Affective Image Content Analysis: Two Decades Review and New Perspectives

Images can convey rich semantics and induce various emotions in viewers. Recently, with the rapid advancement of emotional intelligence and the explosive growth of visual data, extensive research efforts have been dedicated to affective image content analysis (AICA). In this survey, we will comprehensively review the development of AICA in the recent two decades, especially focusing on the state-of-the-art methods with respect to three main challenges -- the affective gap, perception subjectivity, and label noise and absence. We begin with an introduction to the key emotion representation models that have been widely employed in AICA and description of available datasets for performing evaluation with quantitative comparison of label noise and dataset bias. We then summarize and compare the representative approaches on (1) emotion feature extraction, including both handcrafted and deep features, (2) learning methods on dominant emotion recognition, personalized emotion prediction, emotion distribution learning, and learning from noisy data or few labels, and (3) AICA based applications. Finally, we discuss some challenges and promising research directions in the future, such as image content and context understanding, group emotion clustering, and viewer-image interaction.Comment: Accepted by IEEE TPAM

Cybernationalism and cyberactivism in China

El nacionalismo en la era de Internet se está convirtiendo cada vez más en un factor esencial que influye en la agenda-setting de la sociedad china, así como en las relaciones de China con los países extranjeros, especialmente con Occidente. Para China, una mejor comprensión de la estructura teórica universal y de los patrones de comportamiento del nacionalismo facilitaría la articulación social general de esta tendencia y potenciaría su papel positivo en la agenda-setting social. Por otra parte, un estudio del cibernacionalismo chino basado en una perspectiva china en el mundo académico occidental es un intento de transculturación. Desde el punto de vista de las relaciones internacionales y la geopolítica actuales, que son bastante urgentes, este intento ayudaría a mejorar la compatibilidad de China con el actual orden mundial dominado por Occidente, a reducir la desinformación entre China y otros países y a sentar las bases culturales e ideológicas para otras colaboraciones internacionales. Teniendo en cuenta el estado actual de la investigación sobre el nacionalismo chino y la naturaleza participativa de las masas del cibernacionalismo, esta disertación se centra en el cibernacionalismo en las tres partes siguientes. El primero es un estudio de los orígenes históricos del cibernacionalismo chino. Esta sección incluye tanto una exploración del consenso social en la antigua China como un estudio de la influencia del nacionalismo en la historia china moderna. El estudio de los orígenes históricos no sólo nos muestra la secuencia cronológica de la experiencia del desarrollo y la evolución tanto del proto-nacionalismo como del nacionalismo en China, sino que también revela un impulso decisivo para las reivindicaciones y comportamientos actuales del cibernacionalismo. La segunda parte trata del proceso de formación y ascenso del cibernacionalismo desde el siglo XXI. El importante antecedente del paso del nacionalismo al cibernacionalismo es el proceso de informatización de la sociedad china. Una vez completado el estudio de la situación básica de la sociedad china de Internet, especialmente el estudio de los medios sociales como espacio público, podemos vincular Internet con el nacionalismo y examinar el nuevo desarrollo del nacionalismo en la era de la participación de masas. El objetivo final es conectar el proto-nacionalismo, el nacionalismo y el cibernacionalismo, y seguir construyendo una comprensión del cibernacionalismo que sea coherente tanto con los principios universales del nacionalismo como con el contexto chino. Por último, validamos los resultados derivados del estudio anterior a través de la realidad social, es decir, estudiando las prácticas de ciberactivismo del cibernacionalismo para juzgar su suficiencia general así como su validez. Llevaremos a cabo varios estudios de caso de natural language processing basados en big data para reproducir la lógica de comportamiento y el impacto real del ciberactivismo de la manera más cercana posible a la realidad de Internet, evitando al mismo tiempo los defectos de argumentación unilateral y de infrarrepresentación de los estudios de caso tradicionales.Nationalism in the Internet age is increasingly becoming an essential factor influencing agendasetting within Chinese society, as well as China’s relations with foreign countries, especially the West. For China, a better understanding of the universal theoretical structure and behavioral patterns of nationalism would facilitate the overall social articulation of this trend and enhance its positive role in social agenda setting. On the other hand, a study of Chinese cybernationalism based on a Chinese perspective in western academia is an attempt at transculturation. From the viewpoint of the current rather urgent international relations and geopolitics, such an attempt would help to enhance China’s compatibility with the current western-dominated world order, reduce misinformation between China and other countries, and lay the cultural and ideological groundwork for various other international collaborations. Considering the current state of Chinese nationalism research and the mass participatory nature of cybernationalism, this dissertation focuses on cybernationalism in the following three parts. The first is a study of the historical origins of Chinese cybernationalism. This section includes both an exploration of the social consensus in ancient China and a survey of the influence of nationalism in modern Chinese history. The historical origins study not only shows us the chronological sequence of experiencing the development and evolution of both proto-nationalism and nationalism in China, but also reveals a decisive impetus for the current claims and behaviors of cybernationalism. The second part deals with the process of formation and rise of cybernationalism since the 21st century. The important background for the move from nationalism to cybernationalism is the informatization process of Chinese society. After we have completed the study of the basic situation of Chinese Internet society, especially the study of social media as a public space, we can link the Internet with nationalism and examine the new development of nationalism in the era of mass participation. The ultimate goal is to connect the proto-nationalism, nationalism, cybernationalism, and furtherly construct an understanding of cybernationalism that is consistent with both the universal principles of nationalism and the Chinese context. Finally, we validate the results derived from the previous study through social reality, i.e., by studying the cyberactivism practices of cybernationalism to judge its general sufficiency as well as validity. We will conduct several natural language processing case studies based on big data to reproduce the behavioral logic and actual impact of cyberactivism in the closest possible way to the Internet reality while avoiding the unilateral argumentation and under-representation flaws of traditional case studies

Chinese female representation on short video applications and their perception : Douyin (TikTok) as a Case Study

Gender studies and media scholars have highlighted that female representation in media has impacted how women perceive themselves. In China, prior studies have suggested that the one-dimensional and marginalized female images in media since the 1980s have had an impact on the change in Chinese women’s gender identity. Surveys and research have proposed that women’s identity has transformed towards traditional norms which tightly associate their value with marriage and domestic responsibility. Several studies argued that the issue of problematic female representation had partially progressed with the popularity of social media, including Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok). However, recent literatures suggested that too little emphasis has been placed on the female representations of Douyin and its reception of women. This dissertation strives to provide an understanding of how women’s representations were constructed and perceived on short-video applications in China, using Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) as the case of the study. The study focuses on the gender perception embodied in the representations posted by accounts presenting as women and their reception of audiences presenting as women. We have employed a qualitative methodology, using content analysis and semiotics to analyze our samples. Samples were selected from popular short videos and relevant comments both posted by accounts presenting as women. Through data analysis, the study revealed a wide range of female representations of Douyin, including ones corresponding to the traditional gender identity, ones partially aligned with it, and ones against it. The result of the study argued that most audiences presenting as women have endorsed representations not corresponding to the traditional gender identity. It also suggested that an insufficiency of representations contradicted the traditional identity of Douyin. The preliminary results of this study throw light on the understanding of the construction of female representations in the Chinese digital environment. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research have contributed to understanding the preferable representations of female users of Douyin, potentially improving cultural products designed for women.Os estudos de género e dos media salientaram que a representação feminina nos media teve impacto na perceção que as mulheres têm de si próprias. Na China, estudos anteriores sugeriram que as imagens unidimensionais e marginalizadas das mulheres nos media desde 1980 têm um impacto na mudança da identidade de género das mulheres chinesas. Foi proposto que a identidade da mulher se transformou em normas tradicionais que associam fortemente o seu valor ao casamento e à responsabilidade doméstica. Vários estudos argumentaram que a problemática da questão da representação feminina tem progredido parcialmente com a popularidade dos redes sociais, incluindo Douyin (a versão chinesa de TikTok). No entanto, literatura recente sugeriu que foi dada pouca ênfase às representações femininas em Douyin, e à sua receção pelas mulheres. A presente dissertação procura compreender como as representações femininas foram construídas e percebidas em aplicações de vídeo curto na China, utilizando o Douyin (versão chinesa de TikTok) como caso do estudo. O estudo centra-se na perceção do género incorporada nas representações afixadas pelos relatos apresentados como mulheres e a sua receção de audiências apresentadas como mulheres. Utilizámos uma metodologia qualitativa, com recurso a análise de conteúdo e semiótica para analisar as nossas amostras. As amostras foram selecionadas a partir de vídeos curtos populares e comentários relevantes, ambos afixados por relatos apresentados como mulheres. Através da análise dos dados, o estudo revelou que havia uma vasta gama de representações femininas em Douyin, incluindo as correspondentes à identidade tradicional de género, as que se alinham parcialmente com ela, e as que se opõem a ela. O resultado do estudo argumenta que a maioria das audiências que se apresentam como mulheres apoiam representações que não correspondem à identidade tradicional de género. Também sugerimos uma insuficiência de representações contraditórias com a identidade tradicional em Douyin. Os resultados preliminares deste estudo lançam luz sobre a compreensão da construção de representações femininas no ambiente digital chinês. Além disso, os resultados deste estudo possivelmente contribuem para a compreensão das representações preferíveis das utilizadoras femininas de Douyin, melhorando potencialmente os produtos culturais concebidos para as mulheres

Measuring the Importance of User Education in Academic Libraries from Students’ Perspective: A Comparative Study among the University of Tsukuba, Fudan University and the National Taiwan Normal University

Thesis (Master of Science in Library and Information Studies)--University of Tsukuba, no. 37748, 2017.3.2

Online Distribution of English-Language TV in Mainland China

In the age of multiple screens, online video streaming has in the 2010s and present become the most significant way of consuming television content in mainland China. Among all the available content provided by Chinese streaming services, English-language television series stands out as an imported audio-visual product that is mainly distributed and circulated on the internet rather than television channels due to relevant media industry regulations and policies. Prior to landing on online streaming services as its legal distribution platform, English-language television series initially engendered its local audience base via informal distribution means, such as pirated DVDs and file-sharing and downloading websites; yet some of these informal services still exist in a grey area, since the content library formal streaming services possess is largely restricted in terms of size. From the perspective of media industry studies, this thesis deals with both formal and informal distribution platforms with a focus on formal distribution practices and the mechanisms behind them, which involve cultural, political and economic factors. This thesis first examines the streaming services themselves, studying distribution practices for American and British television series to understand the logic behind the localization of the business practices surrounding transnational television and to illustrate the features streaming services adopt to cater to online audiences based on local streaming consumption habits. The thesis then investigates how the current distribution pattern has been constructed by state supervision through cultural policies and censorship and by the historically dynamic relationship between formal distribution and informal distribution. I argue that the localized online distribution of English-language television series in mainland China is the result of the interplay among distributors’ business practices, Chinese authorities’ regulatory practices and Chinese viewers’ consumption habits and viewer practices. Putting the thesis in a global context, I contend that the development of online streaming technologies has created distinctive forms of media consumption in mainland China. Within the specific local political environment, the localized distribution pattern of transnational television content represents part of China’s response to the global television trade

An Investigation of Autism Support Groups on Facebook

Autism-affected users, such as autism patients, caregivers, parents, family members, and researchers, currently seek informational support and social support from communities on social media. To reveal the information needs of autism- affected users, this study centers on the research of users’ interactions and information sharing within autism communities on social media. It aims to understand how autism-affected users utilize support groups on Facebook. A systematic method was proposed to aid in the data analysis including social network analysis, topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and inferential analysis. Social network analysis method was adopted to reveal the interaction patterns appearing in the groups, and topic modeling method was employed to uncover the discussion themes that users were concerned with in their daily lives. Sentiment analysis method helped analyze the emotional characteristics of the content that users expressed in the groups. Inferential analysis method was applied to compare the similarities and differences among different autism support groups found on Facebook. This study collected user-generated content from five sampled support groups (an awareness group, a treatment group, a parents group, a research group, and a local support group) on Facebook. Findings show that the discussion topics varied in different groups. Influential users in each Facebook support group were identified through the analysis of the interaction network. The results indicated that the influential users not only attracted more attention from other group members but also led the discussion topics in the group. In addition, it was examined that autism support groups on Facebook offered a supportive emotional atmosphere for group members. The findings of this study revealed the characteristics of user interactions and information exchanges in autism support groups on social media. Theoretically, the findings demonstrated the significance of social media for autism users. The unique implication of this study is to identify support groups on Facebook as a source of informational, social, and emotional support for autism-related users. The methodology applied in this study presented a systematic approach to evaluating the information exchange in health-related support groups on social media. Further, it investigated the potential role of technology in the social lives of autism-related users. The outcomes of this study can contribute to improving online intervention programs by highlighting effective communication approaches