; and experiences of other donor conceived people. Most participants were members of relevant community organizations. As is common in research in this area, the sample was mostly female and conceived using donor sperm. Donor conceived people who are disinterested in donor connections may be unlikely to participate in research on this topic. The nature and impact of the search process itself should be considered when developing appropriate mechanisms of support for all donor conceived people, regardless of whether they are actively searching for connections or not. Further research should seek to better understand how donor conceived people with varying levels of interest in searching for donor connections differ from one another. This study was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council [New Investigator Award ES/S015426/1]. The authors have no competing interests to declare. N/A.

Unveiling the complexity of social commerce continuance intention: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis

PurposeComprehending the determinants influencing the sustained engagement in social commerce assumes paramount importance for its success, particularly within the context of developing countries. This study employs complexity theory to examine the antecedents of the intention toward social commerce continuance.Design/methodology/approachA structured online survey was designed to collect data regarding four behavioural factors: satisfaction, trust, online social support, and continuance intention. The net effect of each construct was evaluated using a symmetrical modelling technique, and to identify the asymmetric effect, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was conducted.FindingsThe findings of the structural equation modelling confirmed the importance of satisfaction and online social support for continuance intention. The asymmetric analysis revealed three recipes leading to social commerce continuance intention and three combinations for its absence, contributing to understanding the complexity of online consumer decision-making.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, this research highlights the interplay between online social support, trust, satisfaction, and s-commerce continuance intention. Gaining insights into the main factors influencing social media participants' behaviour assists business organizations and policymakers to foster the growth, and the sustainability of the s-commerce.Originality/valueCombining two distinct methodologies, the findings of this paper allow for a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted dynamics that underlie consumer behaviour and provide actionable insights for businesses seeking to refine their strategies within the dynamic realm of social commerce. Further, the study offers a valuable roadmap for marketers and policymakers to enhance consumer relationships and augment the efficacy of social commerce initiatives.

Modern determinants of legal awareness

The article substantiates the presence of correlation dependence of such processes as the growth of digital literacy and legal awareness, and also reveals other factors of legal capacity in the era of digital transformation. It has been proven that understanding this essential interdependence provides answers to a number of questions regarding the priority ways of developing the legal system of Ukraine. Increasing digital and legal awareness is depicted as a logical step towards active participation in the management of public affairs. Online deliberation is depicted as a means of positive influence on the perception of the relevant tools of democracy. In this context, political crowdsourcing is defined as a way of finding effective solutions and a positive impact on civic cohesion. It has been demonstrated that the era of digital technologies provides wider opportunities for the realization of human and citizen rights and freedoms, but at the same time creates new challenges and threats to ensure these rights and freedoms. Legislation regulating relations in the field of digitization is also becoming less transparent. It is noted that virtual space opens up new opportunities for manipulating public opinion, and deliberate functioning in the conditions of new threats of instrumentalization of virtual communication depends on the appropriate configuration of communication platforms. With this in mind, priority issues of scientific discourse and regulatory improvement are highlighted, namely: political crowdsourcing and participatory democracy, online deliberation and principles of cooperation with stakeholders, dissemination and support of fact-checking initiatives to verify the reliability of information, legal status of bloggers, fixers and other media participants as opinion leaders. It is concluded that a certain level of legal literacy, together with digital competence, is a prerequisite for effective participation in modern democratic practices, but this participation can also increase the level of legal awareness of citizens, in particular due to the fact that the Internet plays an important role in shaping the agenda and developing the critical potential of the public.

Drawing as collective self-care: Leeds animation workshop’s collaborative practices during the pandemic

Studies and debates about the impact of the Covid-19 (Covid-19 is the term widely used to denote the SARS-CoV-2 virus and adopted by the World Health Organization when communicating with the public) pandemic on the film and moving image industry have emphasized the economic and cultural consequences of lockdowns and social restrictions on cinematic productions and theatrical and festival circuits, leading to the rise of streaming platforms and services. Within this discussion, little attention has been drawn to the independent sector of non-profit cooperatives or collectives, grassroots distribution companies and community archives involved in feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual+ activism. This essay examines this area of post-pandemic cinema through the example of Leeds Animation Workshop, a women-run, feminist collective. Since its establishment in the eponymous West-Yorkshire city in 1978, the collective has been producing and distributing gender-focused animation films about social and educational issues worldwide. My argument is that Leeds Animation Workshop’s online media activities during the pandemic signal less an adjustment to a new media environment in response to social restrictions than a repurposing of their gendered and participatory media practices for social change and critical intervention.

The smart TV in low-income migrant households: Enabling digital inclusion through social and cultural media participation

This paper reports on an ethnographic study that examined smart TV use in low-income migrant households in Australia. We find that the smart TV is used by migrant families for diverse forms of social and cultural participation. In addition, we find that YouTube – which is often accessed using the smart TV – is reshaping family media practices. We argue that while digital inclusion scholarship has focussed on access to and use of mobile phones, laptops and computers, the smart TV, perhaps more than any other device in the home, enables digital inclusion through intergenerational media engagement. This paper presents insights for policymakers and offers a new area for investigation for digital inclusion and media scholars.

Refreshing the affinity space concept: evolving understandings of learning via social media platforms in an algorithmic age

Purpose The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe how the affinity space concept has been used to frame learning via social media, and call for and discuss a refresh of the affinity space concept to accommodate changes in social media platforms and algorithms. Design/methodology/approach Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this paper reviews and discusses some ways the affinity space concept has been used to frame studies across various contexts, its benefits and disadvantages and how it has already evolved. It then calls for and describes a refresh of the affinity space concept. Findings Although conceptualized 20 years ago, the affinity space concept remains relevant to understanding social media use for learning. However, a refresh is needed to accommodate how platforms have changed, algorithms’ evolving role in social media participation and how these technologies influence users’ interactions and experiences. This paper offers three perspectives to expand the affinity space concept’s usefulness in an increasingly platformized and algorithmically mediated world. Practical implications This paper underscores the importance of algorithmic literacy for learners and educators, as well as regulations and guidance for social media platforms. Originality/value This conceptual paper revisits and updates a widely utilized conceptual framing with consideration for how social media platform design and algorithms impact interactions and shape user experiences.

The relationship between feminist collective action and social media engagement

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of online collective feminist actions on social media participation and the perceived value of social media as part of the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA).Design/methodology/approachA mixed methodology is used. Within the SIMCA model in the context of feminist collective actions, social identity, group-efficacy and fear predicted the intention of online collective action participation in the first part (quantitative) of the study. Contrary to predictions, the influence of anger on the intention to participate in collective action was negative. In-depth interviews are conducted in the study’s second (qualitative) part to investigate why individuals do not participate in collective actions despite their anger at violence against women.FindingsThe concept of online feminist collective action, from the perspective of the SIMCA model, deals with violence against women in the context of social marketing, revealing the importance of online collective actions as an antecedent of social media participation and the perceived value of social media. The possible causes of the negative impact of anger, which is an important emotion within the framework of the SIMCA model, on online feminist collective action were determined, and a contribution was made to the social marketing literature in the context of women’s rights.Originality/valueThe study makes three major contributions to the literature. First, women’s rights are addressed in the context of online collective action, an issue that has received little attention in social marketing. Second, in the context of the social identity theory of collective action, online collective feminist action and its predecessors are addressed. Finally, the Turkish case is used to highlight the probable causes of anger’s negative impact on collective action.

Socialized into illegal protest? The impact of voting and social media participation

Socialized into illegal protest? The impact of voting and social media participation