Based on the theory of personalized politics, this study examines the inaugural electoral campaign seen on TikTok during the March 2021 elections for the 24th Knesset, providing a detailed analysis of online personalism. It offers a multimodal perspective focusing on parties and individual politicians in three political echelons (Parties-Leaders-Candidates); political output data and users’ engagement metrics; and personalism types (individualization/privatization) on individual politicians’ videos. The findings reveal a nuanced political platform. When discussing political content (output), TikTok stands out from other social media platforms by creating a depersonalized environment where political parties excel over individuals. This is achieved through a clever strategy that involves youth groups managing the accounts to actively engage with users, and to maximize the platform’s potential. Centralized personalism is evident within the party’s internal dynamics. Regarding engagement, TikTok replicates the patterns of personalized politics observed on other social media platforms with a clear mode of centralized personalism patterns of engagement. When discussing personalism types, we have distinguished a hybrid third category of personalized videos that integrate elements of both individualization and privatization and are linked to the distinctive affordances of TikTok. This study highlights how TikTok serves a dual purpose in political campaigns by engaging with younger demographics and strengthening established party frameworks. The implications suggest a complex interaction between traditional political dynamics and new media platforms, emphasizing the complex adaptation of political communication in the digital age.
This paper presents a narrative review describing the challenges of adopting artificial intelligence tools for audiovisual communication, identifying issues related to the ethics, control, transparency and legal framework. We make a critique of the term and delimit the research to generative neural-network-based computational processes. The problems are examined in three proposed areas: the input, which includes the training material; the process, which deals with the systems necessary to run these services, their development and control; and the output, in which the use of generated artifacts is analysed. International legal and judiciary approaches are reviewed in each step, as they are fundamental for the development of the study. Finally, some hypothetical future scenarios based on current AI debates are imagined, which help readers foresee possible situations regarding the use of generative systems. We conclude that although it is unstoppable that these technologies are adopted, their use might have some limitations, regulations or conditions. More importantly, the general use of AI tools will bring a shift in the way we produce and consume information. While we can clearly foresee dramatic increases in productivity, it is not clear how this production will be accepted by society. On one hand, studies have already revealed that subjects rank AI-generated content higher than content made by humans. On the other hand, the plethora of artificial media might provoke an overall rejection of the digital world.
El trabajo analiza la estructura de gobernanza de Meta, sus políticas de moderación de contenidos entre 2018 y 2025 y sus implicancias para el debate público en América Latina desde la perspectiva de la Economía Política de la Comunicación y los Derechos Humanos. Para ello, combina análisis documental, entrevistas y revisión de declaraciones de organizaciones y expertos regionales en derechos digitales. Concluye que el sofisticado diseño institucional de moderación presenta déficits estructurales para América Latina. Entre ellos, una escasa incidencia regional en el total de casos estudiados y, particularmente en los de desinformación electoral. Además, advierte el desfasaje entre el rol del Oversight Board y el desarrollo de políticas empresariales. El cambio implementado en 2025 supone mayor automatización y externalización de la responsabilidad de moderación hacia los usuarios, a partir de una concepción maximalista de la libertad de expresión. En América Latina, esto representa un riesgo para los procesos electorales. La estrategia de Meta evidencia la insuficiencia sistémica de la autorregulación empresarial como mecanismo de protección de derechos y la necesidad de marcos regulatorios con enfoque de derechos humanos y mayor transparencia sobre la arquitectura de la plataforma.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already become an inherent part of newsrooms, so how professionals perceive it is crucial in determining its impact. Through semi-structured interviews (n=21) with executives, technicians, and journalists from 8 leading media outlets in the United Kingdom, this article reflects a wide range of perspectives, almost never defined by professional roles, but converging in the figure of a professional eager for knowledge, unafraid, and adopting a critical stance. A swift development of this technology is anticipated, with a profound impact on business models that will reshape the labor market, and where the relationship with tech giants will be pivotal. The production of quality content, the balance between personalization and public interest, and the fight against disinformation will be critical factors. Understanding and contextualizing the opinions of journalism professionals on the impact of AI is one way to help steer the consequences of this profound industrial transformation.
El influencer advertising sobre cuerpo y dieta en redes sociales (RR.SS.) causa preocupación debido a su impacto potencial en la salud física y emocional del adolescente. Esta publicidad suele promover el uso de productos no saludables y estándares de figuras corporales inalcanzables, dos razones que amenazan el bienestar del menor. Además de sus limitaciones para reconocer esta publicidad, que le impiden adoptar una actitud crítica frente a ella. Este estudio analiza la asociación entre la exposición a esta publicidad en YouTube, Instagram y TikTok; y la autopercepción, satisfacción y relevancia social del aspecto física. Así se aplicó una encuesta representativa a nivel nacional, a 1020 adolescentes de 11 a 17 años de Perú. Los resultados revelan una alta exposición, amplias autodiscrepancias entre figura ideal y actual, considerable insatisfacción y gran relevancia social del aspecto físico. Además, una asociación inversa entre la exposición en Instagram y TikTok, y la autopercepción de su figura ideal y satisfacción; pero directa con la relevancia social. Este estudio aporta conocimiento empírico relevante que ayudaría a la formulación de regulaciones más específicas y políticas públicas para la protección del menor. Asimismo, facilitaría la inclusión del tema en la agenda pública nacional y la alfabetización publicitaria digital del menor.
Despite extensive research on disinformation, its societal impact remains uncertain. Previous studies have primarily focused on the spread of disinformation, especially on platforms like Twitter, or on how exposure influences attitudes. Additionally, research has examined disinformation's effect on voting behaviour during major electoral events. Our research contributes to ongoing debates about the spread and impact of disinformation by adopting a narrative-based approach, allowing us to examine how disinformation narratives, rather than isolated pieces of content, permeate public opinion during the 2021 Catalan elections, held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaborating with a leading fact-checking organization, we identified key disinformation narratives and conducted a survey (N = 1650) to evaluate their impact. Findings reveal that the spread of disinformation during the 2021 Catalan elections was significant, with most narratives reaching over 50% of respondents. However, the impact on belief was lower, with only a few narratives being trusted by a substantial portion of the public. The study also highlights that prior exposure to disinformation increases the likelihood of believing it, aligning with previous experimental research. While ideological orientation influences belief in disinformation, it is less critical than prior exposure, and its effect varies depending on the narrative’s topic. Our results underscore the need for future research to explore the “repetition effect” and the role of different media formats in amplifying disinformation, as well as to consider societal factors like age and gender in understanding trust in disinformation.
This paper presents a theoretical concept of “Technology Ownership” and outlines five dimensions that are relevant in the context of technology investment decisions: “Technology Investment Scope”, “Technology Investment Breadth/Variety”, “Technology Investment Depth”, “Technology Investment Exclusivity”, and “Technology Investment Earliness”. These dimensions and a resulting “Technology Ownership Score” are measured and applied in an empirical study to analyse almost 2,000 AI investments and acquisitions of 64 large digital and media companies over the past 23 years (from 2000 to 2023). The study examines the transformative role of AI in the media industry, emphasizing the ownership of AI technologies as a key factor influencing future market structures and competitiveness. The study concentrates on the strategic actions of leading digital and media companies, their investments and acquisitions in the field of AI, and the distribution of power through technological ownership structures. Five patterns of “AI-Technology Ownership” can be observed among leading digital and media companies. Most important: While the major digital conglomerates, notably Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon, dominate the field of AI technology, it is becoming evident that legacy media outlets are becoming increasingly reliant on these digital corporations due to the growing influence of AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a concept with fluid and evolving definitions, varying not only across technical and scientific disciplines but also within public discourse, where social media platforms play an increasingly influential role in shaping these interpretations. This study explores how Spanish-language YouTube content creators define and explain AI, thereby contributing to the construction of public imaginaries surrounding this technology. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study employs computational tools to extract a dataset of Spanish-language YouTube videos addressing the question “What is Artificial Intelligence?” (n=514). A thematic analysis of videos with over 10,000 views (n=31) identifies the dominant narratives, metaphors, and discursive strategies used to define AI and frame its implications. Findings reveal that YouTube content creators frequently anthropomorphize AI, depicting it as possessing human-like intelligence, reasoning, and decision-making abilities. While this framing enhances accessibility, it often leads to oversimplifications and conceptual distortions. Additionally, technical explanations of AI’s underlying mechanisms are notably scarce. This study identifies two dominant thematic clusters: (1) AI as a revolutionary force that augments human capabilities and drives economic productivity, and (2) concerns regarding AI-induced job displacement, privacy risks, misinformation, and dystopian scenarios. Alarmist narratives—portraying AI as surpassing human intelligence or gaining autonomous control over critical systems—are particularly prevalent, reflecting broader socio-technical imaginaries about its trajectory. These findings underscore the significant role of social media platforms in shaping public perceptions of AI, revealing that prevailing narratives among YouTube content creators are not primarily informed by scientific knowledge but rather by the recirculation of pre-existing ideas and platform-specific media logics.
This research examines the news consumption in the context of social network sites by Communication university students in South Florida (United States of America), analyzing their habits, motivations, and perceptions within the context of a rapidly evolving media ecosystem. The research, based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory, explores how this Generation Z satisfies their informational needs in the digital environment. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines 243 surveys of students, a focus group with nine graduates on Communication, and nine in-depth interviews with legacy media executives. The results reveal that the majority of students prefer to get informed through social network sites, spending several hours a day on these platforms, with Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube being the most popular. Paradoxically, although they trust legacy media more and recognize their higher standard of professionalism and ethics compared to other online content, they barely consume them, limiting themselves to incidental or indirect use. Graduates show similar patterns, with predominantly digital consumption, though they demonstrate a more critical attitude toward information on social media. Meanwhile, media professionals acknowledge the technological skills and digital fluency of Generation Z as valuable assets in modern newsrooms but identify significant deficiencies in traditional journalistic skills, expressing concerns about source verification, depth of research, and the ability to contextualize information. The study concludes that Generation Z is significantly transforming the media landscape, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the journalism industry.
Tom Wolfe outlined the fundamental principles of New Journalism in a 1973 book of the same name. He observed that when one attempted to identify the origins of the movement, it was challenging to locate journalists who had engaged in similar pursuits, as they were primarily essayists, autobiographers, or, more directly, did not specialize in nonfiction writing (Wolfe 1973, 42). Nevertheless, several critics and writers have identified the Spanish journalist Manuel Chaves Nogales (Seville 1897 – London 1944) as an important precursor of the New Journalism. In this context, other academics have proposed that it might be more accurate to refer to this kind of journalism as “literary journalism”. This article employs a content analysis of Chaves Nogales’ first nonfiction novel, El maestro Juan Martínez que estaba allí (1934), to ascertain the extent to which he was already utilizing the techniques that Wolfe deemed appropriate to the New Journalism and, if so, how we might categorize it. Chaves Nogales had already employed the techniques of the New Journalism forty years prior to the publication of Wolfe’s book. These included the use of scenes, the introduction of dialogue in its entirety, the third-person point of view, and the inclusion of significant details that reveal the personality of the story’s protagonists. Considering the era in which he produced his work and the defining features of his journalistic heritage, it is fitting to regard Chaves Nogales as a paragon of the literary journalist.
The article discusses the practices of creativity, where the aesthetics of conscious error is transferred to the realm of algorithms. Taking the perspective of artificial stupidity as a point of reference, the article analyzes the conditions of creativity in an algorithmic culture through close reading methodology. As one of the practices of artificial stupidity, the article discusses jailbreaks, the purpose of which is to deliberately confuse large language models, forcing systems to behave outside the intended purpose defined by the manufacturer. The article puts forward the idea that jailbreaks are a new type of dual-purpose narratives, which, on the one hand, act as a technical tool that breaks the limitations of algorithmic media, and, on the other hand, they are significant structures, facing the user and performing a certain function of self-reflection. The article formulates the narratological structure of jailbreaks, highlights their similarity to the narrative structure of conspiracy theories and raises the question for discussion: can the ethics of hypnosis help formulate appropriate ethics for working with artificial intelligence?
Este estudio presenta los resultados de una revisión de la literatura sobre el uso de páginas web de los museos de arte. La metodología empleada es una scoping review, siguiendo el protocolo PRISMA ScR, que permite extraer datos de forma sistematizada a partir de una búsqueda rigurosa en la base de datos Scoups, analizándose 20 publicaciones de los últimos 7 años que abordan el uso de sitios web en museos de arte contemporáneo, bellas artes y arqueología. A partir de este análisis, se identificaron cinco categorías temáticas: lenguaje, contenido, calidad, audiencia y cuestiones técnicas, enfocándose la mayor parte de los estudios en aspectos técnicos y contenidos web. A partir del estudio minucioso de cada una de las publicaciones por áreas, los resultados indican que los sitios web son vistos como herramientas de marketing, habiendo además una clara correlación entre las visitas a los sitios web y las visitas físicas en el propio museo, sugiriendo que una buena experiencia en línea puede influir en la asistencia presencial. Tanto los resultados de la propia scoping review como el análisis individual de las publicaciones recogidas en ella concluyen la necesidad urgente de investigar más sobre la calidad y accesibilidad de estas plataformas, así como de establecer un modelo estandarizado para su análisis, lo que permitiría mejorar la experiencia del usuario y fomentar una mayor interacción con el patrimonio museístico.
The increase in verbal and physical aggressions directed at Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and after has brought into focus a need to understand the reasons for such aggressions and identify interventions. Our study addresses these needs by investigating whether photographs accompanying a news report depicting Asian Americans positively or negatively in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic activate positive or negative perceptions of Asian Americans and whether the valence of the photographs differentially influences intent to intervene in anti-Asian aggressions. In a 2 (image: positive vs. negative) X 2 (political ideology: liberal vs. conservative) mixed between-subject online experiment with adult white Americans, we found that liberals showed more positive perceptions and greater intent to intervene with the negative photos compared to the positive photos, while conservatives showed more negative perceptions and lower intent to intervene with the negative photos. Implications of these findings for activation and activation control theories of primes and biases are discussed. Some recommendations on how the results might guide media content providers to mitigate the spread of anti-Asian aggressions are also provided.
La transición hacia modelos colaborativos está transformando la gestión de la verificación de desinformación en redes sociales. Este estudio analiza todas las Notas de la Comunidad en español publicadas en X, examinando su evolución temporal, distribución temática, patrones de participación, tiempos de aprobación y funcionamiento del consenso mediante análisis descriptivo y modelado de tópicos. Los resultados muestran un crecimiento sostenido del sistema y una concentración temática en política, economía, seguridad y migración. La participación sigue una distribución de tipo ley de potencia, con un núcleo reducido de usuarios muy activos y una mayoría amplia de colaboradores ocasionales. Los tiempos de aprobación presentan demoras significativas derivadas del algoritmo de consenso transversal, lo que limita la intervención temprana. El sistema opera como un mecanismo complementario de detección y contextualización, aunque su eficacia se ve condicionada por la polarización temática, la desigualdad participativa y la lentitud del consenso.
Fact-checking is not new in journalism, nor is disinformation a novel threat to newsrooms. Yet, the digital information overload poses new challenges to verification practices. In this context, fact-check platforms have gained relevance, including geographical contexts marked by polarization such as Southern Europe. This article presents a systematic review of 108 peer-reviewed articles on fact-checking, published between 2020 and 2023 in Southern Europe and indexed in Scopus. Specifically, we analyze trends, practices, methodologies, topics covered and main empirical findings. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Most publications originate from universities in Spain (74%), where research emphasizes journalistic practices. Italian studies often focus on the intersection of fact-checking and artificial intelligence, while Portuguese contributions lack thematic specificity. Our findings also suggest statistically significant variations from country to country, meanwhile, research objectives typically revolve around fact-checking guidelines and disinformation narratives, though the effectiveness of fact-checking remains underexplored, partly due to methodological limitations. Quantitative methods, especially content analysis, dominate the corpus, frequently using fact-checking content as data sources. The study highlights the need to expand fact-checking research in Southern Europe, suggesting more diverse methodological approaches and broader thematic agendas. Additionally, qualitative insights are especially needed to deepen understanding in this field.
This study examines the transformation of the Slovenian media field from the press crisis of the early 2010s to the present, focusing on horizontal and vertical integration strategies employed by media entities and their effects on public communication in an increasingly competitive attention economy. The research situates Slovenia’s media system within broader regional trends, including de-Westernization characterized by Western media disinvestment, the emergence of domestic oligarchs acquiring foreign ownership, and the proliferation of politically instrumentalized media networks (party press). Conceptually, the study contrasts the political economy of “hybrid” media companies—shaped by technological advancements, competitive pressures, and profit-driven imperatives—with the normative role of media as a democratic pillar that ensures credible information and fosters public participation. This tension highlights the inherent conflict between commercial priorities, which emphasize revenue and market dominance, and democratic ideals, which envision the media as a watchdog and a forum for public debate. Employing social network analysis—an underutilized method in media ownership research—the study reveals a highly concentrated media market with significant shifts in ownership over the last decade. Findings show a decline in print media, substantial growth in online media, and increasing ownership consolidation around a small number of individuals, resulting in a more centralized media landscape. By comparing data from 2010 and 2022, the study identifies key media clusters that dominate the field, including local conglomerates, regional media giants, and politically affiliated media networks, emphasizing their visibility and influence in shaping the Slovenian media landscape.
In the digital media era, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy that not only employs persuasive content but also triggers psychological responses, profoundly influencing consumer behavior. This study examines the relationship between exposure to social media influencer content and consumers’ purchase intentions by employing a sequential mediation model including Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and perceived self-enhancement. The proposed model suggests that such exposure may be associated with FOMO, which in turn could be related to purchase intention via perceived self-enhancement. The data were collected through an online survey conducted among 441 social media users in Turkey who actively follow influencers and subsequently analyzed using regression techniques and the PROCESS Macro by Hayes (Models 4 and 6). The results indicate that exposure to influencers is significantly associated with both FOMO and perceived self-enhancement, with both variables being related to purchase intention through direct and indirect pathways. Notably, FOMO functions as both a partial mediator and a precursor that activates perceived self-enhancement motives. These findings offer theoretical contributions to the emotional and motivational aspects of digital consumer behavior, while also providing practical insights for brands aiming to design psychologically resonant marketing messages.
This study shed light on the process of activation and implementation of iVerify, a UNDP-enabled fact-checking initiative, across five countries in sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. A content analysis of 1093 fact-checking materials revealed main themes and the scope of factually accurate and inaccurate news distributed in these countries during the election cycles and beyond. The findings also demonstrated how the fact-checking process was institutionalized and discussed similarities and differences in the implementation of this initiative. The analysis showed that fact-checkers not only played an active role as gatekeepers identifying which news to fact-check (e.g., identifying which news needs to be double checked for integrity and possible debunking), but also played an active role in shaping the information flow through verifying the information and making decisions which sources to use to confirm or debunk the news. Thus, fact-checkers had considerable power over final verdicts and over labeling news as true, false, or misleading. Such power further challenged the traditional gatekeeping process of not only traditional media but also digital media and influencers whose narratives gained traction before fact-checkers could intervene.
The emergence of aspirational fashion and sustainable luxury brands occurs against the backdrop of growing environmental misinformation and greenwashing in today’s communicative ecology. At the same time, various social media platforms (e.g., X) have introduced hybrid verification systems that include Community Notes and combine automated assessments with crowd-sourced judgments. In light of this phenomenon, this paper presents an empirical investigation based on a mixed-method design, which involves (a) a theoretical review, (b) reinterpretation of two existing studies focusing on the use of AI and persuasive communication, and (c) a 2 × 2 factorial experiment (initial n = 240; valid n = 228) that tests the moderating role of Community Notes in the relationship between AI-generated messages and their credibility. According to the findings, algorithmic personalization increases persuasiveness when AI-generated messages are supported by credible information; otherwise, they heighten concerns about greenwashing. Community Notes are interpreted as epistemic signals: they increase trust when a message is authentic and trigger more critical judgment when it contradicts expectations. Based on the observations, this research contributes to the scholarly literature by introducing an AI + Community framework that conceptualizes how AI, human judgment, and crowd wisdom interact to form sustainable credibility. Possible implications of the study center on the criteria for efficient communication governance in the age of automation.
