In the constantly evolving media environment, understanding how social media is used to influence people’s perceptions is becoming increasingly important. This thesis focuses on the ways social media is used to frame conflicts. More specifically, the thesis aims to understand how the official account of Ukraine is framing the Russia-Ukraine war on TikTok. The study acknowledges the lack of research into the ways social media is used to frame conflict and attempts to start filling this research gap. The study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis, using 150 TikTok videos posted between April 2022 and 2023 as its data. Robert Entman’s (1993) conceptualization of framing was used as the analytical framework of the study. The thesis concludes that @ukraine.ua focuses on the implications war has had on the lives of Ukrainians and the destruction it has caused. It also almost explicitly identifies Russia’s acts as the cause of problems and while Ukraine is presented as the protector and fierce fighter of freedom, Russia is referred to as a terroristic and evil entity. @ukraine.ua suggests Ukraine’s victory in the war as a solution to problems, while also amplifying the necessity of military and economic aid.

This empirical study examines the conflict coverage of two leading Farsi-language news media, Iran International and BBC Persian, regarding peace journalism (PJ) and war journalism (WJ) and the 2022 conflict in Ukraine. Drawing upon available scholarly work in the field of PJ and WJ (studies) and within a normative debate, this research argues that the existing model of PJ/WJ is dualistic and binary. Then, the study conceptualizes and suggests a new concept of semi-war journalism (SWJ), which transforms the existing dualistic model into a multi-dimensional one. The study provides a background on the Farsi-language media ecosystem. It additionally presents an intensive account of the background of the 2022 conflict in Ukraine and demonstrates that this is not a two-party conflict but a multi-party conflict. Also, the conflict has its internal roots in the Ukraine.  Conducting a literature review of the existing scholarship, the study demonstrates that a small share of the journalistic works fulfills the criteria of PJ, and the 2022 conflict in Ukraine is understudied. Apart from PJ/WJ subjects, in many other aspects, Farsi-language media are understudied as well. Qualitative content analysis of twelve news articles from the website of the media under study from their coverage of the 2022 conflict in Ukraine in six months, from February 2022 to July 2022, is conducted. The findings reveal that the dominant frame in all articles is elite-oriented reporting, in which elites are taken into consideration either as the source of information or as actors. Employing PJ/WJ and framing theory, it is concluded that Iran International’s coverage sharply leans toward WJ, with five out of six articles with the WJ approach and only one SWJ article. BBC Persian is chiefly aligned with SWJ (three articles), while it has one PJ article and two WJ. The findings of this study are in line with previous research that underscored that only a small share of conflict reporting fulfills the criteria of PJ, while it seems that, in the case of BBC Persian, there is a shift away from WJ to the two other approaches (SWJ and PJ).

This study seeks to investigate, from both macro and micro perspectives, the effect of brand activism on consumer loyalty.  The macro perspective examines the general relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty, whereas the micro perspective examines the specific context of companies' withdrawal from Russia as a form of brand activism.  The study conducts a comprehensive analysis of how the consumer receives information about brand activism. The macro-level literature review investigates the definition and evolution of brand activism, the relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty, and the communication strategies' effect on consumer loyalty. On a micro level, the study concentrates on the decisions corporations made as part of their brand activism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict of 2022.  The purpose of this study is to thoroughly comprehend the intricate relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty.  The methodology section describes the hypotheses model as well as the research strategy based on surveys and interviews.  This study's findings provide new insights into the influence of brand activism on consumer loyalty and its three components (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) as well as brand activism communication strategies on the macro level, and into the specific context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the micro level. It highlights that brand activism shapes consumer loyalty differently through the three components and according to the context. Additionally, social media is the communication channel that influences the most the relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty on both macro and micro perspectives.  This study contributes to the disciplines of marketing and consumer behavior by advancing the relationship among brand activism, consumer loyalty, and communication.

This thesis compares the visual representation of Syrian refugees during the 2015 refugee crisis and Ukrainian refugees during the Russian invasion 2022 in news outlets Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dabladet and Aftonbladet. The aim of the study is thus to investigate how ethnic groups are framed in a photojournalistic setting. The theoretical concept otherness is used to analyze the selected visual images and the concept of visualities highlight how photographs published in the media communicate political messages and how images reflect immigration discourse. Additionally, photojournalistic regimes of visibility and responsibility are used to illuminate similarities and dissimilarities in the material. In total, 200 images made up the sample for the performed qualitative visual analysis. The findings reveal that empathetic portrayals dominate the Swedish narrative. Syrian refugees were overrepresented in imagery alluding to otherness painting a picture of Syrians as ethnic, cultural and dangerous others. Photography triggering social and political engagement were crucial in the forming of visualities, relating visual images to the political and public arena. The sampled images did reflect immigration discourses of intimidation and humanity.

On February 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. This quickly escalated into a full-scale war that is still ongoing. The current war has forced drastic changes to all sectors in Ukrainian society, one of the most affected is the higher educational sector. As a result of the war all higher educational institutions (HEIs) have been forced to adjust the entire educational process to an online education environment. In order to maintain the educational process, HEIs have come to rely on the use of various Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). However, militarization of regions, limited Internet access and destruction of university infrastructure are all the war-related challenges that aggravate the use of these digital technologies. Today, significant research has been done on ICTs in higher education as well as on wartime conditions. However the convergence between the two concepts are rarely explored in scientific research. Thus this study aims to explore the interrelation between the integration of ICTs in higher education and wartime in Ukraine. To address the research problem, two research questions have been formulated: (1) What is the current state of ICT integration in higher education in Ukraine? and (2) How have the ICTs helped sustain the higher educational process in Ukraine during wartime? In order to answer the research questions, this thesis applies a strategy of systematic review along with the application of thematic analysis. Data was collected through a document study approach. The scope of the systematic review is limited to the last decade (2013-2023) and in order to facilitate the data collection process, the PRISMA framework has been used. The findings conclude that the level of ICT integration in higher education is limited. The findings further indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic did increase the awareness and need for ICTs, thus has managed to change the attitude toward the use of ICTs. Additionally, the thesis suggests that four main categories of ICTs are currently used to maintain the educational process during the war in Ukraine: (1) Learning management systems, (2) Digital learning platforms, (3) Video communication platforms and (4) Social media networking platforms. The findings in this thesis contribute to the area of Technological Enhanced Learning by providing some valuable insights on ICTs in higher education in relation to the current war in Ukraine.

The 2 goals of the present investigation were to 1) examine the reliability of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire: Short Form (CBQ) in a sample of 4-7 year-old children from the Ukraine and 2) compare those children’s temperament profiles to a) one another when the form was administered in 2 different languages and b) their American counterparts from the CBQ standardization sample. Three waves of data were collected from the parents of 167 children residing in Kiev, Ukraine. Internal reliability analyses showed good internal consistency of the instrument. Comparative analyses conducted both within and between cultures showed similarities and differences across the 15 CBQ dimensions. The observed differences were in the predicted directions: Ukrainian children were rated higher than American children on dimensions reflecting negative affectivity. However, the language of the instrument was a mitigating factor. This finding supports the possibility that parental ethnotheories are embedded in specific languages.

Strategische Illusionen und Realität im Ukraine-Konflikt aus russischer Sicht (2022/23) - Global Governance im Diskurs (XIII) • Vorbemerkungen 'Zum Inhalt und zu den Einzelbeiträgen' • Kommentar S. Poletajew (dt. Übers.): Illusionen und Realitäten im Ukraine-Konflikt (2022/23) . • Interview (dt. Übers.): Illusionen und Realitäten im Ukraine-Konflikt (2022/23) . • Mitschrift (dt. Übers.) der Kollegiumssitzung des Verteidigungsministeriums Russlands: Redebeiträge des Präsidenten und des Ministers am 21. Dezember 2022. • Dokumentation: Sämtliche Textoriginale (russ.).:Strategische Illusionen und Realität im Ukraine-Konflikt aus russischer Sicht (2022/23) Global Governance im Diskurs (XIII) ● Vorbemerkungen von Rainer Böhme und Wilfried Schreiber: 'Zum Thema und zu den Einzelbeiträgen' ● Meinungsbeiträge zum Ukraine-Konflikt (2022): (Übersetzt a.d. Russ. von Rainer Böhme.) ○ Kommentar von Sergej Poletajew: 'Über den Verlust der Illusionen'. In 'Russia in Global Affairs', Moskau. ○ Interview von Pjotr Skorobogatyj mit Ruslan Puchow: 'Gladiatorenkämpfe in der Ukraine'. In: 'Wybor Naroda', Moskau. ● Textoriginale (russisch): ○ Beitrag in ‘Russia in Global Affairs’, Moskau, 04. 01.2023 von Sergej Poletajew; ○ Interview in ‘Wybor Naroda’, Moskau, 04.08.2022, mit Ruslan Puchow; ○ Rede des Präsidenten vor dem ‘Kollegium’, Moskau, 21.12.2022, von Wladimir Putin; ○ Bericht des Verteidigungsministers, Moskau, 21.12.2022, von Sergej Schojgu; ○ Anmerkungen des Präsidenten zum Bericht, 21.12.2022, von Wladimir Putin.

Die militärische Lage im Ukraine-Konflikt vs. geostrategischer Informationskrieg (II) ○ Dokumentation (dt. Übers.): • Bulletin Nr. 29 des Cf2R, Paris, von J. Baud, Zur militärischen Lage in der Ukraine, Anfang Juni 2022; • Kommentar in 'War on The Rocks', Washington, von M. Kofman & R. Lee, Zur Streitkräftestruktur Russlands (2. Juni 2022); ○ Sämtliche Textoriginale (französisch, englisch).:Die militärische Lage im Ukraine-Konflikt vs. geostrategischer Informationskrieg (II) Global Governance im Diskurs (IX) ○ Vorwort von Rainer Böhme ○ Dokumentation • Bericht von Jacques Baud, Bullettin Nr. 29 des Instituts Cf2R, Paris: 'Aktuelle Information zur militärischen Lage in der Ukraine bis zum 2. Juni 2022' (Übers. a.d. Französ.: Rainer Böhme); • Kommentar von Michael Kofman & Rob Lee, Kommentar in 'War on The Rocks', 2. Juni 2022, Washington: 'Nicht für den Zweck aufgebaut: Das unglückliche Kräftedesign im Militär Russlands' (Übers. a.d. Englischen: Rainer Böhme).

The Syrian civil war has displaced upwards 13 million people and was a major part of what constituted the migration crisis in the European Union in the years leading up to the culmination in 2015. According to researchers, this event marks the decline of European solidarity as the European Union member states continued to pass the reception burden onto each other. However, the recent events in Ukraine have re-sparked the solidarity principle once again, as countries are lining up to receive the Ukrainian refugees. Starting a conversation whether there could be a difference between refugees and refugees. Based on a content analysis, this thesis investigates the differences in media framing of the Syrian refugee stream and the Ukrainian refugee stream within the Swedish context by analysing 30 articles from three of Sweden's biggest news outlets. The study identified four major key differences in framing of the two migrant groups namely, (1) the aspect of gender, since women, children and elderly constitute most of the Ukrainian refugees, they are perceived as less of a threat than the young men who came to Sweden due to the Syrian civil war. (2) A shift in the underlying meaning of the words “solidarity” and “crisis” when referring to the two groups. (3) A shift in media and political discourse from debate to action, and (4) the focus on illegal verses legal refugees due to the difference in legislation, where one group is protected from needing to use illegal routes to enter a European country whilst the other is not.

Studien har i syfte att undersöka vilka genrer, diskursiva strategier och lingvistiska verktyg som Rysslands president Vladimir Putin använder sig utav och hur det kan kopplas samman med tidigare forskning om propaganda. Studien utgår från Putins tal på Moskvas Stadium den 18 mars 2022 då han adresserar åttaårsjubileet av Rysslands annektering av Krim. Metoden som använts för studien är diskursiv-historisk analys, som bygger på kritisk diskursanalys. För att koppla samman Putins tal med en vidare historisk kontext har även Joseph Stalins tal från den 7 november 1941 analyserats på samma sätt.  För att kort sammanfatta resultatet så visade det sig att det finns vissa likheter mellan Putin och Stalins tal i hänseende av genre samt diskursiva strategier, den största skillnaden handlar om att Putin använder ett försiktigare vokabulär än Stalin samt att Putin är mer argumenterande. / The study aims to examine the genres, discursive strategies and linguistic tools that Russian President Vladimir Putin uses and how it can be linked to previous research on propaganda. The study is based on Putin's speech at Moscow's Stadium on March 18, 2022, when he addresses the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea. The method used for the study is discursive-historical analysis, which is based on critical discourse analysis. To connect Putin's speech with a historical context, Joseph Stalin's speech of November 7, 1941 has also been analyzed in the same way. To summarize the results, it turned out that there are some similarities between Putin and Stalin's speeches in terms of genre and discursive strategies, the biggest difference is that Putin uses a more cautious vocabulary than Stalin and that Putin is more argumentative.