Vol 13, No 1 (2021)
All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Articles
Applications of Virtual Reality in Communication. A Top-Journals Theoretical Overview (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.13.1.01
Patricia BLAGA and Ioana IANCU
Abstract: As technology is increasingly used in many domains, the way it effects social sciences becomes of great interest. The aim of the paper is to offer a theoretical overview on the way Virtual Reality (VR) is used in the communication domain in the last decade and within the top-impactful journals. The sample consists of scientific articles from 25 high-status journals within the field. In the endeavor to offer a longitudinal perspective (2010-2020 timeframe), the overview intends to focus on the main thematic patterns, on the most used theories and models, on the methodological design features, and on the technical approaches that guide the VR research in communication. The relevance of the paper is twofold. On one hand, it offers a comprehensive summary on the state-of-the-art existing interests and tools used in VR in communication research. On the other hand, it sets future research perspectives and can serve as a guide for scholars aiming to initiate VR investigations in communication.
https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.13.1.02
Kelvin INOBEMHE and Tsegyu SANTAS
Abstract: Just about two decades or more ago, journalists and audience relied heavily on direct sources and heavily relied on them for firsthand information on happenings. Whereas journalists relied on people (sources) and events for news, audience patiently waited for journalists to process news and get them delivered at news time. However, all that has changed in modern times – and the phenomena responsible for that are technological innovations such as the new media, of which social media is part and parcel. Advancement in technology is bridging the gap and ensuring things are done differently. Social media is gradually gaining the influence of being a major source of news for all – audience and journalists alike. The innumerable ways newsroom staff explore possibilities of the technology is what this research sought to unravel. With the use of survey methodology, the study investigated specific ways social media is affecting newsroom operations of television stations in Nigeria. Findings of the research show that social media adoption in the media organisations studied is reasonably high and the platforms serve as sources of news just as they are equally used for news dissemination. The study recommends that while the adoption is necessary, users of social media (especially journalists) must be wary as platforms can easily be used to spread unverified information and outright misinformation.
The Transformation of Radio Journalists' Strategies in the Soviet Lithuania (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.13.1.03
Rūta KUPETYTĖ
Abstract. After the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in 1940, the only radio operating in Lithuania came under total Soviet control. A multi-level censorship mechanism controlled people working on radio. In the late Soviet decade, The Perestroika and Glasnost policies launched by Soviet leader Gorbachev allowed Lithuanian radio workers to test the limits of the censorship mechanism. The liberation movement that began in 1988 in Lithuania also contributed to this. This study aims to determine how the individual strategies of people working in the Soviet Lithuanian radio field changed during the late Soviet era (1980–1990). In this study, based on Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory, radio is understood as a field where each participant acts according to an individual strategy.
Communication Freelancers, Facebook Groups and COVID-19. A Qualitative Analysis. Research Report (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.13.1.04
Anca ANTON and Raluca MOISE
Abstract. The study looked at the relationship between communication freelancers and online communities, in particular Facebook groups populated by communication professionals. We were interested in the dynamic of the group, in knowledge production and knowledge sharing, as well as in the challenges faced by communication freelancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of Facebook groups during this particularly difficult time.