The main goal of the thesis is to find out whether there is a connection between Instagram usage and a change in the perception of one's own body image, more specifically an increase in dissatisfaction with one's own physical appearance. The supporting goals are to map the individual factors arising from this dissatisfaction and to describe the solutions that Instagram users have adopted to achieve the dream appearance. Through qualitative research, specifically by analysing in-depth interviews with bloggers presenting extreme slenderness on social networks, the life stories of respondents are analysed in order to reveal how interest in body shape developed in the presence of social networks and new media. The interviews reveal the interest of Instagram users in watching and sharing photos presenting extreme slenderness and clarify their connection to eating disorders. Instead of triggering such diseases, Instagram manifests itself as a tool for maintaining and remaining in a new mental and physical condition. By publishing photographs showing a very thin body, women assure themselves of their own attractiveness, and thus also influence their self-presentation, which results in an equivalent relationship of satisfaction from slenderness and satisfaction from their self presentation.

This diploma thesis deals with the interaction of male members of the fitness culture with content referring to this topic on social media. The diploma thesis examines the connections between the monitored content, the desire to build masculinity, the satisfaction of men with their own body, or the idea of an ideal male body. The aim of this thesis is to answer the questions of how men interpret media content, which suppose to inspire the creation of healthy lifestyle habits, and whether, or how, this content contributes to their approach to the fitness culture. Research shows that men attribute a significant influence to social media on their concept of fitness as a lifestyle. These participants talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the content of fitspiration, which affect the perception of their own body and mental well-being. Although, social media contributions motivate them to improve themselves and achieve better results, images of masculinity on social media force them to focus on the aesthetics of the body, the amount of muscles rather than on the quality of life, health and other benefits from the regular physical activity.

This study describes how information spread on the internet by examining diffusion, framing and source use surrounding coverage of the 2010 best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book presented a rare opportunity to view how a story about science, discovery and race became a best-seller within weeks after its publication. Through a mixed-methods and case study approach, the author examines patterns of coverage using Google Alerts that traced the book's online coverage in the first six months of its release. The author found that online information clustered around several themes with the most prominent describing aspects of science and scientific discovery, followed by the book's characterization as a "best seller" or "good read." Another recurring theme centered on issues surrounding exploitation in human research. In addition, the study reveals that sources who "set the frame" for coverage were most likely to be media figures, including Oprah Winfrey, Alan Ball and HBO films, in addition to newspapers and individual journalists and science writers. By examining the relationship of online frames with sources, the author found that a diversity of frames is paired with key sources: that is, multiple themes co-occur with source mentions, although the themes may not have been generated by the sources themselves. Rather, sources are linked to narrative frames by others who generate online coverage. The author concludes that, while key sources initially set a message's frame, once diffused, the message may take on other qualities.

The overwhelming consensus of the world's climate scientists is that we must rapidly reduce our greenhouse emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate change. Yet the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry tar sands oil that emits three to four times the carbon emissions of conventional gasoline across the U.S., is supported by a solid majority of Americans. This level of support for a project a proposal that would dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions, pollute sensitive lands and water sources, and threaten the health and safety of communities along the way begs the question: what kind of information have Americans received about the pipeline? Relying on theoretical perspectives developed by scholars who examine power structures, ideology, and the political economy of the mass media, I analyze 177 national network and cable news broadcasts in order to determine what kind of information leading media sources provide to the public about the Keystone XL pipeline proposal and the context in which this information is presented. Content analysis of broadcast transcripts reveals that television news stations exhibit biased coverage that encourages viewers to support pipeline construction. Furthermore, television news stations marginalize environmental and social concerns and disproportionately rely on business and government sources for information. Finally, the dominant frame employed by the news media is informed by neoliberal ideology and offers no challenge to the preferences of corporate and government elites--including the continued dominance of the fossil fuel industry. This type of coverage affords viewers a very limited basis for understanding the environmental and ultimately social threats posed by Keystone XL.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur medias rapportering av LVU-kampanjen ser ut. LVU-kampanjen syftar till den kampanj där den svenska socialtjänsten påstås kidnappa muslimska barn utan rättslig grund. Med studien vill vi synliggöra de diskurser och eventuella underliggande attityder som skapas när media rapporterar om LVU-kampanjen. Fokus för studien ligger på vilka kategorier av människor som ställs emot varandra, vilka personer som kommer till tals i artiklarna och hur det påverkar hur debatten beskrivs samt hur språket används för att beskriva socialtjänsten och deras arbete. Uppsatsen redogör för och diskuterar de mest framträdande diskurserna i debatten; våldsdiskursen, diskursen om hot mot den svenska säkerheten, diskursen om den hotfulla socialtjänsten samt diskursen om den obildade andre. Analysen visar att nyhetsmedia porträtterar en bild av att debatten ger uttryck för hot och våld mot yrkesverksamma, som utifrån ett större perspektiv kan påverka den svenska säkerheten. Den visar också att socialtjänsten målas upp som hotfull samt en bild av att rädslan och misstron gentemot socialtjänsten är baserad på okunskap. / The aim of this study is to analyze how the LVU-campaign is presented in news media. The LVU-campaign aims at the campaign in which the Swedish social service is alleged to kidnap muslim children without a legal basis. With the study, we want to pay attention to the discourses and possible underlying attitudes that are created in the media. The study focuses on the categorization of people, which people are spoken in the articles and how that affects how the debate is described, and lastly how the language is used to describe social services and their work. The essay describes and discusses the most salient discourses in the debate; the discourse of violence, the discourse about threats to Swedish security, the discourse about the threatening social service and the discourse about the uneducated others. The analysis shows that the news media portrays that the debate gives expression to threats and violence against professionals, which from a larger perspective can affect Swedish security. The analysis also shows that the news media portrays the social services as threatening and that the debate is developed because of lack of knowledge.

Internet search has been marked by the dominant use of query search, specifically Google, since the mid-1990s. The public release of the AI-based search tool, chatGPT, powered by a recent innovation in deep learning known as large language models (LLMs), marks a paradigm shift in internet search technology. While the essence of both the search technologies, namely, the retrieval of information from the internet, remains the same, there appears to be a marked difference in the manner of their use and perception by both the general public as well as in media. Prior studies have highlighted the importance of assessing perceptions of new technology on users. Examining the impact of this recently-introduced form of search compared to the original query-search can provide valuable insights into users’ perception of search technologies as well as identify underlying attitudes towards AI. This study investigates the distinct discursive patterns characterising user perceptions of these two search paradigms. It uses a collected text corpus of media articles and forum data as its research material, and employs Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling to generate a quantitative set of topics. These are then examined qualitatively through the lenses of technological frames and discourse analysis to uncover user perceptions. Findings indicate that user discourse patterns diverge, anticipatory themes differ and there is variation in user concerns as well as media coverage. This research contributes insights into evolving technological perceptions, societal consequences, and the media’s role in shaping user discourse. It also highlights that further investigations into the anthropomorphic aspects of digitalisation and the evolving information landscape may offer promising avenues for future research.

Abstract: - This Master’s Thesis explains the relevancy of sustainable marketing, sustainability, e-commerce, circular economy of recycled paper packaging in the correlation of consumer perception, consumer decision making factors towards recycling and sustainability benefits. Although the paper discusses sustainable marketing in a circular economy aspect potential in regards to recycled paper parcels, the research will mainly focus on the postal carrier company named PostNord based in Nordic countries; the paper will emphasise how the double-sealing recycled paper could increase the number of customers and sustainability ofthe company and consumer perception towards these type of packaging as a parcel. The concept of Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behaviour has been around for awhile. Since its emergence in the 1980s, the idea has evolved. Much research has been done regarding sustainability marketing, also known as green marketing. As the world is becoming environmentally polluted, many industries propagate it, and consumers need more sustainable products and services. Due to this reason and other respective consumer needs, companiesfrom the manufacturing and service industry have made a strategy to implement short andlong-term to become sustainable companies by becoming carbon-free. Accordingly, postal carrier companies worldwide have developed various sustainable marketing strategies and technological tools to reduce carbon emissions. They simultaneously promote sustainability marketing based on consumer behaviour and perception. The research paper mainly focuses on sustainable marketing, sustainable marketing in the circular economy, and consumer perception and factors affecting consumers’ purchase intention regarding the broad applicability and benefits of double-sealing recycled paperparcels for packaging in the postal service industry. For this particular Master’s thesis paper, the research has taken PostNord as a case study and developed an alternative sustainablemarketing and consumer perspective concerning: Circular economy through the use of recycled paper parcels, organisational resource utilisation, increased current & new customer,consumer perception towards recycled paper parcels, Consumer purchase intention towardsRecycled paper parcels & E-commerce with packaging. The research paper is developed and has referred to various scholarly articles such as Escursell (2021), Kotler (2012) and several other scholars, including yearly sustainability reports of PostNord. The annual sustainability reports of PostNord have mainly focused on increasing its sustainability through technological tools, transportation systems, service and customer relations. This research paper is developed through a cross sectional research method study provided that PostNord is the case study related to using double-sealing recycled paper parcels as an alternative product to its current and potential consumers while increasing their sustainability.

<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores the dynamic evolution of cartoons as a medium of public pedagogy, focusing on the portrayal of morality, the changing landscape of moral narratives across networks or studios through time, and its intricate influence on relationships. Cartoons, spanning from the American classic era of Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to the contemporary phenomena of The Dragon Prince and Miraculous: The Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, act as potent agents of social education. Understanding cartoons as an accessible form of public pedagogy, this research examines the moral dichotomy of good and evil archetypes depicted in these animations. By analyzing the diverse approaches of networks and studios across time, this thesis uncovers the nuances of moral storytelling, revealing the intricate interplay of social values and creative choices. Furthermore, the thesis investigates the portrayal of relationships within these moral contexts, emphasizing the impact of animated narratives on societal perceptions of interpersonal connections.</p>

Theoretical part of this thesis is about women's magazines in the Czechoslovakia and in the Czech republic. The introductory chapters are about its characteristics, division and historical development. It describes current state in the Czech magazine's market, stratification of women's magazines, it also describes broadly media influence and apply these theoretical knowledge to women's magazines. The important chapter is chapter Media and Gender, which explains the term gender, compares men's and women's magazines and presents criticism of women's magazines from gender point of view. Methodological part is insight into the choice of method and choice of samples. This part contains also basic characteristic of reasearched magazines. Research part describes the representation of successful woman according to women's magazines, what is the difference in each magazine and it also shows the changes of view of successful woman in reserched period.

Cinema, as a complex social and cultural phenomenon, has been recently challenged by digital media cultures and aesthetics since the 1990s. In this study, Hong Kong cinematic productions, blending the West and the East, and flexibly manoeuvring production and post-production with limited resources, are used to demonstrate the advent of new digital cinematic aesthetics and productions in the era of globalization and digitalization. The production culture and aesthetics of local cinema has been, to a great extent, internally modified by the impacts of digital media cultures and technologies, especially digital effects and computer animation of unprecedented imaginary spaces and perspectives for creative productions. The increasing complexity of digital cinematic productions and the rapidly changing cultural production systems bring in newcomers of alternative modes/choices of thoughts and interpretations, thus facilitating production/product differentiation and de-differentiation to cater for the increasing and changing demands of active audiences. The vigorous struggle for cultural representations in digital cinematic aesthetics by producers and consumers of disparate repertoires is the focus of analysis in this research. Empirical evidences suggest a new paradigmatic model to study cultural representations of digital cinematic aesthetics within contemporary creative systems of production and consumption. / The findings generally support the advent of the ten new aesthetics of digital cinema as a global trend as well as a new glocalism in the Hong Kong cases. While most interviewed producers and audiences articulate the new characteristics of digital cinematic aesthetics, many audiences show disjunctive judgments toward those local filmmakers' treatments to cross-fertilize video game with their cinematic productions. This reveals the inevitability of internal modifications of organization cultures and representational practices to create new digital cinematic aesthetics and productions within new dynamics of digital media cultures and technologies in the fast changing media ecology. Hong Kong filmmakers and computer animators show their strength and flexibility to glocalize digital cinematic aesthetics and productions by integrating digital visual effects with local film and production cultures, especially in comedic and martial arts cinematic productions. However, it seems that there are larger discrepancies concerning the tastes and aesthetic judgments toward cultural representations in digital cinematic aesthetics by cross-fertilization with video game between general audiences and professionals. This study reflects that the rigid, director-oriented Hong Kong film production system is too demanding on the film director's independent ability of coordination and greatly influences the development of cultural representations in digital cinema by collective imaginative inputs of increasing complexity and flexibility. Producers and consumers of disparate repertoires of cultural practices contribute to the meaning construction of multiple layers of digital effects and computer animation by systematic coordination and collaboration. In other words, the "spectrum of cultural representations", as a framework, helps us understand the complexity and creativity of the new digital cinematic aesthetics from production to consumption practices. / This study is a multidimensional investigation of the moments of creativity and struggles over organization cultures and representational practices by both cultural producers and audiences. There are case studies of the general trend of digital cinematic productions in Hollywood and the specific development of digital cinema in Hong Kong, as well as in China. From these empirical analyses, ten new characteristics of digital cinematic aesthetics are generalized. They include (l) amplification, (2) free referencing, (3) seamlessness and believability, (4) multiple-layered composition, (5) patterning, (6) imaginary perspectives, (7) collective imaginative inputs, (8) cross-fertilization with comic, (9) cross-fertilization with video game, and (10) cross-cultural, cross-historical, cross-genre production. Such inductive findings are also deployed to study the social functions of both producers and audiences in the meaning construction of digital cinematic aesthetics and productions within the dynamics of digitalization and globalization. Eighteen in-depth interviews of production insiders, five focus groups of disparate generations of movie audiences and amateurs, and eleven case studies of Hong Kong digital cinematic productions have been examined. The empirical validity about the ten new forms of digital cinematic aesthetics and their production and consumption is investigated, and also achieved by intensive and interactive case studies, production studies and audience studies, combining textual and discourse analyses and production and reception analyses. / Lam, Sui Kwong Sunny. / Advisers: Anthony Y. H. Fung; Eric K. W. Ma. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-06, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 536-562). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.