Abstract

This work analyzes the use of the social network Instagram by Spanish deputies in the present legislature (initiated in 2016), and pays special attention to the management of the posts and the possible strategies of humanization developed in that eminently visual media. A content analysis was carried out, complemented by a qualitative analysis; this allowed to address several aspects, such as the degree of use by the deputies, the representation of space, the degrees of intimacy, and the style of communication. It was found that the use of Instagram played with the illusion of closeness and access to private and intimate aspects of the deputies’ lives, and above all, Instagram showed them as common people. Deputies’ usage revealed a conventional aspect of Instagram —the social network holds great possibilities for political communication

Abstract

The analysis of data from social media and the measurement of the influence of its users are topics of increasing importance from different points of view, including the academic and the economic. In this paper we propose a reflection towards the creation of comprehensive algorithms for the measurement of influence through the analysis of data generated in the interactions of social media users, as well as the detection of new business models on the Net. To do so, the paper reflects on the concept of influence in social media and the role of information and communication professionals in its measurement and analysis, describes several instruments used to measure influence, and presents the project SocialEngagement, a web platform for the analysis and detection of referents, opinion makers and trends.

Abstract

The archaeological sites of Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain), declared World Heritage Site in 2000, stand out for their international repercussion due to the scientific results on human evolution. The aim of science socialization has lead to different communication policies, one for scientific dissemination and another for society dissemination. Although there is no specific transmedia communication plan, all communication resources are taken into advantage, to the extent of creating the Atapuerca Universe. This Universe works as a transmedia model, where prosumers acquire a leading role disseminating contents. The expansion generated from above by the producers is therefore complemented with the expansion from below made by the prosumers, sharing, expanding, modifying and generating new contents. This paper demonstrates that transmedia strategies are applicable to scientific projects.

Abstract

Instagram has become an important tool for the production and distribution of political images. Our objective is to analyze its strategic management in a context of political and institutional crisis. Based on our own model of content analysis, nine thematic and formal categories associated with the spectacularization of politics during the most intense phase of the independence process in Catalonia, between June 2017 and April 2018, have been reviewed. The sample includes 188 images published by the top 10 leaders of the Catalan and Spanish political map, both in votes of their parties and followers Instagram. The results show a regular political use characterized by intense personalization and orientation towards professional issues. In addition, a use of spectacular resources is detected, such as emotional appeal, the hybridization of spaces, and the experimentation with expressive filters.

Abstract

Aunque el fenómeno de la sexualización infantil ha motivado numerosas investigaciones durante los últimos años, muy pocas han estudiado cómo lo perciben los adultos, y ninguna lo ha estudiado a partir de las impresiones que provocan las fotografías de niñas sexualizadas en las redes sociales. A partir de los resultados de una encuesta estructurada en internet a 353 personas, este trabajo demuestra que el aspecto sexualizado de las niñas en las redes sociales genera percepciones que las minusvaloran intelectual, social y moralmente. Dichas percepciones dependen del consumo de medios, del grado de auto-cosificación y de la religiosidad de las personas. AbstractAlthough the phenomenon of the sexualization of children has prompted numerous investigations in recent years, very few have studied how adults perceive it, and none has studied the sexualization of girls in photographs in social networks. This work demonstrates, from the results of a structured online survey of 353 people, that the sexualization of girls in social networks generates perceptions that undervalue girls in intellectual, social, and moral aspects. Such perceptions depend on media consumption level, degree of self-objectification, and people’s religiosity.

Abstract

Present learning ecologies are diverse and change quickly, which demands a similar observation of the phenomenon. This paper is focused on the youth emerging informal learning communities and the study’s object is to discover and characterize a new figure in this landscape, the Studygrammer. With surveys (N=256), focus groups carried out through the Philips 66 technique and analyze with Atlas ti software (thematic analysis) we analyze: practices of academic social media use amongst Communication students and apart of the institutional enviroment, plus their opinions regarding the #Studygram community, #Studygrammer profiles from different degrees are also analyzed. Main results help us to concrete a definition for Studygrammer: a student that performs a mentoring (coach-leader) role amongst peers using Instagram, not only sharing notes (highly performed) but also tips, inspiration and experiences. They have the DNA of an influencer using the same visual code and monetizating their practices but the academic goal adds some peculiarities: the visual code works as lingua franca between different knowledge areas (students of a certain degree follow studygrammers which study different degrees, because they are also interested on the know-how learning process) and in the followers’ adhesion criteria we find more rational than emotional reasons.

Abstract

Better understanding of urban travelers is necessary, as sustainable development is becoming an integral part of transportation policy and practice. A volume of research shows people’s expressed willingness to adopt more sustainable urban travel behaviours, but a general sense of resistance to change is often encountered. Current methods in transportation research are not able to fully grasp on individual motivations such as discontent with public transport. This gap of knowledge in qualitative transportation research calls for the development of new methods. James Scott’s concept of the hidden transcript allows for the assumption that there are expressions of dissatisfaction towards public transportation at grassroots level. In order to access hidden transcripts on public transportation in Stockholm there is a need for a new method, which is developed in this thesis. The proposed visual mixed method draws from principles of visual ethnography, virtual ethnography, nethnography and social media research. The methodology is then tested and assessed as a platform to give voice to hidden transcripts on public transportation. The choice of method for developing the method is meta-methodology. The discussion sheds light on the potential of the framework (1) to grant access to hidden transcripts; (2) to fill a knowledge gap in transportation qualitative research; (3) to assist planners towards sustainable development of urban transportation.

Abstract

The impact of media and social networks on users is growing. The fact that commercial activity is flooding most social networks motivates us to enquire about the success factors of posts, and to try to determine if the impact is greater or lesser depending on gender. Attracting attention and exciting the user or customer are the main objectives of advertising, especially interactive advertising. This quantitative research measures the psychophysiological signals of the attentional level and the emotional level of people taking into account gender, through Sociograph, when they visualize Instagram stories of real influencers. To measure the electrodermal activity by means of two electrodes, a measurement instrument is used which integrates the traditional register of the Electrodermal Activity (EDA) and processes the information of the individuals. A questionnaire, the screen to display the Instagram story, the Instagram stories of the influencers, a registration protocol and a record sheet of the activity sequences are used. We observed that a greater number of followers implies greater emotional activation, although it translates into negative emotions, and a greater emotional activation in men than in women, although it is they who show positive emotions towards the video and would make an act of purchase through Instagram.

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the existing literature on social networks in Ibero-America, with the objective of organizing the main topics covered, highlighting findings, and proposing future research paths. The four thematic areas that stand out are political communication and electronic government; journalism and traditional media; social groups (including adolescents and young people, those marginalized, women, entrepreneurs and influencers, students, and older adults) and areas of use (including commerce, tourism, education, health, professional communication); and political and civic participation. In addition, we review the literature from the perspective of the platforms (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat) and from the geographical regions and countries that make up Ibero-America, to observe similarities and differences. We conclude with the mention and analysis of the two most outstanding patterns of the studies examined: 1) a tendency to expect from the networks a transformative potential that is not necessarily proven, especially in the case of political communication and journalism; 2) transformative capacity of networks in the areas of tourism, education and health, in which traditional media have not been characterized by having a prominent role. Finally, we propose some paths for future studies, among them the pursuit of comparative works, the incorporation of relational perspectives in the treatment of networks, the addition of mixed, experimental and computational methodologies, and the consideration, from the research design standpoint, of the acceleration of technological change and the need to generate questions and conceptualizations capable of surviving the passage of time.