Challenges of ”a new hybrid ecosystem”: celebrities, fake news and Covid-19

The complex intertwining of mainstream and social media has resulted in the creation of a “new hybrid ecosystem” in which consumers are primarily engaged with ideas and news posted on social media, that are then transmitted as news in mainstream media (Wheeler 2018). In this new “hyper-connected environment” (Pepper 2018), “fake news” occupies a specific position. The concept of “fake news” is very complex, contradictory and ambivalent because it appears as an umbrella term covering various phenomena and different practices of which some are already known, while others are fairly new (Molina et al. 2021). The new communication environment and the role of fake news as part of it, may also be analysed through the celebrity phenomenon. This paper uses the method of discourse analysis to examine texts on various statements by celebrities about COVID-19, published on two web portals in Croatia (index.hr, 24sata.hr). It becomes clear that celebrities function as very potent sharers of fake news, since consumers of online content give great weight to their actions and statements. On the other hand, mainstream media often act as a corrective to social media, in their efforts to convincingly deny fake news and the celebrities that share them on social media

Far-Right Activism on Croatian Mainstream News Portals: Contributing to (and Changing) the Public Debate on the Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper analyses online user comments on two mainstream Croatian portals, Index.hr and 24sata.hr respective of the COVID-19 pandemic and global conspiracies and fake news in the context of decreasing media trust. Three-tier coding was conducted on 12,910 comments (2,194 at the portal 24 sata and 10,716 at the portal index.hr) and a thematic analysis was carried out. Findings showed that the main themes capture global conspiracy theories, including fascism as one of the main themes, as well as disbelief in the reality of the pandemic and negative views of the mainstream media seen as intertwined with the Government and promoting one-sided views. Since the findings were unexpected particularly respective of a large criticism of the media and due to a large amount of conspiracy-related content on two portals neither of which is normally associated with the far right, an abductive analysis was conducted. The results revealed that the majority of content in user comments respective of fascism and slavery as features of the COVID-19 policy in Croatia was posted either by a far-right political party (on Index.hr) or two unidentified users (on 24sata.hr) (likely far-right activists) and in both cases, comments were copy-pasted including grammar mistakes. This signals an attempt of the far right in Croatia to not just contribute but also manipulate public opinion and debates as well as give a false impression to an inattentive reader of views of the Croatian public respective of the COVID-19 pandemic

Marketing communication of prevention measures during the pandemic in Croatia

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up a debate on official health communication and thus set a new norm in the healthcare marketing. In the focus of the analysis of this paper is marketing communication of the Croatian COVID-19 vaccine campaign Misli na druge – cijepi se! (Think of others – get vaccinated!) with the main research questions: how the public institutions in Croatia communicated the COVID-19 challenges and educated the public about vaccination as one of the prevention strategies; whether campaigns as official health communication have adopted the principles of creativity and how they used visual elements in the campaign. Findings show that the campaign adopted the principles of creativity as it used the antithesis in a campaign message, logo and testimonials, however, the campaign failed to reach the target vaccination numbers

How do older people discuss their own sexuality? A systematic review of qualitative research studies

This study captured older people’s attitudes and concerns about sex and sexuality in later life by synthesising qualitative research published on this issue. The systematic review was conducted between November 2015 and June 2016 based on a pre-determined protocol. Key words were used to ensure a precise search strategy. Empirically based, qualitative literature from 18 databases was found. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis was used to generate ‘analytical themes’ which summarise this body of literature. Three main themes were identified: (a) social legitimacy for sexuality in later life; (b) health, not age, is what truly impacts sexuality, and (c) the hegemony of penetrative sex. The themes illustrate the complex and delicate relation between ageing and sexuality. Older adults facing health issues that affect sexual function adopt broader definitions of sexuality and sexual activit

Multiple meanings of the face mask: Masking as the new social practice in the context of lockdown creativity and pandemic chic

The global coronavirus-caused pandemic has affected the creative industries in many ways, including the fashion industry. Wearing masks in public as one of the recommended preventive measures has transformed the face mask into an important cultural object that has gained new meaning. The paper analyses the literature that points to several important topics: the new position of the fashion industry; sociological analyses of cultural objects with special emphasis on masks and disguise practices; new meanings of face masks in a pandemic context and the transformation of masks into an everyday clothing item that has become a creative challenge for fashion designers. The face mask has become a key cultural product and a design product whose function is not only utilitarian but also symbolic. Referring to the adaptability of the fashion industry and new trends in clothing, illustrative examples point to the potential of lockdown/pandemic creativity and outline new challenges for the fashion sector in terms of social and democratic potential of fashion and the possibility of transforming the system towards a slower and more sustainable model

Editorial

Although they are ordinary and almost everyone has them, genitals are riddled with controversies, taboos and anxieties. Despite their social and cultural importance, genitalia have been left out of systematic analysis and research in the context of social sciences and humanities. They are most often positioned in terms of dualisms that create, support and strengthen social distinctions, hierarchies and asymmetries. Transcending the essentialist gender ideas and binaries attributed to human bodies opens up space for new understandings of genitalia in movement, transformation and transition. The key question is: how do culture and media intersect/work through genital transformations? The papers featured here provide inspiring, innovative and research-stimulating responses to the complex presence and representation of genitalia through various media (online forums, novels, video art, performance art, television drama, reality television, mainstream news, feature film and vlogs). Each paper, as well as the entire thematic issue, represents a contribution to the further development of genital studies and strengthens the multidisciplinary questioning of genitalia, power, gender, differences, transgression and resistance