This diploma thesis discusses the process of communication in new media environment and demonstrates it on the example of YouTube Beauty community which can be seen as an autonomous, independent space for expression and sharing of information. It introduces the specifics of communication in the environment of Beauty community and its characteristics. It discusses some theoretic concepts connected with communication in the environment of new media and also with the Beauty community, for example Web 2.0, citizen journalism, prosumption or the concept of internet as a new space of public discussion. It also discusses concept of political economy about how external especially commercial factors influence communication process and content of traditional media and connects it with influences of external commercial factors on communication in Beauty community. In qualitative research are explored factors that impact communication in this environment and also potential impact of external commercial factors on communications and its contents.

The recent growth of social media and other internet technologies is believed to diminish the control of political elites over information flows and enable citizens to be active participants of political processes. Practice shows, however, that this general tendency acquires different forms in different geopolitical contexts. This master thesis intends to investigate how social media are used for the purposes of daily communication of political opposition in Belarus, where dominant traditional media channels are monopolized by the government. The analysis involves mixed approach methodology, which combines content analysis of Facebook posts of Belarusian opposition representatives and qualitative interviews with them. The research articulates an important role of social media in Belarus as one of a few mediums where opposition politicians can exist without pervasive control of authorities. However, the results show that the presence of opposition on social media doesn't necessarily increase their chances to gain political weight or activates civic participation in the country. The effectiveness of their communication is to a large extent predefined by social and political environment in the country. A practical implication of the study is that potentially effective directions for political communication of Belarusian opposition have been outlined.

This thesis is a case study examining a user-generated content delivered to a newsroom of Metro daily and its subsequent evaluation, selection and utilization in printed edition of the newspaper. Their bold attempt of participatory journalism - online gallery of readers' photographs - remains one of the few successful examples of this type of alternative journalism in Czech media even after five years since its foundation. The first chapter provides necessary field context related to the demonopolization and deprofessionalization of journalism as well as to the transformation of the communication framework and the roles of the producer (journalist) and the user (recipient) of media content, furthermore some types of alternative journalism are listed and distinctively characterized. Secondly, a phenomenon of user-generated content (UGC) is described in detail, focusing on its specifics in relation to journalism and on selected examples of the UGC occurring in Czech media. Lastly, I present a research of readers' photos from May, August, November 2016 and February 2017. The content analysis is applied twice - to define a nature of the photographs, their purpose, topic and information quality; to detect which of those gets actually used and printed. The work also focuses directly on the authors of...

Modern protest movements rely on digital activism on social media, which serves as a conduit for mobilization. In the social media landscape, internet memes have emerged as a popular practice of expressing political protest. Although it is known that social media facilitates mobilization, researchers have neglected how distinct types of content affect mobilization. Moreover, research regarding users’ perspectives on mobilization through memes is lacking. To close these research gaps, this study investigates memes in the context of climate protest mobilization. Based on the four-step model of mobilization, a survey of users who create and share memes related to the Fridays for Future movement on social media (N = 325) revealed that the prosumption of climate crisis memes increases users’ issue involvement and strengthens their online networks. These factors serve as crucial mediators in the relationship between users’ prosumption of climate crisis memes and political participation. The results suggest that mobilization through memes is effective at raising awareness of political issues and strengthening online discussion networks, which means that it has strategic potential for protest movements. By looking at memes from the perspective of their creators and examining a specific type of social media content, this study contributes to the literature on digital mobilization.

Studien undersöker hur man med virkningen kan göra det möjligt för användaren att agera somprosument, samtidigt som de kan personalisera en produkt som bidrar till emotionell hållbarhet.Anledningen var för att öka det emotionella värdet i produkten vilket leder till en längre livscykel. Teoriernasom lade grund för projektet är design för emotionell hållbarhet, design för personalisering, samtprosumtion. Vidare användes användarcentrerade metoder för att skapa stor förståelse för användarensbehov och önskemål. Intervjuer och enkäter samlade in grundinformation, medan återkopplingoch användartester med användaren gav en djup förståelse av deras behov inom det specifikaforskningsområdet. Designmetoder som skiss, prototyper, experiment, urvalsmetoder, samt produktresaformade slutkonceptet och resultatet av studien. Detta var ett avlastningsbord där användaren agerarsom prosument genom att virka två av hyllplanen samtidigt som de ytbehandlar träkonstruktionen själva.Det gör det möjligt att personalisera produkten, vilket leder till emotionell hållbarhet. I diskussionen tasdet slutligen upp förslag på vidareutveckling som lyfter vikten av användarcentrerade metoder för enlyckad emotionellt hållbar produkt. / The study explores how crochet can enable users to act as prosumers while also personalizing a productthat contributes to emotional sustainability. The reason for this is to increase the emotional value of theproduct, which leads to a longer life cycle. The theories that formed the basis of the project are designfor emotional sustainability, design for personalization, and prosumption. User-centred methods werefurther used to create a deep understanding of user needs and desires. Interviews and surveys gatheredbasic information, while feedback and user testing provided a deeper understanding of their needswithin the specific research area. Design methods such as sketching, prototypes, experiments, selectionmethods, and product journeys shaped the final concept and outcome of the study. This was a side tablewhere the user acts as a prosumer by crocheting two of the shelves while also finishing the woodenconstruction themselves. This enables personalization of the product, leading to emotional sustainability.The discussion finally presents suggestions for further development that emphasize the importance ofuser-centred methods for a successful emotionally sustainable product.

Despite its benefits, online peer-to-peer lending bears the risks associated with traditional forms of institutionalised lending. However, because individuals have taken over the role of the institutional lender, and the institutional participant in this form of lending takes a step back by acting only as an intermediary between the borrowers and lenders, ordinary individuals are left to bear the type of risks that institutions have traditionally borne, but without the same means of doing so. There has been little academic analysis of the role and form that regulation should take in the regulation of peer-to-peer lending and most discussions centre on the American regulatory experience. This thesis sets out to examine the theoretical classification of online peer-to-peer lending and the theoretical and practical justifications for regulating it. The aim is to ascertain the most appropriate way to regulate peer-to-peer lending, taking into account the underlying conceptual model which underpins it. The study adopts a theoretical analysis of P2PL participants and regulation based on the concepts of consumer protection and paternalism. It includes a doctrinal analysis of the UK peer-to-peer lending legislation and regulation to identify, describe and explain the rules pertaining to the industry. It also uses a comparative approach to compare P2PL with existing forms of financial lending and similar (dis)intermediated forms of transacting between individuals to show that online peer-to-peer lending is a unique form of intermediated transaction. The thesis argues that it is important that regulation displays an understanding of the underlying conceptual framework of the business model it aims to regulate. In doing so, it also argues that the peer-to-peer lending users are more than just ‘consumers’. They demonstrate a shift in the conception of individuals from consumers to prosumers because they participate in the production side of the services they receive. It goes further than existing discussions of prosumption by positing the concept of the ‘lendsumer’ to give a more accurate account of the role and experiences of peer-to-peer lenders and the effect this has on their transactional relationships and the risks they face because of this role. Based on this analysis, the thesis shows that the UK regulatory regime has limited suitability because it lacks awareness of the underlying prosumption model of peer-to-peer lending, focusing only on the business-to-consumer aspects. Consequently, it does not resolve all the issues resulting from the tripartite, participatory nature of the peer-to-peer lending transaction. In light of these findings, the thesis proposes the regulatory use of two main concepts and highlights their implications for peer-to-peer lending regulation. The first is the ‘lendsumer’ as a new paradigm of the consumer which has implications for the regulatory protections afforded to the P2P lenders. The second is the use of gatekeeper liability, adapted to online peer-to-peer lending, as a way to affect these protections in light of the particular vulnerabilities and risks experienced by the peer-to-peer lender.