News Ecology and News Ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Wiard
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Media Ecology ◽  
News Production ◽  
Journalism Studies ◽  
Relevant Notion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Diffusion

“News ecology” and “news ecosystems” are two terms often used in journalism studies. They are, however, different concepts that draw from different lines of research and are used by different groups of scholars rarely connected to one another. The notion of “news ecology” stems from media ecology, a branch of media theory that aims at understanding the effects that mediated technologies have on communication and social interactions. Media ecology has challenged traditional media research by focusing on how communicative technologies impact media consumption on a daily basis. Specifically it argues that communicative technologies encompass a set of implicit rules that affect how humans see, understand, and think about the contents that are being mediated. Building on these principles, “news ecology” is a relevant notion to reflect on how citizens get acquainted with the news as well as the diversity of technologies involved in news use. The notion aims at capturing the fact that news products exist in a diversity of formats, are consumed in diverse manners, and take place on different sites and platforms. Out of all the economic, social and technological changes of the last decades, the popularization of the Internet is often seen as the keystone of this change. However, most recent reception studies mention the terms “news ecology” without relating it to media ecology. The use of the “news ecosystem” metaphor in journalism studies is more recent and focuses on the diversity of actors involved in news production and diffusion. If some scholars use a restricted definition of ecosystems (i.e., the ecosystems of blogs, websites, or social networking sites), others give it a more organic and composite meaning (i.e., the ecosystems of actors, technologies, and contents produced in a specific area or regarding a specific topic). Using the first definition, one can analyze the configuration of news ecosystems online, the diversity of actors involved in news production and their relationships, as well as how news circulates through diverse technologies. Using the second definition forces researchers to consider news as a complex social practice in which a diversity of actors competes to influence the news narrative through mediated and unmediated practices. The two research traditions rarely intersect, as media and news ecology focus more on the reception side of news (i.e., the impact of mediums on people) and the study of news ecosystems has so far paid more attention to the production and diffusion of news. However, they share similarities—such as the facts that they both analyze media as dynamic processes are not normative in nature, or focus on complexity and change more than structure and stability—and could inspire one another in an effort to break the production/reception dichotomy in journalism studies.

Intimacy, Emotion, and Journalism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Media Ecology ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Audience Engagement ◽  
News Production ◽  
The Public ◽  
Journalism Studies ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
The Ideal

Research on emotion and intimacy has been slow to develop in journalism studies. This is due to an allegiance to the model of liberal democracy and the associated ideal of objectivity. However, a growing body of work has shown that despite the historical allegiance to the ideal of objectivity, journalistic texts are—and always have been—profoundly infused with emotion. Emotion and intimacy serve crucial roles in the public discourse of journalism. They are used deliberately and strategically by journalists because they facilitate audience engagement and understanding. Audiences appear to connect with concrete stories of lived experience that dramatize the large and often abstract events that make up the news. Such connection can facilitate the cultivation of compassion—or feeling with others—and thereby engender cosmopolitan sensibilities. Growing scholarly attention to emotion and intimacy in journalism has occurred within the context of a rapidly changing media ecology. Technological changes associated with the digital era, including the rise of user-generated content and the emergence of social media, have ushered in a greater role for “ordinary people” in news production and participation. This has brought about the privileging of more emotional and embodied forms of storytelling. At the same time, these transformations, alongside broader existential threats to journalism, have rendered attention to the emotional impact of journalistic labor particularly urgent.

scholarly journals Social Networking in Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niall McCarroll ◽  
Kevin Curran
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
New Information ◽  
Academic Practices ◽  
On Line ◽  
Learning Ecology ◽  
The Impact

Social networking has become one of the most popular communication tools to have evolved over the past decade, making it a powerful new information sharing resource in society. To date realising the potential of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) beyond their leisure uses has been severely restricted in a number of areas. This paper focuses on the application of SNSs in a learning environment and the impact this could have on academic practices. While undoubtedly, due to the very casual nature of social networking, there are serious concerns over how it could be integrated in a learning environment; the potential positive outcomes are many and varied. As a communication tool, its effectiveness is already manifesting in the millions who use these networks to communicate on a daily basis. So it is conceivable that educators should be able to create a learnscape - an environment for formal and informal learning - that adheres to educational guidelines, but also harnesses the social support system of these on-line communities. This paper examines the risks involved in the creation of this new learning ecology, and explores the challenges faced by both technology experts and teachers in delivering a truly innovative and effective new approach to education.

Others' participation rate influences an individual's charitable behavior: Others' similarity as a moderator

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1607-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Yun Lee ◽  
Sunho Jung ◽  
Sangdo Oh ◽  
Seong Hoon Park
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Charitable Behavior ◽  
High Participation ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
High Participation Rate ◽  
Diffusion Of Responsibility

We proposed that a moderator, others' similarity, would determine the impact of high participation rates of others on an individual's charitable behavior, and aimed to show that this moderator would work through the diffusion of responsibility motive. Participants (N = 152 undergraduate students) completed measures of charitable behavior and diffusion of responsibility, after being assigned to 1 of 2 conditions where a set percentage of other students (manipulated as either similar undergraduate students or dissimilar graduate students) were stated to have already donated to a charitable campaign (high contribution condition = 70% participation, low contribution condition = 30% participation). Our results showed that the high participation rate of others increased an individual's charitable behavior when the others in question were similar to that individual, but not when the others were dissimilar. In addition, the high rate of participation by others increased the diffusion of responsibility motive when the others in question were dissimilar to that individual, leading to a negative effect on that individual's charitable behavior.

It Is More Than Language

2020 ◽  
pp. 79-98
Author(s):  
Dianne Toe ◽  
Louise Paatsch ◽  
Amy Szarkowski
Keyword(s):  
Specific Area ◽  
Cooperative Interaction ◽  
Social And Emotional Development ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pragmatic Skills ◽  
Social Use ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Shed Light

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children who use spoken language face unique challenges when communicating with others who have typical hearing, particularly their peers. In such contexts, the social use of language has been recognized as an area of vulnerability among individuals in this population and has become a focus for research and intervention. The development of pragmatic skills intersects with many aspects of child development, including emotional intelligence and executive function, as well as social and emotional development. While all these areas are important, they are beyond the scope of this chapter, which highlights the impact of pragmatics on the specific area of cognition. Cognitive pragmatics is broadly defined as the study of the mental processes involved in the understanding of meaning in the context of a cooperative interaction. This chapter explores how DHH children and young people construe meaning in the context of conversations and expository interactions with their peers. The chapter aims to examine the role played by the cognitive processes of making inferences and comprehending implicature, within the overall display of pragmatic skills. Further, the authors use this lens in the analysis of interactions between DHH children and their peers in order to shed light on the development of pragmatic skills in children who are DHH.

scholarly journals Progress and challenges of implantable neural interfaces based on nature-derived materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio Redolfi Riva ◽  
Silvestro Micera
Keyword(s):  
Interface Design ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Matrix Proteins ◽  
Neural Interface ◽  
Neural Interfaces ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Response ◽  
The Impact

AbstractNeural interfaces are bioelectronic devices capable of stimulating a population of neurons or nerve fascicles and recording electrical signals in a specific area. Despite their success in restoring sensory-motor functions in people with disabilities, their long-term exploitation is still limited by poor biocompatibility, mechanical mismatch between the device and neural tissue and the risk of a chronic inflammatory response upon implantation.In this context, the use of nature-derived materials can help address these issues. Examples of these materials, such as extracellular matrix proteins, peptides, lipids and polysaccharides, have been employed for decades in biomedical science. Their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability in the absence of toxic compound release, physiochemical properties that are similar to those of human tissues and reduced immunogenicity make them outstanding candidates to improve neural interface biocompatibility and long-term implantation safety. The objective of this review is to highlight progress and challenges concerning the impact of nature-derived materials on neural interface design. The use of these materials as biocompatible coatings and as building blocks of insulation materials for use in implantable neural interfaces is discussed. Moreover, future perspectives are presented to show the increasingly important uses of these materials for neural interface fabrication and their possible use for other applications in the framework of neural engineering.

scholarly journals The Perceived Impact of Social Networking Sites and Apps on the Social Capital of Saudi Postgraduate Students: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Abdulelah A. Alghamdi ◽  
Margaret Plunkett
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

With the increased use of Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) in Saudi Arabia, it is important to consider the impact of this on the social lives of tertiary students, who are heavy users of such technology. A mixed methods study exploring the effect of SNSAs use on the social capital of Saudi postgraduate students was conducted using a multidimensional construct of social capital, which included the components of life satisfaction, social trust, civic participation, and political engagement. Data were collected through surveys and interviews involving 313 male and 293 female postgraduate students from Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah. Findings show that male and female participants perceived SNSAs use impacting all components of social capital at a moderate and mainly positive level. Correlational analysis demonstrated medium to large positive correlations among components of social capital. Gender differences were not evident in the life satisfaction and social trust components; however, females reported more involvement with SNSAs for the purposes of political engagement while males reported more use for civic participation, which is an interesting finding, in light of the norms and traditional culture of Saudi society.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Saudi Male and Female Postgraduate Students Regarding the Impact of Social Networking Sites and Apps on their Academic Life: A Study of Umm Al-Qura University – Makkah

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (05) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Abdulelah A. Alghamdi ◽  
Margaret Plunkett
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Saudi Male

This paper outlines a study exploring the perceptions of Saudi male and female postgraduate students regarding the impact of using Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) on their academic engagement and academic relationships. While research on SNSA use within the higher education environment does exist, mixed gender research has often presented challenges in Saudi Arabia, due to the educational segregation. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data through surveys, individual interviews and focus groups involving 313 male and 293 female postgraduate students at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah. Findings illustrated that both males and females engaged with SNSAs at a moderate level of use for academic purposes, and they perceived more positive than negative impacts associated with the academic use of SNSAs. Correlational analysis demonstrated a large positive correlation between academic engagement and academic relationships. Gender differences were not extensive however, the quantitative analysis highlighted more prominent involvement with SNSAs by females which is interesting, in light of social restrictions experienced by females in Saudi society.

Rhetoric and Critical Cultural Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Sloop
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Affect Theory ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Media Ecology ◽  
The Political ◽  
Communication Studies ◽  
Culture Study ◽  
Broad Area ◽  
The U.S

While each term denoting the area of “Rhetoric and Critical/Cultural Studies” denotes a broad area of academic study on its own, there are numerous to contain or capture a specific area of study. Regardless of how it gets cordoned off, the area is defined by similar themes. In one sense, the area now going under this banner begins with the march of British cultural studies (especially, the so-called Birmingham School under Stuart Hall’s leadership) into the U.S. academic discussion that began in the 1970s. As this particular study of culture found its way into communication studies departments across the country, many scholars emerging from their graduate programs were shaping the area of rhetoric and critical/cultural scholars in the very act of researching the ways meanings/ideology were constrained and enabled by the operation of the entire circuit of meaning (i.e., production, consumption, representation, identity, and regulation). As the critical/culture study of rhetoric and communication has grown, several themes have emerged: (a) the study of ideological and discursive constraints (often linked to a critique of neoliberalism); (b) the study of media ecology and its way of shaping meaning; (c) studies focusing on reception/agency/resistance; (d) studies concerning materialism and the ways communication is altered by the political economy; (e) studies based in performativity; and (f) studies based in affect theory. In general, regardless of the orientation, these studies are concerned with issues of power and action around intersectional axes such as gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, class, and nationality.

IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ADDICTION DISORDER (FAD) ON STUDY HABITS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ADOLESCENTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 195-207
Author(s):  
Shivani Vashishtha ◽  
Sona Ahuja ◽  
Mani Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Study Habits ◽  
Study Habit ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Facebook Addiction ◽  
The Impact

With the present era being technology driven, social media has become an indispensable part of many people irrespective of their age. Among different age groups, the maximum users are adolescents and among different social networking sites (SNS), Facebook shares the major part of usage by them. Many adolescents are tending towards excessive usage of Facebook leading to its addiction. Does this addiction have negative influence on adolescents or it actually helps them to keep up with their counterparts and be socially connected to them for their betterment? This question is unanswered specifically when it concerns the impact that it has on the study habits and academic achievement of adolescents. The hypotheses were tested in order to explore the impact of six dimensions (mood modification, deficient self-regulations, salience, loss of control, withdrawal, and relapse) of Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) using Bergens' Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), developed by Andreassen (2012). The results are based on the survey conducted on 200 adolescents studying in different schools of India. The findings indicate that there is a significant negative impact of Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) on study habits and academic achievement of adolescents. The major implication derived is that the higher the addiction to Facebook the study habit become poor and academic achievement decreases resulting in lower grades.

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