The news media plays an important role in communication. The function of the media in a free society is to inform the public, be a watchdog of government, provide a voice for the voiceless, and help determine which issues should be discussed in the community. The power of the mass media to guide the social agenda and influence the public's perception of what issues are important has been questioned in the digital age. This study examines traditional agenda-setting in the digital era to understand how the theory functions in a computer mediated society. The #MeToo movement acts as a case study for this research. This investigation uses a trend analysis to evaluate whether the public agenda on sexual harassment and #MeToo was set by mass media or social media. This research compares the coverage of sexual harassment and #MeToo in professional online news sites in the U.S. with tweets using the key words and hashtag on Twitter in the United States for ten weeks in 2017. Relying on the agenda-setting theory as a framework, this study clarifies the relationship of mass media and social media in driving public opinion. The findings of this work reveal how the expansion and influence of social media has changed the dynamic of mass communication. Despite those changes, the mass media still plays a prevailing role in setting the public agenda--even in a digital environment. The findings conclude that the mass media set the agenda on the subject of sexual harassment, and social media amplified that agenda. These findings demonstrate the strong role that mass media continues to have in setting the news agenda in conjunction with social media, and consequently, on civic opinion and awareness.

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<p>In this thesis, I deal with the task of computationally processing stories with a focus on multidisciplinary ends, specifically in Digital Humanities and Cultural Analytics. In the process, I collect, clean, investigate, and predict from two datasets. The first is a dataset of 2,302 open-source literary works categorized by the time period they are set in. These works were all collected from Project Gutenberg. The classification of the time period in which the work is set was discovered by collecting and inspecting Library of Congress subject classifications, Wikipedia Categories, and literary factsheets from SparkNotes. The second is a dataset of 6,991 open-source literary works categorized by the hierarchical location the work is set in; these labels were constructed from Library of Congress subject classifications and SparkNotes factsheets. These datasets are the first of their kind and can help move forward an understanding of 1) the presentation of settings in stories and 2) the effect the settings have on our understanding of the stories.</p>

Abstract   Wickzell, Arvid. Magic mushrooms or a miracle drug? The Swedish media coverage of psilocybin. Bachelor’s thesis, Umeå University, 2023.   Abstract.   This bachelor’s thesis presents a study on how Swedish mass media is covering the subject of psilocybin. With a social constructionist, critical discourse, framing and agenda setting perspective, the thesis aim is to analyze the media discourse around the subject and to answer the main research question; how does Swedish mass media report about psilocybin? The main question is followed by sub questions; (a) how is psilocybin being framed, (b) whose opinion is voiced in the media, (c) has the way mass media reports on the subject changed over time?   The research questions are answered by using quantitative research method, and critical media discourse analysis, on material from four Swedish publications, both web and print based. The material spans from the year 1995 to 2022. Results show a change over time. A higher interest in the subject, and a change in types of texts being produced. A new way to frame the subject, changing from articles mainly about psilocybin in a crime context, to articles about psilocybin in a medical context. The opinions that are being voiced in the media are mainly by scientists, medical professionals, and law enforcement.    Key words: agenda setting, drugs, debate, discourse analysis, framing, media, press, psilocybin, newspapers, Sweden.

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I denna fallstudie har vi undersökt hur en krigsfilm kan använda sig av olika gestaltningar och representationer av “vi och dem” och därför riskerar att sprida propaganda och därigenom även potentiellt påverka dagordningen genom att påverka den rådande diskursen. Vi valde filmen American Sniper som empiriskt material då den är baserad på verkliga händelser och att vi därför kan se huruvida detta påverkar möjligheten att använda spelfilm för att potentiellt påverka diskursen. Genom användandet av en multimodal kritisk diskursanalys har vi tittat närmare på innehållet och maktrelationerna i filmen, för att slutligen kunna besvara följande frågeställningar:  Hur representeras och gestaltas “vi och dem” genom orientalism, nationalism och patriotism i innehållet?  Hur fungerar dessa fenomen tillsammans för att skapa ett innehåll som kan upplevas som propagerande?  Hur fungerar dessa fenomen tillsammans för att skapa en diskurs som potentiellt kan påverka dagordningen?  Analysen lutar sig mot ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av representationsteori, gestaltningsteori, “vi och dem”, orientalism, patriotism, nationalism, propaganda och dagordningsteori. Studien analyserar scener från filmen valda utefter den anglosaxiska dramaturgiska kurvan. Genom att använda oss av analyskategorierna lexikala val, visuella val, narrativa strukturer och sociala aktörer tittar vi närmare på gestaltning och representation för att upptäcka olika framställningar av “vi och dem” i form av orientalism, nationalism och patriotism för att kunna besvara den första frågeställningen. I diskussionen redogör vi för hur dessa fenomen potentiellt skulle kunna ha inflytande över dagordning och att det med hjälp av olika strategier även kan sprida mjuk propaganda, vilket besvarar den andra och tredje frågeställningen. Resultatet i studien sammanfattas med att “vi och dem” gestaltas genom ofördelaktiga gestaltningar och en brist på individualitet vilket visar på orientalistiska diskurser i filmen. Detta, ihop med enbart positiva skildringar av de egna i filmen, visar upp nationalistiska drag. Genom hela filmen finns en känsla av patriotism genom huvudpersonens brinnande kärlek för sitt land och sin vilja att dö för att skydda det. Genom dessa gestaltningar blir innehållet i filmen vinklat på ett fördelaktigt sätt för USA och tack vare att filmen blev en biosuccé och fick stort erkännande i filmkretsar så kan innehållet komma att påverka diskursen och eventuellt även dagordningen. Därigenom tillåts det propagandistiska och vinklade innehållet att spridas till amerikanska invånare såväl som resterande delar av världen. / In this case study we have examined how a war movie can use different types of framings and representations of “us and them” and therefore run the risk of spreading propaganda and thereby potentially influence the agenda. We chose the movie American Sniper as our empirical material because it is based upon true events and real persons and we can therefore expect to see how this potentially affects the ability to influence the public opinion. Through the use of a multimodal critical discourse analysis we have looked closer on the movie’s content and the power relations within the movie to be able to answer our question at issue:   How does the movie represent and frame “us and them” through the use of orientalism, nationalism and patriotism?  How do this phenomenon work together to create  a content that could be seen as  propagandistic?  How do these phenomena work together to create a discourse that could potentially influence the agenda?   The theoretical framework used in the analysis consists of representation theory, framing theory, orientalism, “us and them”, patriotism, nationalism, propaganda and agenda setting theory. The study analyzes scenes from the movie chosen from the building stones of the classical dramaturgy. By applying the analaysis categories of lexical choices visual choices, narrative structure and social actors can we take a closer look at the framing and representation to discover different fabrications of  “us and them” in the form of orientalsim, nationalism and patriotism to be able to answer the first question at issue.  In the discussion we have given an account of these phenomena’s influence over the agenda setting and how they, with the help of different strategies, could spread “soft propaganda”, which answers the second question at issue. The result of the study can be summarized with the facts that “us and them” appears through the use of disadvantageous portrayals and the lack of individuality which shows the orientalistic discourses in the movie. This, combined with only positivistic depiction of “us” in the movie, shows nationalistic features. Throughout the movie a feeling of patriotism is mediated through the main character’s love for his country and the fact that he is willing to die to protect it. Through these representations the content is framed in a way that is beneficial for the US. And because American Sniper became a blockbuster and got recognized in the film industry with several awards and nominations, the movie’s content can influence the discourse and furthermore perhaps the agenda. Through this the propagandistic content is distributed to American citizens as well as the rest of the world.

The mining industry is a major economic driver and job creator for many countries. However, mining is associated with geo-hazards and environmental issues, such as the disposal of large volumes of waste, acid mine drainage, and ground subsidence. As a result, efficient mining waste management is crucial for sustainable development. The geotechnical, economic, and environmental benefits of cemented paste backfill (CPB) have piqued the interest of researchers and academicians worldwide, making it an essential aspect of underground mining management. CPB is a thickened cementitious combination of dewatered tailings (70 - 85 wt.%), binders (usually 3 to 8% wt.%), and water used to backfill mine waste into underground mining stopes. Despite being used in small amounts, the cost of cement makes up to 80% of the cost of backfilling operations. In addition, clinker production accounts for 5-8% of global human created carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. This predicament necessitates the development of a viable alternative to cement. Partially substituting cement with supplementary cementitious materials like fly ash, blast furnace slag, natural pozzolans, and other materials has been increasingly prevalent in CPB. It is evident that the addition of slag to cement can increase the mechanical strength of CPB at the advanced ages but decreases the strength and suction development due to the slow reaction kinetics in the CPB at the early ages, which may negatively affect the mechanical stability of the CPB, mining cycle, and safety of mineworkers. Moreover, the supply of these materials is limited and may not be enough for the future needs of the industry. Furthermore, there has been a surge in interest in using limestone powder (LS) owing to its abundance, low cost, and lack of environmental costs which are associated with Portland cement - Type 1 (PCI). The addition of LS accelerates hydration at the early ages, thus resulting in high early strength, but the dilution effect can reduce the late strength. The combination of LS and slag in a ternary blended cement can be potentially used as a binder for CPB with acceptable strength development at the early and advanced ages while lowering the cost of the CPB and the carbon footprint of the mining industry. Nevertheless, the rheology, mechanical strength, and stability are important key performance quality criteria for CPB; however, the effect of ternary cement blends on these parameters is not well known. In this research program, the impact of the binary and ternary cement blends on (i) the fresh properties of CPB, such as the rheological properties (yield stress, viscosity) and setting time, and (ii) the strength and suction development of CPB are investigated. To understand the effect of substituting slag with LS in the binary binder in the first phase of the study, binary binders with two differ-ent PCI: Slag proportions of 50/50 and 80/20 are examined with no limestone, followed by replacing slag with an increasing amount of LS from 0 to 20 wt. % of the total binder, with a constant cement content, over a period of 4 hrs (0, 0.25, 1, 2, and 4 hrs) of curing at room temperature. In the second phase, the effect of a ternary binder (PCI-Slag- LS) with varying proportions on the suction development and the mechanical behavior of hardened CPB is investigated over a curing period of up to 90 days. The changes in strength of these binary and ternary binders on the CPB sample are tested for 1, 3, 7, 28, 60, and 90 days. An unconfined compression test (UCS) is conducted to evaluate the strength development. The microstructure of the mixes is examined through mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) for changes are validated through monitoring for the development of hydration and suction, electrical conductivity (EC), and temperature, which is carried out for up to 30 days. This is followed by a microstructure analysis with a thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric test on fresh and hardened samples. The results of the first phase show that an increase in the percentage of substituted cement in the binary binder (from PCI/Slag 80/20 to 50/50) increases the yield stress of the CPB but decreases the viscosity of the mix. However, the addition of LS as a substitution for slag shows a considerable decrease in the yield stress of the control mix with an increase in viscosity with increasing dosages of LS, thus indicating an improvement in the flowability of CPB. The second phase results indicate that the slow hydration kinetics of slag influences early age suction and strength changes in the binary sample with a high slag content (50/50); however, its latent hydraulic and pozzolanic properties enhance strength gain after 28 days. The addition of 5% limestone to the ternary blend increases the strength gain by up to 7 days compared to the binary control samples. Indeed, the presence of LS influences the rate of hydration of cement and slag through both physical (filler, nucleation, dilution) and chemical (hydrate) effects. However, substituting more than 10% LS for slag affects the mechanical performance at all ages. Overall, up to 50 wt.% slag and 10 wt.% limestone with cement as a ternary binder can be used without significant compressive strength loss. This study demonstrates that the partial substitution of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with varying percentages of slag and LS is complementary, and overall, the interaction of slag and LS is observed. The optimal use of LS and slag in a ternary system may serve as a sustainable alternative to the commonly used OPC and PCI/Slag binders, thereby reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint associated with cement. The findings of this study will ultimately help to develop a better understanding of the impact of ternary blends with increasing percentages of LS on the rheology and setting time of CPB mixes and mechanical strength changes in designing an efficient mixing plant, particularly its transport system.

Leader self-development is promoted as an alternative approach to leadership development within organizations. Fast-growing organizations especially benefit from the self- development activities of leaders. The tech industry is a sector that grows rapidly and thus offers an interesting context for this study. Moreover, practical perspectives on leader self- development are lacking in the current literature. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to include a perspective on self-development activities from the leader’s standpoint and examine how the organizational setting related to these activities. The related theories were deduced from the literature and empirically examined by 11 semi-structured interviews. These interviews were conducted with managerial leaders in hierarchical organizations from the tech industry in Germany and the Netherlands. The findings showed that the “self” is limited in self-development activities. Leaders cannot practice self-development in complete isolation from the organizational setting. Instead, leaders are reliant on external factors and are intricately interconnected with their environment whereas the organization drives the intentional self-development activities of the leaders. A dynamic between the individual and the organization was revealed, as leaders are not only influenced by the supportive or hindering factors in their surroundings but also actively contribute to shaping the context. Furthermore, a distinction can be observed within the practice between experienced and less experienced leaders, with the former assuming the organizational responsibility of developing the latter. This thesis, therefore, provides a new perspective on intentional self-development activities and encourages to start a new discussion regarding self-development.

本論の目的は、アジェンダセッティングの視点から、日本には存在しないスポーツ放送政策の構築を検討するものである。本論では、イギリスの特別指定行事をめぐる放送法改正の議論および法政策の決定過程を、スポーツ放送政策の参考事例として分析した。そこから得た課題を基に、アジェンダセッティングの各段階に応じてスポーツ放送の政策形成過程を分析検討し、最後に実現可能性を高める政策資源の課題を示した。 / The purpose of this paper is to consider the construction of sports broadcasting policies that do not exist in Japan from the viewpoint of agenda setting. In this paper, I analyzed the discussion on the revision of the broadcasting law and the decision process of the legal policy over listed events in the UK as a reference example of sports broadcasting policy. Based on the issues obtained from this, we analyzed the policy formation process of sports broadcasting according to each stage of the agenda setting, and finally showed the issues of policy resources to increase the feasibility. / 博士(政策科学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Management / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University