No trade-offs between news and entertainment: Evidence from online engagement data

In today’s high-choice media environment, some scholars are concerned that people selectively consume media content based on personal interests and avoid others, which might lead to audience fragmentation across different content genres. Individually, there might be trade-offs between those genres, especially entertainment versus news. This study analyzed a large user engagement dataset (~40,000 users’ comments) collected from the Chinese information application Toutiao, one of the most popular information distribution platforms in China. The results showed that (1) the commenters were not fragmented between content genres, and (2) the users’ news engagement was positively associated with their entertainment engagement. The findings indicate that the availability of high media choices will not reduce the news engagement of those who have strong interest in entertainment. Instead, news engagement might increase alongside the augmentation of the sum of information engagement. Finally, we discussed the differences between relative news engagement and absolute news engagement.

If They Only Disrespect Us a Little, and the Story is Interesting, I Keep Watching: Navigation of Ethnic Media Gratifications by Latino Teens

The goal of this study was to apply insights from social identity gratifications and ethnic/racial identity development frameworks to better understand how adolescents perceive, select, and avoid media content which has the potential to damage self-and group-concept. We conducted focus groups with 32 Latino adolescents aged 13 to 15. We found mixed evidence that youth prioritized the ethnicity of characters in program selection. Most referenced personality or age as the primary identity-based factors of interest. Although students widely recognized negative stereotypes of Latinos in mainstream English-language media, this did not overwhelmingly dictate media choices, seemingly due to lack of alternative choices. In contrast, Spanish language programming offered a positive alternative to English-language media and may serve identity needs. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

‘I’m not a tech person’

This study contributes to existing research on polymedia by probing into what we call academic polymedia, investigating the constant availability of interpersonal, professional, and social media for constructing scholarly personas. Drawing on the technobiographical narratives of a group of Hong Kong bilingual academics, we analyze academics’ perceptions of their media choices as situated in their professional polymedia environments. In particular, we examine how choices between public and private media shape academic persona development, and the way polymedia engagement impacts the participants’ language choice for academic purposes. This study sheds light on existing research on workplace discourse and identity in sociolinguistics by offering a polymedia dimension that draws on people’s media ideology in developing their professional identities.

An overview of the implications of covid-19 on economy, education and mental health

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), a viral infection, has taken over the world. The infection was declared as a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020. Since then there have been lockdowns in numerous countries, causing multiple complications in not only the health sector but also in various aspects of life. COVID-19 has grid-locked the economy and is expected to lead to an economic crisis in the near future. The education system is also affected as examinations have been cancelled and classes are being given online which has decreased the quality. The lockdown has had a negative impact on human psychology. Amidst these circumstances, there are steps being taken to cope with these critical situations. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, a huge amount of formal and informal studies have appeared in literature. Given the diversity of media choices, the emerging knowledge has reached across the globe within very limited time. These studies, individually, have focused on almost all the aspects affected by the pandemic, like economy, healthcare, tourism, education etc. This study by the authors provides a simplified overview of impacts of COVID-19 noted by various research studies. It is a useful concise account of COVID-19 effects in one-reading covering aspects like effects on healthcare & healthcare workers, human behavior & mental health, tourism, pollution and education.

Hostile emotions: An exploratory study of far-right online commenters and their emotional connection to traditional and alternative news media

In this article, we explore media use through the perspective of emotions. We specifically focus on a contested group of media users, namely those who engage in uncivil online behaviour and have had one or several comments deleted by moderators due to xenophobic and racist content. Our point of departure is that the informants represent a particularly engaged yet controversial audience. Based on theoretical perspectives on ‘hostile emotions’ like anger and fear and how the news media function as ‘emotional regimes’, we explore how the informants talk about their worldview and how it affects their media choices. We argue that political fear constitutes a powerful part of the informants’ narratives, which again influences their media use. Even though they are highly sceptical and suspicious, the participants in the study seek information from a wide selection of traditional and alternative sources where their worldview is both contested and confirmed. Furthermore, the strong fear expressed by informants constitute an important element of the anger they feel towards the established news media. This particular anger is structured around the notion of objective reporting that they consider highly provocative, both factually and emotionally, as it does not match how they experience the world around them.

Dakwah Simbolik Pada Kaos Izma Muslim Store

Dakwah pada bidang fhasion merupakan salah satu pilihan media yang beru. Izma Muslim Store merupakan brand kaos bertema dakwah. Desain atau simbol pada kaos Izma Muslim merupakan pesan dakwah yang disampaikan secara kreatif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk 1) mengetahui kategorisasi pesan dakwah yang terkandung dalam kaos Izma Muslim dan 2) mnggambarkan manfaat menggunakan kaos dakwah. Metode penelitan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah teknik observasi, dokumentasi dan wawancara. Pendekatan penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan semiotika. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa Izma Muslim Store menyampaikan pesan Aqidah, Syari’ah dan Akhlaq dalam desain atau simbol kaos yang dibuatnya, dan pembeli kaos pula merasakan manfaat yang sangat baik terhadap interpretasi pesan yang terdapat pada desain tersebut. Da'wah in the fhasion field is one of the most popular media choices. Izma Muslim Store is a da'wah theme shirt. The design or symbol on the Izma Muslim shirt is a missionary message that is delivered creatively. This study aims to 1) find out the categorization of da'wah messages contained in Izma Muslim shirts and 2) describe the benefits of using da'wah shirts. The research method used in this research is descriptive method. Data collection techniques used are observation, documentation and interview techniques. The research approach used in this study is the semiotic approach. The results of this study indicate that Izma Muslim Store conveyed the message of Aqidah, Syari'ah and Akhlaq in the design or symbol of the t-shirt it made, and t-shirt buyers also felt very good benefits for the interpretation of the message contained in the design.

“I do it my way”: Idioms of practice and digital media ideologies of adolescents and older adults

This article analyzes the idioms of practice and media ideologies of adolescents and older adults regarding mobile digital media usage, and how they are negotiated within and between age cohorts. We formed aged-based focus groups in Rome and Barcelona (four groups of 16- to 19-year-olds and four of 65- to 85-year-olds). The comparison provides new insights on older individuals’ communication practices, often overshadowed by the focus on youth. Participants of both age groups explained they do media in their own way, which is perceived as “the right” (or legitimate) way. Strategies and hierarchies differ with age, according to meanings and rankings attributed to media choices in a communicative environment of affordances, or polymedia. The results suggest that differentiated generation-based idioms of practice and media ideologies are in operation in each cohort while, in both cases, refer to adaptative and goal-oriented communications.

News Media Performance Evaluated by National Audiences: How Media Environments and User Preferences Matter

Media fragmentation and polarization have contributed to blurring the lines between professional and non-professional journalism. Internationally, more fragmented-polarized media environments are often associated with the emergence of non-professional news providers, the weakening of journalistic standards, and the segmentation of audiences along ideological leanings. Furthermore, these environments are home to partisan and alternative news media outlets, some of which try to actively undermine the credibility of traditional mainstream media in their reporting. By following an audience-centric approach, this study investigates the consequences of more fragmented-polarized media environments and consumption habits on users’ perceptions of news media performance. We use online-survey data from five countries that differ in the extent of fragmentation and polarization in the media environment (CH = 1,859, DK = 2,667, IT = 2,121, PL = 2,536, US = 3,493). We find that perceptions of high news media performance are more likely to be expressed by citizens from less fragmented-polarized media environments. Positive perceptions of news media performance are also stronger among users of traditional media, and those who inform themselves in a more attitude-congruent manner. By contrast, citizens from more fragmented-polarized media environments and users of alternative news media tend to express less satisfaction with news media performance. Based on these results, we argue that perceptions of news media performance among news users are shaped by their individual media choices as well as by the composition of the news media environments that surrounds them.