Public Communication Research Articles

Bibliometric analysis of literature on social media trends during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study employs bibliometric analysis to map the research landscape of social media trending topics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors aim to offer a comprehensive review of the predominant research organisations and countries, key themes and favoured research methodologies pertinent to this subject.Design/methodology/approachThe authors extracted data on social media trending topics from the Web of Science Core Collection database, spanning from 2009 to 2022. A total of 1,504 publications were subjected to bibliometric analysis, utilising the VOSviewer tool. The study analytical process encompassed co-occurrence, co-authorship, citation analysis, field mapping, bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis.FindingsInterest in social media research, particularly on trending topics during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains high despite signs of the pandemic stabilising globally. The study predominantly addresses misinformation and public health communication, with notable focus on interactions between governments and the public. Recent studies have concentrated on analysing Twitter user data through text mining, sentiment analysis and topic modelling. The authors also identify key leading organisations, countries and journals that are central to this research area.Originality/valueDiverging from the narrow focus of previous literature reviews on social media, which are often confined to particular fields or sectors, this study offers a broad view of social media's role, emphasising trending topics. The authors demonstrate a significant link between social media trends and public events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper discusses research priorities that emerged during the pandemic and outlines potential methodologies for future studies, advocating for a greater emphasis on qualitative approaches.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-05-2023-0194.

Communication Processes in the Communication Office Government Speech Formats: A Discursive Analysis of the News Published on the Rn Government Portal

The article presents an approach to the discourse produced by government communication offices, based on the communication developed in the news published in the institutional media of government agencies, as a public power. It highlights the relevant need to do Public Communication, respecting equal rights, through equity applied between political and governmental communication, in defense of public interests in the production of news content. In this context, it makes an clipping from Brandão's dissertation (2023). It fosters a discussion that supports the practical development of communication based on democratic principles and the exercise of citizenship, through the institutional information built. This research work aims to contribute theoretically and empirically, with Latin American research in the field of media communication, which defend the applicability of Public Communication. In addition, the study aims to expand this discussion on the international scene, to promote theoretical-empirical knowledge of the theoretical perspectives of PC and French Discourse Analysis (DA), which are the main study methods used in the research. It is intended to encourage future publications by researchers who are interested in the theme of construction public discourse. The results show the predominant types of communication in the 14 news analyzed, verifying the democratic contributions of the Communication Office of the Government of Rio Grande do Norte, however it is verified that the communication exercised, presents in the production of meanings of the narratives, more discursive elements of a political-governmental communication.

FINDING THE “SO WHAT?”: DEVELOPING A MEANINGFUL CAREER THAT MAKES AN IMPACT

Abstract As a foundation to my social work scholarship, I consistently ask myself a question that my advisor once posed to me: “So what?” In other words, why and to whom does your research matter, and what are you going to do with it? In this presentation, I will show how my scholarship is framed by my practice experience working in Washington, DC for a think tank and advocacy organization. I will describe my approach to merging traditional academic pursuits with public communication and dissemination activities, including publishing in open-access journals, writing op-eds and reports, and pursuing organizational and community collaborations. I will provide specific examples of my collaborative research with local, state, and national organizations, including how we discuss potential research projects and reach mutually beneficial agreements. Lastly, I will describe how I blend this exciting and personally meaningful approach with more established expectations for tenure-track professors.

The impact of education level on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards COVID-19 in Edo State, Nigeria.

For effective Public Health measures, factors that influence Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) need to be understood. In this paper, we document the relationship between levels of education on the KAP towards COVID-19 among the population of Edo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional KAP questionnaire was delivered across 13 communities. The study population was dichotomized into those who had or had not completed secondary education. Chi-square tests were conducted to determine statistical significance. Of the 538 participants, 30% had completed secondary education. Those with secondary education were significantly more likely to recognize symptoms of COVID-19 (P<0.001). For attitudes, only one option showed a statistically significant association with 78.4% of those who did not complete secondary education having a high confidence in the church compared with 66% of those who had (P=0.022). For practices, those who have completed secondary education practiced all of the supplied measures more than those who had not, except for taking herbal supplements. Higher levels of education impacts on knowledge and practices but has less impact on attitudes regarding how well certain individuals/organizations can handle the pandemic. Findings highlighted the importance of tailoring public health communication and strategies to local populations to improve the efficacy.

PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM: HIGHLIGHTING EMERGING PROFESSIONALS WHO BUILD BRIDGES, CATALYZE RESEARCH, AND EMPOWER ALL AGES

Abstract There are many ways to carve a path forward in aging research, policy, and practice. Sometimes the career possibilities are overwhelming, leaving us unsure of how best to proceed. As aging professionals, we know that there is much to learn from those who have gone before us. Therefore, in the ESPO Presidential Symposium we highlight four emerging professionals who are trailblazing diverse and fulfilling career paths in aging by building bridges, catalyzing research, and empowering all ages. Speakers include Drs. Cal Halvorsen, Lindsay Kobayashi, Jamie Justice, and Glenna Brewster Glasgow. Dr. Jacqui Smith will serve as the discussant, synthesizing main findings, emphasizing positive outcomes, and exploring challenges. Starting with identifying the “So What?” of his career, Dr. Cal Halvorsen will explore how his practice roots in policy and advocacy led to his current approach of merging scholarly pursuits and public communication to make an impact beyond the walls of academia. Next, moving to cross-national aging research, Dr. Lindsay Kobayashi will discuss the opportunities and challenges of combining diverse cross-national cohorts to identify policy-relevant and context-specific modifiers of health risks for older adults. Next, Dr. Jamie Justice will focus on her career in translational geroscience and share a translational framework for aging outcomes trials. Finally, from an interdisciplinary approach to conducting research with families living with cognitive impairment in the US and the Caribbean, Dr. Glenna Brewster Glasgow will reflect on practical strategies to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with researchers and stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally.

Partnerships for a Nonprofit Organization’s Human Trafficking Digital Activism, Training, Legislative Advocacy, and Survivor Support Efforts

Although partnerships are a widely used approach to combat human trafficking, little research has been done on nonprofit partnerships for digital activism on human trafficking. This paper combines the public interest communication (PIC) theoretical framework with critical trafficking studies to understand one nonprofit’s digital activism strategies for human trafficking awareness. Employing grounded theory to analyze 54 pages of text, qualitative surveys, and interviews, data revealed organizational partnerships focused on the key areas of training, legislative advocacy, and survivor support. However, partners can potentially derail strategic efforts for social change if misaligned with PIC dimensions and human rights approaches to human trafficking. Based on these findings, recommendations for nonprofit partnerships for digital activism on human trafficking are presented. 

Исторические предпосылки цифрового импичмента в социальных сетях

The objectives of this article are to examine the reasons that led to the digital impeachment of the US President Donald Trump on social media to determine the impact of account suspension on US technology platforms. The article analyses the causes and consequences of online aggression of government representatives to-wards competitors and the population. The paper explores the background of fake news emergence in the US President’s official accounts. The impact of account suspension on political communication via social media for politicians at all levels of government in the United States is evaluated. The study of a new public life phe-nomenon in the country, which is essentially an example of the digital form of impeachment for the head of state, allows making recommendations to avoid such situation through the development of the state in a new role of digital regulator in any other democratic country that uses social networks for public communication.

The Digital Contestation of Racialized Nationhood in Russia

This article offers an account of how digital-media communication enables the negotiation of nationhood from the bottom up. It explains how conservative understandings of national belonging can be challenged and co-constructed in the process of public communication over a given discursive event. Using a discourse-historical approach and multimodal critical discourse analysis focused on Manizha’s performance on the Eurovision Song Contest, the author shows the role of race, gender, citizenship, and origins for the construction of a sense of national belonging in the Russian Federation right on the eve of the full-scale war with Ukraine. The author argues that despite the commonly shared racialized understanding of Russian nationhood and the state-imposed conservative values that shape it, there was a dynamic toward a more inclusive understanding of national belonging that was advanced by some popular celebrities and picked up, bottom-up, by minority groups and liberal-minded RUnetizens.

Political and gender narratives: An immersion in contemporary Italy through the social lens on women leaders

This article presents a comparative analysis between two prominent figures in contemporary Italian politics, Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein, with a particular focus on the gender dynamics that permeate their political context and influence their public trajectory. Through an in-depth exploration of their political narratives, the analysis centers on the use of gender as a central element in both leaders' strategies. The initial phase of the analysis involved a quantitative assessment conducted through social data analysis to understand the extent of online presence and influence of the two political figures under examination. Only subsequently are the discourses and public communications related to women, family, and gender issues highlighted and analyzed. This research aims to provide a unique perspective on how political and gender positions influence politics and contribute to an understanding of contemporary political dynamics in Italy

Designing and Validation of the Leadership Competency Scale in Medicine

Background: Leadership competencies in medicine are the key factors in improving the performance of physicians and the health system. The aim of the present study was to design and validate the leadership competencies scale in medicine.&#x0D; Methods: This research was conducted with a qualitative-quantitative approach. The research sample consisted of 12 physician managers in the qualitative stage and 15 people in the content validity evaluation stage using purposive sampling method. In the preliminary implementation stage of the questionnaire, 35 people were selected by convenience sampling and the main implementation stage of the questionnaire 306 students, faculty members, and medical graduate managers were selected using relative stratified random method. Qualitative data were collected by semi-structured interview and quantitative data by questionnaire. To analyze the qualitative data, the Esterberg analysis method was used, and to evaluate the construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis with Smart-PLS3 software was used. To evaluate the validity of quantitative data, content validity index, content validity ratio, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, convergent validity, and structural equation model fit indices were used. The criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability were used using triangulation to evaluate the validity of the qualitative research data.&#x0D; Results: Competencies and parameters of the questionnaire were extracted into 17 competences and 123 concepts through the coding of interview texts and converted into a questionnaire in 101 items. The content validity of 100 items was valid. The results of factor analysis showed that the factor load of 99 items was valid and 17 components explained the structure of leadership competencies. Based on the fit indices of the model, the measurement scale of leadership competencies in medicine was valid in 17 components and 99 items. These components include perception and impression management, professional ethics, conflict management, problem solving, discipline, informal organization, public communication skills, interpersonal relationship skills, listening, cultural management, professional culture, innovation and creativity, motivation, emotional intelligence, change management, feeling management, participative management.&#x0D; Conclusion: Attention to the curriculum of leadership competencies in medical education and the application of this scale can improve the quality of leadership in the health system.

Environmental public health communication to engage stakeholders and foster social capacity in poorly involved communities living in industrial contaminated sites: the case study of Porto Torres (Italy)

This work aims to discuss the implementation of a communication plan as a key element of the epidemiological study to foster social capacity in the scarcely involved community of the industrial contaminated site of Porto Torres (Sardinia region, Italy). We established an inter-institutional working group committed to developing communication activities and materials ensuring multidisciplinary skills from social and communication sciences to collaborate with the environmental and health experts involved in the epidemiological study. The adopted methodological approach and communication strategy resulted in effective and successful engagement of local institutional and social actors in the design and implementation of targeted communication activities. Designing and implementing environmental public health communication processes with poorly involved communities residing close to industrially contaminated sites is critically important. In these areas, environmental noxious exposures associated with high health risks are frequently combined with low socioeconomic conditions. This calls upon mechanisms of environmental injustice, distributive and procedural, and emphasizes the need to prioritize interventions based on integrative strategies securing local communities' engagement through informed participation. Based on the lessons learned in this community-focused experience in Italy, we have identified key actions for suitable environmental public health communication to foster social capacity and promote procedural environmental justice in communities living in other industrial contaminated sites.

Влияние на лексикографското описание на полските и българските феминативи и маскулинизми върху дебата и решенията за употребата им в публични платформи за обмен на съдържание

The aim of the research is to study the influence of the lexicographic description of Polish and Bulgarian feminatives and masculinisms on their usage in public communication. Using two dictionaries – Wielki słownik języka polskiego (WSJP) and Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language (DBL), the entries for the masculine and feminine forms of 100 names taken from the Bulgarian National Classification of Professions and Positions were reviewed. The analysis was carried out according to four criteria. The results show that more than half of the selected names are present with their masculine and feminine forms in DBL (80%) and in WSJP (61%), but the feeling of asymmetric representation of the names of occupations according to gender is reinforced by the definition of the meanings of occupation only in masculine forms (88%) in DBL, while in WSJP this percentage is very small (7%). Approaches to the definition of feminatives in WSJP and DBL show the use of gender identification markers. Both dictionaries note an imbalance in the representation of feminatives, which are less frequently included in prestige collocations. The paper also reveals that in recent years, public texts in both languages show unsystematic use of job titles.

Identity, politeness and discursive practices in a changing world

This special issue continues the discussion of the impact of culture on identity, communication, politeness, and discourse strategies (see Russian Journal of Linguistics 22 (4) 2018, 23 (4) 2019, 24 (2) 2020). The topic has become particularly relevant in the context of two multidirectional processes, i.e., globalization resulting from current geopolitical trends and technological advancements, which have encouraged the intensification of contacts between people, languages, and cultures; and deglobalization focused on the preservation of national cultures and development of a multipolar and multicultural world. In our introductory article, we attempt to trace the impact of communication technologies, language, and culture contacts on digital, face-to-face, and public communication in different settings and discourses and outline its influence on communication, language variation, and change. In this introductory article we present a summary of the contributions of our authors to the issue, which showed that the implications of globalization and language contact are multifaceted, they can have both positive and negative effects on language use, maintenance, and change, as well as on cultural identity and diversity. Pursuing these latter factors contributes to developing trends of deglobalization. Our authors invite the reader to reflect on these processes. In conclusion, we sum up their major findings and suggest a brief avenue for further research.

The Effects of Emotional Intelligence on Students’ Foreign Language Speaking: A Narrative Exploration in China’s Universities

In countries where people see English as a foreign language (EFL), English is merely used in public communication and EFL learners usually experience emotional issues like speaking anxiety and reflect a lower level of emotional intelligence (EI). Although previous studies have found a positive correlation between EI and EFL speaking, few studies explain how EI affects learners’ EFL speaking in terms of their contextual influence. This study aims to explore the effects of EI on English speaking in the context of China’s universities. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with two participants and was analysed through thematic narrative analysis. Findings suggest that the English-speaking environments in China’s universities are less than supportive. In this situation, when EFL learners are situated in a low-stress learning environment, they are more inclined to embrace happiness and optimism by developing specific interests to enhance their spoken English skills. However, with the stress of the test looming, they often show negative emotions such as uneasiness before exams and fear during exams. Findings highlight that EI, especially adaptability and interpersonal capability can help EFL students cope with their emotional issues, regulate their behaviours, and participate in and profit from non-interactive and (partially) interactive English-speaking practices.

Political public relations and crisis communication of the government: The case study of the earthquake of 6 February 2023 in Türkiye

On February 6, 2023, a massive 7.8 earthquake struck southeast Türkiye and caused killing thousands of people and leaving devastation across a wide swath of the country. In this context, this paper examines the government communications and crisis communication in the context of the disaster responses of the emergency management agencies during the earthquake of February 2023 in Türkiye in terms of image repair strategy and aims to reveal how the government responds to the opposing political circles' claims. It was concluded that the ruling party used communication channels intensively to refute the opposition's arguments and presented its own efforts and actions through visual and numerical proof and the main character of the government's crisis communication was based on highlighting what they made well.

Quantum Key Distribution for Critical Infrastructures: Towards Cyber-Physical Security for Hydropower and Dams.

Hydropower facilities are often remotely monitored or controlled from a centralized remote control room. Additionally, major component manufacturers monitor the performance of installed components, increasingly via public communication infrastructures. While these communications enable efficiencies and increased reliability, they also expand the cyber-attack surface. Communications may use the internet to remote control a facility's control systems, or it may involve sending control commands over a network from a control room to a machine. The content could be encrypted and decrypted using a public key to protect the communicated information. These cryptographic encoding and decoding schemes become vulnerable as more advances are made in computer technologies, such as quantum computing. In contrast, quantum key distribution (QKD) and other quantum cryptographic protocols are not based upon a computational problem, and offer an alternative to symmetric cryptography in some scenarios. Although the underlying mechanism of quantum cryptogrpahic protocols such as QKD ensure that any attempt by an adversary to observe the quantum part of the protocol will result in a detectable signature as an increased error rate, potentially even preventing key generation, it serves as a warning for further investigation. In QKD, when the error rate is low enough and enough photons have been detected, a shared private key can be generated known only to the sender and receiver. We describe how this novel technology and its several modalities could benefit the critical infrastructures of dams or hydropower facilities. The presented discussions may be viewed as a precursor to a quantum cybersecurity roadmap for the identification of relevant threats and mitigation.

A longitudinal analysis of communication traits: communication apprehension, willingness to communicate, and self-perceived communication competence

ABSTRACT This longitudinal study assessed the communication apprehension, willingness to communicate, and self-perceived communication competence for a group of participants across a 15-year span. In total, 220 of 237 participants completed the 15-year project. The data represent six time points, with data collections happening once every three years. The results show that meeting communication apprehension, dyadic communication apprehension, public communication apprehension, willingness to communicate, and self-perceived communication competence all changed across time, indicating these traditionally thought of trait-like variables behaved more as state-like characteristics. Group communication apprehension did not change over time, indicating it may be more trait-like than state like. Results are limited by evidence of poor temporal stability for the public communication apprehension, self-perceived communication competence, and willingness to communicate measures.

Multimedia Center: Strategi Dinas Komunikasi Informasi Pengkodean dan Statistik Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah dalam Pengelolaan Informasi

Online media has become one of the media for disseminating accurate and fastest information to the public. The multimedia center is an online medium used by the Central Kalimantan Province Information, Coding, and Statistics Communication Service to manage information for the public. This research focuses on the public relations of the Central Kalimantan Province Information, Coding, and Statistics Communication Service in using communication strategies to manage information conveyed to the public through a multimedia center. This research was conducted to find out and describe the public relations communication strategy of the Information, Coding, and Statistics Communication Service. This research aims to find out how the public relations communication strategy of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Communication Information, Coding, and Statistics Service manages information through a multimedia center using descriptive qualitative research. Descriptive research is research that tries to understand the phenomena that occur at the Central Kalimantan Province Information Communication, Encryption, and Statistics Service regarding what the research subjects feel. Using Harold D. Laswel's communication strategy theory as reinforcement for the strategy used. The data sources in this research contain primary and secondary data. Primary data was generated through face-to-face interviews with the Public Relations of the Central Kalimantan Province Information, Coding, and Statistics Communication Service and public communications management staff. Meanwhile, secondary data was obtained through the Multimedia Center website, previous research, books, journals, and websites. This research utilizes a purposive sampling strategy; the data instruments used are in-depth interviews, observation, documentation, and the validity of the data and conclusions. By implementing this strategy, the Central Kalimantan Province Information, Coding, and Statistics Communication Service found

[Potential Impact of Public Communication on Emergency Presentations due to Headache during the Covid-19 Pandemic].

Headache is a frequent presenting symptom in the emergency department. While most cases are of benign aetiology, it is crucially important to identify potentially dangerous underlying disorders. We hypothesized an increase in headache-related emergency presentations after venous thrombosis of cerebral sinuses had been identified as a rare side effect of vaccination with adenovirus vector-based Coronavirus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines and that information had been publicly communicated by the Paul Ehrlich Institute. Data from patients with the diagnosis of primary headache disorders or unspecified headache presenting to the Interdisciplinary Emergency Department of the University Medicine Mannheim were retrospectively analysed. Based on vaccination dashboard data published by the Federal Ministry of Health, calendar weeks 14-30 and 47-48, on the one hand, and 1-13 and 31-46, on the othe, were categorized into a variable "vaccination epoch" (14-30, 47-48: high vaccination activity if≥3 million weekly vaccinations in Germany; 1-13, 31-46: low vaccination activity if<3 million weekly vaccinations). The number of patients with headache was the dependent variable. A Poisson regression was performed to analyze whether the frequency of events, i. e., patient presentations, was a function of year (2019, 2021), epoch (high, low) and an interaction of year and epoch - the latter reflecting an impact of vaccination activity during the pandemic and expressed as incidence rate ratio. Compared to 2019, there was a more than 70% increase in presentations due to headache during periods of high vaccination activity in 2021 (p<0.001; 95% confidence interval 1.272-2.316), in 25% of presentations in 2021, patients considered their headache as vaccination-associated. Public communication and resulting nocebo effects may, among other factors, have contributed to our observation of increased numbers of emergency headache presentations, illustrating the impact of public distribution of medical information on practical aspects of emergency care during crises.

Effectiveness of using humor appeal in health promotion materials: evidence from an experimental study in Japan

BackgroundPublic health professionals have prepared and distributed many messages and materials to convince the public to adopt healthy behaviors or reduce risky behaviors. However, health promotion materials do not always have the desired effect due to a lack of ability to engage target audience. This study examined the effectiveness of humor appeal (i.e. using humor as an advertising technique to attract attention and increase acceptance of the message) in health promotion materials and how to use it effectively.MethodsTotal 17 printable posters with different frames (loss- vs. gain-framed) × tones (humorous vs. non-humorous) × topics (advance care planning, cancer screening, donor registry, smoking cessation, and physical activity) were created and evaluated for comprehensibility, persuasiveness, and resistance through two web-based surveys. Participants who were Japanese adults aged 25–64 years were randomly assigned one of the posters (200 people each) and asked to rate it. The overall score was calculated as the persuasiveness score (EHPM 2017;22:69) minus the resistance score (EHPM 2022;27:20).ResultsIn the advance care planning case, the highest overall score was found in the gain-framed humorous poster, followed by the loss-framed humorous poster, and the non-humorous poster (p = 0.007). In the other 4 cases, the posters using humorous illustrations received a significantly lower scores than the non-humorous poster(s).ConclusionThe use of humor appeal can help improve the acceptability and persuasiveness of the message when dealing with a little-known resistance-prone health topic. Humor appeal will provide an effective hook to direct public attention to what they do not know or care about in public health communication.