Journal of Media, Culture and Communication

Analyzing the frameworks of american news reporting on tunisian democracy: a corpus-assisted approach

2026-02-27T07:35:29+00:00

This paper analyzes U.S. news coverage of Tunisia’s democratic trajectory between 2011 and 2024 and its connection to American foreign policy in the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. It applies corpus-assisted discourse analysis on an original collection of news articles published in the New York Times, New York Post, National Review, and Wall Street Journal during the Obama, Trump, and Biden presidencies. The American guardianship framework consists of three recurring patterns: Americentrism, benchmarking economic prosperity by capitalist values, and Western ownership of democratic successes. Altogether, these frames present post-2011 Tunisia as both a fragile political experiment and the region's litmus test for democratic viability. While Obama-era coverage celebrated Tunisia as a success story, Trump-era reporting criticized its economic fragility and security concerns. News coverage during Biden's mandate increasingly focused on authoritarian retrenchment under President Kaïs Saïed and the erosion of constitutional norms. By combining corpus methods with critical discourse analysis, the paper conveys how U.S. news outlets placed their respective administrations' geopolitical interests at the center of reporting on Tunisia's democratic development.

Digital media and student life in india during covid-19: cultural shifts, coping mechanisms, and communication patterns

2026-04-03T06:34:10+00:00

The COVID-19 pandemic affected education first, then it spread to social life, and cultural practices afterwards. College students in India were at the very bottom of the pile, as they had to cope with the struggle of academics, social life and cultural practices all at once. Conducted through digital media technology, the present research is about the ways of the students in Tamil Nadu who were in the pandemic times. The methods used for data collection included brainstorming sessions, interviews, digital diaries, and online discussion logs with college students.Major psychosocial and cultural experiences were fear psychosis, relationship deprivation, online dependence, ritual-less religiosity, gratitude and grief expressions, financial difficulties in online education, health hazards, and talent showcasing. The discovery indicates that digital media was a way for people to deal with the situation and also an avenue for creativity. However, it also exposed the risks of overuse, digital fatigue, and unequal access. The research emphasizes the double aspect of digital media in the development of resilience, identity, and culture, and technology's critical role in students' crisis experiences comes out loud and clear through the insights gained.

Resisting third spaces and reclaiming identity: disability and sexuality through critical lenses in Bangladesh

2026-06-19T05:24:51+00:00

This paper sheds light on the portrayals of people with disabilities (PWDs) in the socio-cultural landscape of Bangladesh through the critical lenses of poststructuralism. Viewing from the sharp eyes of these theories and engaging them with the cultural, political, gendered, and disability aspects of Bangladesh, this paper reveals how PWD’s identity is formed, how power can be negotiated and resistance embodies the layered dynamics through performativity, endurance and tolerance. Following a qualitative reflexive approach and narrative inquiry using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) from the fieldworks. This paper highlights the narratives of lived experiences and cultural representations of PWDs in contemporary Bangladesh with the help of juxtaposing the theoretical frameworks and linking up these with the field observations and findings.

Media consumption and social vulnerability: generation z’s mental health in the digital era

2026-06-24T10:28:31+00:00

This study explores the relationship between media consumption and social vulnerability, focusing on the mental health of Generation Z in the digital era. The rapid growth of internet use has created both opportunities and risks, particularly for young people who are digital natives. Using a qualitative case study approach, interviews were conducted with late adolescents aged 18-21 who engage in daily online activities. The findings reveal that excessive exposure to harmful online content, such as pornography, cyberbullying, and hoax news, contributes to psychological distress, digital addiction, and social isolation. These patterns disrupt daily routines, weaken resilience, and increase vulnerability to broader social risks. The results futher indicate that the constant connectivity of generation Z fosters a paradoxical condition; while digital platforms provide spaces for self expression and social interaction, they simultaneously expose young people to unfiltered and often harmful content. Participation reported feelings of anxiety, sleep disstrubances, and reduced academic performance linked to their online habits. In addition, the normalization of cyberbullying and exposure to sensationalized misinformation were found to erode trust in institutions and weaken interpersonal relationships. The study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive interventions. Digital literacy programs, critical media awareness campaigns, and family baed monitoring strategies are essentioal to mitigate the negative impact of unregulated medaiconsumption. Educators and policymakers must collaborate to design currcila tha integrated meia literacy as a core competency, while families should foster open communication to guode adolescents in navigation online spaces responsibly. By framing internet use as aboth a cultural practice and a source of sosio psychological risk, this research contributes to communication scholarship and offers practical insgihts for strengthening generation Z mental resilience in the digital era.

Economics of algorithmic distribution: perception of platform power and revenue models of netflix and spotify in the streaming era in nigeria

2026-06-24T10:39:37+00:00

This paper has explored the economics of algorithmic distribution: how Netflix and Spotify are perceived to have power and how they make money in the streaming age in Nigeria. This paper aimed to explore the most common types of revenue models employed by Netflix and Spotify in Nigeria; evaluate how revenue model affects the preferences and willingness to pay of the users; and discuss how the power of the platform and consumer behaviour in the streaming age can be formed through the use of algorithmic distribution. The researcher, based on the concept of the uses and gratifications theory and the network society theory, investigates user motifs and structural power of digital platforms. To examine the topic, a quantitative survey of 384 users of streaming platforms was carried out. The major results were that Netflix and Spotify are highly popular, and subscription-based and hybrid revenue models are predominant. The quality of the content, the absence of advertising, and multiple options affect the choices of users when it comes to paying money, whereas algorithmic recommendations have a massive influence on the discovery of content and a solid position of the platform, albeit at the cost of content diversification. The paper concludes that the success of a platform depends on the combination of adaptable monetization strategies, user tastes, and algorithmic curation. Suggestions comprise making it affordable, diversification of revenue models, and personalisation versus content diversity ratios in order to maintain engagement.

A renaissance man: lakshminath bezbarua and his contributions to assamese sahitya and culture

2026-07-03T07:28:32+00:00

Lakshminath Bezbarua (1864–1938), fondly remembered as ‘Sahityarathi’ or Chief among literary figures in Assam. His literary efforts towards enriching Assamese language and literature were excellent and incomparable. During the ‘Jonaki’ period, Bezbarua was an influential figure who significantly contributed to defining contemporary Assam's cultural landscape through his writings. The body of work he created includes dramas, narratives, fiction pieces, poetry collections, biography writing, autobiography creation, literary analysis, and books for young readers; all serve as evidence of his remarkable talent versatility. The renowned Lakshminath Bezbarua is widely regarded as the progenitor of contemporary Assamese literature, significantly influencing its development through his contributions. He made significant impacts through various forms of literature demonstrating an intense dedication to maintaining and enhancing Assam's cultural heritage. The works of Bezbarua encompassed numerous narratives, among which Seuti, Surabhi, Jonbiri, Sadhu Kathar Kuki ‘collection of modern short stories’ mostly dealing with urgent matters like caste prejudice, female injustice, and post-colonial impact are considered foundational in literature. Bezbarua cleverly used humor and heartfelt narratives to challenge traditional values, promoting advancement and learning instead. The man's groundbreaking contributions to Assamese fiction through novels and essays showcase his broad talent and lasting impact on literary circles. It is an undeniable fact that Bezbarua is widely accepted as a renaissance man due to his extraordinary literary talent. Thus the paper is an attempt to describe the Assamese literary and cultural contributions of Lakshminath Bezbarua.