Documents published in Scipedia

• The voice of journalism in social media: cartography and functions of the information media community manager as a new actor in journalistic communication

  A. Martín-García, Á. Buitrago, I. Aguaded

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (3), 54

  
  

  Abstract

  Within journalism, social media has become a vehicle of communication that keeps the audience up to date regarding the content they publish. To manage this relationship, the figure of the community manager, a professional directly linked to studies of Information Sciences, is indispensable, especially in Journalism and Advertising. A qualitative methodology is used on the basis of Grounded Theory in 13 telephone interviews with Spanish media community managers. The data were later treated and coded with the analysis tool Atlas.ti version 8.4.3. Journalistic community managers have quite varied functions and are in constant evolution. The perception that the quality of content published on social media has more weight than results (in the form of clicks and interactions) prevails in an environment where information is consumed at high speed, and where competence is more difficult to discern. Journalism does not have to turn to social media only as simple intermediaries for official websites; it must build up a community of users interested in the media and the current topics being disseminated. Despite communicative noise, digital platforms are perceived as positive and as an effective tool for the medium, keeping the audience informed through the community manager’s daily management as the voice of the medium. 

  Abstract
  Within journalism, social media has become a vehicle of communication that keeps the audience up to date regarding the content they publish. To manage this relationship, the [...]

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• The Role of social capital in education. Results of a survey on the individual social capital of school librarians

  M. Wojciechowska

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (6), 53

  
  

  Abstract

  Schools and school libraries play a vital role in the formation of the attitudes and behaviours of young people. Adolescence is an important period of acquisition of knowledge, socialisation, development of artistic sensitivity and enculturation, which an individual will use for the rest of his or her life. The competencies and attitudes of school and school library personnel may significantly affect the development of children and youth. It seems relevant, then, to examine their social attitudes and the level of their social capital. The paper presents the results of a survey conducted among school librarians in 20 countries around the world. The survey examined the level of their individual social capital, social attitudes and civic attitudes. According to its results, school librarians have an average level of individual social capital; however, their social capital, social activity and civic engagement are among the lowest compared with the personnel of the other types of libraries.

  Abstract
  Schools and school libraries play a vital role in the formation of the attitudes and behaviours of young people. Adolescence is an important period of acquisition of knowledge, [...]

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• Current affairs on TikTok. Virality and entertainment for digital natives

  S. Peña-Fernández, A. Larrondo-Ureta, J. Morales-i-Gras

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (1), 52

  
  

  Abstract

  Since its appearance in 2018, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms among digital natives because of its algorithm-based engagement strategies, a policy of public accounts, and a simple, colorful, and intuitive content interface. As happened in the past with other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, various media are currently seeking ways to adapt to TikTok and its particular characteristics to attract a younger audience less accustomed to the consumption of journalistic material. Against this background, the aim of this study is to identify the presence of the media and journalists on TikTok, measure the virality and engagement of the content they generate, describe the communities created around them, and identify the presence of journalistic use of these accounts. For this, 23,174 videos from 143 accounts belonging to media from 25 countries were analyzed. The results indicate that, in general, the presence and impact of the media in this social network are low and that most of their content is oriented towards the creation of user communities based on viral content and entertainment. However, albeit with a lesser presence, one can also identify accounts and messages that adapt their content to the specific characteristics of TikTok. Their virality and engagement figures illustrate that there is indeed a niche for current affairs on this social network.

  Abstract
  Since its appearance in 2018, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms among digital natives because of its algorithm-based engagement strategies, [...]

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• Coverage and distribution of altmetric mentions in Spain: a cross-country comparison in 22 research fields

  D. Torres-Salinas, N. Robinson-García, W. Arroyo-Machado

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (2), 51

  
  

  Abstract

  Since their formal proposal in 2010, various studies have been carried out on altmetrics from different perspectives and at different levels. However, the problem of the country-specific differences found in such studies has not been addressed in depth and considering the wide range of social media sources. This paper presents a cross-country comparison of altmetric coverage between Spain and a selection of 16 countries (EU-15 and the United States) in 22 research fields. All Spanish publications indexed in Web of Science that were published between 2016 and 2020, as well as all mentions of their altmetrics collected on Altmetric.com, were retrieved. The results show that, of the 434,827 Spanish publications considered, 55% are found on Altmetric.com. General altmetric coverage in Spain is similar to that in the rest of Europe and the United States, but it is in areas such as Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences where the lowest levels of coverage are found, although in the case of the latter the publications receive a higher number of mentions. Spanish publications reach a total of 3,569,553 mentions from different social media platforms, but Twitter is the main source of these mentions, accounting for 89%. Differences between research fields are also found, such as Environment & Ecology receiving a higher number of policy mentions.

  Abstract
  Since their formal proposal in 2010, various studies have been carried out on altmetrics from different perspectives and at different levels. However, the problem of the country-specific [...]

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• Profiling the most highly cited scholars from China: Who they are. To what extent they are interdisciplinary

  Y. Zhu, H. Park

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (4), 50

  
  

  Abstract

  Since the beginning of the 21st century, an increasing number of Chinese researchers have joined the ranks of the world’s top scientists. Some international organizations have observed this phenomenon and ranked the world’s top Chinese researchers. However, investigation of highly cited interdisciplinary research (IDR) scholars is insufficient, although IDR tends to have a greater social impact. Looking at the top 2% of the world’s Chinese scholars, this study analyzes the structural attributes of IDR by those top scholars in detail using network analysis, cluster analysis, block modeling, and quadratic assignment procedure analysis. The results show that the proportion of highly cited scholars in technical categories is higher than in social categories. The fields of artificial intelligence and image processing, oncology and carcinogenesis, plus neurology and neurosurgery serve as bridges across disciplines, with materials, energy, and artificial intelligence and image processing having higher eigenvector centrality. The field of social sciences has the widest range of IDR activities, but cooperation within this field is low. Forty-two of the world’s first-class universities are in China, and of the world’s top 2% scholars who come from China, 46.3% work for these institutions. The research themes of highly cited academics from World First-Class universities in China are most similar to the themes of scholars from universities in China with first-class academic disciplines. There are differences between non-university and university scholars in terms of research topics. It is suggested that the government can promote a triple-helix effect (public institute, industrial enterprise, and research school) so that organizations of different natures can produce synergistic effects.  

  Abstract
  Since the beginning of the 21st century, an increasing number of Chinese researchers have joined the ranks of the world’s top scientists. Some international organizations [...]

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• Astroturfing as a strategy for manipulating public opinion on Twitter during the pandemic in Spain

  S. Arce-García, E. Said-Hung, D. Mottareale-Calvanese

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (3), 49

  
  

  Abstract

  This work aims to establish whether astroturfing was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to manipulate Spanish public opinion through Twitter. This study analyzes tweets published in Spanish and geolocated in the Philippines, and its first objective is to determine the existence of an organized network that directs its messages mainly towards Spain. To determine the non-existence of a random network, a preliminary collection of 1,496,596 tweets was carried out. After determining its 14 main clusters, 280 users with a medium-low profile of participation and micro- and nano-influencer traits were randomly selected and followed for 103 days, for a total of 309,947 tweets. Network science, text mining, sentiment and emotion, and bot probability analyses were performed using Gephi and R. Their network structure suggests an ultra-small-world phenomenon, which would determine the existence of a possible organized network that tries not to be easily identifiable. The data analyzed confirm a digital communication scenario in which astroturfing is used as a strategy aimed at manipulating public opinion through non-influencers (cybertroops). These users create and disseminate content with proximity and closeness to different groups of public opinion, mixing topics of general interest with disinformation or polarized content.

  Abstract
  This work aims to establish whether astroturfing was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to manipulate Spanish public opinion through Twitter. This study analyzes tweets published [...]

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• Analysis of the Twitter communications of the Spanish Armed Forces and State Security Forces: an empirical model

  J. Pina

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (4), 48

  
  

  Abstract

  Social networks have become a major communication channel for organizations, including those focused on security and defense. This article specifically examines how the Spanish Armed Forces and State Security Forces communicate on Twitter, with the aim of analyzing the factors that influence engagement with their tweets. A model validated with a sample of 14,540 tweets shows the role that a series of variables related to rational and emotional communication attributes has. These variables are estimated utilizing techniques such as Python and VBA. Subsequently, a logistic model using IBM SSPS estimates the effect of each variable on the probability that a tweet will lead to more or less engagement. The results show that followers of military accounts, such as the Army, tend to have higher rates of interaction than followers of other accounts, even though military accounts have fewer total followers than police accounts. Furthermore, the results confirm the importance of using both rational and emotional stimuli for a message to be effective. To increase engagement, information provided by organizations should use elements such as hyperlinks, emojis, and photographs, and refer to topics that appeal to individuals’ emotions, such as patriotism.

  Abstract
  Social networks have become a major communication channel for organizations, including those focused on security and defense. This article specifically examines how the Spanish [...]

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• Structural analysis and evolutionary exploration based on the research topic network of a field: a case in high-frequency trading

  M. Xia, H. Huang, H. Wang, J. Lin

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (3), 47

  
  

  Abstract

  This study aims to systematically analyze the distribution dynamics of research topics and uncover the development state of the research in the specific field, which will provide a practical reference for developing professional subject knowledge services in the era of big data. The research topic network is constructed and analyzed using methods and tools of scientometrics. Basic statistics on network characteristics are performed to reveal the research status. Community detection, node ordering, and other steps are conducted to generate the evolutionary alluvial diagram. Then, relevant results are analyzed to explore the knowledge structure of the specific field and evolutionary context of research topics. Visualization analysis on the network structure of the latest period is executed to distinguish related concepts and predict the research trends. Taking high-frequency trading (HFT) as a case, this study achieves diversified scientometrics analysis of the research topic network and multi-dimensional evolution exploration of the relevant research topics in the specific field, which obtaining some knowledge insights. (1) Six major topics in HFT: liquidity & market microstructure, market efficiency, financial market, incomplete market, cointegration & price discovery, and event study. (2) The research focus about markets gradually transferred from international to emerging, meanwhile continuous attention to volatility/risk related issues. (3) The emphasis will change from theory to practice, technologies (big data, etc.) and theories (behavioral finance, etc.) will have more interaction with HFT. An effective research idea is proposed to reveal the knowledge structure of field and analyze the evolutionary context of research topics, which demonstrating the knowledge insights.

  Abstract
  This study aims to systematically analyze the distribution dynamics of research topics and uncover the development state of the research in the specific field, which will [...]

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• Audio identity in branding and brand communication strategy: a systematic review of the literature on audio branding

  M. Vidal-Mestre, A. Freire-Sánchez, D. Calderón-Garrido, A. Faure-Carvallo, J. Gustems-Carnicer

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (5), 46

  
  

  Abstract

  Brand creation and management has undergone a substantial change in recent years as a result of new communication strategies, adaptation to the digital transmedia paradigm, and interaction with consumers. The use of an audio identity as a variable in this architecture and its inclusion in the different points of contact with consumers has generated a growing interest in audio branding. This article responds to the need to establish a conceptual basis and the state of the art in order to advance in the in-depth study of the discipline through a systematic review of the literature. This review was carried out in the Web of Science databases for the 2011–2020 period. After the initial filtering, a total of 36 articles were analysed and divided into four areas of relevance: phonetics in brand names, audiovisual advertising and branding, local city or country branding, and political branding.

  Abstract
  Brand creation and management has undergone a substantial change in recent years as a result of new communication strategies, adaptation to the digital transmedia paradigm, [...]

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• Technology and democracy: the who and how in decision-making. The cases of Estonia and Catalonia

  R. Borge, J. Brugué, D. Duenas-Cid

  El profesional de la información (2022). Vol. 31, (3), 45

  
  

  Abstract

  This paper focusses on the use of technology to improve democracy, comparing the cases of Estonia and Catalonia. Both examples are closely related in their use of technology to further democratize the decision-making processes, but have opposite starting points. Estonia’s internet voting system is an offshoot of the comprehensive e-governance system developed by the Estonian government. It is meant to make it more convenient for people to vote and, thus, easier for them to take part in elections. In Catalonia, the online participation system Decidim, initially set up in the city of Barcelona, represents a bottom-up project that emerged from the 15 May protests and aims to make the representative democratic system more direct and participatory. In our comparison we approach both paradigmatic cases from a theoretical reflection on the ideal types of democracy in relation to how decisions are made and by whom. Both projects have evolved and integrated new features that draw them together. First, internet voting is able to reach wider portions of society and digitally transform the Public Administration. Second, online participation platforms increase the potential for collecting citizens’ proposals and enriching discussions. These features make them more like a mixed model which, in the current model of representative democracy, creates spaces for a more direct and deliberative democracy. 

  Abstract
  This paper focusses on the use of technology to improve democracy, comparing the cases of Estonia and Catalonia. Both examples are closely related in their use of technology [...]

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