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Over a million cases of infected people, thresholds and dramatic records constantly exceeded, the voices of the State and of the civil society covering each other in search of validation, an alienated and disoriented population -- this is the general picture of a Romanian society trying, on one side, to understand a global phenomenon and, on the other side, to adapt to situations, norms and regulations that has not been encountered for generations. In an effervescent social, economic and political context, the Coronavirus pandemic tests the whole society and forces the State to react, both through concrete measures (rules, restrictions) and through education and awareness campaigns. The official messages transmitted by the State, through the media and in the form of commercials, advertisements, are subject to an evolution in visual and verbal aspect, which can be questioned both in terms of philosophical theories such as utilitarianism or social contract, and from the semiotic perspective of the meanings carried by these messages. How is the "common good" found in the education and awareness campaigns for wearing protective masks and for frequent sanitation and disinfection? And if Rousseau's "common good" is not fully visible in the mask that "can save your life," is the general goal of the government campaign one of a utilitarian nature? To what extent does the promise of the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain appear, as described by John Stuart Mill, in a campaign built on "saving lives" and "protecting others"? This research advances the proposition of a perception analysis of the meanings conveyed in the television commercials from the official awareness and education campaign regarding the Coronavirus pandemic, between March 2020 and January 2021, decanted in terms of basic semiotic and philosophical concepts and theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appling the Gadamer's filter on video games, reveals that they support an intimate connection with real life, built on basic mimesis of simple and, at the same time, coherent and meticulous realities. Video games are not intrinsically real-world escapism but generate a concrete, contextualized life experience that is ultimately connected to social and material realities (Spiridon, 2013, pp. 64-65). Moreover, experiences gained through video games can contribute, same as television, cinema or novels do, to the creation of perceptions that influence the way people relate to various aspects of life. The pivot of this study focuses on the experience created by the social, cultural context, captured by video games, which allow players to make choices of "life and death". Such choices are even more important in the current pandemic context when some people seem not to clearly understand the potential consequences on their own protection or even own survival. The aim of the research is to open a path for a better understanding of how a video game appreciated by critics and very popular among players, especially during the pandemic (DayZ, produced by Bohemia Interactive in 2013) explores social, cultural issues that can create a favorable context for players to be better equipped for the reality of everyday life. The study will include, besides the analysis of the video game itself, wikis, and walkthroughs, the views of other researchers and professionals working in the video game industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a theoretical inquiry on the nature of the relation between the use of new media and the eco-modernist approach on the reduction of pollution. Starting with a deep-reflection on several collected works of literature regarding the Anthropocene, the post-humanism and the technological determinism, the research aggregates 2 sets of data collected during the Coronavirus pandemics crises, regarding the decrease of the pollution and, in the same time, the increase of the media consumption. Admitting that a direct relation in between the two phenomena cannot yet be established, the paper addresses the problem of what a future technologydominant society using artificial intelligence and robots to produce and distribute media contents could relate to a programmatic change in human behaviour. In a future where media could provide all the necessary contents (information and entertainment) in the most satisfying shape (impressive resolution and sensorial devices), the issue raised is that of the signification: man would consume the representation of representation and would lose access to primary signs (Baudrillard, 2004). In isolation and with reduced traffic needs, without the direct experience of reality and environment, the man would lose the human condition and his humanity, especially in the context of a dominant technology taking over control and replacing man. This technological post-humanism would compromise moral barriers and destroy the credibility of the human condition (Hayles, 2008) but would allow nature to restore, thus avoiding the imminent ecological disaster proposed by the theories of the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new impressive technological advancements we are leaving change our cultural, social and economical consumption habits and needs. We have cumulatively evolved, as Hartley (2012) states, from a Newtonian, modern knowledge to a quantum, postmodern one and then rapidly to a network, universal type of knowledge that no longer requires nations, countries or regions but "everything known on earth", as in Google's business plan. The brands' or the companies' (or governments) communications must adapt to the new vehicles and platforms such as mobile applications and dramatically more dynamic digital endeavors (responsive websites, social-media). In this context, there are several questions that rise up: how does the commercial message of the brand adapt to the new vehicles? Is advertising going to be an integral reality as Baudrillard (2005) described it, filled with perfect images and sounds, ready for an integral man to consume it? In a programmatic communication strategy of omnichannel consumer interaction, is there still a need for message coherence, and correctly targeted audiences? Or will the AI, the big data and the IOT change entirely the whole communication industry? To answer these questions, I examined the impact of the digitalization on a brand icon (the Ursus bear) evolution by assessing the new types of brand content in the relationship with the content consumption and the new types of exposure and new "planes of expression". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present research is to identify the characteristics of a media event, while analyzing the particularities of the media coverage regarding the death of film director, Sergiu Nicolaescu. The research is based on one hand on the theoretical presentation of the concept of "media-event", and on the other on the analysis of the particularities of the recalled event. In the case study we try to place the event in question within the cathegory of "restorative events", while evaluating mechanisms used by journalists such as "to mythologize" and "to ritualize". Classifying in the category of "media events" is permitted only if we follow a set of specific traits that include: hypermedia, audience, general public mobilisation, press materials, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]