Shape Public Understanding Research Articles

EXPLORING YOUTUBE'S ROLE IN SHAPING PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT

This study aims to explore YouTube's role in shaping public perception and understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Drawing on literature that examines media influence, digital communication, and conflict narratives, the research synthesizes insights from various sources to assess how YouTube impacts viewers' opinions and knowledge. The analysis reveals that YouTube democratizes information dissemination, providing a platform for diverse voices, including official media, grassroots organizations, and independent creators. This multiplicity of perspectives contributes to a nuanced understanding of the conflict, highlighting personal stories, political contexts, and power dynamics. However, findings also indicate that YouTube can amplify polarization by creating echo chambers and spreading misinformation. Ultimately, YouTube serves as a double-edged sword, capable of both educating the public and perpetuating biases, making its role in the Israel-Palestine conflict both influential and complex.

Understanding China’s infrastructure activities in Africa through artistic practice and exhibition

The infrastructure-led development model initiated by China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has faced domestic and international challenges. By focusing on a national travelling art exhibition featuring Chinese railway construction in Africa in 2023, this paper examines the role that curatorial and exhibition practices can play in (re)shaping public geopolitical understandings of China-Africa relations. Exhibiting over 200 artworks collected from both China and Africa, this art programme not only forms a nuanced, personal and storied narrative of China’s overseas development work in Africa but also tactically responds to current internal and external criticism of the Chinese government’s global ambitions channelled through the BRI. This work extends the ongoing interest geographers have at the intersection of the visual arts and critical geopolitics.

#Storytime: An analysis of COVID-19 origin narratives and conspiracies on TikTok

ABSTRACT This study delves into the construction, communication, and reception of crisis narratives on TikTok, specifically focusing on videos discussing the purported origins of COVID-19 via the hashtag #covidorigin. Employing a content analysis approach, this research examines patterns in content types and their relationship with public engagement metrics such as views, likes, comments, and shares. This study observed that popular TikTok videos discussing the origin of COVID-19 majorly incorporated at least one of the following: a first-hand narrative (a story in the first-person), a secondhand narrative (an account someone heard from other people), and/or an informational report (e.g., legislative documents, news reports, and book summaries). Additionally, while U.S. intelligence agencies have yet to reach a consensus on COVID-19’s origin, this research detected a surge in #covidorigin videos following a 2023 interview in which FBI Director Wray stated that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory incident in China. Overall, this study suggests the influential role public leaders and media sources have in disseminating COVID-19 information and the importance of coherent crisis narratives in shaping public understanding. It also considers the effects of content types and communication formats in terms of how the public engages with speculative claims online.

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.

Communicating change: a multimodal critical discourse analysis of China’s poverty reduction posters

This study conducts a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis guided content analysis of 56 Chinese government-sponsored poverty reduction posters across three historical stages since the founding of the People’s Republic of China to understand visual strategies, represented participants, and thematic shifts. Initially, visual strategies focus on action-oriented, collective agricultural activities. Over time, they shift to highlighting technological advancements and individual achievements, using “offer” images and various perspectives to engage viewers. Early posters predominantly feature peasants and collective groups, later expanding to include individuals and technological symbols, reflecting China’s socio-economic reforms. The thematic shifts move from collective efforts to targeted, locally-tailored strategies and the principle of “teaching people to fish,” mirroring broader socio-political transformations. This evolution underscores the role of visual media in shaping public understanding and garnering support for national policies. By highlighting the dynamic interaction between visual elements and socio-political contexts, the study reveals how government-sponsored media has adapted to effectively communicate the progress and objectives of China’s poverty alleviation efforts.

No watchdogs on Twitter: Topics and frames in political journalists’ tweets about the coronavirus pandemic

Social media channels, particularly Twitter/X, played a significant role as information platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. As journalists are crucial actors on that platform, an analysis of the content and tone of their tweets during the pandemic can reveal the role they played in shaping public understanding of this public health crisis. Our analysis focuses on Germany where the government enforced relatively strict anti-COVID-19 measures and where strong opposition to these measures emerged outside the mainstream media. We analyzed almost 10.000 tweets of 247 journalists of mainstream media during a 14-month-period. To shed light on journalists’ watchdog versus collaborative role orientation, computational methods were used to extract themes and tone in their pandemic-related tweets. Furthermore, network analysis was utilized to identify influential actors in journalists’ interactions with experts and other users on Twitter. The findings revealed that journalists tweeted most about topics like the economy, protests, and Chancellor Merkel’s ability to implement a restrictive containment policy. As demonstrated by the network analysis, journalists frequently interacted with cabinet members and pro-government experts on Twitter during the pandemic. The analysis also revealed that some tweets were characterized by an anti-protest and anti-lockdown tone, but these came from different groups of journalists.

From criminality to inclusion? Law and media framing of migrants in 1987–1990 and 2016–2019 Japan

ABSTRACT Immigration law and policies shape public understanding of immigrants by categorizing the population into dichotomies of ‘illegal’ or ‘legal,’ and ‘skilled’ or ‘unskilled.’ Within such processes, scholars emphasize the importance of media which diffuses policy rhetoric, and thus set the tone of public discussion. Yet, research on how immigration laws may shape media framing is scant, leaving questions of how and to what extent legal rhetoric do or do not translate into media. By creating a unique data set of 1929 Japanese newspaper articles during periods of immigration policy activity, in which government officials expanded the definition of ‘skilled’ workers, I investigate how legal discourse influences the media portrayal of foreigners. Taking a mixed methods approach, the quantitative results show that regardless of the ideological leaning of media outlets there is a significant increase in positive media framing concerning foreigners. Nonetheless, the qualitative results show that the distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’ remains strongly intact through subtle forms of othering that justify the use of social control via policing and surveillance.

Media Narratives Beyond the Headlines: A Review on Global Media Coverage of the COP15 UN Biodiversity Summit

Global media narratives refer to how international news outlets frame and present stories, shaping public perception and discourse on significant events like the COP15 UN Biodiversity Summit. This includes the themes, tones, and emphases used by different media sources to convey the importance, implications, and outcomes of such global events. This study explores global media coverage and narratives during the COP15 summit in December 2022, aiming to analyze dominant themes presented by international media, identify differences in reporting approaches among major outlets, and evaluate the influence of these narratives on public awareness and policy discourse regarding biodiversity. Using content analysis, the research studies news from various outlets to identify and quantify key themes such as ecological urgency, economic implications, policy negotiations, and scientific discoveries. Comparative analysis highlights variations in coverage focus, tone, and depth, revealing how regional contexts and media ownership influence reporting styles. Findings indicate that while some media outlets prioritize policy negotiations and economic implications, others emphasize ecological urgency and scientific findings, leading to varied public and policy responses. This research underscores the critical role of media in shaping public understanding and influencing policy debates on biodiversity. By providing insights into effective reporting practices, the study aims to enhance the quality of environmental journalism and foster informed public and policy engagement with biodiversity issues, contributing to the broader discourse on environmental communication and the power of media narratives in addressing global environmental challenges.

Popular Understandings and the Limits of Popular Democracy

ABSTRACT This essay focuses on how more democratic processes and more democratic participation are not in themselves good measures for a successful democratic order. Rather, whether more democratic participation is good depends on the type of knowledge the people actually bring to the political order. Increases in democratic participation are, thus, a misleading measure of democratic success. The crucial point is what sort of knowledge the people bring to democratic discourse. Furthermore, political and civic institutions play a key role in fostering and shaping public understandings. Here, I suggest that American institutions, while designed to help educate popular understandings by requiring the building of complex democratic majorities, have in many instances enabled the worst aspects of popular government, often empowering minority rule, rather than refining popular sentiment. Thus, American political institutions could engage in constitutional reform to recapture the balance between popular understandings and the constitutional institutions that help articulate, educate, and refine those understandings.

CONTENT ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL NEWS ABOUT THE HEAT WAVES IN INDIA

Objective: The objective of this study is to present how heat waves in India are discussed by the media, to observe if they are being related to climate change. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework for this study is based on the intersection of media studies, climate science, and disaster management. Method: This study employs content analysis to examine how heat waves in India are discussed in the media, particularly in relation to climate change. It was studied 100 news available on-line in Google News. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that while climate change is frequently mentioned in the context of heat waves, the depth and context of these mentions vary significantly. Media reports tend to focus on immediate impacts such as health issues and infrastructure disruptions. For instance, there were numerous mentions of heat-related deaths, hospitalizations, and interruptions in water and electricity supplies. However, there was less emphasis on long-term solutions and comprehensive adaptation strategies. Research Implications: This study highlights the importance of media coverage in shaping public understanding and policy responses to climate change and extreme weather events. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed analysis of how heat waves in India are framed in the media, particularly in relation to climate change.

Crime Reporting Patterns and Frequencies in Print Media in Post-COVID Nigeria: A Security Approach

This study systematically delves into the intricacies of crime reporting by mass media in post-COVID Nigeria, shedding light on its profound impact and intensity. Through meticulous archival methods, historical editions of The Guardian and Punch newspapers were analyzed over three years. The findings highlight a notable emphasis on crimes against individuals, such as murder and assault, compared to other categories like financial and drug-related crimes. Over 4,093 crime incidents were reported, with crimes against persons dominating in 2021 and 2022. The study underscores the need for nuanced crime reporting and advocates for substantive engagement through editorials and analyses. By fostering awareness and discourse, print media can play a pivotal role in shaping public understanding of crime dynamics and promoting societal well-being.

No end in sight: The Climate Domesday Book as an exemplar of discursive and activist design

Purpose/audience: Designed artefacts intended for users and markets serve primarily functional and pragmatic uses, yet there are other forms of designed artefacts whose purpose for being is to present concepts, inspire thought and provoke action. Their existence is not utilitarian but one of speculation. In this article, we draw attention to how materials, technologies and ideas are brought together in speculative forms of editorial design that confront the existential crisis of our times – the climate emergency. In doing so, we aim to catalyse future work on hybrid print-digital books and design for activism. Methodology/approach: Through a critical reflection of the process of designing, developing and publicly exhibiting an interactive book-of-the-future centred on a contemporary environmental issue, we interrogate the design of multimodal, polyvocal artefacts and their place in public and academic discourse. We briefly explain the origins and motivations of the project to create The Climate Domesday Book, analyse the design and production process and critically review both the physical book design and the digital texts within (films, poetry, art, performances and writing). Findings: Manifest as a printed-digital speculative artefact, The Climate Domesday Book is a diegetic prototype of the book-of-the-future, a knowledge-building artefact through graphesis and a discursive design that stimulates thought and action. Temporally and conceptually, it shifts its mode of existence from an ambiguous project towards a generative design and – eventually – a design for activism. The collaborative design of discursive artefacts can play a part in shaping public understanding and discourse on critical issues. Such artefacts facilitate new social connections, provoke individual action and serve as catalysts for social and technological innovation. Implications for practice, society or research: Functionalist or utilitarian forms of design – products, processes, services and built environments – are prevalent in everyday life, yet these do little to advance our thinking about possible, desirable or alternative futures. By contrast, multimodal, polyvocal activist designs afford designers and users/readers/publics the opportunity to interrogate contemporary (and persistent) issues of human concern in imaginative ways and provoke positive action in response. Originality/value: Our ‘book-of-the-future’ draws attention to the possibility of hybrid print-digital publications as lean-back/stand-back and lean-forward/step-forward discursive and activist devices in either public or private spaces, as alternatives to agonistic street demonstration or direct action and as exemplars of aesthetic, activist energy humanities.

Electronics and Expertise: Constructing the Smart TV on the Retail Sales Floor

This article considers how TV retailers shape public understanding of television as a cultural technology and household device. Drawing on interviews with Australian TV retailers, we identify four sales strategies used when selling smart TVs in-store: simplification, avoidance, empathy, and exploitation. Our analysis shows how these sales strategies seek to minimize and manage the smart TV’s technological complexity, thus downplaying its interactive potential. We critically assess the assumptions about technological expertise that underlie these strategies.

Manipulating Public Beliefs about Alliance Compliance: A Survey Experiment

Abstract Conventional wisdom on alliances proposes that leaders comply with alliances because the public opposes violating alliance commitments. However, this assumes that the public can easily judge whether or not a particular policy violates an alliance treaty. This article challenges this assumption and develops a theory that elites have the opportunity to shape public understanding as to whether an action violates an alliance treaty. It shows that while alliance commitments continue to have an important impact on public opinion, signals from unified elites can significantly reduce public pressure to support an ally by arguing that the alliance treaty does not create a legal obligation to intervene. In a pair of experiments on large samples of American adults, we found that a unified signal from the president and the Senate opposition leader can significantly reduce support for sending troops to the embattled ally. Consistent with elite cueing theory, the president’s ability to move public opinion in this manner is eliminated if the Senate opposition leader disagrees with his argument.

Victims or villains? How editorial cartoons depict the 2023 Israel – Palestine war

Abstract Study purpose The study analyzed online editorial cartoons depicting the Israel-Palestine conflict through visual, symbolic, metaphorical, and textual analysis. The study reveals a prevailing anti-war sentiment across editorial cartoons, with a notable inclination towards supporting Palestine. This support was prominent in cartoons originating from the Global South, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there was a scarcity of such cartoons within mainstream Western media. Methodology The study employs an in-depth approach, analyzing cartoons from both Western and non-Western media. It utilizes Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) and Multimodal Semiotics (MS) theories, focusing on symbolism and text to decode nuanced narratives within the cartoons. Main findings The cartoons depict complex narratives, using symbolism to explain how politicians and the main media are framing specific entities while undermining victimology. They reveal subjective perspectives that influence audience perceptions. They echo existing scholarly views on the influential power of editorial cartoons in communicating complex political concepts. Social implications The cartoons shape public understanding of the conflict, potentially influencing biases and perspectives. They present Hamas as both an aggressor and a victim, portraying multifaceted perceptions of the group. Practical implications The findings are instrumental in depicting political identities, including major organizations like the UN. The boldness in depicting such entities provides a practical avenue for understanding the role of such organizations. Originality/value The study adds to the existing literature by applying multimodal analysis to editorial cartoons, unveiling hidden narratives and perceptions. It suggests the need for a deeper analysis of the conflict’s historical, geopolitical, and power structures. This research offers a multifaceted understanding of how editorial cartoons shape perceptions and interpretations of the Israel-Palestine conflict, emphasizing their complex and influential nature within media discourse.

The complex interplay of causal narratives in public policy and political discourse

The study builds on Deborah Stone’s foundational work exploring the mechanics of causal narratives and their implications for framing problems, assigning responsibility, and guiding policy solutions. The purpose of this research is to unravel the complexities of causal narratives in contemporary politics and understand their profound influence on public policy and society at large. In the digital age, where information is abundant and the traditional gatekeeping role of media has diminished, causal narratives have become increasingly multifaceted. The study aims to explore how these narratives, influenced by the intersections of natural phenomena, human actions, politics, risk, and media, shape public understanding and policy directions. The study employs an extensive review of existing literature, covering works from political science, media studies, and public policy. This includes analyzing seminal texts like Deborah Stone’s “Policy Paradox” and recent studies on media’s evolving role in political discourse. Today’s causal narratives are multifaceted, influenced by a myriad of factors including political agendas, scientific findings, and media portrayals. In conclusion, the research highlights the dynamic nature of causal narratives in the digital age and their significant impact on public policy and societal outcomes. It underscores the need for nuanced understanding and strategic approaches in crafting and interpreting these narratives.

Sylvia Plath’s Poetry in Multiple Versions: A Case Study of UK School Anthologies

The history of poetry anthologies created for use in compulsory nation-state education is largely untold. As material objects, school anthologies tend to be regarded as low status and ephemeral. Yet these objects have a lasting impact, as they facilitate encounters that are formative in shaping public understanding of poetry. This paper illustrates how two poems that are commonly featured in school poetry anthologies, Sylvia Plath’s “You’re” and “Morning Song,” encode a historical rationale for their material form in their bibliographic practices. It shows how “You’re” and “Morning Song” became “enregistered” (Agha 190) as acceptable tokens for the discussion of motherhood and domestic relationships by school-based adolescent readers with different social valuings of poetry and different levels of literacy. The case study of these two poems illuminates how poems in their multiple versions become established within a long-lasting and pervasive pedagogical canon of poetry. As such, the multiple pedagogical versions of poems have a value in constructing a complete story of the everyday “afterlife” of a poet’s work.

Social media trolls as faux third-party agents of image repair: China’s disinformation campaign and statecraft in the Daryl Morey affair

ABSTRACT This study examines trolls affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that targeted conversations around former Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey, who tweeted support for Hong Kong protests and apologized in October 2019. Researchers coded 5,800 tweets to inform a machine-learning approach examining a corpus of over 163,000 tweets. Findings suggested that a PRC disinformation campaign was organized as a faux third-party image repair effort that sought to force an apology, deprive Morey of support, discourage future image threats, and shape public understanding. This effort used provocation, bolstering, barnacle, redirection, and attack the accuser. While apologies are generally held to be restorative in image repair and statecraft literature, Morey’s apology was a turning point that rallied opposition to the PRC and support for democracy and Morey. Implications include insight into the prevalence, strategies, and efficacy of PRC trolls, as well as recommendations for social media practitioners.

Wolf Girls and Mechanical Boys: Whiteness and Assimilation in Bruno Bettelheim’s Narratives of Autism

In March of 1959, public intellectual, principal of the Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School at the University of Chicago, and Jewish concentration camp survivor, Bruno Bettelheim published two articles that presented seemingly disparate narratives of autism. One of these narratives, that of the mechanical boy, has become ubiquitous in discussions of autism history. The other article centered on Bettelheim’s posthumous diagnosis of Kamala, who had been known as the Wolf Girl of Midnapore India due to claims that she was raised by wolves, as autistic. Bettelheim compared Kamala to other “wild” autistic children he had worked with, especially Anna, a Polish Jewish refugee who had spent her earliest years hiding in a dugout from Nazi persecution. This article argues that in order to understand Bettelheim’s portrayal of autism, it is necessary to read the narrative of the mechanical boy alongside Bettelheim’s other narratives of autism. Specifically, it is necessary to read it alongside Bettelheim’s narratives of the autistic child as “wild child/wolf girl,” as well as his comparison between autistic children and some of his fellow concentration camp inmates, who he referred to as “moslems.” While seemingly disparate, these narratives are actually deeply intertwined. These narratives of incurable “wild children” and “moslem” concentration camp inmates served as the necessary contrast to the rehabilitation/assimilation/cure narrative of the mechanical boy. Reading these narratives of autism alongside each other helps uncover the often-elided role of race in shaping professional and public understandings of autism. This article problematizes contemporary and historical formations of autism as a white, middle-class, male “disorder” by making explicit the role of race in the construction of early narratives of autism. This article will also argue that in the late 1950s and the 1960s Bruno Bettelheim used narratives of autism to promote a new model of white technocratic masculinity in the United States. The creation of this new model of white masculinity was bound up with the whitening of Ashkenazi Jewish identity. Bettelheim presented whiteness as something that Ashkenazi Jews in America could achieve through a process of rehabilitation/assimilation/cure that rid them of pathological “Jewish” traits.

Early Black Thought Leaders and the Reframing of American Intellectual History

Abstract: This essay examines the broad impact of African American thought leadership on early American intellectual history. Though marginalized in many mainstream histories of American intellectual life–which often focus on the emergence of Black philosophers and Black professional historians later in the 19th century -- early national Black thinkers helped shape public understanding of critical ideas in American society and politics, including the meaning of citizenship and civil rights, emancipation and equality, and racial justice. African Americans also influenced public discourses on other key topics in American intellectual life, including the nature of human dignity and spiritual redemption in the Second Great Awakening, the meaning of Romanticism and Transcendentalism in American reform culture, and the authority of science and technology in antebellum society. Using the concept of thought leadership as a framing device to understand the power and impact of early Black ideas, I follow recent trends in the field of African American intellectual history that focus on that way that African American men and women became public authorities on key ideas and issues in American culture between the American Revolution and Civil War. Though they did not often occupy positions of educational, institutional, or legal power (the main provinces of intellectual leadership), Black thought leaders had a significant impact on early American intellectual history.