JournalTOCs

Communication & Society
Number of Followers: 8

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Online) 2386-7876
Published by Universidad de Navarra

[17 journals]

A Multilevel Analysis of the representations of Technology in «Years
and Years»
- Authors: Ana-Isabel Zermeño-Flores, Elia-Margarita Cornelio-Marí
  Pages: 113 - 126
  Abstract: The analysis of science fiction narratives is valuable to explore possible futures. This article analyzes the representation of technology in the television series Years and Years (2019), a co-production by the BBC and HBO created by Russell T Davies. This audiovisual narrative depicts key problems of the present in a representation of the near future, enabling the identification of new socio-technological paradigms. We applied the method of Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), a prospective analytical tool used both for the study of diverse current phenomena and for the design of possible futures, which includes the levels of the litany, systemic causes, discourse/world vision, and myth/metaphor. The analysis showed that Years and Years offers a vision of a world in chaos, based on a global capitalist and technological project that threatens fundamental rights, and the existence of the human species. In the series, technologies are imbibed in all the fundamental systems of Western societies, pushing common people into obsolescence. Three narratives uphold the myth of the dominion of science and technology: the technological transcendence of human beings, the irrelevance of humans before technology, and the ubiquitous panopticon of digitized power. Through its bleak version of the future Y&Y puts into focus aspects of technological development that make us reflect critically and urgently about the present.
  PubDate: 2023-01-10
  DOI: 10.15581/003.36.1.113-126
  Issue No: Vol. 36, No. 1 (2023)
All I do is win, no matter what' What matters in gaining electoral
support from televised debates
- Authors: Thomas Waldvogel, Pascal-D. König, Uwe Wagschal
  Pages: 127 - 149
  Abstract: How much do the performances of top candidates in televised debates affect vote intentions in parliamentary democracies' The article addresses this question and disentangles the effects of predisposition and performance in televised debate reception. Drawing on a large-N field study of the 2017 chancellor duel in Germany, which contains survey and real-time response data for 5660 participants, we identify debate-induced determinants of shifts in voting intention and assess their relative effect sizes on such changes. Our analysis shows, first, that out-party identification is an effective barrier against shifts in voting intentions. However, we find that viewers’ real-time performance perceptions of the candidates show strong effects. Third, we demonstrate that these real-time evaluations can breach the predisposition’s barrier particularly when the intensity of out-party identification is less than very strong. Fourth, we find verdicts on the debate winner as an additional short-term factor that can foster shifts in voting intentions in the course of debate reception. Overall, our results indicate that pre-dispositions may hinder rational updating of electoral behaviour but that debate performance can actually make a difference by altering the formation of voting intentions.
  PubDate: 2023-01-10
  DOI: 10.15581/003.36.1.127-149
  Issue No: Vol. 36, No. 1 (2023)
Online prosumer convergence: Listening, creating and sharing music on
YouTube and TikTok
- Authors: Arantxa Vizcaíno-Verdú, Patricia De-Casas-Moreno, Simona Tirocchi
  Pages: 151 - 166
  Abstract: Social media and prosumers have encouraged participatory creativity in the era of platformization. In this context, successful platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have facilitated users interact with music content in a wide variety of meaningful and evocative videos. In the light of research on the cultural prosumption of Internet content, as well as the global exchange of musical data, which is leading an emerging and innovative digital convergence, this study analyses the intersection between digital music and users through the Music Prosumer Questionnaire (MuPQ). This tool consists of three dimensions and 21 items based on (a) music preferences, (b) use of social media, and (c) music engagement. For this purpose, we collected the response of 698 users from Spain and Italy. The results showed that digital and visual music is essential to users’ life as a means of expression and relationship with other people. In particular, in their role as music curator, are more interested in “music watching” than in blind listening, which is related to mainstream music viewing dynamics. These findings provide new insights for understanding how music evolves according to the relationship between users and social media beyond technological progress.
  PubDate: 2023-01-10
  DOI: 10.15581/003.36.1.151-166
  Issue No: Vol. 36, No. 1 (2023)
Nurtured and sorrowful: Positive and negative emotional appeals in early
COVID-19 themed brand communications
- Authors: Marta Mensa, Lizardo Vargas-Bianchi
  Pages: 167 - 184
  Abstract: This study examines the prevalence of emotional appeals in COVID-19-themed brand advertisements from around the world in the months immediately following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. The study analyses the frequencies of use of positive and negative emotional appeals in the content of the ads, and concurrent combinations of such appeals. A content analysis was conducted on a sample of 376 ads from the “Ads of The World” digital archive. The results reveal a preference for positive emotions, with nurturance and affiliation being the most frequent. Sorrow was the third most preferred emotional appeal, and the most used negative emotion. Some brands have compared the virus to a hurricane (Brazil), an assassin with a chainsaw (US) or the death personified (Peru). Advertisers should be careful when using negative emotional appeal content during COVID-19. According to the law of apparent reality, during times of stress the recommendation is to be cautious with negative emotions, as they may be felt more intensely by consumers. Advertising has a social responsibility, which can be directed at promoting consumer behaviours that leave a positive or negative impact on their communities. In a situation such as the pandemic, brand communication professionals must use emotions rigorously, employing this resource to contribute to society, avoiding giving rise to harmful attitudes or behaviours. The research findings are consistent with the literature and lead to future examination of emotional appeals in advertising in stressful and uncertain circumstances.
  PubDate: 2023-01-10
  DOI: 10.15581/003.36.1.167-184
  Issue No: Vol. 36, No. 1 (2023)
Health Misinformation on Social Media and its Impact on COVID-19 Vaccine
Inoculation in Jordan
- Authors: Abd-Allah AL-Jalabneh
  Pages: 185 - 200
  Abstract: It is vital to understand the nature of misinformation disseminated online regarding the COVID-19 vaccination. This understanding will enhance governments’ efforts and strategies to combat the factors which hinder vaccine uptake. Vaccine hesitancy has always been a challenge which has accompanied vaccine rollouts. Misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccination, along with the ambiguous narratives around the origin of the virus, has played a role in vaccine hesitancy among Jordanians. The online activity generated by social media during the pandemic, due to people’s fear of the virus, their general anxiety and curiosity, and their desire for updates, made social media an even more fertile environment for misinformation than ever before. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan, misinformation on social media platforms amplified the scale of fears around the safety of the vaccination programme. Therefore, this study offers an exploration of, and insight into, the thoughts and experiences of a sample of 30 Jordanian citizens who are hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination. This study uses a qualitative approach in order to further understand vaccine hesitancy and the nature of misinformation surrounding it, using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with participants. It found that low levels of information about health, misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine, and the spread of misinformation on social media were all causes of vaccine hesitancy in Jordan. Facebook and WhatsApp were the principal social media networks identified in this study as spreading misinformation about the vaccine. The study sample reported that they believed in the conspiracy theories discussed on these two platforms. Furthermore, videos of influencers and anti-vaccination medical doctors from overseas played a part in misleading individuals regarding inoculation against COVID-19. Additionally, other factors were also identified and are discussed in this study.
  PubDate: 2023-01-10
  DOI: 10.15581/003.36.1.185-200
  Issue No: Vol. 36, No. 1 (2023)