Documents published in Scipedia

• Influencers with physical disabilities on Instagram: Features, visibility and business collaboration

  M. Bonilla-del-Río, J. Figuereo-Benítez, V. García-Prieto

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 104

  
  

  Abstract

  In the digital world, social media have become important for people with disabilities in terms of communication and visibility. They have also become the ideal place for activism, as they allow the self-representation of disability by the content creators themselves. This social group, traditionally segregated and discriminated against, has seen in these platforms a tool to promote social inclusion and confront the dominant discourse. This paper explores the social media Instagram as a space for communication and visibility of instagrammers with disabilities from Europe and Latin America. The main objective of the research is to analyse the publications of Spanish-speaking influencers with physical disabilities to establish if there are similar characteristics or if there are significant differences in the uses they make of Instagram’s functions and how disability is represented in their profiles. Through quantitative, descriptive, and statistical research, a content analysis was carried out of 400 publications corresponding to 10 Instagram profiles, all of them of microinfluencers and macroinfluencers with physical disabilities who had different types of business collaborations. The results show that disability is visible in 85% of the publications, whether in the photos or videos shared, in the text of the post, hashtags or emoticons, although it predominates to a greater extent in audiovisual content. In advertising, mentions or tags of brands stand out, much more than paid collaboration, which appears as a minority compared to other forms of promotion. The degree of influence is decisive for interactions in the form of likes and views per video or reels. Finally, the use of hashtags on inclusion and social awareness reinforces the importance of these platforms for the social integration of people with disabilities.

  Abstract
  In the digital world, social media have become important for people with disabilities in terms of communication and visibility. They have also become the ideal place for activism, [...]

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• Inflaming public debate: a methodology to determine origin and characteristics of hate speech about sexual and gender diversity on Twitter

  S. Arce-García, M. Menéndez-Menéndez

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 103

  
  

  Abstract

  This article is focused on the reproduction of ideologically charged messages whose origins or interests remain hidden from public opinion. There is an urgent need for transparency regarding polarised debates that deform, impede or distort the critical approach that any society should be able to construct concerning issues of great social interest, especially on social media platforms and networks. Research has shown that hostility has colonised digital communication through misogynist, homophobic, transphobic or xenophobic messages, among others, and that, for the most part, these are not spontaneous or individual interactions. In the virtual space, there are forces that, although invisible outside it, construct narratives, generate disinformation and feed generally regressive ideological approaches. Thus, in the name of transparency and social justice, there is an urgent need to investigate these types of messages, as well as their possible destabilising interests at a time of special presence and reputation of discourses such as the feminist one, which is currently experiencing a significant reactionary response. This paper investigates the origin and characteristics of the conversation on the social network Twitter concerning gender and sexual identities. To this end, we studied a significant sample of tweets (>1 million) related to women’s rights, the LGBTIQ+ collective and trans people, for a full year. Computerised methodologies by means of machine learning techniques, natural language processing (NLP), determination of bots, geolocation, and the application of network theories were used to carry out the study. The results include the highly interrelated presence of groups without clear referents, as well as the existence of what appear to be coordinated networks aimed at causing harm and provoking confrontation.

  Abstract
  This article is focused on the reproduction of ideologically charged messages whose origins or interests remain hidden from public opinion. There is an urgent need for transparency [...]

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• Paradigm changes and new challenges for media education: Review and science mapping (2000-2021)

  I. Aguaded, S. Civila, A. Vizcaíno-Verdú

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 102

  
  

  Abstract

  Information, communication, and digitalization technologies have driven the unlimited access to knowledge, thereby promoting creativity, economic and cultural development, and the emergence of a global world at breakneck speed over recent decades. Across its multiple dynamics, this digital revolution has opened new educational opportunities that are closely connected to emerging technologies and, recently, to artificial intelligence. These advances have had an unexpected impact on people’s lives, altering the values of society and our understanding of the role of education and the modern school in this scenario of global communication. In this context, media education arises from the clear influence of electronic devices and digital technology on society. The aim of this study is to review our understanding of the scientific relevance of the terms “media education” and “educommunication” during the last two decades to describe its evolution on the basis of its terms, locations, thematic stages, and methodological approaches using a systematic quantitative–qualitative review of 598 articles collected from the Web of Science between 2000 and 2021. The results suggest that such scientific interest can be divided into two stages, viz. reflections on media education in its terminological diversity (2000–2012) and measurement, implementation, training, and educommunicative digitization in terms of technological–digital development (2013–2021). We conclude that studies in this transdisciplinary field, which have historically been spread across North and South America, Europe, North Africa, and the North/South East Asia–Pacific region, have broadened their perspective from early criticism of media education to consider the “glocalization” of media education, directing interest toward the cultural digitization of the Global South, algorithmic literacy, and the digital and ethical–critical (self-)management of individual and collective identity.

  Abstract
  Information, communication, and digitalization technologies have driven the unlimited access to knowledge, thereby promoting creativity, economic and cultural development, [...]

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• Use and adoption of digital educommunication media by university professors during the Covid-19 pandemic: cases of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Autonomous University of Chihuahua

  R. Rey-Ronquillo, J. Machin-Mastromatteo

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 101

  
  

  Abstract

  This article analyzes the educational use of digital educommunication media (DEM) by four groups of professors working at the faculties of Philosophy and Letters and of Engineering at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (UACH) and at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Seven hypotheses and three research questions were posed, which were related to the use of DEM (specifically: images, animations, and video; presentations (PowerPoint/Prezi); digital texts; the Cloud; social media/instant messaging; and email), their qualities and the differences regarding their use, among the different groups studied. A two-phase mixed-methods explanatory sequential approach was employed, with a first phase of quantitative data collection and a second qualitative phase. A stratified sample of 177 professors was selected, which was distributed proportionally between the two selected faculties and universities. All professors completed a 144-item questionnaire in the first phase, and on the basis of their answers, ten professors were selected to be interviewed in the second phase, to ensure the diversity of the interviewed group in terms of sex, age, faculty, and educational level at which they teach, as well as their teaching experience and experience in the use of DEM. Among the results, we found that: a) the choice between using DEM or traditional media in class was not determined by teachers’ perception about their students’ learning with technology; b) the characteristics of each DEM determined its use, but the use of a given DEM was not related to the activities that it could enable; c) the professors exclusively teaching in graduate programs, the younger ones, those from UNAM, or those of Engineering did not present significant differences to their counterparts in terms of their use and assessment of DEM; and d) the qualitative data reaffirmed these trends and helped typify the challenges and opportunities of using DEM, particularly those that arose from the period of the exclusively online education model that was adopted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Abstract
  This article analyzes the educational use of digital educommunication media (DEM) by four groups of professors working at the faculties of Philosophy and Letters and of Engineering [...]

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• Digital footprints of Kashmiri Pandit migration on Twitter

  F. Gulzar, S. Gul, M. Mehraj, S. Bano, M. Thelwall

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 100

  
  

  Abstract

  The paper investigates changing levels of online concern about the Kashmiri Pandit migration of the 1990s on Twitter. Although decades old, this movement of people is an ongoing issue in India, with no current resolution. Analysing changing reactions to it on social media may shed light on trends in public attitudes to the event. Tweets were downloaded from Twitter using the academic version of its application programming interface (API) with the aid of the free social media analytics software Mozdeh. A set of 1000 tweets was selected for content analysis with a random number generator in Mozdeh. The results show that the number of tweets about the issue has increased over time, mainly from India, and predominantly driven by the release of films like Shikara and The Kashmir Files. The tweets show apparent universal sup-port for the Pandits but often express strong emotions or criticize the actions of politicians, showing that the migration is an ongoing source of anguish and frustration that needs resolution. The results also show that social media analysis can give insights even into primarily offline political issues that predate the popularity of the web, and can easily incorporate international perspectives necessary to understand complex migration issues.

  Abstract
  The paper investigates changing levels of online concern about the Kashmiri Pandit migration of the 1990s on Twitter. Although decades old, this movement of people is an ongoing [...]

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• The branded podcast as a new brand content strategy. Analysis, trends and classification proposal

  N. García-Estévez, M. Cartes-Barroso

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (5), 99

  
  

  Abstract

  Podcasting is all the rage. The distribution of audio content has recently gained great momentum on a personal, media and business level. In this context, brands have begun to see the opportunity to use this communication tool to connect with the audience and generate emotional bonds through attractive content. However, there are still few studies that take a rigorous look at branded podcast. This research explores the phenomenon of podcasting as branded content in Spain and Latin America, making a radiography of the current situation of the branded podcast, from a mixed approach, delimiting its features, observing some trends and making a proposal for classification (according to the type of brand involvement, according to formal criteria and basic descriptors of the podcast, according to content, functional and narrative criteria, and according to the nature of the sponsoring company and its relation to the production of the podcast). The search for and analysis of branded podcasts is the main work of this research, with a sample of 100 podcasts, differentiating the branded podcast from other typologies such as podcast sponsorship, corporate podcasts and institutional podcasts. Among the results we highlight the variety of styles and themes in their own sound content, all of them linked to a greater or lesser extent to the business sector of the companies. In addition, these podcasts are broadcast on their websites and audio platforms and are more educational and informative than entertaining. It is therefore an approach to branded podcasting with a proposal for classification that aims to be a first conceptualisation of this phenomenon.

  Abstract
  Podcasting is all the rage. The distribution of audio content has recently gained great momentum on a personal, media and business level. In this context, brands have begun [...]

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• Evolution of the media: map of a discipline under construction. A review

  C. Scolari

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (2), 98

  
  

  Abstract

  The vertiginous explosion of new forms and experiences of communication that have emerged in the last 30 years cannot be compared with other moments in the history of humanity. The rapid transformation of the media ecosystem and the technological sphere in general is putting old scientific theories and models to the test. The very idea of “ecosystem” or widely used concepts such as “emergence” (of new media) or “adaptation” or even “extinction” (of old media), albeit metaphorically, point in the same direction: the development of an evolutionary theory of media change. This review article aims to map the different approaches and contributions that come together in an evolutionary theory of the media, understood for all purposes as a transdisciplinary work-in-progress. The article opens with a reflection on the processes of theoretical construction, continues with a map of Media Ecology –a “field of inquiry” inspired by the works of Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman– and concludes this first approach with the authors who worked on the evolutionary dimension of media change. It could be said that the evolutionary theory of the media already exists, but it is scattered in countless texts and investigations waiting to be articulated. The article concludes with a first identikit of the Evolution of the Media, understood as a theoretical field under construction but more than necessary to understand the past and contemporary transformations of the media ecosystem.

  Abstract
  The vertiginous explosion of new forms and experiences of communication that have emerged in the last 30 years cannot be compared with other moments in the history of humanity. [...]

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• Podcast fandom in Europe: Audio audiences’ participation in a digital context

  M. Mañas-Pellejero, E. Paz

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (5), 97

  
  

  Abstract

  Podcasts are an increasingly popular form of sound media that generate active listeners and fandom around them. These programmes present an opportunity for scholars to analyse not only new forms of consumption around convergent and on-demand media, but also the particular phenomenon of fandom related to audio productions in the current digital context. Scholars have mainly focused on studying how fandoms use podcasts to create content rather than on podcast fandoms. This paper analyses podcast fandoms in Europe, what distinguishes them from other active audiences, and how they engage with this digital media through online tools. To explore this, a method of triangulation is used, relying on content and netnography analysis, and both top-down and bottom-up strategies are considered across the biggest European markets. Results show that around a third of the podcasts in the sample have an active fandom that engages with these programmes through social media, primarily on Instagram, through the creation of content. This content usually highlights the brand identity of the podcasts through the creation of fan art and fan accounts, and that there are more consistencies across European fandoms than exist across European audiences. This suggests that social media sites, and particularly Instagram, are used by fandoms across Europe in an equivalent way to extend their textual productivity and that this is still what distinguishes audiences from fans. These findings have important implications for scholars and producers alike, both to build upon the knowledge of reception and fan studies and to understand how to encourage fandom engagement on social media sites.

  Abstract
  Podcasts are an increasingly popular form of sound media that generate active listeners and fandom around them. These programmes present an opportunity for scholars to analyse [...]

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• Roles and digital identities on Twitter and Instagram: An ethnographic study of Chilean journalists

  C. Mellado

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (4), 96

  
  

  Abstract

  On the basis of a digital ethnography and in-depth interviews with Chilean journalists, this study analyzes how news professionals reinterpret and redefine their professional roles on Twitter and Instagram through their practices and discourse, building different digital identities. The results of our analyses show that Twitter and Instagram strengthen and render a more complex construction of journalists’ digital selves, allowing them to build a multi-dimensional identity that goes beyond the framework defined by the media in which they work through the performance of emerging and more traditional roles: (1) the service role becomes a resource for creating community-oriented identities and for helping to resolve individuals’ everyday challenges; (2) the celebrity role supports the construction of an identity that plays with distances and social status, distinguishing and differentiating the journalist from others; (3) the promoter role allows them to promote their work and that of their media outlets as well as products and services, which generates a material benefit and gives the practices an instrumental meaning; and (4) the joker role allows them to entertain the audience and engage in a playful and critical way of observing the world through humor, irony, and sarcasm. Journalists make these roles compatible and decide which they want to use depending on their target audience and the specific platform used, validating certain practices and media strategies. In the case of Twitter, we observe a reinterpretation of traditional practices, and on Instagram we found a clearer redefinition of journalistic roles.

  Abstract
  On the basis of a digital ethnography and in-depth interviews with Chilean journalists, this study analyzes how news professionals reinterpret and redefine their professional [...]

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• Influence of government communication on risk perception. An analysis based on the context of the sixth wave of Covid-19 in Madrid

  I. Crespo-Martínez, A. Mora-Rodríguez, J. Rojo-Martínez

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 95

  
  

  Abstract

  Risk theorists have frequently discussed the discursive construction of risk perception. In particular, the effect of media consumption on increasing the subjective perception of risk has been highlighted. Not much is known about how government communication affects citizens’ impressions and attitudes in this area, something that this research seeks to address. During the sixth wave of Covid-19, triggered by the emergence of the Omicron variant, government discourse shifted from initial concern to what has become known as the “influenzaisation” paradigm, an attempt to normalise the disease. Based on the results of a survey carried out in January 2022 amongst 664 citizens of the Community of Madrid, we sought to demonstrate, using binary logistic regression (BLR) models, to what extent the degree to which the citizens of Madrid internalised the government’s thesis of “influenzaisation” was related to a lower perception of risk. Similarly, the aim is to show whether agreement with the “influenzaisation” thesis also favoured positions that were less inclined to restrictions, so that government communication succeeded in reducing the social demand for measures. Finally, the study evaluates the predictive character of ideology on levels of risk perception and attitudes towards restrictive measures. The findings indicate that acceptance of the “influenzaisation” story led to a lower perception of risk and, as a consequence, reduced support for restrictive measures among those most exposed to this thesis. The discursive articulation of risk in government communication becomes a central element of crisis management and the strategic formulation of “risk de-escalation” or “post-risk” messages.

  Abstract
  Risk theorists have frequently discussed the discursive construction of risk perception. In particular, the effect of media consumption on increasing the subjective perception [...]

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