Media - Culture - Social Communication

Public images of artificial intelligence: an overview

Karsten Weber — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only a ubiquitous topic in scholarly debates but in recent years has also received increased media and political attention. Discussions, initially strongly influenced by autonomous vehicles but currently dominated by expectations concerning generative AI such as ChatGPT, have contributed to public awareness. There are debate cycles, often characterized by a significant decline in public attention after a certain period of time, and the issue to a large extent or completely disappears from mass media’s agenda; also, they are often specific to certain countries. In this paper, a cursory cross-country overview concerning studies on media representations and the public perception of AI is provided. The use of AI in healthcare will be particularly highlighted, as there are currently high expectations regarding the benefits of AI, but other areas of application will also be considered. It will be tentatively concluded that in many countries, public perception of and public attitudes toward AI often is based on superficial knowledge and even prejudices.

Importance of Trendsetters in Terms of Clothing Style and Fashion Preferences of Young People – Preliminary Research

Mateusz Szast — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The work uses an analytical-synthetic method based on the literature on the subject as well as the results of qualitative pilot studies (structured free-form interviews) conducted among 12 respondents in July 2022. The research problem was formulated in the form of a question: Who are the trendsetters for young people (high school students) in terms of their fashion preferences and dressing style? The starting point of the work was to outline the concepts of trend, trendsetter, fashion, then present the research concept and their results, supplemented by a discussion in the discussed area. According to the respondents, a trendsetter is a person who creates and promotes new trends, a propagator of novelties in the field of fashion and style, an opinion-forming unit influencing its recipient. The respondents did not show the need to follow current fashion trends "blindly", preferring their own, individual style, in which comfort and nonchalance prevail. In most of the cases analysed, young people dressed according to their own preferences, and from trendsetters, they drew inspiration in terms of lifestyle and shaping strategies for everyday behaviour. Many people had trouble clearly naming their own style, and no answers were given for concepts such as smart casual, oversize, dress code, and preppy. Respondents treated trendsetters interchangeably with influencers. In light of literature analyses, there is a shortage of research in the discussed subject area, especially research conducted using combined methods.

Reminiscences of World War II in the “Przyjaciel” (Magazine for Older Children) in 1945–1948

Bogumiła Staniów — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The article analyses how the topic of the Second World War was discussed by a magazine for older school children immediately after regaining independence. Based on the analysis of the content of "Friend" („Przyjaciel”) for the years 1945-1948, issues, contexts and forms of statements regarding war events that remain vividly remembered were discussed. They confirm the thesis that while periodicals for the youngest focused on commemorative and commemorative issues, magazines for older children deliberately addressed - primarily in stories - the most important, in the editors' opinion, topics related to the recently ended war and did it in a less veiled way. They were thus part of the post-memory discourse in literature addressed to children.

Metaphors of War and Disease in Media Reports from The Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020) and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022)

Radosław Sierocki — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the article, metaphors of disease and war that emerged during the first two weeks of the epidemic (2020) and the war in Ukraine (2022) are subjected to analysis. Metaphors are treated as tools that allow the reorganization and ordering of knowledge and social experiences related to traumatic events (epidemic, war). They are also considered indicators of societal attitudes toward events that are extraordinary, incomprehensible, and threatening to social order. The recognized metaphors of disease and war from the literature are presented. Against this background, an analysis of narratives appearing in the “Gazeta Wyborcza” newspaper is conducted. War metaphors describing the pandemic and disease metaphors describing the war are examined.

The weekly "Polityka" as a tool for shaping civil society on the example of the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2023

Renata Rozbicka — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research aims to analyze the weekly "Polityka" as a tool creating civil society on the example of the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2023. The choice of this weekly was determined by several factors, including: It is currently the most widely read weekly opinion magazine in Poland, which also enjoys recognition among both readers and market analysts who emphasize its objectivity and accuracy of analyzes relating to various areas of life. The time caesuras are the period from August 14, 2023 to October 10, 2023. The collected research material included all issues of the weekly that were published in the mentioned period, from 34 to 42, a total of 9. The research corpus included all press publications that directly or indirectly referred to the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2023. Ultimately, 93 units of analysis were identified, including 85 journalistic texts and 8 covers. As a result of the research, it was established that the weekly "Polityka" is a tool shaping civil society by implementing the basic functions of the media: information, correlation, control and mobilization.

Unity of time replacing unity of space? Understanding “liveness” during Covid-19 pandemic

Marta Kupis — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on all forms of human activity, including culture. Within this last category, live events, such as music festivals, are of particular interest, as they rely on direct contact between performers and audience united in one place. Sanitary restrictions limited the possibility of such meetings, forcing festivals organizers to cancel or postpone their events. However, another way of dealing with the pandemic situation could be observed. It consisted of using new technologies to connect performers with the audience. The festivals were held in either fully virtual or hybrid formats. These solutions helped maintain a sense of emotional bond between festivals and participants, as well as reduce the financial problems of the organizers. However, the question should be asked how the situation could have influenced the understanding of what exactly a “live” event is? Considering that many organizers declare their willingness to preserve the virtual element in future editions of festivals, it can be assumed that this reflection covers not only the special situation of a pandemic, but touches upon deeper transformations in understanding of “liveness” in the era of new media and hybrid reality. The use of a combination of real and virtual reality will be analyzed on the example of three Polish festivals: Pol'and'Rock, Unsound and Sacrum/Profanum. Based on the research, it can be concluded that the “liveness” of the hybrid era is based less on the unity of meeting in a place, and more on the unity of timely connections online.

Linguistic determinants of exhibitionism in the private group of Facebook

Justyna Majchrowska — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article is a part of the stream of linguistic research on language in social life. It highlights the contemporary mediatized society, subjected to various influences, including fashion, universally understood exhibitionism, and maximum disclosure of one’s private life, health-related, to obtain pursued support, advice, or notice. This article presents sing genealogical analysis of the text and the qualitative method, the schematic structure (initial delimitators, corpora with segmentation and final delimitators) of internet posts, and further describes the linguistic indicators of internet exhibitionism. Internet communication, in a way, forces schematic nature of this genre in the structural aspect, in connection with the template layout of the Facebook social portal, where the analysed closed group is located; and linguistically through the spontaneous and expressive expressions of interlocutors who create posts, functioning as initiators of a discussion on a specific topic. To present their fate, users operate with written version of a modern Polish language. The study distinguished a colloquial style in its neutral and emotional-colloquial variation, within the syntax (order subordinated to the communicative intention, syntactic abbreviations and ellipses, syntax flows, polysyndeton, unfinished utterances, anacoluthon, and number of repetitions) and lexis with their modifications within selected parts of speech, i.e., nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Among nouns, there are noun, adjectival and verbal, created from typical formants and adequate bases in the informational, nominative function or showing emotional relationship of the sender, with the described activity, process, or state. These are transposition transformations. The participants of the internet discourse use noun, verbal, and adjective adjectives, among which superlatives are the basis of descriptions; an occurrence motivated by intensification of the conveyed content and maximization of emotionality. Prefixal verb derivatives constitute a various group in the exemplification material, in which there are terminative and normative-perdurative formations, reproductive names and names of transformations, including those related to health, i.e., changes in the mental and/or physical state of the writer. The colloquial style is a functional style that is the main exponent of the exhibitionism of the broadcasters’ texts. In the linguistic layer, it implements all the stylistic features, including through use of various linguistic mechanisms, including contrasting and universalization, as well as the use of graphic categories (punctuation, emoticons).

Generativity in the Study of Gestures and their Linguistic Exponents in the Communication of Generation Z

Małgorzata Garnek-Dudek — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The article deals with the topic of non-verbal communication in the context of research on generation Z. Using a survey method, the familiarity and meaning of three gestures: essa, UwU and dab were analysed. The aim of the article is to find out whether these signs are known to generation Z, to identify the linguistic exponents of these gestures and to decide whether the lexical-semantic content associated with the individual gestures is common to generation Z. On the basis of the survey, it was possible to establish that these gestures are known to generation Z, the representatives of this group are able to name them, describe their meaning and, moreover, they have a high generational awareness.

Make Memes Harder. On meme curation from the perspective of the mainstream social media platform

Bartosz Lutostański — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article describes the phenomenon of curating one genre of media content,
the meme, on one of the most popular social media platforms. Using quantitative and
qualitative research on the Polish profile, Make Life Harder (1.5 million followers on
Instagram), the author discusses four features of referential material selection in the first quarter of 2023. Monosemioticity, collaboration limitations, attribution of authorship and discursivity signal major shifts in the current understanding, definition and use of memes in networking media.

Analysis of Civic Platform's Communication with Instagram users after the 2023 parliamentary elections

Julia Molibog — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study analysed the communication of the Civic Platform on Instagram from October 17 to December 13, 2023, spanning from the official results of the parliamentary elections to the vote of confidence in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government (Civic Platform). The theoretical part presented selected communication strategies, including concepts of electoral and permanent campaign. The empirical part employed a methodology of quantitative and qualitative research, using content analysis with a categorization key. During the analyzed period, the Civic Platform undertook actions to solidify its narrative and prepare for assuming government, which manifested in two areas: criticizing opposition politicians and addressing socio-economic issues. The predominant function was attacking, whereas the engaging-mobilizing function was used least frequently. The analysis did not unequivocally identify a dominant communication context.

Parasocial Relationships and their Importance for Mental Well-Being

Aleksandra Witkowska — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the 21st century, more often than ever, we can observe the influence of well-known individuals on people's thoughts, feelings, and decisions. This occurs through social media platforms, which facilitate communication with followers worldwide. These platforms allow celebrities, influencers, and other public figures to build strong connections with their audiences, often leading to the formation of parasocial relationships. These relationships can serve as an alternative to those maintained in the real world. They typically possess characteristics such as one-sidedness, the presence of the media persona in the interaction, and a low likelihood of face-to-face contact. Maintaining parasocial relationships can positively impact media users' well-being by improving their mood or filling the void resulting from loneliness. However, it can also lead to negative effects on mental health, such as succumbing to social comparisons, idealizing media figures, and consequently experiencing a decline in self-esteem.

Report from the project “Early career researchers in the arts, humanities and theology: attitudes and behaviours related to scholarly communications” funded by the National Science Centre in Poland 2022/45/B/HS2/00041

Marzena Świgoń — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The proposed project seeks to provide a deep and comprehensive understanding of the changing scholarly communications attitudes & behaviours and work-life of the Polish Arts, Humanities and Theology (A&H&T) early career researchers (ECRs). It is about young scientists’ attitudes and behaviours related to seeking and using scientific information, citation, publishing, dissemination, reviewing and reputation building. This subject matter in relation to representatives of the three fields mentioned has not yet been addressed.

It also, importantly, sets out to establish whether things are changing, among others as a consequence of the external turbulent environment. These external circumstances, which attracted attention at the drafting stage, included the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, progressive inflation, as well as changes brought about by reforms in science and higher education in Poland, such as the establishment of new scientific disciplines in 2018 (and 2022), and the introduction of new rules for evaluating the work of scientists.

A new circumstance, which had already emerged during the course of the project, turned out to be the development of generative artificial intelligence (the release of GPT chat by OpenAI at the end of 2022), and Polish humanists, theologians and artist scientists were included in the international and interdisciplinary analysis from the Harbingers of change series (https://ciber-research.uk/harbingers.html).

It also seeks to contextualise the study by contrasting A&H&T ECRs with their compatriots in science, engineering, medicine, agriculture and social sciences who were and still are respondents in interdisciplinary, international projects: Harbingers_1 (funded by The Publishing Research Consortium & CIBER Research Ltd.; 2015–2018 https://ciber-research.com/harbingers.html), Harbingers_2 with the context of pandemic (funded by The A.P. Sloan Foundation; 2020–2022 http://ciber-research.com/harbingers-2/) as well as Harbingers_3 in the context od artificial intelligence in scholarly communication (CIBER Research Ltd. Harbingers-3).

This project is a national follow-up of these international projects carried out in eight countries, this time with reference to Polish representatives of previously unanalysed scientific disciplines (Arts & Humanities), and taking into account the specificity of the Polish scientific community.

Given that ECRs are a very large, vulnerable and strategic body of researchers (the professors of tomorrow) it is essential that we all understand how they are faring? How are they communicating? Are the harbingers of change? Are they any different from their peers in science, engineering, medicine, agriculture and social sciences, so requiring special attention in regard to such things as e.g. reputational platforms or new technologies? Also, as many are Millennials, are they possibly bringing new ways of behaviour with them that should obtain the attention of senior colleagues, publishers, funders, science and cultural policy makers?

The project used longitudinal in-depth interviews, consisting of two rounds of interviews – the first was conducted in the spring of 2023 and the second in early 2024. The respondents were twenty five novice researchers from various disciplines in three fields: humanities, theology and arts. The transcription of the online interviews was completed by the interviewees via email correspondence. The research methodology is analogous to that used in international Harbingers projects (described on the CIBER centre website and in publications).

The publications to date and the open data collections produced by the project are listed below (the project is scheduled for completion in early 2026).

Mediatisation Experiences – Scientific Report on a Consultation Trip to Toronto Metropolitan University

Szymon Żyliński — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ten Years of the “Eter” Radio Science Club and the “Mediofon” Programme

Magdalena Szydłowska, Marta Więckiewicz-Archacka, Urszula Doliwa — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000