Public Sphere Research Articles

Enhancing the Identification of False News using Machine Learning Algorithms: A Comparative Study

In today's digital world filled with information overload, preventing the rampant spread of fake news has become an urgent task. Discover the Fake News Prediction System (FNPS), which uses advanced machine learning and technology to provide innovative solutions and powerful methodologies. Natural language processing methods. FNPS uses sophisticated feature engineering from diverse, curated datasets to identify underlying patterns in fraudulent content and significantly improves the ability to recognize authenticity. FNPS achieves outstanding performance using a combination of classifiers combining TF-IDF vectorization, deep learning architecture, and sentiment analysis, demonstrating its ability to accurately predict the legitimacy of news articles. Beyond simple forecasting, FNPS provides an intuitive user interface for evaluating news content in real time. This not only increases accessibility but also promotes media literacy and responsible consumption of information. Provides additional information and promotes robust public discourse. FNPS essentially demonstrates the revolutionary potential of advanced technology in ongoing combat. This will further the important public goal of ensuring the reliability and integrity of information in the digital age.

Stability of the social and labor sphere of the Russian Federation in 2023 is ensured by the constructive position of social partners

The article was prepared based on the materials of the analytical bulletin of the Center for Monitoring and Analysis of Social and Labor Conflicts of the Saint Petersburg Humanitarian University of Trade Unions. A number of key external and internal factors that influenced the social and labor sphere in the Russian Federation throughout 2023 have been identified. The author comes to the conclusion that the social and labor situation in the past year remained stable with low conflict potential, without the risk of deterioration in the medium term. Industry differences in the causes of social and labor conflicts show that in the most conflict-ridden industries, the sources of confrontations are contradictions in labor relations (low wages, violations of working conditions, and non-payment of bonuses).

Fake News Detection System Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning

The rise of fake news in today's age of mass media poses a serious threat to the credibility of the media and public discourse [1]. This project focuses on developing effective and robust solutions to detect fake news by integrating multiple machine learning algorithms. This project uses a variety of techniques, including natural language processing (NLP), clustering, classification algorithms and deep learning, to identify the content of patterns that indicate error messages. The project first explores NLP algorithms to extract content from news media content. These features allow the system to understand and classify the language used, helping to identify language patterns associated with fake news. Additionally, emotional analysis plays an important role in visualizing the tone and content of the text, further increasing the accuracy of the findings. The integration method is used to combine various machine learning models. By combining the performance of various algorithms, the system aims to overcome individual limitations and provide a more comprehensive and effective evaluation of media content. This approach helps increase the power of fake news detection and adapts to different fraud strategies. The project also includes deep learning algorithms, especially neural networks, to capture relationships in data. The use of deep learning ensures that the system can recognize nuances in the language and clarifies the complex information of the error message. Continuous updating and reworking of machine learning models is an important part of the process, allowing the system to constantly adapt to fraud strategies [2]. The aim of fake news detection system is to create a well-informed, weak search for fake news that can help create greater awareness and public approval. Key Words: Fake news detection, Machine learning techniques, Advanced algorithms, Classification algorithms, Deep learning, Feature extraction, Model training, Natural language processing

‘Besolte Instrumentisten der Königlichen Stadt Breslaw’: The Hess Brothers’ Anthology (1555) and Its European Context*

Abstract The paper focuses on a comprehensive dance collection compiled by two Wrocław/Breslau town musicians (Stadtpfeifer), the brothers Bartholomäus and Paul Hess. The anthology, partly preserved at Wrocław University Library, was published in 1555 at the Wrocław printing house of Crispin Scharffenberg and documents the transition of dance repertoire from the courtly realm to the private and public spheres, which was typical of the mid-sixteenth century. The Wrocław collection, scored for wind ensemble, contains 477 four- and five-part dances of German, Polish, French, and Italian provenance. The paper offers some new views on the repertoire from the collection. Particular attention has been given to the so-called Polish dances.

The Seed of Doubt: Examining the Role of Alternative Social and News Media for the Birth of a Conspiracy Theory

Consuming conspiracy theories erodes trust in democratic institutions, while conspiracy beliefs demotivate democratic participation, posing a potential threat to democracy. The proliferation of social media, especially the emergence of numerous alternative platforms with minimal moderation, has greatly facilitated the dissemination and consumption of conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of knowledge concerning the origin and evolution of specific conspiracy theories across different platforms. This study aims to address this gap through a large-scale, cross-platform examination of the genesis of new conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Through a (semi-) automated content analysis conducted on a distinctive dataset comprising N = 8,020,314 Epstein-related posts posted on both established platforms ( Twitter, Reddit) and alternative platforms ( Gab and 4Chan), we demonstrate that conspiracy theories emerge early and influence public discourse well in advance of reports from established media sources. Our data shows that users of the studied platforms immediately turn to conspirational explanations, exhibiting skepticism towards the official representation of events. Especially on alternative platforms, this skepticism swiftly transformed into unwarranted conspiracy theorizing, partly bolstered by references to alternative news media sources. The present study shows how conspirational explanations thrive in low information environments and how alternative media plays a role in turning rational skepticism into unwarranted conspiracy theories.

Fair or biased? A corpus-based study of Australia’s early COVID-19 media representation of China

ABSTRACT Given the surge in xenophobia faced by Chinese communities during the pandemic, there is a pressing need to delve into the concealed ideologies within public discourse that fuel discrimination. Against this backdrop, this study employs Critical Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics to scrutinise the discursive construction and communication of China’s image in Australian print media during the early outbreak of COVID-19. The analysis uncovered recurrent negative depictions of the Chinese government, associating it with authoritarianism and responsibility for the pandemic. In the context of blame attribution and racialisation of COVID-19 terms, a counter-narrative was observed in Australian newspapers, reflecting journalistic efforts to present a balanced perception of China and to challenge the prevailing racialisation and discrimination. Furthermore, the study revealed Australian media’s focus on economic consequences over human losses during the early outbreak of this pandemic. That underscores China’s role as Australia’s indispensable economic partner. This research contends that the depiction of China in Australian news discourses during the COVID-19 pandemic is intertwined with historical tensions, bilateral relations, and journalistic efforts to counter prevailing biases.

“Stay tuned!"

“Stay tuned!"

Analysis of The Influence of Communication and Promotion in Digital Social Media on Citizens' Participation in The Election

This research aims to provide conclusive results regarding interaction and discussion, use, and exploitation of social media in the context of general elections in the digital public space. This research involves analyzing all messages published by presidential candidates via social media during the general election campaign. Every day during the campaign, a presidential candidate published a tweet, thereby collecting data. The research results revealed that the general public's ability to participate in substantive political conversations related to the presidential election remains incomplete. The achievement of equality among participants in digital public spaces remains incomplete. Candidates focus more on their political messages and interactions with the media and their own political platforms rather than interacting equally with other users. The role of participants in digital public spaces is very relevant. Although the Internet provides a wealth of information, users tend to be disseminators rather than conducting in-depth analysis. This can hinder the formation of independent opinions and meaningful participation in political discussions. In this context, commercialization and excessive information on the internet can be detrimental to the process of creating a healthy public space. However, in reality, the internet has not been able to effectively overcome complex political challenges. In this context, it is important to develop a more critical understanding of the role of the internet in shaping the digital public sphere. This requires awareness of the challenges and complexities involved, as well as efforts to promote more active and educated participation in the digital public sphere.

Conflict of Interpretations on Ricoeur’s Contributions to the Philosophy of Technology

Recent literature regarding how Ricoeur’s work relates to the philosophy of technology appears prima facie to be contradictory. In one established interpretation, Ricoeur’s contributions are merely indirect as he did not engage with the empirical turn of the discipline in the 1980s and maintained a suspicious view of technology based on a profound concern with the distinction between persons and things. In this view, Ricoeur’s work does not add anything new to the discipline but is still valuable to the philosophy of technology through other features of his corpus, such as his critical hermeneutics and narrative theory. In another interpretative approach, some argue Ricoeur adds to the field by directly thematizing technology when studying ethics and human capability–he cannot be thought of as merely ignoring the complex relationship between the social sphere and technology. The present paper offers a dialectical analysis of these interpretative approaches and argues that these positions are not mutually exclusive, but rather capture complementary aspects about the nature of Ricoeur’s hermeneutic and political projects. At one level, Ricoeur engages with core themes of philosophy of technology by exploring the ambiguity of specific technologies and techniques and their implications to social, cultural, and political spheres; in doing so, Ricoeur contributes directly to the field by avoiding the reduction of meaning into merely technical questions. On the other hand, it is also true that Ricoeur, particularly in the main thematic areas of his great works since the 1970s, has not been directly involved with specific questions of how different recent technologies are intertwined with social, political, and ethical aspects, and his emphasis against a reductionist type of technical mentality distanced him from a closer engagement with specific technological issues. In this sense, most of his contributions to the philosophy of technology are indirect. Nevertheless, this paper wants to emphasize that this dialectic analysis invites us to recognize the richness and potential of Ricoeur’s thought to understand how technologies are shaping our experiences in the world. The recently published volume Interpreting Technology, edited by Wessel Reijers, Alberto Romele, and Mark Coeckelbergh, is a powerful example of such potential.

Vive la république européenne? Reading The European Balcony Project as artistic counter-public

ABSTRACT The article first contextualizes the European Balcony Project (EBP), a manifesto written by authors Ulrike Guérot, Robert Menasse, and theatre director Milo Rau who subsequently put it up for discussion in various public fora. On 10 November 2018, artists and citizens performed the manifesto and proclaimed the European Republic from (theatre) balconies and public places in 25 European countries. They encouraged a dialogue that sought to promote a more diverse public sphere. In my reading, the EBP emerges as a contemporary version of Oskar Negt’s and Alexander Kluge’s public counter sphere, as a real and imaginary community in which political participation is enacted through the medium of talk in an arena of discursive interaction and democratic practice. By reading the texts in the context of a political avantgarde project, I show how the interventions aim to set a counterpoint to the resurgence of nationalism and promote a vision of a democratic continent based in shared values. My article thus illustrates how public art performances such as the EBP contribute to the thickening of imaginative relations throughout Europe and might aid in the construction of a larger European cultural identity.

Women’s Mobility Challenges and Solutions in Mexico City

Feminist urban theory sustains that the built environment symbolizes and perpetuates patriarchal power relations; because cities were originally designed as industrial hubs dominated by men, they are hostile to women by design. This theory is exemplified by Mexico City, where women face a unique set of challenges while interacting with the built environment, especially in regard to urban mobility. The city is designed without consideration of womens’ specific needs, such as their unique mobility patterns and their needs for illuminated, secure transportation nodes. Car-centric urban design inherently benefits men while putting women - who primarily walk, bike, or take public transportation due to economic inequities - at risk. Additionally, 9 out of 10 women who regularly use public transportation in Mexico City have experienced sexual harassment - a violent manifestation of the patriarchal value that women do not belong in the public sphere. Since 1977, Mexico City has introduced women-only cars on its metro and has since introduced women-only buses and taxis. While these initiatives are crucial to increasing women’s safety and autonomy, they fail to address the root of the issue: the societal values that have allowed a patriarchal built environment to exist.

The cultural construction of cellular agriculture food: through the lens of the whole-parts framework for meat

This essay presents a critical perspective on the nature of what is referred to as “cultured meat” in the public sphere by revisiting the concept of meat in cultural practice. We propose a perspective that focuses on and further investigates whether cultured meat is meat, examining the interaction between the emergence of cellular agriculture technologies and cultural practices. First, we review the production processes of cellular agriculture for meat, comparing this to the processes used to produce conventional meat. Second, we discuss how meat has been embedded in cultural practices, focusing on meat-related activities, and propose that a whole-parts relationship is critical for constructing the meaning of meat in cultural contexts. Third, several key issues raised in the social debate on cultured meat are addressed within the whole-parts framework. Cultured meat requires a complete bottom-up process in producing objects, indicating that the concept of cultured meat is not necessarily aligned with the concept of existing meat, as previously suggested from the perspective of producing conventional meat. In this perspective, we proceed to further investigation the meaning of meat in cultural constructions, wherein the relationship between the whole body and meat as a part of it is important. Thus, cultured meat can be considered a nonmeat under the whole-parts framework for meat. This insight can provisionally and speculatively update some of the ethical, legal, and social issues of cultured meat as well as products based on cellular agriculture technologies.

The Impact of Celebrity and Influencer Illness Disclosures

ABSTRACT When celebrities, political figures, influencers, or anyone with a large following publicly disclose an illness or die, the news becomes a de facto public health campaign. Until health communicators began studying such disclosures and the effects of the following waves of media coverage, however, it was not known to what extent these events impacted the public. A growing body of research has empirically documented these events and examined the factors that predict which types of audiences are most affected and why. Beyond motivating research opportunities, celebrity and influencer health disclosures or deaths can impact calls to hotlines, views on health-related websites, discussions of related topics on social media, behavioral changes relevant to the disclosure, increased news coverage of celebrity health research, integration of celebrity health narratives into strategic health campaigns, and even policy changes. We provide an overview of research conducted in this area and detail examples of the impact that celebrity health disclosures and studies about those disclosures have had on public discourse and public health.

Smart Cities and (Smart) Cycling: Exploring the Synergies in Copenhagen and Amsterdam

ABSTRACT In cities worldwide, cycling is increasingly upgraded with smart technology and is included in smart cities' visions and projects. This process has not been problematized in public discourse, as smart innovation is seen as a potential booster of the known benefits of cycling. Drawing on critical literatures on smart cities, smart mobility, and degrowth and using the case studies of Copenhagen and Amsterdam, the article opens up a more critical conversation on the subject, discussing the role of "techno-solutionism,” technology push, and pro-innovation bias in the process of “smartification” of cycling.

When Trust in AI Mediates: AI News Use, Public Discussion, and Civic Participation

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI), since its marked proliferation in the mid-2010s, has significantly penetrated various sectors, becoming a transformative force that necessitates ongoing refinement of communication strategies and political dynamics by stakeholders. Drawing on the Orientation-Stimulus-Reasoning-Orientation-Response (O-S-R-O-R) model, this study delves into the role of AI news consumption in participatory democracy. Using data from a nationwide survey (N = 1,252), the study assesses a mediation model that proposes a multilayered process through which AI news consumption facilitates civic participation. The findings reveal that AI news consumption across different media platforms is positively linked with civic participation, facilitated by both online and offline AI discussions. This relationship is further mediated by trust in AI news and trust in AI actors. Further theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

The Complexity of Female Empowerment in India

On a global scale, India ranks very poorly in terms of gender equality. This overall indicator masks important heterogeneities across the separate measures of female empowerment. India scores very highly with regards to equality of civil liberties and the political participation of women. But the country falls well below the global average with respect to equal access to economic resources and protection from gender-based violence. These poorer empowerment indicators have persisted not only in the wake of strong economic progress, but also in the context of an impressive set of government led reforms and policies targeting women. These different initiatives have successfully augmented women’s agency in both the private and public spheres of life, but women and girls still face extreme discrimination and violence. The salience of restrictive local customs appears to be a core hindrance towards transformative change. This paper reviews the economics literature which examines this complexity across the different dimensions of female empowerment in India. It highlights the newly emerging research focused on ameliorating gender biased norms and discusses potential steps forward. JEL Classifications: J12, J16

Black Twitter and Digital Counterpublics in South Africa

The growth of technology has made the Internet an essential tool in society. Scholars have argued that the Internet supports a more deliberative democracy. However, scholars have also raised concerns about the role of the Internet in political matters. While scholars agree that the Internet has facilitated broader public discussion, in many regards, its ‘virtual public sphere’ still mirrors existing social structures. Twitter has become a common social media platform for many South Africans. This has led to a virtual community of Twitter users engaged in real-time discourses primarily related to Black South Africans. Black Twitter in South Africa is used for social, political, and economic motivations. This study argues for the practice of Black Twitter as a digital counterpublic in South Africa. The aim is to spotlight how black people in South Africa have used Black Twitter as a digital counterpublic for the marginalized groups within South Africa. The research will investigate the potential challenges and opportunities associated with Black Twitter functioning as a digital counterpublic. Utilizing digital ethnography, the study gathered a dataset of tweets from Black Twitter in 2022, focusing on those addressing social, political, and economic issues. More than 700,000 tweets were identified under these specific thematic hashtags.

Book Review: Systematic Theology as a Rationally Justified Public Discourse about God by Michael Agerbo Mørch

Book Review: <i>Systematic Theology as a Rationally Justified Public Discourse about God</i> by Michael Agerbo Mørch

Religious Moderation: An Analysis of Understanding, Internet and Social Media Exposure and Social Interaction Systems

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduction:&lt;/strong&gt; Religious moderation is launched because it concerns the order of life of the nation and state, where the internet and social media become a platform for any dynamic public discussion and change perspectives and practices in religious harmony. This study examines access to information about religious moderation through the internet and social media (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Line) as the most widely used platforms in Indonesia and the influence of exposure to its content on understanding and the system of relational interaction among university students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; Explanatory quantitative survey method with factor and regression analysis to explain the dominant factors and the magnitude of the influence of exposure to religious moderation content on students' understanding and interpersonal relationships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings:&lt;/strong&gt; That student quite often access information about religious moderation on social media through WhatsApp and Instagram. Issues related to national commitment, tolerance, intolerance, violence, radicalism, government attitudes, regulations and their consequences, correlate with the dogmatism factor. The findings show that it is not easy to change one's religious beliefs, and this should be respected. So what remains is to find common ground and give a positive impression so that social interactions continue to run normally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="normal"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality:&lt;/strong&gt; The research presents a novelty in the perspective of communication science on the understanding of religious moderation and its correlation with the interpersonal interaction system in students from non-religious campuses. Where previously religious moderation was widely studied in the perspective of language, civilization, humanity, culture, education and with subjects from religious campuses, especially Islam.&lt;/p&gt;

PRINCIPLES OF OPEN SCIENCE IN THE ACTIVITIES OF A TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

The purpose of the article is to analyse and present the use of Open Science principles and their implementation in the activities of Lutsk National Technical University. Methodology. The main provisions of the Open Science concept and their implementation in European and Ukrainian official documents are analysed. It has been found that at Lutsk National Technical University (LNTU) the principles of Open Science are implemented in three main areas: in the educational process; in research activities; in informal promotion among students and other stakeholders. As a result, the authors found that participation in international projects, in particular ERASMUS+, causes changes in educational and scientific activities towards the creation of a fair and competitive educational space. New disciplines, such as Open Scientific Foundations and Information Management Practice, have been introduced into the educational process of masters and postgraduate students. The implementation of the policy of openness of scientific research is mainly limited to open publications in scientific journals and public discussion of research results at conferences and seminars. Informal trainings on academic integrity and Open Science involving students and teachers help to promote the principles of Open Science. The effectiveness of the training for LNTU students has been experimentally established. After the training, most students understood the basic principles of Open Science and were able to give examples of their use at LNTU, but they are not yet ready to apply them in their first scientific or academic achievements. Practical implications. These examples of implementation of Open Science principles in educational and scientific activities of LNTU illustrate an important vector of development of the technical university towards joining the European higher education area. At the same time, the authors came to the conclusion that it is necessary to conduct a broad information campaign among research and teaching staff for their further implementation.