Search Results (57)

This paper reexamines the contested categories of sex addiction and Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) through a feminist-critical synthesis of 63 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024. Rather than treating these diagnoses as neutral clinical entities, the review situates them within broader systems of normative regulation, emphasizing how psychiatric discourse, cultural anxieties, and digital infrastructures converge to define sexual deviance. The analysis is organized around the following three themes: (1) clinical ambivalence, where blurred thresholds of disorder mirror the opaque judgments of algorithmic moderation; (2) moral panic, which persists less as episodic reaction than as a durable strategy of governance embedded in media and platform logics; and (3) the pathologization of margins, whereby diagnostic and digital regimes disproportionately target queer, racialized, and gender-nonconforming sexualities. The paper introduces the concept of digital moral regulation to describe how platform architectures extend older traditions of moral governance, embedding cultural judgments into technical systems of visibility and suppression. By reframing CSBD as part of this regulatory formation, the review underscores that debates over compulsive sexuality are not solely matters of diagnostic precision, but of power: who defines harm, whose desires are legitimized, and how infrastructures translate cultural unease into regimes of control. Full article

This study addresses the construction and perception of risk and the role of the news media through a case study on radon gas, a carcinogenic, persistent hazard with a significant impact on public health, which typically flies under the radar of public opinion. The research is based on a survey (N = 1985) that targeted residents of Spain aged 18 or older. We evaluated cognitive and contextual factors, media consumption, and awareness of radon communication actions and developed a model to explain individual risk perception. The population’s knowledge about the different aspects of the risk of radon gas is moderate and uneven. A key element is the level of radon incidence among Spain’s autonomous communities. The main factors that explain the perception of radon risk are one’s perceived likelihood of being affected by radon, followed by gender and cognitive factors. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between media-disseminated information and public knowledge, but a weaker correlation between such information and protective actions, which are more closely tied to interpersonal and local communication. This study provides insights into addressing new societal risks and will help to create communication tools and analyses that avoid panic and promote responsible actions during crises. Full article

The frequency with which fake news or misinformation is published on social networks is constantly increasing. Users of social networks are confronted with many different posts every day, often with sensationalist titles and content of dubious veracity. The problem is particularly common in times of sensitive social or political situations, such as epidemics of contagious diseases or elections. As such messages can have an impact on democratic processes or cause panic among the population, many countries and the European Commission itself have recently stepped up their activities to combat disinformation campaigns on social networks. Since previous research has shown that there are no tools available to combat disinformation in the Croatian language, we proposed a framework to detect potentially misinforming content in the comments on social media. The case study was conducted with real public comments published on Croatian Facebook pages. The initial results of this framework were encouraging as it can successfully classify and detect disinformation content. Full article

Youth media consumption and disordered eating practices have historically been subjects of moral panics, often resulting in protective, deficit-based interventions like content removal. We argue for interventions which instead equip youth to evaluate and manage risks in their online environments, building upon their existing “information sensibility” practices. Drawing upon ethnographic research and intervention testing with 77 participants in the US and India, we analyze how youth (aged 13–26), including those with diverse political perspectives and those recovering from disordered eating (DE), engage with online news and health information. Participants generally algorithmically encountered (rather than searched for) information online, and their engagement was shaped more by social motivations—like belonging—than truth seeking. Participants interpreted online information collaboratively, relying on social cues and peer validation within their online communities. They demonstrated preference for personal testimonies and relatable sources, particularly those with similar social identities. We propose resilience-building interventions that build upon these youth online information practices by: (1) leveraging peer networks, promoting critical information engagement through collaborative learning and peer-to-peer support within online communities; (2) developing social media sensibility, equipping youth to critically evaluate information sources in situ; (3) providing pathways offline, connecting youth to desired in-person communities; and (4) encouraging probabilistic thinking. Full article

The proliferation of the Internet and mobile devices has made it increasingly easy to propagate rumors on social media. Widespread rumors can incite public panic and have detrimental effects on individuals. In recent years, researchers have found that both the spatial structure of rumor diffusion and the temporal features of propagation can be effective in identifying rumors. However, existing methods tend to focus on either spatial structure or temporal information in isolation, and few models can effectively capture both types of information. Additionally, most existing methods treat continuously changing temporal information as static snapshots, neglecting the precise timing of propagation. Moreover, as users repost and comment, background knowledge associated with the posts also evolves dynamically, which is often ignored. To address these limitations, we propose CGNKP (Continuous-time Dynamic Graph Networks integrated with Knowledge Propagation), a model that jointly captures the spatial structure and continuous-time features of post propagation to fully understand the dynamics of background knowledge. Specifically, we introduce a novel method for encoding continuous-time dynamic graphs, modeling the propagation process through two dynamic graphs: a temporal propagation graph (for posts diffusion) and a temporal knowledge graph (for knowledge diffusion). Extensive experiments on real-world datasets demonstrate that CGNKP significantly outperforms multiple strong baselines, achieving accuracies of 0.861 on the Twitter15 dataset and 0.903 on the Twitter16 dataset. Full article

This article describes the presence of a subliminal thesis—with conspiratorial and apocalyptic content—in the discourse of the Seventh-day Adventist tradition based on a documentary analysis of Adventist publications from the 1900s to the 1990s. The history of the development of this thesis is classified into three periods: (1) Proto-Adventist Subliminal Thesis, from 1900s to 1940s, with a discourse of anti-spiritualist emphasis; (2) Adventist Subliminal Thesis’ First Wave, from 1950s to 1960s, with a discourse of anti-media emphasis in the context of James Vicary’s experiments in the 1950s; and (3) Adventist Subliminal Thesis’ Second Wave, from 1970s to 1990s, with a discourse of conspiratorial emphasis in the context of the satanic panic of the 1980s and 1990s. The Adventist subliminal thesis is configured in a way of thinking that considers (1) the human being as a “mass-man” and culture as “mass culture”; (2) the media as having the power of manipulation and mental control; (3) adherence to moral panic phenomena as reactions to media threats to traditional values; and (4) the cosmic narrative of the Great Controversy as a worldview for understanding media messages and products as part of a satanic conspiracy. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between user-generated content on social media and panic buying, with a focus on how attitudes towards food waste and brand value act as moderating variables. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data from an online survey with 370 responses were analyzed. The findings show that user-generated content significantly contributes to the dissemination of inaccurate information, which in turn triggers panic buying. However, the impact of inaccurate information on panic buying is moderated by consumer attitudes towards food waste and brand value. Specifically, consumers with negative attitudes towards food waste and high brand trust are less likely to engage in panic buying when exposed to misinformation. These results suggest that promoting responsible consumption and leveraging brand value can mitigate the adverse effects of misinformation during crises. This study contributes to sustainability by providing insights into developing strategies for retailers and policymakers to manage consumer behavior, emphasizing the importance of accurate information and brand communication in reducing panic buying tendencies. Full article

Nowadays, rumors spread more rapidly than before, leading to more panic and instability in society. Therefore, it is essential to seek out propagation law in order to prevent rumors from spreading further and avoid unnecessary harm. There is a connection between rumor models and symmetry. The consistency of a system or model is referred to as the level of symmetry under certain transformations. For this purpose, we propose a fractional-order Ignorant–Latent–Spreader–Remover (ILSR) rumor propagation model that incorporates media reports and a nonlinear inhibition mechanism. Firstly, the boundedness and non-negativeness of the solutions are derived under fractional differential equations. Secondly, the threshold is used to evaluate and illustrate the stability both locally and globally. Finally, by utilizing Pontryagin’s maximum principle, we obtain the necessary conditions for the optimal control in the fractional-order rumor propagation model, and we also obtain the associated optimal solutions. Furthermore, the numerical results indicate that media reports can decrease the spread of rumors in different dynamic regions, but they cannot completely prevent rumor dissemination. The results are also exhibited and corroborated by replicating the model with specific hypothetical parameter values. It can be inferred that fractional order yields more favorable outcomes when rumor permanence in the population is higher. The presented method facilitates the acquisition of profound insights into the dissemination dynamics and subsequent consequences of rumors within a societal network. Full article

Our research focuses on a complex and integrative analysis of bear presence in four tourist resorts in Prahova Valley, Romania: Sinaia, Bușteni, Azuga and Predeal. Employing innovative mixed methods, including questionnaires, interviews, newspaper analysis, and consideration of the local toponymy, including bear-related names and souvenirs, we aim to highlight the extent to which a posthumanist attitude is evident in the region. The sustained appearance of bears is attributed to habitat invasion through deforestation, road construction, residential neighborhoods, and tourist infrastructure. Ambiguity arises from the presence of food sources and voluntary feeding both by locals and tourists. The mass media initially heightened fear and panic during the onset of human–bear interactions but later adopted a more tolerant tone regarding the bear’s presence in tourist resorts, reflecting an openness to the posthumanist approach in Prahova Valley. That is why locals express fear and concern about bear encounters, advocating for a clear separation between animal and human spaces. Tourists exhibit attitudes ranging from unconscious appreciation to ambivalence, often contributing to the problem through practices such as feeding bears for fun. The use of bear-related names for tourist establishments is identified as anthropocentric, despite their appeal for attracting tourists. Souvenir sales, through increasing socio-economic value and contributing to tourist experiences, are also recognized as anthropocentric. However, souvenirs can provide elements of support for bear conservation efforts and the equal consideration of human and non-human entities. This study concludes that a successful adaptive coexistence requires a posthumanist vision, overcoming anthropocentrism in a landscape altered by human activities, supported by bear management programs in Bucegi Natural Park, and conservation efforts in Prahova Valley in a landscape altered by people. Full article

With the growth of the internet and popularity of mobile devices, propagating rumors on social media has become increasingly easy. Widespread rumors may cause public panic and have adverse effects on individuals. Recently, researchers have found that external knowledge is useful for detecting rumors. They usually use statistical approaches to calculate the importance of different knowledge for the post. However, these methods cannot aggregate the knowledge information most beneficial for detecting rumors. Second, the importance of propagation and knowledge information for discriminating rumors differs among temporal stages. Existing methods usually use a simple concatenation of two kinds of information as feature representation. However, this approach lacks effective integration of propagation information and knowledge information. In this paper, we propose a rumor detection model, Adaptive Spatial-Temporal and Knowledge fusing Network (ASTKN). In order to adaptively aggregate knowledge information, ASTKN employs dynamic graph attention networks encoding the temporal knowledge structure. To better fuse propagation structure information and knowledge structure information, we introduce a new attention mechanism to fuse the two types of information dynamically. Extensive experiments on two public real-world datasets show that our proposal yields significant improvements compared to strong baselines and that it can detect rumors at early stages. Full article

Widespread fear and panic has emerged about COVID-19 on social media platforms which are often supported by falsified and altered content. This mass hysteria creates public anxiety due to misinformation, misunderstandings, and ignorance of the impact of COVID-19. To assist health professionals in addressing this epidemic more appropriately at the onset, sentiment analysis can potentially help the authorities for devising appropriate strategies. This study analyzes tweets related to COVID-19 using a machine learning approach and offers a high-accuracy solution. Experiments are performed involving different machine and deep learning models along with various features such as Word2vec, term-frequency, term-frequency document frequency, and feature fusion of both feature-generating approaches. The proposed approach combines the extra tree classifier and convolutional neural network and uses feature fusion to achieve the highest accuracy score of 99%. The proposed approach obtains far better results than existing sentiment analysis approaches. Full article

China’s outbreak related to cold-chain aquatic product quality and safety in 2020 caused public panic and further led to a crisis in China’s aquatic industry. This paper uses topic clustering and emotion analysis methods to text-mine the comments of netizens on Sina Weibo to study the main features of the public’s views on the administration’s crisis management measures and to provide experience for future imported food safety management. The findings show that for the imported food safety incident and the risk of virus infection, the public response had four types of characteristics: a higher proportion of negative emotion; a wider range of information demand; attention paid to the whole imported food industry chain; and a differentiated attitude towards control policies. Based on the online public response, countermeasures to further improve the management ability of imported food safety crises are proposed as follows: the government should pay active attention to the development trend of online public opinion; work more on exploring the content of public concern and emotion; strengthen the risk assessment of imported food and establish the classification and management measures of imported food safety events; construct the imported food safety traceability system; build a special recall mechanism for imported food safety; and improve the cooperation between government and media, enhancing the public’s trust in policies. Full article

In the last decade’s media discourse, particular Arab immigrant groups received the name ‘Arab clans’ and have been portrayed as criminal kinship networks irrespective of actual involvement in crime. We question how ‘Arab clans’ are categorized, criminalized, and racialized in the German media. To answer this question, we collected clan-related mainstream media articles published between 2010 and 2020. Our first-step quantitative topic modeling of ‘clan’ coverage (n = 23,893) shows that the discourse about ‘Arab clans’ is situated as the most racialized and criminalized vis-à-vis other ‘clan’ discourses and is channeled through three macro topics: law and order, family and kinship, and criminal groupness. Second, to explore the deeper meaning of the discourse about ‘Arab clans’ by juxtaposing corpus linguistics and novel narrative approaches to the discourse-historical approach, we qualitatively analyzed 97 text passages extracted with the keywords in context search (KWIC). Our analysis reveals three prevalent argumentative strategies (Arab clan immigration out of control, Arab clans as enclaves, policing Arab clans) embedded in a media narrative of ethnonational rebirth: a story of Germany’s present-day need (‘moral panic’) to police and repel the threats associated with ‘the Arab clan Other’ in order for a celebratory return to a nostalgically idealized pre-Arab-immigration social/moral order. Full article

Background: Stigma relating to health can result in a broad range of vulnerabilities and risks for patients and healthcare providers. The media play a role in people’s understanding of health, and stigma is socially constructed through many communication channels, including media framing. Recent health issues affected by stigma include monkeypox and COVID-19. Objectives: This research aimed to examine how The Washington Post (WP) framed the stigma around monkeypox and COVID-19. Guided by framing theory and stigma theory, online news coverage of monkeypox and COVID-19 was analyzed to understand the construction of social stigma through media frames. Methods: This research used qualitative content analysis to compare news framings in The Washington Post’s online news coverage of monkeypox and COVID-19. Results: Using endemic, reassurance, and sexual-transmission frames, The Washington Post predominantly defined Africa as the source of monkeypox outbreaks, indirectly labeled gays as a specific group more likely to be infected with monkeypox, and emphasized that there was no need to worry about the spread of the monkeypox virus. In its COVID-19 coverage, The Washington Post adopted endemic and panic frames to describe China as the source of the coronavirus and to construct an image of panic regarding the spread of the virus. Conclusions: These stigma discourses are essentially manifestations of racism, xenophobia, and sexism in public health issues. This research confirms that the media reinforces the stigma phenomenon in relation to health through framing and provides suggestions for the media to mitigate this issue from a framing perspective. Full article

The use of social media has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic because people are isolated and working from home. The use of social media enhances information exchange in society and may influence public protective behavior against the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting public protective behavior when relying on COVID-19 pandemic-related content shared on social media. A model based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) was proposed and validated using a quantitative survey approach. A questionnaire was distributed to random respondents, and 488 responses were received and analyzed using Smart-PLS software. The findings showed that perceived risk, e-health literacy, public awareness, and health experts’ participation influence public protective behavior when using social media to share COVID-19-relevant content. The outcomes of this study can enhance government agencies’ and public health care authorities’ understanding of how to use social media to raise awareness and reduce panic among the public. Full article