Digital Dialogue
Asynchronous Session
Misleading Commercial Advertisements on Social Networking Sites: Facebook as a Model View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rabi Alsarayreh, Pastora Moreno Espinosa
This study sheds light on the impact of misleading commercial advertisements on social networking sites. The researcher relied on theoretical literature in reviewing the previous literature that was written on the same subject, to reach the desired goal of his research, which is to know the correlation between misleading commercial advertisements and social networking sites. The study reached a number of results, the most important of which are: There is a significant impact of misleading commercial advertisements on social networking sites, quickly spreading among the public, and causing significant effects on the target group, either to increase the demand for purchase, or to refrain from this product because of a false and misleading advertisement. The study presents a number of recommendations, the most important of which are: Social networking sites should set restrictions and conditions for publishing commercial advertisements, and there should be a waiting and review period for the management of these sites to review the content of advertisements.
Representation of Lesbians and Assigned Female at Birth in Indian Contemporary Cinema View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sowjanya Tamalapakula
Although queer sexualities are mentioned in the ancient Indian texts like Kamasutra and Anangaranga, to fight for the LGBTQIAP+ political rights and equal opportunities is a recent phenomenon in Indian society that has been largely influenced by the global queer political struggles. The representation of female queer sexualities still takes a back seat both in the queer movement and cinema in India. Lesbians, bisexual women and the FAB (female assigned at birth) are the categories that have been least represented within the queer movement as most “women” are forced into heterosexual and caste-endogamous marriage in Indian communities. However, a few recent films like Awe (2018, Telugu popular film), Ek Ladiki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019, Hindi popular film), Geeli Pucchi (2021, Hindi short film), Badhaai Do (2022, Hindu popular film), Monster (2022, Malayalam popular film) have explicitly portrayed lesbianism and FAB sexualities on the screen. These films have influenced the way the female queer sexualities are perceived by people in Indian society. Though these select feature films have attempted to open up a space for discussion and debate on queer sexualities, they have also contributed to solidify certain prejudices against the LGBTQIAP+ politics in general and female queer sexualities in particular. This paper aims to unravel the implicit ways in which the select feature films have contributed to the formation of certain prejudices and false notions around female homosexuality and queer sexualities.
An Online Discourse Analysis of Weibo: Exploring the Transformation of Chinese Women's Lives and Values in the 21st Century and Its Implications for the Three-child Policy View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Huizhu Liang
In 2021, the Chinese government introduced the three-child policy as a means of addressing the country’s aging population. However, this policy has received negative feedback from the public, which is contrary to the government's expectations. To analyze people's opinions on this policy, this study focuses on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. By conducting a discourse analysis of comments posted under news organizations' venues and posts under relevant hashtags, the study identifies the major challenges of raising children in China today, particularly for Chinese women. Furthermore, the study reveals that Chinese women have developed new perspectives on relationships, marriage, and child-rearing, which contradict the government's latest policy to encourage more children. Despite the change in policy and people’s values, my study suggests that patriarchy structures and values are still deeply ingrained in Chinese society. In summary, this study sheds light on the complexities of the three-child policy and its implications for Chinese society.
Bots in the Byline: Applications for Artificial Intelligence in Local News and Journalism Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jim Carney
Much of the discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) and journalism is focused on fear and apprehension of what AI might do to automate the news and replace human reporting. However, some journalistic outlets and journalism schools are accepting the inevitable and trying to use AI as a tool to more accurately and more extensively report the news. Entrepreneurial developers are creating AI tools to take the pressure off overworked and under-resourced newsrooms, and permit extended coverage with the dwindling resources. Journalism programs in schools of higher learning are incorporating AI into their syllabi and training young journalists on techniques using the technology to increase accuracy, support research and increase productivity in local news coverage. This paper is a survey of positive applications of AI technology aimed at improving and increasing the production of accurate and extensive local news coverage.
