Abstract
The interrelationship between the press and the state in democratic societies is well-established. However, there is a gap in the literature as to whether citizen frames online are also implicative of its home government’s national interest and whether traditional media frames have a role in this regard. This article aims to fill this gap by presenting a case study of Bangladesh and India in relation to frame alignment hypothesis. To determine the extent of this alignment, I applied text-as-data methods to identify issue-specific frames. The dimensionality reduction algorithm yielded ten frames: securitisation, victim, economic, domestic politics, policy, aid, protest, responsibility, violence, and human interest. These frames undercover the main overarching communication strategies for the two countries: us-versus-them for India and global responsibility for Bangladesh. I conducted a correlation analysis to evaluate the alignment of frames among government, traditional media and online citizens. The results contradict the overarching narratives that online communication is emancipatory and raise a point of inquiry on the hegemonic role of social media in democratic states. Lastly, I discuss the implications and consequences of the ability of social media to be used for propaganda purposes in democratic societies.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Democratic Disorder: Disinformation, the Media and Crisis in a Time of Change
KEYWORDS
Structural Framing, Framing Theory, Propaganda Model, Frame Alignment
