Published by De Gruyter Mouton

Volume 46 Issue 4

Issue of Communications

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available November 5, 2021

Articles

November 5, 2021

Is YouTube being used to its full potential? Proposal for an indicator of interactivity for the top YouTuber content in Spanish

Victoria Tur-Viñes, María-José González-Río

Page range: 469-491

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between views (popularity) and social interaction generated by YouTuber videos in Spanish. A quali-quantitative analysis is conducted on a sample of 100 videos, 10 YouTube channels, 997 minutes of video, with 116,934,321 views, 12,297,021 likes/dislikes, and 1,041,191 comments on YT, 306,000 retweets/favorites on TW and 140,852 comments, shares, and reactions on FB. The existence of social media tools on YouTube does not in itself guarantee interaction by users who prefer to watch videos and adopt a passive attitude. In this analysis, we propose a social interaction indicator that takes into account the total number of social media reactions made on social networks (YT, TW, and FB) and the age of the video. Cultivating realistic conversation and interaction on platforms with audiences numbering in the millions represents a serious challenge for YouTubers.

November 5, 2021

Neighborhood hotspot and community awareness: The double role of social network sites in local communities

Jonas De Meulenaere, Bastiaan Baccarne, Cédric Courtois, Koen Ponnet

Page range: 492-515

Abstract

There is a tendency in the literature on local digital media use and neighborhood outcomes to conceptualize Social Network Sites (SNSs) as mere transmission channels, thereby ignoring SNSs’ dynamics and limiting the understanding of their role in neighborhood life. Informed by Communication Infrastructure Theory and social media literature, we propose and test a model to investigate the association between the use of SNSs, appropriated as online neighborhood networks, and neighborhood sense of community. We administered a survey to Flemish online neighborhood network users (n = 590) and found that active localized SNS use brings about an online sense of community and community awareness, which both independently lead to a neighborhood sense of community. Based on these findings, we argue that SNSs, appropriated as online neighborhood networks, function simultaneously as neighborhood hotspots in a neighborhood’s communication action context as well as community awareness media in a neighborhood’s storytelling network.

November 5, 2021

The role of sex and gender in search behavior for political information on the internet

Sabrina Heike Kessler, Klara Langmann

Page range: 516-539

Abstract

Previous studies have emphasized a person’s biological sex as a factor which influences online search behavior. This study aims to investigate how people ( N = 44 students) search online for political information ( N = 220 search tasks) and if gendered online search exists. We examined online search behavior via eye tracking while the participants searched for information about political party positions on the Internet. A content analysis of the eye tracking data followed and was evaluated with a special focus on the role of biological sex and social gender, and the relationship of both factors with other variables, such as self-reported prior political knowledge, political interest, and Internet skills (via an online survey). The results accord with previous studies in that the sex influences the online search process. However, this relationship was partially mediated by self-reported political interest and prior knowledge. This outcome calls for a more critical use of the sex variable in reference to political online search behavior, and the inclusion of sex and gender related variables.

Publicly Available November 5, 2021

Whose media are hostile? The spillover effect of interpersonal discussions on media bias perceptions

Laia Castro, David Nicolas Hopmann, Lilach Nir

Page range: 540-563

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Abstract

Since Eveland and Shah (2003) published their seminal study on the impact of social networks on media bias perceptions in the US, little has been researched about the interpersonal antecedents of hostile media perceptions. In this study we address this gap by investigating the role of safe, or like-minded, political discussions on individuals’ likelihood to perceive media as hostile. We use survey data from more than 5,000 individuals in Germany. Our findings reveal that like-minded discussions increase one’s likelihood to perceive media as hostile; yet, only among those more politically engaged and ideologically on the left. The significance and theoretical implications of the results are discussed in the concluding section.

November 5, 2021

Negativity about Europe: Does it propel parties’ media visibility?

Beatrice Eugster, Silke Adam, Severin Jansen, Michaela Maier

Page range: 564-587

Abstract

In recent decades, the prevalence of negative communication has intensified across the world. In this article, we seek to understand the mechanisms that spread negativity about a unified Europe. We study the specific conditions under which negative party communication boosts media visibility, focusing on the role of country-specific party conflicts on European Union (EU) integration. Our analysis is based on content analysis data of parties’ press releases and media coverage in the 12 weeks preceding the 2014 European Parliamentary elections in seven countries (Austria, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). We find that EU-negative party communication by and large does not matter for party visibility in the media, though the results provide scant evidence that cross-national differences relate to a country’s party conflict.

November 5, 2021

Communicating about Alzheimer’s disease: Designing and testing a campaign using a framing approach

Fátima Cuadrado, Adoración Antolí, Juan A. Moriana, Julia Vacas

Page range: 588-607

Abstract

The prevalence of negative representations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) reinforces the stigma and negative attitudes toward this dementia. To mitigate these negative views, campaigns have been launched by several organizations. This study aims to explore the effect of framing in AD campaigns on attitude change. For this purpose, several posters were designed with framed messages defining dementia (dualism, unity, and control) and 189 participants were shown the posters. In order to analyze the effect of the different frames, a repeated-measures design was used, in which attitudes toward dementia were measured three times. The impact of the campaign and the emotions it produced were recorded as well as the effects of the participants’ experience with AD and the importance they attached to it. Posters with unity-framed messages produced a positive and lasting change in attitudes toward dementia and higher levels of happiness, while dualism-framed messages had a greater impact and produced feelings of sadness, anger, and fear but did not change the audience’s attitude. Although more research is needed on persuasion in campaigns, the findings can serve to guide the design of AD campaigns.

Book review

November 5, 2021

Nikunen, K. (2019). Media solidarities. Emotions, power and justice in the digital age. London: Sage. 208 pp.

David Ongenaert

Page range: 608-610

November 5, 2021

van Dijk, J. (2020). The digital divide. Cambridge/Medford: Polity. 208 pp.

Martijn Huisman

Page range: 611-612

November 5, 2021

Leaver, T., Highfield, T., & Abidin, C. (2020). Instagram: Visual social media cultures. Cambridge: Polity Press. 264 pp.

Clare Lushey

Page range: 613-615

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 46 Issue 4

Issue of Communications

Titelseiten

Is YouTube being used to its full potential? Proposal for an indicator of interactivity for the top YouTuber content in Spanish

Abstract

Neighborhood hotspot and community awareness: The double role of social network sites in local communities

Abstract

The role of sex and gender in search behavior for political information on the internet

Abstract

Whose media are hostile? The spillover effect of interpersonal discussions on media bias perceptions

Abstract

Negativity about Europe: Does it propel parties’ media visibility?

Abstract

Communicating about Alzheimer’s disease: Designing and testing a campaign using a framing approach

Abstract

Nikunen, K. (2019). Media solidarities. Emotions, power and justice in the digital age. London: Sage. 208 pp.

van Dijk, J. (2020). The digital divide. Cambridge/Medford: Polity. 208 pp.

Leaver, T., Highfield, T., & Abidin, C. (2020). Instagram: Visual social media cultures. Cambridge: Polity Press. 264 pp.