Volume 2, Issue 4

The article selects 634 papers authored by Chinese scholars on international publishing from CNKI, China’s foremost dataset for Chinese academic papers, in the past three decades. Employing the thematic analysis, the article explores the trends, developments and issues deliberated by Chinese scholars in the realm of international publishing. The article first scrutinizes the major themes discussed by Chinese scholars, revealing an evolution in their perceptions on international publishing. This evolution progresses from initial awareness in the first stage to adeptly handling challenges and enhancing the quality of international publishing in the second and third stages. In the fourth stage, scholars in China emphasize distinctive Chinese characteristics. The second part of the article outlines six issues deliberated by Chinese scholars in the field of international publishing, including international influence, contextual debates, English language, academic motivations, evaluation systems and publication charges. These six issues underscore the resilience and proactive efforts exhibited by Chinese scholars as they endeavor to adapt to and integrate into the international academic arena. In conclusion, the article summarizes the features of Chinese scholarship on international publishing and advocates that Chinese scholarship continues its engagement in global collaboration to make a more substantial contribution to global knowledge production.

Purpose Despite the increasing volume of research addressing the relevance of de-Westernizing Media Studies, we lack a comparative evaluation of the performance of Global South universities regarding their presence in the most prestigious domains within the field of Communication. Against this background, the article explores if and to what extent the publication of articles authored by BRICS-based scholars in top-ranked journals is restricted to a handful of academic institutions – making them a national “elite” authorized to engage in the mainstream intellectual debate. Design/methodology/approach We pose three questions: RQ1) To what extent is the academic output of BRICS countries in the field of Communication concentrated within a select few “top-level” institutions? RQ2) How are the research articles from the most productive universities distributed across the journal rankings comprising the SJR database? RQ3) What partnerships do institutions from BRICS countries engage in when producing research articles? Using data from the SciVal (Elsevier) and SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) platforms, the empirical study encompasses a set of articles published between 2012 and 2021. Findings Our findings reveal that South Africa, Russia, and Brazil had the highest concentration of academic production within a select few universities. The disparities among the most and least productive universities can be attributed to a lack of ambitious policies in terms of academic innovation. The contrast becomes more evident when we consider China’s performance – which has implemented a range of strategies to foster international partnerships with Western academic communities. Practical implications/social implications We contend that the demand for “de-Westernization” must go beyond a mere plea for increased numerical representation. The exclusion of perspectives or phenomena from developing regions hinders the progress of knowledge production itself. Once Social and Human Sciences traditionally occupy a peripheral position in terms of funding, it is as if Communication researchers based in the Global South were part of a “periphery of the periphery.” Originality/value The paper is relevant for enabling us to discuss Global South universities’ international insertion and the dynamics influencing the academic contributions of semi-peripheral communities. We also consider to what extent the SciVal and SJR metrics reinforce an academic rationale that upholds the mechanisms of neoliberal globalization and the standardization of the scholarly agenda.

Purpose This study examines the popularity of Turkish TV series in Bangladesh and their effectiveness as a soft power tool for Turkey. It also aims to understand why these series have been successful in shaping the attitudes and beliefs of Bangladeshi audiences towards Turkey and its leadership. Method This qualitative study employs the narrative analysis approach to examine the phenomenon. Social media posts and comments related to the Bengali dubbed version of the Turkish TV series The Magnificent Century on Facebook and YouTube from November 2015 to March 2022 were collected and analyzed using an inductive approach. Findings The study finds that the success of Turkish TV series in Bangladesh can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the absence of quality local content, the strong connection of Bangladeshi audiences with their Muslim identity, and the portrayal of Islamic historical context and similar Muslim culture. The positive image of Turkey and its history portrayed in these series has created a sense of cultural proximity between Turkey and Bangladesh, contributing to the popularity of Turkish TV series in the country. Implications The study suggests that Turkish TV series serve as a soft power tool for Turkey to increase its influence in Bangladesh. By promoting a positive image of Turkey and its history, these series have successfully shaped the attitudes and beliefs of Bangladeshi audiences towards Turkey and its leadership. Value This study highlights the effectiveness of Turkish TV series as a soft power tool. It provides insights into the factors contributing to the popularity of these series in Bangladesh and their potential to increase Turkey’s influence in the Muslim world.

Purpose Using both framing theory and Collier’s cultural identity theory, this paper seeks to study the use of #italianamerican on Instagram by first attempting to determine if it is used exclusively by Italian Americans as a way to demonstrate their own cultural identity. The paper will then examine whether the message valence of posts using #italianamerican demonstrates users’ personal perceptions of Italian American culture. Finally, the paper will examine if there is a relationship between #italianamerican posters’ ethnicity and the message valence of their posts. This paper does not argue that Italian Americans are the only Americans of European ancestry taking part in the hashtag phenomenon; rather, this paper is meant to examine how one ethnic group attempts to define itself by its use of digital and social media. Design/methodology This simple exploratory study examined the 50 most recent Instagram posts using #italianamerican as they appeared on November 1, 2022. The posts were sent to two independent coders who analyzed their visual content. Findings This study provides insight into how ethnicity and cultural familiarity are associated. Results show that message valence and ethnicity are not linked, as anyone can admire and respect a culture and post a positive message about it on social media, even if it is not their culture of origin. Members of a specific ethnic group tend to have a stronger familiarity with their culture of origin, as demonstrated by the posts selected for this study. Implications This study showed that Italian Americans use social media to educate others about their heritage, as well as to celebrate their culture of origin. Value The methods used in this study could be applied to other European American ethnic groups and their social media usage, including Irish Americans, Polish Americans, and German Americans, among others.

Purpose This research aims to analyze the role of visuals posted on the social media of NGOs and to predict the popularity of a post based on the characteristics of the visual it contains. Design/methodology/approach Two social media platforms, namely Facebook and Instagram, were selected as the empirical study environments. Specifically, all visuals posted on 12 child-related Non-Government Organizations during the period of 2020–2021 (4,144 in total) were collected and subsequently subjected to automatic characterization using visual recognition and artificial intelligence tools. Machine learning algorithms were then employed to predict the popularity of a post solely based on the visuals it contains, as well as to identify the most significant features that serve as predictors for post popularity. Findings The Support Vector Classifier performed best with a prediction accuracy of 0.62 on Facebook and 0.81 on Instagram. For the explanation of the model, we used feature importance metrics and found that features like the presence of people and the emotions of joy and calmness are important for the prediction. Practical implications Companies and organizations serve a large part of their communication strategy through social media. Given that every advertiser would like to use their funds in the most efficient way, the ability to predict the performance of a post would be a very important tool. Social implications The methodology can be used in the non-profit sector, whereby knowing what visual will perform better they could promote their mission more effectively, increase public awareness, raise funds and reduce expenses on their communication strategy. Originality/value The novelty of this work regarding popularity prediction on social media lies in the fact that to make the prediction, it focused exclusively on the visual and its characteristics and achieved high accuracy scores in the case of Instagram. Additionally, it provided important information about visual characteristics and their importance in predicting popularity.

This review essay offers an exhaustive examination of the multifaceted role of online media within the Central Asian context. Comprising 11 sections, the essay scrutinizes diverse facets of online media’s impact, spanning from its role in political dynamics to its implications for society, governance, national identity, cultural expression, and e-learning. By identifying recurring patterns, spotlighting ongoing debates, and revealing lacunae in extant scholarship, the essay aims to catalyze further research. Serving as an indispensable resource for scholars, policymakers, and those with an interest in the transformative potential of online media in Central Asia, the review underscores the complexity and dynamism inherent in the influence of online media within the region, fostering a more profound appreciation of this rapidly evolving field of study.

As the production and consumption of live video streaming have increased, a general concern is that live video streaming might yield social problems. This paper investigated how people perceived the current status of live video streaming through a nationwide survey. The survey was conducted with 825 users and 335 non-users in South Korea. The results demonstrate that people perceived live video streaming has more impact on adolescents than themselves, which confirms that the previous study of third-person perception. Respondents also evaluated that the current self-regulatory system is not functioning properly and regulation of live video streaming is required. Especially non-users are more supportive of regulation than users. The perception bias, the difference between the perceived influence on self and adolescents, is the strongest predictor of the need for regulation. Because of the difference between users and non-users regarding the perception of live video streaming, this study recommends that the policymakers should consider the actual status of live video streaming and not perception-based biases in orienting regulation.