Prominent Media Research Articles

Women in newsroom-A study of selected prominent media organizations in Guwahati

Women journalists face many challenges in the field of media, and their jobs in newsrooms, their views on the media, and the nature of their work have all been studied for a long time by many scholars. Numerous studies have explored varied issues in the journalism profession, such as the underrepresentation of female journalists in newsrooms, gender discrimination, the glass ceiling, and the patriarchal structure of the industry, etc. Despite the established pattern of media ownership, women journalists have significantly impacted the media landscape. Their struggle to enter and establish themselves in journalism has been extended. Women formally entered the field in the 19th century in various countries, including Britain. During this era, newspapers recognized the importance of financial considerations and advertisements. As a result, they strategically decided to engage women to write women’s sections to appeal to female readers as potential shoppers. Historically, women journalists were predominantly restricted to writing for women’s sections and covering social issues, frequently focusing on light-hearted and humorous matters.

Digital Storytelling as Technique of Woman Politician Improving the Perception and Their Political Status

In Albania's increasingly hypermediated political landscape, digital interactive storytelling has emerged as a widely utilized technique in political communication. Despite persistent gender biases shaped by stereotypical prejudices and a public opinion strongly influenced by male-dominated opinion leaders, digital interactive storytelling has the potential to enhance women's public image and standing within the political arena. This medium enables women in politics to communicate directly with audiences, bypassing intermediaries and mitigating potential message distortions, while harnessing storytelling elements like narrative, imagery, and the intrinsic appeal of a compelling, well-told story. This research investigates how digital interactive storytelling helps women in Albanian politics shape their public image. Specifically, it examines whether there is a qualitative and quantitative difference in how women are represented on their social media profiles versus traditional Albanian media outlets. We monitored the Instagram profiles of five Albanian parliament members, all chairing parliamentary commissions, observing their posts over the past year. We also analyzed coverage in Panorama Online, a prominent and influential media outlet in Albania, to examine how these digital narratives are portrayed in the media. Our findings indicate that digital storytelling has heightened the visibility of women in Albanian politics, with media coverage reflecting these figures in alignment with their chosen strategic narratives. Media portrayal largely emphasizes these women as experts in their fields and as advocates of their respective parties' ideological platforms. Received: 12 August 2024 / Accepted: 16 November 2024 / Published: 3 December 2024

A Balanced Application of Anti-discrimination Law in the Games Industry

This paper explores the successes and failures of "Black Myth: Sun Wukong" and "Concord," two games that highlight the complex implications of enforcing anti-discrimination laws within the gaming industry. It assesses how the drive for diversity and inclusivity, when combined with an overemphasis on political correctness, can gradually estrange users and detract from the overall gaming experience. Furthermore, the paper challenges the potential adverse consequences of anti-discrimination laws on attaining equality, arguing that legal enforcement should strike a balance between creative freedom and social justice to avoid imposing undue restrictions on the industry. Ultimately, the study concludes that, as a prominent medium of cultural expression, the creative space for games must be appropriately protected. Simultaneously, society and the law should strive for more nuanced and balanced approaches to promote the healthy development of the gaming industry and ensure its harmonious integration with societal progress.

‘When you tweet, you get a response’ advocate parent experiences in Turkish special education

Objectives Advocacy, an active coping strategy, includes activities such as collaboration between parents and schools in the education of children, raising awareness about children and parents with disabilities, and legal support. Advocacy activities are considered as coping strategies for families of children with special needs, and families’ experiences regarding this process vary. This study aimed to examine the experiences of parents who play an advocate role in the field of special education. Methods In this study, qualitative research method was preferred to examine the experiences of families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 parents of children with ASD to determine the experiences of Turkish parents who systematically advocate for special education. The participants of the study mostly consist of mothers. The diagnosis of the parents’ children is autism spectrum disorder and the age range of the children varies between 6-24 years. Results Based on the interview data, four themes emerged: (a) advocacy strategies, (b) problems, (c) expectations, and (d) achievements. The analysis of the experiences of the parents emphasized prominent social media use for advocacy. Conclusions The parents stated that they conducted or contributed to training and awareness activities and that their self-advocacy skills had improved. They argued that they encountered several problems such as burnout, inadequate supplementary education, political problems, and healthcare services, and they could not defend the rights of their children, despaired, and considered migrating to various countries during their advocacy activities.

Supervised Sentiment Analysis of COVID-19 Tweets: Insights into Public Reactions and Trends

In the modern digital era, social media platforms have experienced exponential growth, serving as a medium for individuals to share their emotions and opinions. Twitter, a prominent social media platform, hosts a substantial number of users who regularly express their thoughts through tweets. This research paper focuses on conducting sentiment analysis on tweets pertaining to the COVID-19 situation in India. By utilizing a lexicon-based approach using TextBlob, we determine sentiment scores for each tweet. These scores are then used to categorize the tweets into Positive, Negative, or Neutral sentiment categories. To further enhance the accuracy of sentiment classification, we employ the Naïve Bayes machine learning model, achieving an impressive accuracy rate of 87.65%. The sentiment analysis results obtained through this study provide valuable insights for governmental bodies and other organizations, enabling them to formulate effective policies in order to address similar issues in the future.

‘You can’t trust the mainstream media’: exploring shifts in racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiment within Australian far-right alternative news media

Alternative news media, which opposes mainstream news media, has been utilised by the far right to proliferate their ideology. This study explores how the scale of discussion, and negative framing, of different groups that are commonly targeted by the far right changes over time. Taking 7089 articles published by a prominent Australian far-right alternative news media outlet over a 7.5-year period, and a corpus of 311 keywords, a keyword frequency analysis and sentiment analysis establish the scale of discussion and negative framing of groups across four time states. Additionally, a computational word frequency analysis in tandem with a qualitative close-reading explores the context of discussions. The findings identify a range of targets of the far right, each centred around different political, racial, religious, gendered and sexual identities. A long-term shift towards extreme right ideologies is found, through increasingly hostile attitudes towards LGBTQIA + people, escalating antisemitism and direct engagement with neo-Nazism.

Depression Detection on Mandarin Text through Bert Model

Depression is currently one of the most prevalent mental disorders and its incidence has been rising significantly in Malaysia amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While previous studies have demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence technology in analysing social media texts to detect signs of depression, most of these studies have focused on English textual content. Considering that Mandarin is the second most widely spoken language worldwide, it is worthwhile to explore depression detection techniques specifically tailored for Mandarin textual content. This research aims to examine the effectiveness of the BERT model in text classification, particularly for detecting depression in Mandarin. The study proposes the utilization of the BERT model to analyse social media posts related to depression. The model is trained using the WU3D dataset, which comprises a collection of over 2 million text data sourced from Sina Weibo, a prominent Chinese social media platform. Given the dataset's inherent imbalance, text augmentation techniques were employed to assess whether they contribute to improved model performance. The findings suggest that the BERT model trained on the original dataset outperformed the model trained on the augmented dataset. This implies that the BERT model is well-equipped to handle imbalanced datasets effectively. Furthermore, it is speculated that the augmented dataset did not introduce novel information or knowledge during the model training process. Notably, the highest-performing model achieved an impressive accuracy rate of 88% on the testing dataset.

Image Framing of Indonesia's Constitutional Court in Tempo.co News (18-27 October 2023)

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MK) plays a crucial role in reviewing laws against the 1945 Constitution and resolving election disputes, ensuring adherence to constitutional principles. Tempo.co, a prominent media outlet, has extensively covered the MK, especially following the recent controversy over the Court's ruling on age limits for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. This research examines how Tempo.co frames its coverage of the MK using Robert N. Entman’s framing analysis model, alongside agenda-setting theory and media reality construction theory. Applying a qualitative methodology, the study analyzes Tempo.co’s news articles from October 18 to October 27, 2023. The analysis reveals that Tempo.co employs various framing techniques consistent with Entman's model, which influences public perception through agenda-setting by emphasizing specific aspects of the MK’s activities. Additionally, the coverage constructs a particular narrative about the MK's role and decisions. To ensure data validity, thorough checks were performed. Findings indicate that Tempo.co’s headlines generally maintain neutrality and do not exhibit overt political bias, focusing on the institution’s functions. This research offers insights into how media framing, through Entman's model, agenda-setting, and reality construction, shapes the portrayal of significant constitutional issues and affects public understanding of the MK.

Strategic Management in Digital Media: The Evolution of Innovative Content Creation

Strategic management is now essential in the ever-changing digital media ecosystem to fully use creative content ideas. Focussing on how strategic management has driven innovation, this research study traces the development of content strategies in the digital media business. Successful content production methods are identified by analysing significant trends, technology, and business models in the research. Content creation and delivery have been revolutionised by digital platforms, data analytics, and audience interaction strategies. This study delves into these changes. In order to provide light on best practices and new initiatives, it also analyses case studies of prominent digital media firms. According to the results, companies that want to stay competitive and successfully engage audiences in the digital age need to have a proactive and adaptable strategy management approach. Policymakers, academics, and professionals in the digital media sector may all benefit from this study's findings by better comprehending the factors that drive content creation and strategic management.

Perceptions Regarding the Use of E-cigarettes Among Smokers in Saudi Arabia.

Background Adults and young people selectelectronic cigarettes (ECs) due to their perceived lower risk compared to traditional combustible cigarettes. Objective This study aimed to measure the perceptions of the use of electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool among the population of Saudi Arabia. Methods Between October 2023 and November 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study of Saudi Arabia's general population over prominent social media platforms. We strictly adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines to reportour results. Results Of the 376 total participants, the majority (89.6%) were male, with a median age of 35 years, and 96.3% were of Saudi nationality. Nearly half (47.3%) held Bachelor's degrees. Approximately 55.6% reported having previously attempted to quit smoking on multiple occasions. The predominant method for quitting was the use of ECs, which was reported by 88.7% of the participants. Nearly two-thirds (70%) perceived ECs as an effective cessation tool. Among those who had used EC to quit smoking, 62.5% had succeeded, while one-third (37.5%) were unsuccessful. The most frequently reported side effects were sore throat, changes in appetite, and headache, each of which affected ~50% of the participants. Conclusion This study highlights the complex relationship between ECuse and smoking cessation among Saudi Arabian smokers. Although many users perceive ECs as effective cessation tools, their actual success rates in terms of long-term abstinence from smoking are questionable.

Between personal and social matters: identifying public perceptions of childfree decisions in Indonesia

The decision of couples or individuals to not have any children or to be childfree has recently stirred up heated controversy in Indonesia, especially after some prominent social media influencers endorsed views regarding the benefits of choosing to be childfree. This endorsement led to various debates as to whether childfree is considered an appropriate decision, specifically in a society such as Indonesia. We conducted this study to explore Indonesians’ perceptions in general towards childfree decisions through qualitative research. We collected responses from 53 participants aged 20-59 recruited online through various social media platforms. We limited our participants to a minimum age of 19, which was considered mature enough to have well-informed opinions regarding marriage and reproductive health issues. Findings were developed through thematic analysis and examined childfree decision making dynamics with a focus on knowledge, personal opinions, attitudes towards being childfree, stigma towards childfree people, and comparisons by gender. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Indonesian Students’ Mathematical Representation Ability According To Learning Styles: Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this research is to explain the outcomes of Indonesian students' mathematical representation ability according to learning styles. The learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. A systematic literature review (SLR) is the research methodology employed in this study. This study used data from 18 papers about mathematical representation ability according to learning styles. Publications published in Indonesia between 2015 and 2023 that are indexed by Google Scholar, SINTA, or Scopus form the publishing data. According to the publication year, the media in which it was published, the research methods employed, the subject's educational background, the research location, and the research findings, the description of this study was reviewed. The most research on mathematical representation ability according to learning styles was found to have been published in 2023, according to SLR. The most prominent research media that published the most research were SINTA and Google Scholar. Qualitative methods dominated this study, with junior high school students serving as the majority of research subjects and the island of Java serving as the most prominent research location in Indonesia. Furthermore, it could be stated that one of the elements influencing mathematical representation ability is learning styles.

The shadow drama

Abstract This study examines how discursive polarization between majority populations and so-called non-Western immigrant identities is enabled via verbal and visual metaphors in outputs by the Human Rights Service (HRS), a prominent Norwegian extreme-right media outlet. Focusing especially on the HRS’s use of visual primary metaphors of cold and darkness, a contribution is made to the existing literature regarding how right-wing outlets construct an image of immigrants and Muslims as threatening Others. As such, the potential polarizing outcomes of the HRS’s visual primary metaphors are theorized to arise from a capacity to invite certain forms of embodied cognition and implicitly associate the target identities with a range of negative emotions. Ultimately, the HRS’s visual primary metaphors of cold and darkness are best understood as polarization vehicles that tacitly support anti-social biases by leveraging the rapidity and efficiency with which subjects can respond emotionally to visual information—especially fear triggers.

مسائل دعوية في ظاهرة سب الرب والدين في الدول العربية (دراسة وصفية تحليلية مقارنة)

Cursing God and religion is a phenomenon that continues to spread in twelve Arab countries and urged to be resolved. This research aims to strengthen and improve the way to combat this phenomenon from the side of da'wah by outlining several issues, such as; the widespread confusion that hampers efforts to resolve this phenomenon in terms of da'wah, sharia law related to vigilantism to perpetrators of blasphemy of God and religion acted upon unemphatically by positive law, the reasons that cause people to gradually insult God and religion, and a comparison of the efforts of the two most prominent media outlets in each Arab country to find out whether they are carrying out their journalistic responsibilities. Using descriptive, analytical, and inductive methods, this study concludes that vigilante actions against perpetrators of blasphemy of God are prohibited because this is part of the verse that prohibits blasphemy. In addition, most popular media channels have played a less important role in resolving this phenomenon.

Preserving choice: weaving femininity and autonomy through egg freezing discourse on Xiaohongshu

ABSTRACT This paper provides a critical investigation into the discourse of egg freezing on Xiaohongshu, a prominent social media platform in China, to uncover the complexities of female identity, reproductive autonomy, and consumer narratives within this context. Employing Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA), it examines the discursive construction of self by single Chinese women who share their egg freezing experiences online. This study scrutinizes the semiotic resources utilized in these narratives, including textual and visual elements, to reveal how individuals craft their identities in relation to emerging reproductive technologies. The analysis identifies dominant themes in the discourse, such as ‘negotiation of motherhood’, ‘women’s empowerment’, and ‘technologization of egg freezing’, juxtaposing these against the backdrop of China’s market socialism and shifting social attitudes. By engaging with the posts of Xiaohongshu bloggers, the research dissects how these women articulate their journeys, challenging traditional paradigms and contributing to ongoing debates about women’s rights and feminist ideologies in the context of advanced reproductive technologies.

Crypto-influencers

This study examines the investment value of information provided by crypto-influencers, that is, social media influencers covering crypto assets on Twitter. We examine the returns associated with approximately 36,000 tweets issued by 180 of the most prominent crypto social media influencers covering over 1,600 crypto assets for the two years spanning through December 2022. Our primary results indicate that crypto-influencers’ tweets are initially associated with positive returns. However, these tweets are followed by significant negative longer-horizon returns, suggesting they generate minimal long-term investment value. These effects are most pronounced for tweets issued by crypto-influencers proclaiming to be crypto experts, for smaller cap crypto asset securities and for self-described experts with many Twitter followers. In an additional analysis, we use machine-learning methods to classify tweets and find that this pattern of results strengthens when the tweets have a more positive sentiment or relate to buy recommendations.

Consuming fitspiration content on Instagram as a risk factor for self-objectification and depression symptoms among sexual minority individuals: Exploring the intersection of gender and sexual orientation

The image-centric nature of Instagram has contributed to the rise of a prominent social media trend known as “fitspiration.” Previous research has shown that exposure to fitspiration content on Instagram can have detrimental effects on body image and mental health, particularly among young heterosexual women. Although sexual minority individuals may similarly be subjected to the objectifying gaze, there is a dearth of research regarding how they perceive and respond to fitspiration content. This study investigates the effects of consuming fitspiration content on Instagram on self-objectification and depression symptoms among sexual minority individuals and explores how gender and sexual orientation interact to shape their body image experiences. A total of 551 sexual minority individuals participated in the study. The results showed that viewing fitspiration content, but not the general use of Instagram, was positively associated with body surveillance and body shame. The association between fitspiration content consumption and depression symptoms was mediated by body surveillance and body shame. The study shed light on the influence of gender and sexual orientation, revealing significant mediation effects among gay men, plurisexual men, and plurisexual women; however, these findings were not observed among lesbian women. Given the substantial burden associated with fitspiration use, social media developers, content creators, and clinicians have a vital role to play in cultivating a body-positive online environment and protecting sexual minority individuals from internalizing objectifying content on social media.

Knowledge and attitude of general population towards climate change and its impact on health in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt

BackgroundRecently, climate change (CC) has garnered significant global attention. It has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental issues, resulting in a multitude of adverse impacts on human well-being and health. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of the general population in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt, about CC and its impact on health, identify factors affecting the general population’s knowledge about CC, and highlight methods to solve this problem.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out on the general population in Ismailia governorate, Egypt. A snowball sample of participants (n = 150) was enrolled in the study by distributing an online Google form containing a structured self-administered questionnaire.ResultsThe participants had an average knowledge score of 27.42 ± 14.42, with 60% considered knowledgeable. About 54% knew the main cause of CC. Around 75% were aware of the environmental impacts of CC, and 69.3% knew about the effects on human health. Based on the questionnaire’s results, 76.7% of respondents believed that increasing afforestation helps in the mitigation of CC and 77.3% believed that governments bear the responsibility for CC. Approximately 85% regarded increasing green spaces as an effective method to reduce CC on the country level. On an individual level, usage of energy-saving products was the most-favored option chosen by participants to help in reducing CC (82%). Gender, education level, and place of residence were significant factors affecting knowledge about CC.ConclusionsOver 50% of the participants were knowledgeable about CC and the role of human activities in CC. Therefore, public awareness campaigns utilizing prominent media such as television and social media should be launched to improve CC literacy. These campaigns should be more directed at males, and people with lower levels of education and who live in rural areas in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt.

Social Media and Fashion Consumption: Examining the Role of Instagram on Pakistani Consumers' Buying Decisions

The rise of social media channels has been evident in this new age. Various social media channels are utilised where the consumers interact with one another. One of the most prominent social media channels is Instagram. Instagram is a social media platform where users have access to share, view, and post photos, videos, and reels. Users also use Instagram for the buying and selling of the products. Businesses use this platform for selling of the products. One of the prominent examples is of the fashion brands who sell their products on their Instagram pages. However, limited research has been conducted from the perspective of fashion brands in Pakistan and the buying behaviour of the consumers. This research provides insights into how Instagram influences the buying behaviour of Pakistani consumers within the fashion industry of Pakistan. It examines the specific ways in which Instagram influences the buying behaviour of Pakistani consumers. It also determines the impact of Instagram activities on the perceptions of consumers and purchasing decisions. A quantitative methodological approach was used in the research in which data was collected from 50 respondents from Lahore, Pakistan. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were determined by using SPSS. The findings of the research suggested that there is a significant influence of Instagram on the buying behaviour of consumers. Limitations and recommendations are also highlighted within the research.

POLITICAL SATIRE ON SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONDING TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT'S DECISION ON VICE PRESIDENT AGE ELIGIBILITY FOR THE 2024 ELECTIONS

This research explains the political satire on Indonesian social media, focusing on the public's response to the constitutional court's decision regarding the vice president's age eligibility for the 2024 elections. Utilising Indonesia's three most prominent social media platforms, such as TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, the research aims to unravel the various techniques for crafting and delivering political satire through visual and audiovisual media. A comprehensive analysis of 40 distinct satirical pieces was conducted to identify the different techniques. These pieces were collected using digital observation techniques across the specified platforms, supplemented by searches on Google. The methodological framework for the analysis is grounded in Buijzen and Valkenburg's (2004) typology for delivering humour. Our findings unveil a rich tapestry of satirical strategies employed by Indonesian netizens. At least seven distinct techniques were identified: irony, sarcasm, parody, puns, juxtaposition, slapstick, and metaphor. Irony emerged as the most prevalently used technique, indicating its effectiveness in nuanced political critiques. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the interaction between humour and political discourse in the digital age, especially within the Indonesian context. It highlights the significance of satire as a powerful tool for political expression and engagement on social media.