Communication Research Research Articles

Negative Campaigning and Vote Choice: Rationale, Trends, and Future Research

Negative campaigning is a worldwide phenomenon. As a strategy for mobilizing support, it affects the electorate and democracy. However, its effectiveness varies across space and time. While some studies assert that negativity depresses voter turnout, thereby delegitimizing the electoral process, others provide conflicting results that such campaigns mobilize voters since they supply information critical for their participation. There are three nuanced outcomes resulting from negative campaigning: the target electoral support diminishes; the attacker in a negative campaign experiences a backlash; or, when multiple candidates or parties compete, a negative effect on the target of the attack, coupled with a backlash effect on the attacker, may benefit the other candidates, who refrained from going negative. This article reviews the state of the scholarship on negative campaigning and its impact on democracy. It sheds light on a rapidly evolving field of political science and communication research.

Online News: Media Framing On Indonesia’s Capital City Relocation Policy

Objectives: The research aims to describe the position of the media in Indonesia in constructing an event using framing analysis. Methods: One of the framing analysis forms existing in communications research is that by Zhongdang Pan and Gerald M. Kosicki, which involves four major structures, namely, syntactic structures, script structures, thematic structures, and rhetorical structures. Framing analysis is a form of qualitative research. It particularly has relevance to the phenomenon of capital city relocation news reporting. Data were collected from online news reports by four media outlets, namely, Metro TV, CNN Indonesia, CNBC Indonesia, and Kompas TV. The news reports analyzed were set within the time frame between April of 2019 and January of 2022. All the online news reports pertaining to the capital city relocation were compared between the four media outlets to draw a conclusion as to how the media outlets positioned themselves in constructing the event under investigation. Results: The findings indicated that each television media outlet presented news on the capital city relocation policy in their respective fashions: Metro TV showed approval, CNBC Indonesia and CNN Indonesia did an inclination towards disapproval, and Kompas TV did a neutral view regarding the capital city relocation policy. Conclusions: The four media that were the object of research show that each media has a different agenda regarding events that occurred in Indonesia, especially the relocation of the capital city. These differences come from differences in motives, vision and mission, ideology, political affiliation and goals.

Discrimination between the facial gestures of vocalising and non-vocalising lemurs and small apes using deep learning

Facial expression studies in animal communication are essential. However, manual inspection methods are only practical for small datasets. Deep learning techniques can help discriminate facial configurations associated with vocalisations over large datasets. We extracted and labelled frames of different primate species, trained deep-learning models to identify key points on their faces, and computed distances between them to identify facial gestures. We used machine learning algorithms to classify vocalised and non-vocalised gestures across different species. The algorithms showed higher-than-chance correct classification rates, with some exceeding 90 %. Our work employs deep learning to map primate facial gestures and offers an innovative application of pose estimation systems. Our approach facilitates the investigation of facial repertoire across primate species and behavioural contexts, enabling comparative research in primate communication.

Long-term communication of aftershock forecasts: the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence in Aotearoa, New Zealand

On 14 February 2016, a magnitude (M)5.7 earthquake struck in Christchurch, Aotearoa, New Zealand. The shaking caused damage to historic facades, power outages, cliff collapses, rock falls, liquefaction but no reported injuries or fatalities. This Valentine’s Day earthquake was an aftershock in the Canterbury earthquake sequence (CES), which began on 4 September 2010 with the M7.1 Darfield Earthquake and included the destructive and fatal M6.2 Christchurch aftershock on 22 February 2011. This study eight months after the Valentine’s Day earthquake and six years after the initiation of the CES is the first to explore long-term aftershock forecast information and communication needs. The exploratory study also aimed to gather feedback on aftershock scenarios, an alternate form of communication of the forecast.The qualitative study involved workshops with emergency managers, public health officials, and members of the public in Christchurch. Key findings for long-term communication throughout an earthquake sequence include: 1. divergent earthquake experiences affect aftershock communication response and information needs; 2. understanding aftershock sequence behavior is foundational to sense-making when large aftershocks occur; 3. strategic earthquake sequence updates from the trusted science agency and local agencies could serve as important reminders for earthquake preparedness; 4. communication of aftershock forecast uncertainty could aid with both the credibility of the information and living with uncertainty, and 5. inclusion of impact information and preparedness advice into aftershock forecast scenarios could provide links to actionable information. The paper derives implications for research and practice of long-term communications during an aftershock sequence.

Development of Guidelines for Edutourism Facilities through Research Instrument Preparation Based on Ecological Architecture

Abstract Sustainable tourism development is an important issue in maintaining environmental sustainability and providing economic and social benefits for society. Ecological architecture and educational tourism have similar concepts, namely, complementing each other to create harmony between humans and the environment. This study investigates the integration of environmental architecture principles into sustainable tourism, mainly focusing on educational tourism (edutourism) development in Indonesia. It seeks to establish eco-friendly edutourism standards by analyzing ecological architecture, educational tourism principles, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Utilizing a literature review, questionnaires, and interviews with edutourism managers, the research assesses infrastructure and educational aspects while emphasizing alignment with sustainability, stakeholder collaboration, and environmental awareness. Findings underscore edutourism’s potential in promoting sustainability and community welfare, contributing to setting standards for managers and enhancing visitor experiences. Recommendations include improving stakeholder communication and ongoing research for refined edutourism standards, highlighting the importance of integrating ecological architecture into edutourism for environmental sustainability and responsible tourism practices.

Understanding public opinion formation in Southeast Europe: Exploring social forces and communication dynamics

The article investigates the mechanisms through which social forces, networks, cognitive frames, and institutions shape public opinion in Southeast Europe via communication. Employing a qualitative approach, data was collected through synchronous focus groups conducted in six Southeast European countries. The findings reveal that social networks play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion, with organizational position and relationships influencing communication effectiveness. Cognitive frames significantly impact public perception, with entrenched beliefs guiding interpretation of information. Meanwhile, social institutions, such as language and communication rules, influence the clarity and accessibility of messages, thereby shaping public understanding. The research underscores the need for deeper research, ethical standards, and transparent communication to build and maintain public trust. Continuous engagement with the public and adaptability in communication strategies are essential for fostering mutual understanding and trust. This research emphasizes social forces’ complexity and overlapping nature in shaping public opinion and the strategic approaches required for effective communication in Southeast Europe.

Research on 5G mobile networks in Vietnam, design selection and testing of 5G Mobile Communications Jamming Device

According to the research presented by the authors in [1], we propose research content, applying new technical technologies to research and design 5G mobile communications jamming devices. The goal of research and product design is to meet the basic requirements of technical indicators, operating features as well as specific requirements of the Public Security. In this article, the authors introduce some initial results of testing and evaluating 5G mobile communications jamming devices in frequency bands n28, n40, n41 (in which, n41 is divided into two frequency bands n41A and n41B) and n77. This not only has practical significance in scientific research and technology mastery, but also serves as a basis for the authors to continue developing products applying SDR technology to design and manufacture intelligently controlled, adaptive jamming devices in the future, meet work requirements of the Public Security, while diversifying the methods of operation for the Public Security force in practice

Social Media and Conflict: A Visual Analysis of War and Peace Frames in Pakistan

Based on traditional peace communication scholarship, this study, embedded in journalism studies and visual politics literature, analyzes photographs of conflict using war and peace frames and explores the role social media can play in digital peacebuilding practices. A content analysis of 674 visuals of the second deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan posted on Twitter revealed the dominance of war photographs. The majority of the visual tweets were related to the afflicted victims and the visiting elites. Our analysis revealed that the visual narrative predominantly adopted a war approach. Results also showed significant variations in the war and peace narrative over time. Overall, this study challenges the views of peace journalism scholars that social media would lead to a more peace-oriented approach. We argue that peace narratives may be difficult to occur on digital platforms in securitized national conflicts where elites and a dominant public opinion oppose alternative perspectives.

Hispanic political engagement in the 2018 Texas Senate election: How political communication and perceived candidate ethnicity shape engagement

ABSTRACT Research has shown that Hispanic voters tend to be more politically engaged when Hispanic candidates are on the ballot. This study contributes to intercultural and political communication scholarship by considering how perceived candidate ethnicity, beliefs about candidates’ commitment to Hispanic voters, and communication shape political engagement. Survey data (N = 424) from the 2018 Texas Senate election featuring Democrat Beto O’Rourke and Republican Ted Cruz, indicates that voter perceptions of candidate ethnicity and commitment to the Hispanic community likely shape political engagement, although this varies across candidates. Political talk enhances engagement and moderates the relationship between perceived candidate identity and engagement.

Transforming Teen Communication Through the Visual Influence of Social Media

General Background: Social media has become a significant platform for adolescents to express themselves and interact with others. The rise of visual-based communication through platforms such as Instagram has shifted traditional communication patterns, moving beyond text-based messaging to photo and video sharing. Specific Background: The rapid increase in social media use among teenagers presents an opportunity to study how these platforms influence communication patterns. While previous studies have explored social media impacts, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis focusing on the evolving nature of communication through visual content. Knowledge Gap: Although numerous studies have analyzed social media use, few have used bibliometric methods to systematically map the trends in adolescent communication patterns across various platforms. The role of visual communication through social media in reshaping teenage interaction patterns remains underexplored. Aims: This study aims to observe how social media use, particularly Instagram, has influenced adolescent communication patterns by employing bibliometric methods through VOSviewer software. Results: The bibliometric analysis identified a shift in adolescent communication patterns, with a growing emphasis on visual content like photos and videos rather than text-based communication. The data showed seven keyword clusters, mostly interconnected, with Instagram, communication, and adolescent communication being the most prominent topics in 2021, with 109 articles. Novelty: This research introduces a novel approach by applying bibliometric methods to analyze and visualize the impact of social media on teenage communication patterns, providing a clearer understanding of how communication has evolved in the digital age. Implications: The findings suggest that social media platforms are reshaping how teenagers communicate, with significant implications for future communication research and the development of digital communication strategies targeting adolescents. The use of bibliometric tools like VOSviewer enables researchers to map research trends effectively, offering new insights into social media’s role in modern communication patterns. Highlights: Social media promotes visual communication among adolescents, shifting from text. Bibliometric analysis identifies seven key clusters in Instagram-related research. VOSviewer effectively visualizes trends in teenage communication patterns. Keywords: social media, Instagram, teenage communication, bibliometric analysis, VOSviewer

The concentration of free glycerol in goat milk increases during feed restrictions.

This Research Communication introduces a novel enzymatic-fluorometric analytical procedure for glycerol and glycerol 3-phosphate in milk. Milk from thirty-seven goats was analysed during 9 consecutive days during which a two-day feed restriction was introduced. Fractional milk triacylglyceride and free glycerol increased significantly while glycerol 3-phosphate reacted more moderately. The energy status of the mammary cell is discussed.

New Coupled Optical Solitons to Birefringent Fibers for Complex Ginzburg–Landau Equations with Hamiltonian Perturbations and Kerr Law Nonlinearity

In this study, we use an analytical method tailored for the in-depth exploration of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations (NLPDEs), with a primary focus on the dynamics of solitons. Traditional methods are quite effective for solving individual nonlinear partial differential equations (NLPDEs). However, their performance diminishes notably when addressing systems of coupled NLPDEs. This decline in effectiveness is mainly due to the complex interaction terms that arise in these coupled systems. Commonly, researchers have attempted to simplify coupled NLPDEs into single equations by imposing proportional relationships between various solutions. Unfortunately, this simplification often leads to a significant deviation from the true physical phenomena that these equations aim to describe. Our approach is distinctively advantageous in its straightforwardness and precision, offering a clearer and more insightful analytical perspective for examining coupled NLPDEs. It is capable of concurrently facilitating the propagation of different soliton types in two distinct systems through a single process. It also supports the spontaneous emergence of similar solitons in both systems with minimal restrictions. It has been extensively used to investigate a wide array of new coupled progressive solitons in birefringent fibers, specifically for complex Ginzburg–Landau Equations (CGLEs) involving Hamiltonian perturbations and Kerr law nonlinearity. The resulting solitons, with comprehensive 2D and 3D visualizations, showcase a variety of coupled soliton configurations, including several that are unprecedented in the field. This innovative approach not only addresses a significant gap in existing methodologies but also broadens the horizons for future research in optical communications and related disciplines.

Patient research partner involvement in rheumatology research: a systematic literature review informing the 2023 updated EULAR recommendations for the involvement of patient research partners

BackgroundPatient research partners (PRPs) are people with a disease who collaborate in a research team as partners. The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to assess barriers and...

Dissonance between posts of health agencies and public comments regarding COVID-19 and vaccination on Facebook in Northern California.

Public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have prompted a need for health agencies to improve their disease preparedness strategies, informing their communities of new information and promoting preventive behaviors to help curb the spread of the virus. We ran unsupervised machine learning and emotion analysis, validated with manual coding, on posts of health agencies (N = 1588) and their associated public comments (N = 7813) during a crucial initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to February 2021) among nine different counties with a higher proportion of vaccine-hesitant communities in Northern California. In addition, we explored differences in concerns and expressed emotions by two key group-level factors, county-level COVID-19 death rate and political party affiliation. We consistently find that while health agencies primarily disseminated information about COVID-19 and the vaccine, they failed to address the concerns of their communities as expressed in public comment sections. Topics among public audiences focused on concerns with the COVID-19 vaccine safety and rollout, state mandates, flu vaccination, and frustration with politicians, and they expressed more positive and more negative emotions than health agencies. Further, there were several differences in primary topics and emotions expressed among public audiences by county-level COVID-19 death rate and political party affiliation. While this research serves as a case study, findings indicate how local health agencies, and their audiences, discuss their perceptions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and may inform health communication researchers and practitioners on how to prepare and manage for emerging health crises.

Simplifying Serious Illness Communication: Preparing or Deciding.

Clinicians have a sincere desire to ensure that the decision-making processes of seriously ill patients are well informed throughout illness trajectories. A quagmire of variable terminology (e.g., advance care planning, serious illness conversations, goals-of-care discussions, etc.), however, currently predominates the field of serious illness communication. This creates uncertainty among clinicians as to the overall purpose, tasks, and specific outcomes of conversations that address serious illness. The Preparing or Deciding model is a unifying framework that provides conceptual clarity by helping clinicians understand their role in leading these important conversations. The Preparing or Deciding model simply posits that conversations with seriously ill patients are about either preparing or deciding. It considers these tasks to be mutually exclusive, which can help bypass many of the barriers to having these conversations. The Preparing or Deciding model compliments all existing resources and frameworks and is applicable to all healthcare practitioners in every care setting. To help move forward serious illness communication education and research, as well as process improvement efforts more effectively, here, we describe the Preparing or Deciding model.

Investigating the Relationship between Communication Skills of Treatment Staff and Patient’s Safety Culture: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: One of the most important effective factors in increasing patient satisfaction and improving health and treatment results is proper communication between physician and nurse, and the patient. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between the communication skills of the medical staff and patient’s safety culture. Methods: This was an analytical study conducted among 277 working medical staff including nurses, paramedics, full-time geographical employment doctors and anesthesia, and operating room technicians in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd by stratified random sampling in 2022. The instrument used was the safety culture standard questionnaire made by the health care quality and research agency and communication skills of Barton J. Data analysis was done with SPSS 25 software, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and multiple linear regression tests. Results: The overall mean and standard deviation of patient safety culture was 3.04 ± 0.23, which indicates the average status of safety culture in the studied hospital, and the overall mean of communication skills among medical staff was 3.36 ± 0.40. Which reports a relatively strong level of this skill. The results of linear regression showed that 2 components of communication skills (listening and feedback) have a positive and significant effect on the improvement of patient safety culture, so that they are able to explain 33 percent of the variance of patient safety culture changes. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the research, the communication skills of the medical staff have a significant effect on patient's safety culture. Therefore, in order to improve the patient’s safety culture among them, special attention should be paid to communication skills because effective communication is considered a vital element in effective care, and in the medical system it has a significant effect on the quality of care and consequently increases the satisfaction of patients.

The Role of Choice and Descriptive Norms in Attenuating Reactance to BPA Risk Messages: A Conceptual Replication

ABSTRACT The current study examined behavioral recommendations to reduce Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure through the lens of psychological reactance theory. This study conceptually replicated previous work by [Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A., & Quick, B. L. (2019). The role of choice clustering and descriptive norms in attenuating psychological reactance to water and energy conservation messages. Environmental Communication, 13(7), 847–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2018.1461672)] by examining two antecedents to psychological reactance: choice and descriptive norms. Participants (N = 607) were randomly assigned to one of five message conditions in a 2 (choice: choice, no choice) X 2 (descriptive norm: high vs. low) factorial design with a no message control. Results indicated that messages providing choice (vs. no choice) within a cluster of environmental health behaviors decreased freedom threat perceptions. As expected, reactance was negatively associated with intention to reduce BPA exposure. Descriptive norm (high vs. low) was unrelated to freedom threat but indirectly influenced behavioral intention to reduce BPA exposure as mediated through perceived descriptive norm. Our results speak to the importance of replication in communication research and provide evidence-based message design advice for environmental health campaigns. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical contributions of the current study.

A Communication Research on Reshaping the Content Ecosystem of New Media Platforms Based on AIGC Technology

In the era of omnimedia, the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) technology has profoundly and extensively influenced the news and public opinion ecosystem. This paper delves into how mainstream media utilize AIGC technology to reshape their agenda-setting capabilities within the context of intelligent communication, and exhaustively explores the specific applications of this technology on new media platforms and their resulting communication effects. Through systematic analysis, the study finds that mainstream media, empowered by intelligent communication technology, have successfully constructed a four-dimensional support system centered on discourse interpretation, discourse connectivity, discourse affinity, and discourse guidance. This system not only strengthens the discourse power and influence of mainstream media on new media platforms but also promotes the formation of a new mainstream opinion landscape, providing robust support for constructing a healthy and orderly news and public opinion ecosystem. Specifically, mainstream media utilize AIGC technology to enhance the efficiency and quality of content production, achieve precise content delivery and personalized communication, and effectively strengthen interaction and connection with audiences. Meanwhile, by reinforcing discourse interpretation and guidance, mainstream media maintain a clear orientation in the complex and ever-changing public opinion environment. The application of AIGC technology injects new vitality into the development of mainstream media in the new media era and provides essential impetus for the continuous optimization of the news and public opinion ecosystem.

A global communications standpoint: What might that mean?

What does it mean, then, when we adopt and advocate a standpoint that is not tied to a single locus or body of experience, that in fact attempts to expand possibility rather than narrow it, that simultaneously values context while recognizing disconnection from it? What are the implications for thinking, teaching and doing, when the standpoint urges us to look outward and inward at the same time, demanding that we be rooted in the local even as we trace its threads to and from the global? In this essay, I respond to the provocation offered by Girginova et al. as they argue for a global standpoint in media and communication research, asking for a nuanced approach to positionality that allows for openness in both research and teaching.

Detecting dynamic interaction of multiple subjects in policy information communication in China

PurposeAs an important part of national governance, the online communication of education policies usually attracts the attention of many subjects, including the public and the media. Existing research mainly focuses on analysing communication behaviour of a single subject. However, with the rapid development of social media, policy information communication is often accompanied by the participation of multiple subjects and forms diversified communication behaviours and interaction patterns. The comprehensive identification of multiple subjects and their interactions can accurately depict the communication process and effectively support the efficient communication of policies. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct fine-grained analysis on the multiple subjects in information communication of the education policy.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explored the communication and interaction process of the education policy via multidimensional analysis. Specifically, the authors firstly obtained multi-source communication data to identify key communication subjects. Secondly, the authors mined the communication contents generated by communication subjects to measure the diversified correlations between subjects. Finally, the authors depicted the interaction of subjects in policy information communication.FindingsThe experimental results reveal that there are multiple key subjects in the policy information communication, and the communication roles of the subjects change with the communication process, including dominance role, one-way or two-way effect role. This further indicates the need to allocate resources dynamically in the process of policy communication.Originality/valueAnalysing the process of policy communication and identifying the dynamic interaction between communication subjects can provide more a comprehensive and detailed decision-making basis for policy formulation and implementation. In addition, the research ideas and methods presented in this paper expand the perspective of information communication research.