Media & Communication

Unveiling the global hijab discourse on Instagram: A multi-layered analysis of narratives, communities and sentiments
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the global discourse on the hijab on Instagram a key platform for cultural and fashion expressions. Employing a mixed-methods approach it examines a dataset of 100000 Instagram posts to explore representations and discussions of the hijab in online communities. The study includes temporal analysis of discourse evolution text classification of narratives using advanced natural language processing (NLP) techniques like topic modelling and sentiment analysis and network analysis of community interactions. Key findings reveal the multifaceted nature of the hijab discourse encompassing themes of fashion religion and community. The temporal analysis uncovers peaks in hijab-related posts from October 2021 onwards and between May and July 2022 coinciding with Islamic events and the rise of modest fashion. Sentiment analysis indicates a generally positive and neutral perception of the hijab while emotion analysis highlights joy anticipation and trust as dominant emotions. Text classification identifies five main topics: hijab styles and fashion sizing and shipping colours and product types religion and spirituality and product orders. Network analysis visualizes the interconnected nature of these themes and communities. The study makes original contributions by shedding light on the ‘hijabista’ phenomenon representing Muslim women who blend fashion with modesty on Instagram and by demonstrating Instagram’s role in shaping contemporary hijab discourse related to identity empowerment and cultural representation. The findings enhance understanding of social media’s impact on cultural discourses and offer valuable insights into the social and cultural implications of these online narratives for scholars businesses and policy-makers.

Digital Migration, Koen Leurs (2023)
Review of: Digital Migration Koen Leurs (2023)
Los Angeles CA: Sage Publications 240 pp.
ISBN 978-1-52970-653-6 h/bk $107.50
ISBN 978-1-52970-652-9 p/bk $39.31

New media and the Language Charter: Protecting regional or minority languages in the digital age
The twenty-first century saw the rapid rise of new media increasing its share within the media mix and becoming a crucial platform for democratic debate and cultural consumption. Meanwhile provisions related to the media in the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages merely refer to traditional forms of media. This article tries to answer the question whether the Charter with its unchanged provisions can continue to fulfil its function of protecting endangered languages integrating the different forms of new media for the fulfilment member states’ obligations. Based on an analysis of the most recent monitoring reports of the Charter’s Committee of Experts this research arrives at the conclusion that the Charter is indeed fit for the digital age with both traditional and new media coming to play an important role in protecting and promoting minority and regional languages.

Exile, work-related emotions and trauma among Burundian journalists in Belgium
In 2015 many journalists left Burundi following the outbreak of violence caused by President Nkurunziza’s candidacy for a third presidential term. From abroad several managed to continue their journalistic activities through social media. In this article we present the findings of a study conducted among fifteen Burundian exiled journalists in Belgium supported by the association Ensemble-Groupe d’Aide aux Journalistes Exilés (En-GAJE). We observe how journalists understand and manage the emotions provoked by exposure to social media content in exile and we analyse their knowledge of and attitude towards post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Our study highlights that while emotions are acknowledged by Burundian exiled journalists emotional detachment remains a professional principle of reference for them; avoiding inactivity results to be the main coping strategy used to deal with work-related emotions and possible trauma and this allows them to maintain their journalistic identity and authority on social media.

Reconstruction of diversity, Iranian inclusion, Kurdish exclusion and fictions of diasporic agency: An unhyphenated citizenship in Daughters of Smoke and Fire
This article explores Ava Homa’s novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire (2020) examining how the Islamic government of Iran has stifled religious and linguistic minorities within the constructed national identity. Amidst this context authors like Homa challenge the Aryan race as the foundation of Iranian national identity striving to carve out a diasporic space within Iranian–Canadian literature that embraces Iran’s marginalized ethnicities with a particular focus on Iranian–Kurdish identity.

Material Media-Making in the Digital Age
There is now no shortage of media for us to consume from streaming services and video-on-demand to social media and everything else besides. This has changed the way media scholars think about the production and reception of media. Missing from these conversations though is the maker: in particular the maker who has the power to produce media in their pocket.
How might one craft a personal media-making practice that is thoughtful and considerate of the tools and materials at one's disposal? This is the core question of this original new book. Exploring a number of media-making tools and processes like drones and vlogging as well as thinking through time editing sound and the stream Binns looks out over the current media landscape in order to understand his own media practice.
The result is a personal journey through media theory history and technology furnished with practical exercises for teachers students professionals and enthusiasts: a unique combination of theory and practice written in a highly personal and personable style that is engaging and refreshing.
This book will enable readers to understand how a personal creative practice might unlock deeper thinking about media and its place in the world.
The primary readership will be among academics researchers and students in the creative arts as well as practitioners of creative arts including sound designers cinematographers and social media content producers.
Designed for classroom use this will be of particular importance for undergraduate students of film production and may also be of interest to students at MA level particularly on the growing number of courses that specifically offer a blend of theory and practice. The highly accessible writing style may also mean that it can be taken up for high school courses on film and production.
It will also be of interest to academics delivering these courses and to researchers and scholars of new media and digital cinema.

The dialectical relationship between the authorial and the collaborative in contemporary documentary: Perspectives from three case studies
This article discusses the intersections between authorial and collaborative work in the scope of ethnographic documentary departing from three case studies: two research projects and one citizen collective of participatory media. All case studies were developed in Porto Portugal between 2013 and 2020 focusing on the city’s invisibilities and everyday experiences searching for alternative narratives to the mainstream media when portraying its people and places. This article aims to reflect on how authorial documentary work followed by self-criticism and self-reflection can be incorporated into participatory media frameworks in productive ways. The challenges faced by the three cases are intrinsically related and have influenced each other throughout this period addressing issues related to the representational crisis; the legitimation of subjectivity and the exploration of different styles within documentary; as well as the relationships between the filmmaker the camera the subject/character portrayed and the audience. These themes are explored through a series of first-person field reports and the study of authors and directors in the field of documentary filmmaking.

Practice of networked content self-regulation in Malaysia: From industrial players to media users
Information and communication technology is reshaping the world faster than ever. In parallel with the growth of content production and publishing tools the volume of digital content has increased drastically. Malaysian authorities have established and authorized Content Forum to create a Content Code for imposing self-regulating standards on networked content. The Content Code served as the guiding principle for content creators in managing their content better. Industry players were early adopters of the Content Code. However there has not been a strong awareness of the Content Code amongst the public. This research aimed to provide insights into the extent concerning how Malaysians are empowered in making an informed selection when consuming content across multiple screens and platforms. Thus this research conducted focus group discussions and questionnaire distribution to fill this gap. The results showed that most people are aware of the Content Code but not in detail. Instead they have been selecting content intuitively based on their common sense and general knowledge. The findings of this study can provide insights to the authorities in increasing the awareness of Malaysians to exercise informed content selection when consuming networked content therefore increasing the welfare of internet users.

Filmic construction of regional Islamophobia: Rendering Kashmiri Muslims in Hindi cinema
This article examines the representation of Kashmir and its people in Hindi cinema particularly Kashmiri Muslims. Cinematic representation has contributed to a harmful perception of Muslim identity and Islam. Given the contemporary global religio-political scenario it is crucial to examine this phenomenon in promoting such perceptions about Kashmir which is often referred to as South-Asian Palestine. The methodology employs survey dialogical deconstruction and narrative analysis to unearth the implicit significances within three selected films Haider Mission Kashmir and Roja depicting the Kashmiri Muslim subjects and their effect on the youth. A survey of university youth was also conducted at three central universities in Delhi. The investigation reveals a prevalent theme of violence in these films often giving negative and biased portrayals of Kashmiris. Such conscious constructions of negative characters and narratives perpetuate Kashmirophobia – the fear or prejudice against Kashmir and its people among the youth. The portrayal of Kashmiri Muslims in Bollywood aggravates communal narratives and reinforces discriminatory views about the community affecting the perception of the audience towards Kashmiri Muslims.

Ethical communication: Exploring representations of Bedoon and migrant workers in the Kuwaiti TV show From Haram Street
This research aims to provide a critical analysis of the portrayal of migrant workers and the Bedoon in the popular Kuwaiti TV series From Haram Street (Haram Street). The research methodology employs the use of a diasporic critique to explore to what extent have TV and popular culture as technologies of power allowed workers to submit to a certain degree of domination and how television reinforces this script of dominance. Using diasporic critique the author highlights how labour migrants are displaced in reality but framed differently through popular culture. The key findings indicate that the series provides a highly stereotypical portrayal of the Bedoon and migrant worker communities. The findings also indicate that the diasporic nature of these communities – that of migrant workers and that of the Bedoon – allows for a privileged and hegemonic rhetoric that excludes domestic workers and Bedoon communities. Along with providing an insight into the feminist vernacular discourse in present-day Kuwait Haram Street series also sets in motion hegemonic rhetorics meant to keep migrant workers and Bedoon communities disciplined and excluded through technologies of domination. Particular attention in this article is paid to how Haram Street shapes our understanding of the migrant workers’ and stateless individuals’ situation in Kuwait.

Cross-cultural adaptation issues and strategies: A study of Nigerian students in China
This article focuses on cross-cultural adaptation issues among international students. Its main focus is on Nigerian students in China coming from one of the leading African countries with a pro-China policy. The increasing number of students from Africa in China is a big shift as such students would in the past prioritize Europe or North America. This new reality provides an important focus for analysing issues raised by cross-cultural exchange between two nations. The findings have wider implications as China pro-actively works not just with Nigeria but all the 54 African countries. The research relied on qualitative and quantitative research methods specifically interviews and questionnaires. It explored five dimensions of cross-cultural adaptation: natural environment and daily life adaptation language adaptation academic adaptation psychological adaptation as well as the character of communication through media between Nigerian students and Chinese people. The overall findings show unique challenges as well as opportunities available to international students in the context of cross-cultural adaptation.

Exploring variations in using emojis in digital communication in the UAE
This research aims to explore how people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) use emojis on social media and the communicative functions of emojis including gender differences in assessing appropriateness. The study is based on in-depth interviews with fifteen participants representing different gender cultural and age groups. The interviewees include six males and nine females with an age range from 18 to 45 years. The findings emphasize the importance of diversity of perspectives and sensitivities when using emojis in communication raising questions about the role of emojis in reinforcing or challenging traditional gender norms within the UAE and how individuals navigate the intricate balance between self-expression and cultural norms in their digital interactions. Moreover ‘emotional emojis’ were favoured by participants from every generation apart from those in their 20s although the specific emojis that best expressed those emotions varied. The findings also indicate the use of emoji as a cultural barometer within the digital realm of the UAE. The nuances in emoji preferences usage frequencies and interpretations across different cultural groups particularly between Emirati and non-Emirati populations vividly portray how emojis mirror the complex tapestry of cultural identity and interaction. These emojis as digital symbols emerge as profound reflections of the rich cultural dynamics that shape the UAE’s digital landscape. This study adds to the body of research on digitized communication particularly in the Arab context and contributes to understanding how emojis are used to create meaning online.

A critical inquiry into the discourses of war and occupation in the wake of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza
The aim of this article is to use one central assumption of Wittgenstein’s philosophy – language games – to review some important aspects of communication and language issues that typically have arisen in the aftermath of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. I draw specifically on a critical inquiry of purposefully selected samples of discursive and linguistic practices accompanying the war in Ukraine and the occupation of its territory by Russia and the war in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. References will also be made to the types of language games used by mainstream western media to categorize other wars and occupations discursively and socially such as those of Iraq Yemen and Afghanistan. I argue that the use of language is crucial for the understanding and representation of these wars and occupations and a cause of failure in intercultural interaction. The central argument is as follows: While language games have different senses and not all people attach the same meaning to them in case of conflict and controversy those with power attach additional or different interpretations to them in a way they think is reasonable to change or at least rearrange their meanings. According to Wittgenstein’s deliberations of language games the meaning of each of the various linguistic utterances like words sentences or symbols is defined in terms of its setting and use. To unravel how and why certain linguistic practices are reinforced and others are thwarted the article supplements Wittgenstein’s deliberations of language with Hollihan and Baaskes’ definition of rhetorical source credibility Thomas Hobbes’ ‘Leviathan discourse’ and Foucault’s notion of discourse and power.