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Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Communicatio
Number of Followers: 0  Open Access journalISSN (Print) 2393-0438 - ISSN (Online) 2537-2793 Published by Sciendo  [389 journals]
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- What Is Vaccine Diplomacy'
Abstract: The phrase “vaccine diplomacy” spread in the media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors examine where it comes from and locate it in health-related strategic communication. The article provides an overview of the history of vaccine diplomacy taken from the literature and then places the phenomenon among the branches of specialized diplomacy as well as among the components of public diplomacy. It highlights the difference between vaccine diplomacy and 20th-century public diplomacy. The article concludes that vaccine diplomacy as a tool of soft power and persuasion hardly differs from vaccine solidarity announced by the G7 member states. In fact, the only difference between vaccine friendship, vaccine diplomacy, and vaccine solidarity is in the perspective, that is, the evaluation by the speaker. These phrases are manifestations of the rivalling narratives that accompany the global power shift.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Trust and Rejection in the Reception of Information
Abstract: One of the major new features of the digital environment is the increasing availability of information – but like so much else, this is not a completely new phenomenon. The history of culture and communication has led not only to an increase in the amount of information that can be transmitted but also to its interpersonal accessibility through newer technological tools. Techniques for recording knowledge (starting with various forms of writing) have increasingly widened the possibilities of dissemination and access. What is really new in the digital environment is the development of an information network that ensures continuous access. As a result, the accessibility of others’ ideas has increased significantly, and a kind of networked collective thinking process has developed alongside it. This puts the issue of trust in a completely new light: belief in the reliability of the information transmitted strengthens collective thinking, while doubt and rejection weaken it. Social sustainability in all areas of the digital environment may require processes that can both maintain and expand the supply of information and foster trust and communication that benefits the community. This article will seek to answer this question by examining the spread of misconceptions and of trusted knowledge.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- The Third Mission of Central-Eastern European Regional Universities: Two
Cases from Romania and Hungary
Abstract: The presented research investigates the case of non-metropolitan, regional universities in Central-Eastern Europe to understand how their third mission strategy and practice contribute to the societal development of their localities. It intends to fill a gap in related contemporary research, which usually neglects such universities in this part of the EHEA. The investigation is built on a comparative case study design with non-random, purposive sampling on the cases of Universitatea Transylvania din Braşov (UTBv) in Braşov, Romania, and Dunaújvárosi Egyetem (DUE) in Dunaújváros, Hungary, and employs a mixed methodology of the convergent parallel design (parallel databases). The paper presents an outline of a doctoral research plan with an overview of its preliminary results, the author’s related publications, the present state of the research, and its possible future directions.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Pécs Chatter. A Digital Anthropological Study on the Impact of a Facebook
Group on Local Politics
Abstract: Research on the political role of digital media, including social media, is often based on the assumption that new communication platforms can contribute to new forms of political participation such as taking part in deliberative political debates more actively and exercising the right to vote more often. Most of the studies focus on national processes: nationwide political campaigns and general elections. In this paper, we offer a different angle on these issues, focusing on a specific locality, more specifically the activities of a politically themed local Facebook group in a middle-sized town in Hungary. We also apply a digital anthropology approach that enables us to use a hybrid methodology combining online and offline tools in our research design. Results are presented in this paper in a research report format. We are far from a final conclusion about the interplay of social media use and political activity, but hopefully the experiences we share will shed some light on the functioning of these types of online communities.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Sustainability versus Web Life Construction
Abstract: The interpretations of sustainability are varied. In most cases, the focus is on reinterpretations and transformations of human attitudes towards the natural environment and certain (unacceptable) social practices and conditions, i.e. the task would be to shape these spheres of human existence in the interests of sustainability. However, the creation and widespread use of the Internet is fundamentally changing human life that is no longer confined to the natural and social spheres. Web life, as a third sphere of human existence created by the universal use of the Internet, is also a component of human condition, both in itself and through its interactions with the natural and social spheres. It is essential to take this into account: the sustainability of these “three spheres” should be addressed together. The continuous construction of web life can be decisive for the sustainability of the whole human existence.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Digital Futures and Social Sustainability
Abstract: The aim of the study is to show how the European Union’s vision for digital technology has evolved over the past ten years. In this regard, the paper focuses on three documents: Digital Futures – A Journey into 2050 Visions and Policy Challenges, published in 2014; 2030 Digital Compass: The European Way for the Digital Decade, published in 2021; the declaration announced in March 2022, which calls for strengthening the EU’s Cyber Resilience. The purpose of the investigation is to show how the coronavirus epidemic and the Russian–Ukrainian war have changed the EU’s perception of digital technology, how medium- and long-term forecasts have been transformed, and how the issue of sustainability has been reflected in the texts.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Same Place, Different Bicycles. The Etic and Emic Perspectives of Digital
Life in Hungary
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the discursivemediatized image of the digital environmental subject. An ambivalent element of the neo-developmental language of digital life is the “digital divide”, which often takes ideological form when it constitutes the (non-)digital Other on the other side of the digital world, in the rigid binaries of centre–periphery. Of course, nothing illustrates the inequalities in access to digital and non-digital goods better than global crises such as the coronavirus epidemic, where the disparities between the living conditions (e.g. learning opportunities) of privileged and disadvantaged areas are widening, and this is one of the proofs of the existence of the digital divide. The school, which is the ideological state apparatus responsible for the reproduction of the subject as a basic productive force, became dysfunctional in different ways in different countries of the world, including Hungary, during the epidemic. In the latter, the epidemic has, according to many trusted research studies, further increased the backlog of disadvantaged and/or Roma students, and thus their segregation. Although it seems certain that the most important condition for the sustainability of digital life, and with it of the state, is the re-creation of digital environmental subjects through the education of digital literacy and critical-reflexive media use, the state seems to be abandoning these social groups in this respect; in their case, the interpellation value of digital education, or more precisely the lack of digital education, is the deterrence from learning. In the analytical part of the paper, I compare two media materials to highlight the possibility of a different narrative, coexisting with the negative trend briefly described above. These two items construct two images of digital environmental subject, and by analysing the differences between them, I would like to demonstrate that the hierarchy of centre–periphery can be made relative through the (non-)digital Other’s emic and critical self-repositioning, facilitated by participatory research.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Pandemic and Infodemic – Which One Is More Dangerous'
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between social sustainability and the fake news phenomenon in the light of the COVID-19 epidemic. Using existing statistical data and relevant media-related concepts, it compares the harmful impacts of the pandemic and the accompanying infodemic. The problem can be placed among the components of hybrid warfare. Examples, statistics, and research on COVID-19-related fake news are discussed with a focus on efforts for building resilience against fake news.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- Social Sustainability in Medicine: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in
Future Doctor–Patient Communication. A Methodological Experiment
Abstract: Social sustainability is a development alternative that focuses on preserving and sustaining opportunities and resources for future generations rather than exploiting them. In addition to resource management, it is important to emphasize the focus on human well-being, in which the provision of a healthy life is a key factor. One possible alternative to improve the quality, safety, and affordability of universal healthcare is to integrate artificial intelligence into the health system. The development of AI in healthcare has brought a paradigm shift, as big-data-driven analytics can enable AI itself to identify symptom complexities and communicate with patients. In this process, it is important to explore the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards AI-based technologies, as doctor–patient communication is moving away from authoritarianism towards partnership medicine, in which AI will be an integral part of communication. In my research, I investigate the attitudes of future doctors, i.e. medical students and doctors already in practice, towards AI by using a hybrid research method of semi-structured interviews, photo collage techniques, and a questionnaire survey. The photo collage technique, due to its projective nature, can be used to reveal the respondent’s underlying evoked memories and attitudes. The new image network (collage) can be used to model the doctor–patient–AI relationship envisioned by the doctors. The results highlight the aspect of the application of AI in medicine and point out that it is not only the capabilities of the software but the attitudes of the entire health stakeholder community that influence the uptake of innovation. The exploration of issues of authority and trust in the field provides an opportunity for the creation of educational and outreach programmes.
PubDate: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT
- “You are a Champion and Will Always Be!” – Sports Fans, Influencers,
and Media Consumption in 2021
Abstract: The spread of digital media culture can be seen in action in almost every walk of life. The use of online media results in new solutions even in the most common practices, and the field of sports and related fan cultures are no exceptions to that. From the mid-2010s, the trend of sports events, athletes, and their fans becoming more and more connected to online space can be well observed. This transformation generates significant changes, which can often have far-reaching effects. One such phenomenon is that excellent athletes can appear in the role of online opinion leaders or influencers. In the following study, I present these processes based on the results of a recent study that examined changes in Hungarian fan habits in connection with the 2021 European Football Championship. The second half of the study then focuses on how changes in fan practices contribute to making athletes the most valuable players in the influencer market.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Beyond Netiquette: Digital Citizenship as Participation
Abstract: Digital citizenship research has been on the agenda of scholars and practitioners since 1999 and has been trending since 2015. A plethora of approaches and definitions have been arising, with two major directions: a theoretical-methodological and a practical-educative. The present critical literature review is aimed at advocating for a more civic approach to the issue of digital citizenship and at presenting arguments in favour of a research agenda focused on the participatory components of digital life. Our desk research operated with both original studies and meta-analyses related to the concept of digital citizenship. While being technically savvy and well-behaved online is a key requirement for today’s netizen, becoming a citizen in virtual spaces requires more. Beyond netiquette, civic participation online is becoming a core competence.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- New Digital Cinema: How Platforms Are Changing the Audiovisual Industry
Abstract: Digitalization has been changing the methods of production, distribution, and use of written and audiovisual products, according to a process of “platforming”. Most audiovisual content is available via streaming platforms, through a lot of devices (PCs, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, and videogame consoles), which have empowered the process of media convergence. Based on a theoretical framework related to the impact of the platforms on the ongoing process, we intend to analyse how platforms are changing the identity of the audiovisual industry and how they represent themselves online. In order to analyse the ongoing process, we intend to examine some platforms that could be considered as best practices in the audiovisual field: Netflix, MUBI, and Festival Scope. On the one hand, using these platforms as case studies will enable us to highlight some beneficial aspects of the ongoing process of digitalization and platforming: holding many gazes and points of view; catching market niches; building a peer-to-peer network. On the other hand, we intend to emphasize some risks connected to the intermediation of platforms in the audiovisual field in terms of economic, cultural, and social effects.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- The Social Media Communication of Hungarian County Seats: Facebook,
Instagram, and YouTube Presence
Abstract: The communication toolkit of urban marketing has changed significantly in recent years, with online solutions and social media becoming the focus of attention besides (and, in a way, instead of) classic offline tools. In our study, we explore how this toolkit can be effectively applied to cities and how cities should communicate through different platforms. For this purpose, we have created a kind of social media tutorial regarding Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. In our own primary research, we used data from the first quarter of 2021 to investigate the presence of Hungarian county seats on the abovementioned three platforms. For this purpose, in addition to the usual social media data, such as page likes, subscribers, number of views, or even the activity rate, we created a much more complex, professional but also – inevitably – somewhat subjective analysis system. It would be also worthwhile for other cities to use this criteria system as a checklist or to adopt good practices from the cities at the top of the list.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Public Service Media in the Age of Social Networks
Abstract: Digital transformation and the expansion of social networks have essentially modified journalistic practice, facing challenges concerning its essential operation and boundaries. The traditional business models have collapsed, young people’s media consumption habits have changed, and more non-professional journalists participate in news production. Social media platforms have an immense effect on journalistic work, especially journalists’ professional and ethical standards. Perhaps traditional public service media are the ones that stand the farthest away from participatory practices and platform logic, characterizing today’s media environment. What are the public media services’ opportunities to fulfil their commitment of authentically and objectively informing citizens, including young people, about public affairs' This study aims to picture the boundary work of journalism currently underway by reviewing the phenomena emerging on the border of journalism and social media. Additionally, the study attempts to answer what a successful social media strategy looks like in public service media by presenting the social media activities of “tagesschau”, the newsmagazine of ARD, a German public-service channel.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Online Identities in Politics. Technological and Content-Based Approach
Abstract: In this study, we examine a particular form of organizational identity, the issue of political organizational identity. We have chosen a technology and content-based approach and are looking for the answer to how technology influences identity formation, what role social media plays in shaping online political communities, and what characterizes a definable and strong online political identity. The impact of new communication technologies and media platforms has now reached all levels of society. It has influenced many aspects of everyday life, transformed politics, the economy, and culture, and has an impact on institutional identities as well. To identify the forces shaping institutional identity, we examine the role of digitalization, network technologies, and algorithms and the presence of social media and, finally, bring the Occupy Wall Street movement as an example of reshaping online identities.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Measuring Reactance to Camcorder Symbols Linked to Online News
Abstract: The aim of the study is to test the validity of a short-scale measuring reactance to a camera symbol associated with online news, indicating the possibility of viewing video footage. The operationalization of reactance means a mixture of anger and negative cognitions preceded by the sense of danger of losing one’s freedom (Reynolds-Tylus, 2019). As the brief reactance scale elaborated by Hall and colleagues (2017) contains these elements, we assumed that it would constitute the appropriate basis for the elaboration of further brief reactance scales. Thus, we elaborated a brief reactance scale adequate for measuring reactance to camcorder symbols linked to online news. Data collection took place among the students of Sapientia University (Romania). For analysing the adequacy of the scale, we used confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and convergent validity analysis. We also checked to what extent the elaborated measuring tool could predict the avoidance of news linked with camcorder symbols. The results of this analysis show that in the case of people with high reactance to camcorder symbols, the increase of reactance leads to these people choosing less and less news linked with camcorder symbols. All these prove that despite its limitations the scale constitutes an adequate tool for the measuring of reactance to camcorder symbols.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Best Practices of CSR Reporting in Romania
Abstract: The aim of the study is to examine the content and quality of online CSR reports of the eight large companies with the highest CSR index scores in Romania in 2020. The CSR reports of the eight large companies examined were analysed on the basis of two types of web content: on the one hand, on the basis of CSR content published on the company website and on the other hand on the basis of data published in sustainability or CSR reports uploaded to the website. The research method was thematic content analysis. The analysis criteria of the mentioned content were developed on the basis of the reporting principles of the GRI framework and the ISO 26000 standard. The findings showed that the principles of content and quality of non-financial reporting prevailed in the sustainability reports, while the data published on the websites was more for wider information.
PubDate: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT
- Trust and Technologies of Sense. VR and Proprioception in
Abstract: This paper investigates the changing role of media devices in constructing fictive worlds through senses, and the changing relation we have to our senses. The demand for immersion in a virtual visual reality has its precedents, shown for example by the popularity of the kaleidoscope, the peeping box, the Guckkasten, or the panoramas. But while the immersive effect of these illusion spaces was based on visual perception, now we have multisensory interactive spaces that trigger our proprioception (body awareness and feeling of presence). The VR experience Hamlet Encounters offers a unique experience and exemplary use of distance, dislocation, and perception of one’s own senses.
PubDate: Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT
- The Branding Power of Szeklerland. Online Place Branding Tendencies and
Identity-Forming Efforts in Szeklerland
Abstract: Destination branding has always been a complex question. This is especially true if we are talking about Szeklerland as a historical, cultural, and ethnic region, which can be defined in the easiest way through Covasna, Harghita, and Mureş counties of Romania. A well-structured brand in a region can help with its economic development and search for identity, so it is worth looking into branding activities in the region. Despite Szeklerland’s strong identity and reputation, the discourse is extremely divided between Romanian and Hungarian people. There are plenty of brand owners in the region without central management and coherence. There are plenty of amateur and corporate initiatives that are generally poorly organized and serve individual economic purposes. In addition, politicians also play an active role in forming these processes. Although the regional and tourism development strategies of the counties of Szeklerland are similar, and it can be said that the stakeholders are open to the cooperation between the three counties, there were only partial results of regional-level collaboration. The paper follows the activities of online promotional initiatives about Szeklerland and the larger territorial units influencing the region, such as Romania and Transylvania, and the branding narratives created during them.
PubDate: Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT
- Global Stars on Local Screens: BTS and Its “Army”
Abstract: This research note is aimed at exploring the opportunities and challenges faced by teenagers living in an underprivileged region in Romania as fans of an internationally popular K-pop band. We used desk research and netnography to explore similarities and differences between the local and international BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) fandom, also called “Army”. Which are the barriers a Hungarian “Army” from Romania encounters when engaging with their idols' What is the role of K-pop in opening up the language and cultural bubble in which Hungarian youth in rural Romania live'1 The innovative element in our empirical research is the focus on family context: we interviewed both BTS fans and their parents in order to assess to what extent is K-pop in general and BTS in particular part of their daily lives. With its limitations as a small-scale qualitative analysis, such research can give insights into fan studies from a comparative perspective.
PubDate: Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT
