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"Beacons in the Darkness: Hope and Transformation Among America's Community Newspapers" by Dave Hoekstra is a book that explores the world of community newspapers in the United States. The author, a former columnist and critic, interviews editors and publishers from various small-town newspapers to shed light on their dedication and perseverance. While the book is not a manual on saving community journalism, it offers inspiring stories of individuals who have devoted their lives to covering local news. However, the book lacks organization and fails to provide critical analysis or practical solutions. [Extracted from the article]

This study aims to determine the strengthening of local culture and appropriate communication strategies to create social harmony and develop community social organizations where conflicts may occur. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach in Lampung province, which is famous for its diverse cultural wealth. Lampung province, especially in South Lampung and Central Lampung, is identified as having a high potential for conflict, where various tribes compete to maintain their cultural identity. From this study it was found that strengthening local culture through social interaction both with personal, cultural, and structural strategies as well as increasing community's social organizations such as LKMD, PKK, and youth groups along with the active involvement of traditional and community leaders, is very necessary to minimize and resolve existing conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social polarisation processes have become a central phenomenon for the explanation of population behavioural dynamics in today's societies. Although recent works offer solutions for the detection of polarised political communities in social media, there is still a lack of works that allow an adequate characterization of the specific topics on which these divides between social groups are articulated. Our study aims to discover and characterise antagonistic communities on Twitter based on a method that combines the identification of authorities and textual classifiers around three public debates that have recently produced major controversies: (1) vaccination; (2) climate change; and (3) abortion. The proposed method allows the capture of polarised communities with little effort, requiring only the selection of some terms that characterise the topic and some initial authorities. Our findings show that the processes of social polarisation can vary considerably depending on the subject on which the debates are articulated. Specifically, polarisation manifests more prominently in the realms of vaccination and abortion, whereas this divide is less apparent in the context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is ample literature available on toxicity in games, as there is regarding trolling on social media, there are few to no cross-platform studies on toxicity and trolling. In other words, the extant literature focuses on one platform at a time instead of comparing and contrasting them. The present work aims to rectify this gap by analyzing interviews from a larger study of 22 self-proclaimed victims of ingame trolling to not only determine whether social media or gaming communities are considered more toxic but also to explore how definitions of the word 'trolling' change depending on the platform in question. We found that while definitions of in-game trolling behavior focused on behavioral styles of trolling (e.g., throwing one's avatar into enemy fire to disadvantage one's team, and blocking other players' avatars' movement), social media trolling is defined by more sinister actions such as misinformation spreading and 'canceling' other users. We also found that gaming is perceived as generally more toxic than social media, often due to company policies or lack thereof. Practical and theoretical implications for the study of toxicity in all online communities -- gaming or social-media based -- are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperlocal journalism that was the first used in 2004 is a type of journalism in which the news of communities in a small town or neighborhood is conveyed by citizens within a media outlet. In hyperlocal journalism, local people can produce and broadcast news as well as being the source of the news. One of the main features of hyperlocal journalism differentiates from local media is positive news production. Hyperlocal journalism is a promising model to the relationship between readers and media. Reaching small communities that cannot find a place in the media contributes to the formation of a new news network and to the expansion. The aim of the study is to describe positive and negative aspects of hyperlocal journalism to the local press. Adana local press is taken as a sample in the study. Qualitative research is conducted using the semi-structured interview method. In the research, it is concluded that hyperlocal journalism would diversify the news content, increase the circulation, citizen journalism would become more systematic, and all these would make significant contributions to the local press. Another result of the research is that in order to make these positive contributions, first of all, the readers should be educated, and economic support is needed for this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of support communities on social media platforms like Facebook has opened up new avenues for individuals dealing with cancer to connect, share information and find emotional support. This study aimed to explore how Facebook support groups in Romania contribute to the well-being of cancer patients by providing them with information and assistance. Through qualitative research methods and a multimodal discourse analysis of forms of communication we examined the exchange of information within four public and private Romanian cancer support groups on Facebook. Our findings indicate that although there is still some misinformation present these groups serve as platforms for sharing advice, alternative treatment options coping strategies, personal experiences and emotional support. This research emphasizes the significance of Facebook support groups for cancer patients in Romania but also the need to address misinformation while promoting evidence-based practices within these communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic media, once democratizing documentary tools for marginalized communities, now face degralescence due to the physical degradation of magnetic tape and the obsolescence of playback equipment. However, these are not the only concerns when it comes to these media; while digitizing and providing online access have increasingly become requirements for major funding bodies and strategies adopted by archives, the contemporary neo liberal orientation toward open, online access poses additional risks for vulnerable communities. The impending magnetic media crisis presents a critical opportunity to contend with neoliberal archival impulses; re-envision approaches to preservation, digitization, and access; and acknowledge the a+ective values of magnetic media for communities who have produced and cared for them. Largely unexplored in archival literature, the unique promise and precarity of magnetic media created by vulnerable communities require ethical consideration of issues of privacy, exposure, and decontextualization and an understanding of the complexities of preserving magnetic media. This article explores these considerations and issues, advocates for the adoption of a feminist ethics of care, and introduces the VHS Archives Working Group as a generative model for caring for magnetic media from vulnerable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Selcuk University Social Sciences Institute Journal is the property of Selcuk University Social Sciences Institute Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The demand for health-related information has increased dramatically in recent years. Media is crucial in reaching health messages to audiences, especially those who are distant and rural. Therefore, the study aimed to assess demands, access, and factors associated with access to health messages through mass media in the rural community of Kersa District of East Hararghe, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted from October 15 to November 20, 2020. A quantitative cross-sectional and a qualitative phenomenological study design were applied. A total of 578 participants were included by using a systematic sampling technique. Collected data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. A multivariate logistic regression analysis model was used and reported using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. For qualitative, six-focused group discussions (FGDs) were used and then analyzed thematically.Results: Overall, the demand of and access to health messages through mass media was 32.5% (95% CI=28.5– 34.2%) and 26.6% (95% CI=24.6– 28.7%), respectively. Factors such as having electric services (AOR=2.36, 95% CI=2.13– 5.41), having a mobile phone (AOR=4.56, 95% CI=4.32– 8.73), exposure to TV (AOR=4.73, 95% CI=1.03– 11.62), and exposure to social media and printed media (AOR=5.24, 95% CI=1.07– 15.63), a preference for programs such as news, current affairs, entertainment, health and educational were 2.37, 9.47, 4.75 and 7.55 times more likely to access health messages (AOR=2.37, 95% CI=1.00– 5.61; AOR=9.47, 95% CI=3.54– 25.34; AOR=4.75, 95% CI=1.23– 18.38; and AOR=7.55, 95% CI=3.12– 8.66, respectively). Qualitative findings, participants demand for health messages from health workers, radio, and the main source for accessing the message was the radio.Conclusion: Approximately one in every three and one in every four rural communities in the study area had demand, and access to health messages through mass media, respectively. As a result, all stakeholders should emphasize and strengthen expanding methods of reaching health messages using mass media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Verwaltung und Management: Zeitschrift für Moderne Verwaltung (VM) is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Abant Social Sciences / Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Journal of Abant Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Government agencies play a critical role in addressing societal issues and rely on effective communication strategies to inform and engage the public. However, research on government communication practices in the Philippines is limited. To bridge this gap, this study aims to explore the Philippine government's communication practices and the influence of environmental attributes on communication efforts regarding the counterinsurgency program. Drawing on the government public relations model, a qualitative research approach was employed to gain in-depth insights into the experiences and perspectives of local information officers. The study utilized semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. By engaging local government communicators in the Philippines, the study identified four major themes: common media strategies, pressure to meet public information needs, lack of financial resources, and the impact of external legal frameworks. The findings revealed that government communicators employ various media strategies and face significant pressure to meet public information needs. Furthermore, the study highlights the intersection of external legal frameworks with other environmental constraints, such as politics and professional development, impacting government communication practices. This paper contributes to the limited scholarship on government communication practices in the Philippines, offering preliminary insights into the complex dynamics of government communication to address societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory embedded case study examined the personal and professional social media use of entry-level student affairs professionals at four campuses from a state university system. Bounded by the profession of student affairs, this study focused on how entry-level student affairs professionals used social media platforms. Findings suggest that most entry-level professionals do not enter student affairs ready or willing to engage university communities on social media platforms and their respective campuses and graduate programs are not preparing them to do so. Study participants largely lacked a professional digital identity and were somewhat reticent about developing a robust professional digital identity. Contributing to their hesitancy, participants described their digital baggage - a collection of social media or social media-connected experiences that consciously or unconsciously influence personal or professional social media use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyze multi-layered communication responses to maritime disasters in Indonesia using two significant cases, namely the tidal flooding in Semarang and the tsunami in Banda Aceh. Reducing the risk of disaster is not only a technical matter but also strongly associated with communication issues. Therefore, there has been much research into disaster communication. However, research on multi-layered communication responses to diverse disasters must still be done. Data were collected through interviews with the people, journalists, and government officials in Semarang and Banda Aceh. These data were complemented by field observations and reviews of local media news and government policies. The results show that communication response in the two regions involved a complex triangle of science, religion, and politics. This means that the community, media, and government of these regions communicated these two types of disasters as involving science, religion, and politics to varying degrees. This article also finds that the local media was unable to optimally play its central role as an intermediary actor in disaster communication in the two regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: LGBTQ+ community media insertion is growing. However, this does not mean that all representation is positive, raising the question: What are the impacts of different LGBTQ+ media portrayals? Methods: The research aimed to create and validate the Attitudes Towards LGBTQ+ Media Scale and the Exposure to LGBTQ+ Media Scale, observing their relationships with gender, age, and sexual orientation. To this end, three studies were carried out. Results: Study 1 pointed to a two-factor organization of the Exposure to LGBTQ+ Media Scale (negative media portrayal, α = 0.82; positive media portrayal, α = 0.80) and a single-factor organization of the Attitudes Towards LGBTQ+ Media Scale (α = 0.91). Study 2 corroborated these factor structures, presenting satisfactory model fit indices (media exposure: comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.97, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.97, goodness-of-fit index (GFI) = 0.97, SRMR = 0.07, RMSEA = 0.07 [90% CI 0.06–0.09]; attitudes: CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.02, GFI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.01, RMSEA = 0.01 [90% CI 0.01–0.02]). Finally, study 3 found a correlation between negative media portrayal and attitudes (ρ = 0.31, p < 0.00), moderated by sexual orientation (b = − 0.6225, p < 0.000). Conclusions: Through the scales, we can observe that there is still a dominance of media representation focused on negative aspects, such as victimization and discrimination. Policy Implications: This study helps us to understand how the media can reduce discrimination and prejudice towards the LGBTQ+ public, investigating the biopsychosocial aspects involved to, as far as possible, contribute to a more inclusive society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Literature Studies is the property of Turkiye Dil ve Edebiyat Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Global Media Journal: Turkish Edition is the property of Global Media Journal, Turkish Edition and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

By combining traditional practices and the codes of TikTok, news media on TikTok provide journalistic news targeting in particular the so-called "Generation Z." Short and often playful videos represent a new journalistic discourse that links journalistic information to TikTok culture. With the emergence of journalism on TikTok, news media have to negotiate and justify their authority on this digital social network and have to explain how journalism works. Journalists on TikTok are thus also providing media education, by showing manifestations of journalism or by justifying that the newspapers deserve to be TikTok-certified. Media adapt the content and the nature of their videos to TikTok, for example, by participating in viral trends, by publishing videos that affect the lives of young Internet users, or by telling information with a humorous angle. Through the different ways of interacting, media manage to include Internet users in the news production and to show the media community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the connection between the genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar, the rapid spread of mis- and dis-information and the rise of mental health and attention difficulties? Whilst seemingly disparate, each of these issues have been exacerbated by the widespread use of engagement-based algorithms on social media platforms. Engagement-based algorithms are designed to captivate our attention to keep us engaging with the platform for longer, thereby raising advertising revenues for the companies. These algorithms pick up on content which is showing strong engagement and suggest it to users. Engagement means interaction with the content, such as 'likes', sharing the content, or commenting on the content. Engagement can also simply be the amount of time the user spends looking at content. As well as the adorable kitten videos, extreme content holds our attention, inducing algorithms to promote this material. There is a lack of awareness amongst the public about how these social media algorithms are amplifying alarming content, causing polarisation and driving inequality. To highlight these issues, a theatre group working with Creativity and Change in Munster Technological University (MTU) explored the local and global impact of social media engagement-based algorithms. This took place through a mentorship with Brazilian theatre practitioner, Julian Boal. In this article, we explore algorithmic awareness as an important missing aspect of global citizenship education (GCE), before illustrating what we learned from exploring this topic through forum theatre. We conclude by drawing some lessons for GCE on using socially engaged theatre to explore complex, invisible topics. We also draw on the links between forum theatre and Freire's pedagogy of the oppressed, including forum theatre as a form of praxis, conscientisation and collective action that makes invisible power structures visible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C. pagurus and H. gammarus are deemed to be declining in abundance in the Berwickshire Marine Reserve from personal communications with local inshore fishers. Fisheries data in the form of catch per unit effort (CPUE) were collected for these two commercially important decapods. Other explanatory variables from fishing activity such as the creel and bait type used, the soak time of the fishing gear, and deployment depth were recorded to provide as much detail as possible to describe the effort applied to catch these decapod species. In this study, CPUE was higher for H. gammarus and C. pagurus outside the Berwickshire Marine Reserve. General additive models (GAMs) were used to describe the effects of the explanatory variables and showed that soak time (days) and depth (m) significantly affected CPUE for C. pagurus, not H. gammarus. Sea temperature (°C) showed a negative correlation with the CPUE of both H. gammarus and C. pagurus; however, a positive correlation was found with the number of C. pagurus caught. The data collected in this study provide a foundation in understanding the current abundance of C. pagurus and H. gammarus in a voluntary marine reserve on the east coast of Scotland, which can be used to inform future changes in fisheries management in Berwickshire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations play an essential role in solving community problems and social media facilitates their efforts. This paper illustrates an approach to using the social media data of organizations to observe community-level social capital unobtrusively by comparing communities that differ by racial composition and poverty. Data from the IRS, US Census Bureau, and social media platforms revealed that most nonprofit organizations in a mid-sized city in the South have a social media presence, with Facebook substantially more prevalent than Instagram or Twitter. Disparities based on community poverty and race emerged. Exceptions and implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of storytelling in destination marketing is well explored, but the role of events in this is under researched. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how two different trail running events in Innsbruck, Austria, use elements of storytelling within their communications strategy in the lead-up to the event, and how stories about the two events are interwoven to create a shared meaning around the image of Innsbruck as an alpine-urban destination. Stories on the event websites, social media, local and national media, and in promotional material are thematically analysed to examine the similarities and differences in storytelling approaches. Findings reveal that both events use a combination of three specific elements – people, place and experience – but different strategies when tapping into each other's story and hence shaping the overall story of the destination. As such, the paper makes theoretical and practical contributions to the event marketing body of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extant literature on dark side of consumer-brand relationship is still growing. Recently, researchers have given it notable concentration, yet some gaps exist specifically in context of social media brand communities. The present work adds to the understanding of the negative sides of consumer-brand relationship via empirically investigating brand hate in social media based anti-brand communities specifically in an emerging market context of India. This study makes use of survey method to approach 387 users of social media platforms to empirically test an integrated model of precursors and consequents of brand hate in anti-brand social media communities. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling and its findings confirm positively stronger association of symbolic incongruity and negative past experience with brand hate. Brand hate; in turn, strongly affect non-purchase intention, negative word-of mouth and retaliation. Results have managerial and useful implications for the brand managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the decentralized optimization problem, where agents in a network cooperate to minimize the sum of their local objective functions by communication and local computation. We propose a decentralized second-order communication-efficient algorithm called communication-censored and communication-compressed quadratically approximated alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), termed as CC-DQM, by combining event-triggered communication with compressed communication. In CC-DQM, agents are allowed to transmit the compressed message only when the current primal variables have changed greatly compared to its last estimate. Moreover, to relieve the computation cost, the update of Hessian is also scheduled by the trigger condition. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed algorithm can still maintain an exact linear convergence, despite the existence of compression error and intermittent communication, if the local objective functions are strongly convex and smooth. Finally, numerical experiments demonstrate its satisfactory communication efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the effectiveness of the use of social media as a medium to deliver awareness on environmental issues among the community in Malaysia. A survey with a questionnaire was used in the quantitative approach used in this research. The study sample, which employed a simple random sampling technique, consisted of 400 members of the Malaysian population. There was a combination of descriptive (mean, percentage) and inferential (regression) analysis. According to the study's findings, the majority of respondents use the Facebook social network to learn about environmental concerns. Furthermore, the linear regression analysis revealed that system quality, service quality, and information quality all had a significant role in customer satisfaction. In conclusion, this study clearly reveals that a large population in Malaysia responds positively to the use of social media as a medium for conveying environmental awareness with Facebook is the primary social media platform chosen by most people in Malaysia to obtain information about environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to explore how different types of rewards affect customers’ inclinations to engage in environmental activities promoted through restaurant social media platforms. In addition, we investigated the potential moderating role of customer level of participation within the social media community. A total of 202 valid responses obtained by distributing a self-administered survey among restaurant patrons were subjected to hierarchical regression analysis to examine relationships between variables. The findings underscored the significant influence of economic and social rewards on shaping customer intent to participate in environmental initiatives promoted within restaurant social media communities. Furthermore, the study revealed that the extent of customer participation within the social media community moderated the relationship between rewards and their likelihood to partake in environmentally conscious behaviors. These results have meaningful implications for restaurant managers seeking to promote environmental initiatives effectively through social media platforms and within their establishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Zealand – like in the US and UK – independently produced podcasts fall outside of local media regulations. New Zealand's media laws and regulatory bodies remain broadcast and legacy media-focussed, so podcast content that has not been previously broadcast is not regulated or otherwise overseen. In the absence of regulation, this study explores the ways nine independent podcast producers from New Zealand self-govern their content, as well as their motivations for doing so. It is an investigation of the ways 'amateur' content producers approach media ethics, and more broadly podcast production in practice. Not guided or bound by formal publishing or editorial responsibilities, and mostly with no formal media training, study participants demonstrate adherence to journalistic principles. They consider ethical and editorial quandaries as they arise during the production process, factoring in the needs and disposition of their audience. This process is informed by their worldview, as well as their perspectives and experiences as media consumers. Though these podcasters champion the ethos of independent podcasting, the content of their shows is not free from third party influence. These podcasters are also parents, partners, employees, and colleagues; life roles that inform the content of their show. Though they push back against podcasting being legislated, these podcasters see value in creating an informal set of guidelines or a voluntary code of practice for podcasting in New Zealand. This project contributes to ongoing explorations of independent podcasting and podcasting practice, focussing on what defines, motivates, and informs self-driven practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Question (1669-6581) is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Residents of Fukushima Prefecture continue to face trauma after Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster. While there remains a substantial presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the prefecture, and the majority of literature tends to view PTSD as an individual psychological disease that can be ameliorated; there is little understanding about how individuals experiencing PTSD influence their communities over time. The present research employs Barton's collective stress theory and Ball-Rokeach et al.'s communication infrastructure theory to examine multilevel effects of individual-level trauma and offers a new term, long-term socio-psychological disaster impact (LTSDI). LTSDI modifies pre-existing notions of persistent PTSD to a neutral understanding of experiences of symptomology and various levels of individuals' impacts on their communities. Survey research conducted in Fukushima eight years after the disaster and analyses employing structural equation modeling found individuals experiencing LTSDI can positively contribute to their communities through community connectedness, a measure of interpersonal storytelling, collective efficacy, and civic participation. Implications of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by the theoretical framework of media effects and resonance theory, this study investigates how issue obtrusiveness and information richness as message attributes, and media hierarchy and orientation as source characteristics influence audience engagement with news posts on social media. The data of news posts (N = 943,793) from the top 99 Sina Weibo accounts of Chinese media with likes, comments, and reposts as indicators of audience engagement were retrieved. Through multilevel modeling, the study finds that source characteristics exert stronger effects on audience engagement than message attributes, and the effects on comments differ from those on likes and reposts. The association between issue obtrusiveness and comments is stronger than that between obtrusiveness and likes/reposts. Posts of high information richness draw more audience engagement than posts of low information richness. Through their news posts, central-level media attract more engagement than local media. The implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media has expanded the possibilities for citizens around the world to share knowledge and interact about scientific advancements, facilitating to raise public awareness of and interest in science. Amidst this context, scientists in all disciplines are intensifying the use of social media as a data source to capture what citizens express about their achievements, beyond dissemination purposes. Content analysis is the generalised method used by researchers to explore the interactions of citizens in social media about science. In this commentary paper, we explore the social media communicative observations as an emerging technique in the social media analytics to include the communicative dimension of science in the analysis of interactions between scientists and citizens. The implications to empower dialogically the social media communities interested in science are shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Archaeological museums play a vital role in regions with ancient roots, holding a millennial image as the cradle of civilization. In the South of Italy (former "Magna Graecia") and particularly in Puglia—a melting pot of cultures where ancient Messapian, Byzantine, Roman, and Greek civilizations followed one another in ages, bequeathing a wealth of testimonies—institutions are disseminated across the region, and almost every small municipality has its own archaeological museum hosting a wealth of valuable objects and remains. The gradual structural changes in the role of museums over the last decades and the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, with the sudden closing and subsequent re-opening of facilities, forced institutions to re-think and re-develop their communication practices everywhere. Museums across the world have since been conceiving original and effective strategies based on social media and ICTs. After framing the problem background, the article introduces an overview of good practice and virtuous examples in the museum field and a questionnaire-based focus survey on a sample of archaeological museums in Puglia in order to assess the status of local communication strategies' implementation against the potential of modern technologies. The survey results allowed identifying a peculiar mix of "emergency" and evolutional approaches in the sample analyzed, main concerns and barriers to the adoption of digital strategies, but also specific strategic drivers for innovation in the very nature of local small institutions. The study's outcomes offer a potential contribution to the alignment of institutions to current standards through informed policies that can be usefully shared in other similar contexts across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of papal communication in the local construction of royal and papal authority. Taking the kingdom of Denmark as its case, it analyses letters issued by Pope Alexander III to King Valdemar I and the Danish clergy before a grand meeting at Ringsted in 1170. It is argued that to understand the function and impact of the papal letters fully it is necessary to examine not only their verbal content, but also their wider processual context: how a Scandinavian delegation obtained the letters at the papal court in Benevento; how the letters were presented to the Danish audience as part of the ritual celebrations at Ringsted; and how the events later were framed and narrated by local Scandinavian authors. As a whole, the process constituted a 'circuit of legitimation', a reciprocal exchange between the pope and the king of recognition and glorification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dramatic increase of asylum seekers entering the EU in 2015 profoundly changed migration politics in many EU countries. Not least in Sweden which accepted more migrants per capita than any other EU country but then swung abruptly to become among the strictest recipient countries. We use Sweden as a critical and extreme case to argue that the rapid shift in asylum politics and public opinion towards migration is not profoundly shared in society. Based on a local media analysis of three types of purposively selected rural municipalities followed by the analysis of a survey of civil society organizations sent to all 290 municipalities in Sweden, we find strong civil society support and willingness to both receive migrants and facilitate their integration into society. Despite increasing votes for political parties with anti-migration policies, we also find remarkably positive attitudes towards migrants in civil society organizations and among citizens in the EU27 barometer for Sweden. The upshot is optimism that civil society can balance the anti-immigration governance imposed by both left and right political regimes and that populism will succeed only if it has the capacity to thoroughly transform civil society attitudes—which we doubt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when local journalism is under threat, regional newsrooms can play a crucial role in working with communities to confront shameful truths and profound failures. The regional city of Ballarat emerged as an "epicentre" of clergy sexual abuse through Australia's landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013–2017). This article examines how the regional city's newspaper, The Courier, bore witness to these crimes and their impacts within its local community. A content and thematic analysis of coverage of child sexual abuse from 2010 to 2019 documents how The Courier's locally produced journalism revealed to its audience the extent of abuse, helping to acknowledge and face crimes that had occurred in Ballarat's local institutions. The interlinked themes of revelation, reckoning and recovery demonstrate how local journalism can work with its community to address traumatic events that occur within its geosocial space. Local media bore witness on multiple levels, as both the amplifier of stories told by survivors and the facilitator of community processes of reckoning and recovery. We refer to this special form of local journalism as "proximal" media witnessing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the factors that affect an audience's purchase decisions on a new type of social media, namely live video streaming platforms. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on data from an online survey providing 488 valid responses. These responses are used to test the research model by employing partial least squares (PLS) modeling. Findings: Three antecedents (consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image) influence the audience's purchase decisions (impulse buying and continuous buying intention). Chinese impression management (mianzi) acts as a moderator. Self-mianzi, mutual mianzi and other mianzi (i.e. three subtypes of mianzi) moderate the effects of consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image on impulse buying. Practical implications: The findings encourage practitioners developing marketing strategies for live video streaming platforms in the Chinese cultural context to consider peer influence, gift appearance, broadcaster's image and mianzi. Originality/value: Drawing on the community gift-giving model and face-negotiation theory, this study provides an integrated research model to investigate a new type of social media (live video streaming). It offers insight into virtual gifting behaviors by confirming the effects of three antecedents on the audience's purchase decisions, with mianzi acting as a moderator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various alternative forms of communication have emerged, such as community radio, radio podcasts, publications in networks, and press releases. These tools have served communities of eastern and southwestern Antioquia and the organizations COA and MOVETE, to sustain their causes over time, make the communicative task massive, and extend an invitation to more people to take action in favor of the defense of the territory. This has the advantage that popular communication strategies allow many stakeholders to become not only consumers and receivers of the information that other people produce, but also creators and transmitters of their own information, which emerges from the dynamics of their daily lives, by helping to reduce the communication gap between mass media and the excluded communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the irrigated areas of Mendoza province, located in the centralwest region of Argentina, trees play a central role in the construction of places and the definition of identity. The landscape, understood in a relational and historical sense, emerges as an interesting category for analyzing how material and discursive phenomena and dynamics shape environments that are considered characteristic of an identity. Based on a study of historical and current discourses and materialities regarding the formation of the forest landscape in the central-northern region of the province (currently known as the northern oasis), our objective is to analyze the role of these plants in the shaping and consolidation of distinctive environments, ways of experiencing these landscapes, and ethnic and provincial identities. The historical analysis is approached through a synthesis of archaeological and documentary data, which allows for the delineation and distinction of indigenous, colonial, and modern landscape formations. Current materialities are analyzed through agronomic studies, environmental reports produced by state agencies or provincial legislations, and own records. Discourses are examined through research in local media, web forums, and public debates. This article provides a synthesis and new insights on the topic, particularly by discussing various previously isolated sources. This holistic and historically informed analysis allows us to observe how narratives and materialities are intertwined in the unique construction of the forest landscape in Mendoza's irrigated areas, shaping a distinct environment, experience, and identity in the study region, impacting various fields of knowledge and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic metamaterials are man-made materials engineered with the purpose of inducing atypical bulk elastic properties. To model a type of elastic metamaterial with local rotational effects, a new two-dimensional continuum model which incorporates local rotation as a scalar field superposed on the translational displacement fields is utilized. This paper provides a comprehensive study of surface wave propagation in this new continuous medium. Unlike the classical Rayleigh wave, the surface wave in this new medium is dispersive. An explicit dispersion relation is obtained, and a closed-form solution of the dispersion curve is derived. The dispersion relation is then used to evaluate the general behaviour of the surface wave. It is found that even for the cases where the effect of local rotation is relatively weak, the surface wave still clearly shows dispersion. The phase velocity of the surface wave falls mostly between the classical Rayleigh wave and the shear wave, especially for cases where the effect of local rotation is weak. In addition to the classical Rayleigh wave, there exists another surface wave which possesses a wavespeed depending only on local rotational parameters. It was also found that particles residing on the free surface of the material move in an elliptical fashion similar to that of classical Rayleigh wave propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text aims to present an academic reflection on the process of renewal of the public community policy in Bogota - Colombia, which will be carried out between 2020 and 2023. Initially, it presents the conceptual considerations on which the work is based in relation to communication policies, community communication, and the problematic crossover between these concepts. Then, it attempts to describe and analyze the tensions originated within the Mesa Distrital de Comunicación Comunitaria, in the framework of the preparatory phase of the public policy. And, finally, it suggests some ideas or challenges resulting from the experience, which could well be assumed in the future stages of the political project. Among them, it is worth highlighting the urgent need to redefine community communication, based on the practices exercised by community media and the current historical moment, because, only in this way, it would be possible to identify the character of communication and the meaning of public policy in the current reconstruction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to describe characteristics and communicational practices of community, alternative, and popular radio stations in San Luis Province, Argentina, between 2010 and 2020, considering the latest regulation in force: LSCA law 26.522, 2009. In San Luis, there are three radio stations that fall under the categories of community, alternative, and popular, according to the law: La Bulla, Masi Radio, and Radio Rebelde, all of them born after the law was sanctioned. The methodology is qualitative, and the analysis is based on empirical research that includes official registries, previous research, academic papers, interviews, and informal conversations with media members. The study analyzes the practices that these radio stations develop to build sustainability, and whether or not they achieve it. Their relationship to other socially relevant actors, such as the State in its three levels, other civil organizations, within a concentrated and centralized media system, is also considered, reflecting those characteristics from the province's political power configuration. Community radios in San Luis suffered the consequences of the national government changes and the paralysis in local communication policies, nevertheless, they are still operative. However, the lack of new community experiences requires further thoughts about how social and political conditions contribute to its marginal position in the communicational system of the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the utilization of television media in the rural community of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, focusing on the preferences and behaviors of different demographic groups. The research entails an extensive literature review on television media within the region, followed by a targeted survey among housewives, youths, farmers, and professionals in rural areas, conducted in the Tamil language. The survey results indicate that more than 30.49% of housewives, 26.83% of youths, 23.17% of farmers, and 19.51% of professionals exceeded the surveyed thresholds, highlighting significant engagement with television in diverse demographic segments. The findings illuminate the substantial role of television media in the rural community, emphasizing the need to comprehend and address the specific needs and interests of various demographic groups. This study contributes valuable insights into the dynamic relationship between television viewership patterns and demographic characteristics in rural areas, laying a foundation for further research and initiatives aimed at optimizing the impact of television in rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intricate interplay between mass-mediated communication, the formation of publics, and the political landscape within the culturally diverse and politically vibrant state of Tamil Nadu, located in Southern India. The study focuses on the unique context provided by the annual readers' meetings of the vernacular political satire journal, Thuglak. Employing a comprehensive political ethnography approach, the paper uncovers a complex web of interactions, ideologies, and identity formation that shape the publics of Thuglak. The paper further reveals that the political character of the journal's readership is profoundly influenced by the journal's core tenets, particularly Brahminism and Hindutva. Through a nuanced exploration of the Thuglak readers' meetings, the paper contributes to a broader understanding of the role of mass-mediated communication in shaping public sentiment and, subsequently, the political landscape in Tamil Nadu. This study serves as a testament to the powerful influence of local media in shaping the political destiny of a region and underscores the critical importance of examining such connections in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bow shocks are produced in the local interstellar medium by the passage of fast stars from the Galactic thin-disk and thick-disk populations with velocities V * = 40–80 km s−1. Stellar transits of local H i clouds occur every 3500–7000 yr on average and last between 104 and 105 yr. There could be 10–20 active bow shocks around low-mass stars inside clouds within 15 pc of the Sun. At local cloud distances of 3–10 pc, their turbulent wakes have transverse radial extents R wake ≈ 100–300 au, angular sizes 10″–100″, and Ly α surface brightnesses of 2–8 R in gas with total hydrogen density n H ≈ 0.1 cm−3 and V * = 40–80 km s−1. These transit wakes may cover an area fraction f A ≈ (R wake/ R cl) ≈ 10−3 of local H i clouds and be detectable in IR (dust), UV (Ly α, two-photon), or nonthermal radio emission. Turbulent heating in these wakes could produce the observed elevated rotational populations of H2 (J ≥ 2) and influence the endothermic formation of CH+ in diffuse interstellar gas at T > 103 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This case study of a community newspaper, Namaskar, and its impact in 'underdeveloped' areas of coastal Odisha in India, discusses the potential of alternative media for social change. It scrutinises and analyses the participatory advocacy activities of Namaskar. Studying participatory journalism favours a more dialogical and reflexive approach, which also draws on ideas of 'critical' and 'radical' media, while also calling attention to the significance of content in bringing about social change. Building on observations and testimonies from the field, collected through multiple qualitative methods for data collection, the study infers that Namaskar ensures significant participation in its advocacy practices, leading to observable changes in and around its catchment area. However, basic gatekeeping and editing work to make news copy print-ready also restrain the extent of 'absolute participation'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the empirical data from media channels established by Ukrainian women migrants and refugees fleeing war residing in Lithuania and Germany. Additionally, the article seeks to develop theoretical insights into the organization and community dynamics of these migrant groups, with a particular focus on territorial distinctions and the distribution of gender roles. The article employs a case analysis method to examine the media communities of Ukrainian migrants in Germany and Lithuania during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The study involves a relational content analysis of text messages and metadata from these communication channels. The resulting empirical data is framed within the context of Kant’s well-being structure, considering its evolution under current circumstances. The media communities within the realm of immigration are examined through the lenses of the “digital text” and “vernacular writing on the web” concepts. Special attention is given to the diverse forms of “the network of networks” and their localization strategies. Ukrainian media communities, notably with women as a dominant social group, exhibit a form of “‘undirected’ being-together”, which involves reproduction or even integration into existing channels on a new territory to seek support and establish social networks in foreign countries. The article underscores the pivotal role of women’s participation, economy platforms, and immaterial labor in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using theories about community organizing and civic engagement, this study examines a small Wisconsin community's efforts to save its local 911 dispatch center from being dismantled. It is a qualitative project that draws on autoethnography and interpretive content analysis to show that community organizing across multiple spheres of engagement (e.g., online and face-to-face) helps people recognize their ability to impact local politics and enact tangible change in their community. Our case study of the Save Oconomowoc Dispatch campaign suggests that social media tools are an important element of community organizing and that online citizen-led campaigns can help residents feel empowered and better prepared to act in offline settings. Most importantly, we show that a push campaign focused on disseminating information, such as the use of Facebook posts that do not feature comments, can be sufficient in helping residents recognize the importance of local services and take real-world action. This finding suggests that extensive online deliberations may not always be necessary for effective community organizing and that community leaders' strategic use of one-way interactions on social media are effective ways of engaging residents in local politics and government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]