KOME

Nicolescu’s Transdisciplinary Logic: Inclusivity and Complexity

Sue L. T. McGregor — 2024-06-28

This paper recounts the two pillars of logic Basarab Nicolescu developed when he formulated the logic axiom of his transdisciplinary methodology: inclusive logic and complexity logic. The paper starts with a distinction between complexity and simplicity and frames transdisciplinary actors as a complex adaptive system (CAS). After explaining traditional classical linear logic and three laws of thought (i.e. exclusive logic) and their inability to deal with complexity, the discussion turns to both inclusive and complexity logic as understood by Nicolescu (who drew on Stéphane Lupasco, and Edgar Morin, respectively). Nicolescu knew he needed ways to both a) not exclude anything that might be integral to addressing a complex, wicked problem; and b) weave emergent ideas into something new, ways that he respectively called inclusive logic and complexity logic. Used together, richer communications and inquiry are now possible amongst diverse minds increasing chances of confidently addressing complex, normative and wicked problems.

Examining Trends and Effectiveness of Academic Institutions’ Website Contents

Birhan Amare Tesfie — 2024-06-28

This research aimed to examine the trends in and effectiveness of website content on the websites of selected Ethiopian academic institutions. The data was gathered through content analysis and questionnaire and analysed through descriptive statistics (mean), One-Way ANOVA, and narration. The results confirmed that academic and research content were the strongest content categories compared to the other issues covered on the selected websites; and that program and office related content were the weakest (μ = 0.125). According to the data, Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Bahir Dar and Harmaya universities respectively had better content management trends than the other universities. The data also demonstrated that there were significant statistical differences among the website content offered by different universities. Poor navigation systems, inadequate content, empty menus and sub-menus, inconsistent branding, spelling and grammatical errors, as well as untargeted content were some of the observed limitations of the selected website content. Moreover, the data confirmed that the majority of universities updated their websites infrequently. Thus, the study recommends that universities manage their websites well in order to enhance their visibility and reputation.

Exploring the Relationship between Consumer Knowledge and Skepticism towards Pro-Environmental Advertising: An Empirical Investigation

Lee Jinhee — 2024-06-28

This study investigates the potential impact of consumer knowledge on inclination toward skepticism about pro-environmental advertising. Using the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM), the research explores the intricate interplay between three facets of consumer knowledge: persuasion, agent and topic knowledge, and consumer skepticism of pro-environmental advertising. The study also examines whether individuals’ prior experience of pro-environmental advertising and eco-friendly products contribute to the development of the three dimensions of consumer knowledge. Researchers administered online surveys to a cohort of U.S. consumer panellists, and subsequently subjected the gathered data to structural equation modelling. The research found that consumers with a heightened acumen in persuasion, agent, and topic knowledge exhibit a notably diminished degree of skepticism toward pro-environmental advertising. Additionally, individuals’ antecedent interactions with pro-environmental products enhance the depth of all three dimensions, whereas prior exposure to pro-environmental advertising appears predominantly to bolster persuasion knowledge alone.

The Effects of Instagram Use on Body Image, Body Satisfaction and Ways of Losing Weight – A Quantitative Study

Toktam Namayandeh Joorabchi — 2024-06-28

The present study investigates the direct effect of Instagram use on various ways of losing weight, examines the mediation effects of body satisfaction and body image, and the moderator effects of gender and marital status. A total of 520 people who both used Instagram and undertook body surgery participated in the study and filled in the online and printed versions of our questionnaire. Partial least squares regression was used to test the research hypotheses and the relationships among the variables. The results revealed that body image mediated the effect of the purpose of Instagram use on ways of losing weight; however, no mediation effect of body image and body satisfaction was found for patterns and purposes of Instagram use apart from exercise. The relationship between the purposes and pattern of Instagram usage on body satisfaction was significant. However, patterns of Instagram use had no impact on body image, while this relationship for purpose was significant. The implications of the study are discussed.

Body image and Self-Objectification in a Confucian Cultural Context: Self-Representation and Consumption of Desirable Feet on Douyin (TikTok) in China

Zhang Xiaolong — 2024-06-28

While issues related to gender and mental health have been extensively discussed in the context of body image based on objectification theory, there has been limited exploration of the interplay between gender, sexual attention, and self-representations in online communication, particularly concerning specific body parts within a given cultural context. Podophilia, the most common sexual fetish, includes a range of interests in feet, such as foot tickling, kissing, foot jobs, and shoe/stocking play. Traditionally, these activities have been linked to offline experiences. However, in the digital age, particularly in China, where the government is committed to prohibiting erotic and sexually explicit materials, content displaying various private body parts faces restrictions under Chinese media and internet policies. Interestingly, the representation of feet and legs remain relatively unrestricted, resulting in a significant amount of sexually suggestive media content related to these body parts. This study aims to investigate the influence of culture, policy, and economics on self-representations of foot and leg related content and the consumption of such content in the Chinese online environment. Through the analysis of 500 Douyin videos and 5000 corresponding online comments, this research disclosed how video creators portray their body parts, why these videos are predominantly women-centered, and why these women are more or less self-objectified.

The Evidence of Populism in the Narratives of the President of Brazil during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Souza Cibele Silva e — 2024-06-28

In Brazil, the period of the Covid-19 pandemic was characterised by a crisis reflected in social platforms and the centralisation of information in the hands of the political leader. This article analyses former President Bolsonaro’s political communication on Twitter (currently known as X) in a populist context. To achieve this objective, the research sets out from the idea that populist leaders have focused attention on publicising their popularity and approaching the public, a process expanded through social media. As a result of content analysis and studies by Engesser et al. (2017), five recurring narrative motifs were observed in Bolsonaro’s communication: attacks on traditional media, advocate of the people, the basis of religion and faith as a doctrine, the sovereignty of the nation, and appeals to the heart and opposition to the dominant structure. Based on the findings, the article contributes to studies on populism, placing the phenomenon in a media environment composed of political, social and economic uncertainty.

Populist Cues in Media Framing

Tóth Tamás — 2024-06-28

The media, or “fourth estate” as it is also known, which scrutinises the political elites, relies on journalists supporting the idea of a free press, independent of political interference. Research has demonstrated that journalists imply anti-elitism and people-centrism – the core features of populism – to criticise the establishment and speak on behalf of ordinary citizens. Scholars, therefore, developed the concept of “media populism” to conceptualise the proliferation of the populist communication phenomenon in different media content types. Spurred by the intention above, this study aims to fill a gap by analysing the extent to which anti-elitism and the general will of the people appear in the online news coverage of demonstrations in five Western media outlets. The study analyses 469 items of news coverage of protests from 108 countries between 2010 and 2020. Quantitative content analysis and confirmatory factor analysis revealed that news outlets emphasise anti-elitism as the primary populist cue in protest coverage. Additionally, the paper contributes to the concept of media populism by arguing that journalists articulate the volonté general in coverage when protesters oppose adverse changes in legislation. Media populism has a specific function in the coverage of protests: it suggests that protesters want to participate in decision-making processes.