Published by De Gruyter Mouton

Volume 42 Issue 2

Issue of Communications

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available April 2, 2017

Articles

April 2, 2017

Actor diversity and viewpoint diversity: Two of a kind?

Andrea Masini, Peter Van Aelst

Page range: 107-126

Abstract

News content diversity is generally considered to be an essential precondition for the promotion of social pluralism. However, how diversity of news content should be conceptualized and measured is less clear. We use a content analysis of newspaper articles about immigration (2013−14) in Belgium (Flanders) to measure the diversity of actors and viewpoints in the news, and to study the link between those two subdimensions of content diversity. We find that the representation of a plurality of active actors in a news article seems to go hand in hand with a more diverse range of viewpoints. The findings show that there are no significant differences in the level of actor and viewpoint diversity between quality and popular newspapers. However, the length of the article has a positive effect on providing more diversity. Moreover, our results indicate that allowing for individual immigrants to talk in the reporting is fundamental to promoting a more positive representation of immigration in the news.

April 2, 2017

Critical news reading with Twitter? Exploring data-mining practices and their impact on societal discourse

Mathias Verbeke, Bettina Berendt, Leen d’Haenens, Michaël Opgenhaffen

Page range: 127-149

Abstract

This article shows that the collaboration between social science and computer science scholars proves fruitful in enhancing conceptual and methodological innovation in research appropriate for the digital world. It presents arguments for ways in which a multi-disciplinary approach can strengthen media studies and nnovatively advance both research breadth and depth. To illustrate this interesting connection of both disciplines, we present the example analysis of large data from Twitter and discuss this analysis in a communication science research environment. We propose TwiNeR, a software tool that analyzes tweet content using an advanced language modeling approach for classifying tweets into five prototypical messages referring to ‘activities’ related to news and news sources in the Twitter network (i.e., source-fed article, user-fed article, content spread by user, other source content, other user content).

April 2, 2017

How does the radio spokesperson’s voice influence credibility?

Josefa D. Martín-Santana, Eva Reinares-Lara, Pedro Reinares-Lara

Page range: 151-172

Abstract

In radio, spokesperson credibility is a resource that can improve the effectiveness of a message, and its analysis requires the study of how voice qualities influence the listener. The aims of this study are to design and test the suitability of a scale of radio spokesperson credibility, and to analyse the effect of the phonoaesthetic function – that is, how a spokesperson’s gender, vocal pitch, accent and their interactions affect their credibility. We conducted a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design via eight radio programmes in which we inserted a radio spot as stimulus material. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 987 Spanish radio listeners, and the advertised service was blood donation. The results allowed the validation of a scale of spokesperson credibility, traditionally used in audiovisual media, formed by three dimensions (attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness), and provide several implications for the selection of a spokesperson for radio.

April 2, 2017

The dimensions of mediatized policy-making in Australian Indigenous affairs

Kerry McCallum, Lisa Waller

Page range: 173-193

Abstract

This article analyzes media-related policy-making practices in the bureaucratic realm of Indigenous affairs in Australia. It considers the implications of an increasingly media-oriented bureaucracy for particular social policies in the light of recent mediatization theory. A qualitative study explored how bureaucrats working in Indigenous affairs articulated their understanding of the news media’s role in policy development. The article identifies and describes five dimensions of mediatized bureaucratic practice – expertise, monitoring, anticipating, reacting and strategizing – and concludes that mediatized practices have permeated the very fabric of the policy-making process. It finds evidence of an increasingly intimate relationship between the logics and agendas of mainstream news media and bureaucrats working on complex and politically controversial policies. In Australia, mediatized policy-making practices contributed to both the intractability of Indigenous affairs policy and the introduction of radical policy solutions to address apparent policy failure. These findings add to the body of empirical research exploring the mediatization of policy-making and its implications for politically sensitive fields.

April 2, 2017

A gender-focused review of the effect of message source attractiveness on persuasion: Implications for marketers and advertisers

Chanthika Pornpitakpan, Qiuling Li, Siu Fong Isabel Fu

Page range: 195-237

Abstract

This study reviews research regarding the effects of source physical attractiveness on persuasion with focus on the interplay with source gender and receiver gender. Most evidence indicates that attractive female sources tend to be more persuasive than unattractive ones in attitudinal and behavioral measures. The results for male sources are equivocal, with few studies reporting the liability of male source attractiveness. Recipients’ sex is a poor predictor of source attractiveness impact for both male and female sources. The study’s contribution synthesizes decades of research on source attractiveness to suggest future research ideas for academics in marketing, psychology, and communications and to give recommendations for marketers, advertisers, and other practitioners aiming to influence people’s attitudes.

Research in brief

April 2, 2017

Materialistic girls watching a materialistic world: fashion TV series and women’s copy-cat intentions

Hilde A. M. Voorveld, Marie-Selien Fakkert, Eva A. van Reijmersdal

Page range: 239-251

Abstract

Inspired by the popularity of TV series such as Gossip Girl, The City and The Hills which revolve around the world of fashion, this article examines whether and how these series are related to young women’s willingness to purchase products that allow them to replicate the appearances of the main characters. The results demonstrated that in particular women with materialistic orientations would like to emulate the main characters. The mechanisms underlying this relation are that materialistic women watch fashion TV series to gain fashion inspiration; subsequently they watch these series more frequently, and this behavior is related to increased copy-cat intentions.

April 2, 2017

Diversity reflected? Analyzing the representation of gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation on Dutch prime time television

Serena Daalmans, Ceciel ter Horst

Page range: 253-268

Abstract

This study focused on the representation of minority groups on television, following the idea(l) that television as a mirror of society should convey a well-balanced representation of society. Results of a quantitative content analysis ( N = 325) revealed an underrepresentation of women, seniors and sexual minorities on Dutch prime time television and stereotyping in the representation of women and ethnic minorities. The results further revealed that the degrees of underrepresentation and stereotyping of the various minority groups varied between channel type as well as television genre.

Book Reviews

April 2, 2017

Book Review

Stijn Joye

Page range: 269-270

April 2, 2017

Book Review

Chengchen Li, Guiying Jiang

Page range: 271-273

April 2, 2017

Book Review

Jono Van Belle

Page range: 274-275

About this journal

Objective
Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research is an established forum for scholarship and academic debate in the field of communication science and research from a European perspective. Communication science is concerned with the investigation of the structure and function of communication processes and their impact on society, social groups and individuals. Communications highlights the concerns of this discipline through the publication of articles, research reports, review essays and book reviews on theoretical and methodological developments considered from a European perspective. The journal encompasses the entire field of communication science as its domain of interest. The contributions published in the journal cover a wide range of subfields in communication science.

Topics

Communication reseach
Structure and function of communication
Impact on society, social groups and individuals
Interpersonal communication
Intercultural communication
Mass communication
Communication theory
Philosophy of communication
Media history
Media development and communication technology

Article formats
Original articles, research reports, review essays, and book reviews

Volume 42 Issue 2

Issue of Communications

Frontmatter

Actor diversity and viewpoint diversity: Two of a kind?

Abstract

Critical news reading with Twitter? Exploring data-mining practices and their impact on societal discourse

Abstract

How does the radio spokesperson’s voice influence credibility?

Abstract

The dimensions of mediatized policy-making in Australian Indigenous affairs

Abstract

A gender-focused review of the effect of message source attractiveness on persuasion: Implications for marketers and advertisers

Abstract

Materialistic girls watching a materialistic world: fashion TV series and women’s copy-cat intentions

Abstract

Diversity reflected? Analyzing the representation of gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation on Dutch prime time television

Abstract

Book Review

Book Review

Book Review