Social media's impact on journalism : a study of media's coverage of anti-corruption protests in India

The year 2011 was memorable for many in India – for those who participated in numerous anti-corruption protests, and for those who witnessed these protests via all pervasive mainstream news media. This paper will use inter-media agenda-setting discourse to explain the Indian media’s coverage of the so-called ‘Anna movement’. It will outline how the use of mobile and social media platforms by the ‘India Against Corruption’ organisers and the educated middle class influenced the mainstream media’s coverage of the protests. The paper will consider the implication of this coverage, in the light of the unique position of power the Indian news media has in this transitioning society.

The impact on family functioning of social media use by depressed adolescents: a qualitative analysis of the family options study

BACKGROUND: Adolescent depression is a prevalent mental health problem, which can have a major impact on family cohesion. In such circumstances, excessive use of the Internet by adolescents may exacerbate family conflict and lack of cohesion. The current study aims to explore these patterns within an intervention study for depressed adolescents.

METHOD: The current study draws upon data collected from parents within the family options randomized controlled trial that examined family based interventions for adolescent depression (12-18 years old) in Melbourne, Australia (2012-2014). Inclusion in the trial required adolescents to meet diagnostic criteria for a major depressive disorder via the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Childhood Disorders. The transcripts of sessions were examined using qualitative thematic analysis. The transcribed sessions consisted of 56 h of recordings in total from 39 parents who took part in the interventions.

RESULTS: The thematic analysis explored parental perceptions of their adolescent's use of social media (SM) and access to Internet content, focusing on the possible relationship between adolescent Internet use and the adolescent's depressive disorder. Two overarching themes emerged as follows: the sense of loss of parental control over the family environment and parents' perceived inability to protect their adolescent from material encountered on the Internet and social interactions via SM.

CONCLUSION: Parents within the context of family based treatments felt that prolonged exposure to SM exposed their already vulnerable child to additional stressors and risks. The thematic analysis uncovered a sense of parental despair and lack of control, which is consistent with their perception of SM and the Internet as relentless and threatening to their parental authority and family cohesion.

The role of puberty, media and popularity with peers on strategies to increase weight, decrease weight and increase muscle tone among adolescent boys and girls

The present study was concerned with the impact of pubertal development, relationships with peers and perceived pressure from the media on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors among adolescent boys and girls. In particular, the study investigated the underresearched area of strategies to increase weight and muscle. The exploration of body change strategies among adolescent boys has been a neglected area of research. Methods: Respondents were 1185 adolescents (527 males, 598 females) who were enrolled in Grades 7 and 9. Participants completed measures of pubertal development, media and peer influence, body dissatisfaction and strategies to lose weight, increase weight and to increase muscle. Results: The findings demonstrated that girls were more likely than boys to adopt strategies to lose weight, whereas boys were more likely to adopt strategies to increase muscle tone (but not weight). For boys in both Years 7 and 9, the main predictors of body change strategies were puberty and, to a lesser extent, perceived popularity with peers. The major influences for Years 7 and 9 girls were puberty and the media, but these mainly focused on weight loss. For Year 9 girls, perceived popularity with opposite-sex peers also predicted body dissatisfaction and strategies to increase muscle tone. Conclusion: The implications of these findings for understanding factors related to a range of body change strategies for adolescent boys and girls are discussed.

Exacerbation of symptoms among people with multiple sclerosis: impact on sexuality and relationships over time

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of an exacerbation in symptoms among men and women with multiple sclerosis (MS) on sexuality and relationship satisfaction. A total of 321 people with MS (120 men, M age = 48.10 years; 201 women, M age = 45.78 years), and 239 people from the general population (79 men, M age = 53.93 years; 160 women, M age = 45.89 years) completed measures of relationship satisfaction and sexuality, and then completed these measures again 18 months later. The results demonstrated that both men and women with MS reported significantly higher levels of sexual dysfunction than did the general population. The no exacerbation group also reported significantly lower levels of sexual activity and of relationship satisfaction than the general population group over the 18-month period. Women in all groups reported significantly higher levels of sexual dysfunction but also higher levels of sexual activity than did men at each time period. They also reported significantly higher levels of sexual satisfaction at the 18-month follow up. These results suggest that men and women respond in similar ways to MS, and that people with MS do not necessarily experience poorer levels of sexual interaction or relationship quality when they experience an increase in their physical symptoms.

The nature of corruption deterrence in a competitive media sector

This paper compares the deterrence provided by a competitive media sector towards government induced corruption with that of a media monopoly in a setting where the media might raise both true as well as false allegations of corruption. It finds that competition’s impact on corruption deterrence is not necessarily better than a monopoly but rather hinges on a delicate balance between government’s kickback from corruption and the media’s potential benefit from exposure. While the paper does identify conditions in which a competitive media sector would improve upon the deterrence provided by a monopoly, it also find conditions under which it would do no better than a monopoly and in some situations its strategic response could be even worse especially when it intensifies effort towards justifying false allegations.

The media and the development of the tourism industry during the 20th and 21st centuries: an analysis of four noteworthy cases

The aim of this paper was to explore the role of the media within the context of tourism, specifically with regard to how the media has influenced the activities and perceptions of the tourism sector. In this paper, the term ‘media’ is referred to as mass communication, specifically with regard to newspapers, magazines and broadcasting. It is important to gain a better understanding of the ways in which the media has interacted with the tourism sector, as this information can provide practitioners and academics with insights as to how the media can best be employed to benefit stakeholders of the tourism industry. Lessons can be learned from the past so that the experience gained from it can contribute to best practice in the future. In this way, strategies can be developed to minimise the vulnerability of the tourism sector to damaging or erroneous portrayals of it and its activities in the media.
The case study method was used to explore the role of the media within the context of tourism. Four case studies provided insights on this topic. The four case studies were selected based on their diversity, within the context of the tourism sector, and because they covered a considerable period of time. These variables provided the researchers with a wide-ranging perspective on the topic.
The paper firstly focuses on the 1920’s Waiters’ Strike in the resort town of San Sebastián, Spain, and discusses the role of the media in relation to this event. The second case investigates the use of the media as a destination-marketing tool and reflects on an early manipulation of this process by the German authorities in the documentary Olympia, a film produced for the summer Olympics in 1936. The third case study reports on the manner in which the media has created tensions between connoisseurs of fine food and drink and hospitality industry professionals, and its subsequent implications on service quality. The final case investigates the role of the media in reducing demand for hospitality services in Melbourne on New Year’s Eve 2000.
Through an analysis of these diverse, but important case studies, it can be seen that the media has had, and continues to have, an impact on the development of the tourism industry in both positive and negative ways. The limitations of this research are discussed and recommendations are made for further research that will assist in developing a more comprehensive typology of the media’s role in tourism.

Media influences on attitudes and perceptions toward the body among adult men and women

The current study investigated media influences on men's and women's body perception. Participants were 60 men and 60 women. Men overestimated their chest, waist, and thighs and underestimated their hips. Women overestimated the size of all body parts. Men's and women's perception of their body was not predicted by media exposure or attitudes to the media. Both men's and women's ideal body was different from their current bodies. Attitudes and exposure to the media predicted men's (but not women's) perceptions of the ideal body held by the media, as well as both men's and women's ideal chest and waist. These findings suggest that the media has an impact on the ideal body size of both men and women.

2001 Volvo Award winner in clinical studies : effects of a media campaign on back pain beliefs and its potential influence on management of low back pain in general practice

Study Design. Quasi-experimental, nonrandomized, nonequivalent, parallel group-controlled study involving before and after telephone surveys of the general population and postal surveys of general practitioners was conducted, with an adjacent state used as a control group.


Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of a population-based intervention designed to alter beliefs about back pain, influence medical management, and reduce disability and workers’ compensation–related costs.


Summary of Background Data. A multimedia campaign begun during 1997 in Victoria, Australia, positively advised patients with back pain to stay active and exercise, not to rest for prolonged periods, and to remain at work.


Methods. The campaign’s impact on population beliefs about back pain and fear-avoidance beliefs was measured in telephone surveys, and the effect of the campaign on the potential management of low back pain by general practitioners was assessed by eliciting their likely approach to two hypothetical scenarios in mailed surveys. Demographically identical population groups in Victoria and the control state, New South Wales, were surveyed at three times: before, during, and after intervention in Victoria.


Results. The studies were completed by 4730 individuals in the general population and 2556 general practitioners. There were large statistically significant improvements in back pain beliefs over time in Victoria (mean scores on the Back Beliefs Questionnaire, 26.5, 28.4, and 29.7), but not in New South Wales (26.3, 26.2, and 26.3, respectively). Among those who reported back pain during the previous year, fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity improved significantly in Victoria (mean scores on the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire for physical activity, 14, 12.5, and 11.6), but not in New South Wales (13.3, 13.6, and 12.7, respectively). General practitioners in Victoria reported significant improvements over time in beliefs about back pain management, as compared with their interstate colleagues. There were statistically significant interactions between state and time for 7 of 10 responses on management of acute low back pain, and for 6 of 10 responses on management of subacute low back pain.


Conclusion. A population-based strategy of providing positive messages about back pain improves the beliefs of the general population and general practitioners about back pain and appears to influence medical management.

The Impact of on-field success in attracting sport sponsorship

The focus of this research is to identify the perceptions that professional sports club managers have about the impact that on-field success has on the attractiveness of a sport organisation to a prospective sponsor. From a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with the sponsorship/marketing managers from seven Melbourne based Australian Football League (AFL) clubs, an analysis of the importance of on-field success as a precursor for sponsorship was determined. The interview schedule consisted of four phases and concluded with a scale to rate the relative importance of on-field performance. The results indicated that AFL Club Managers believe that the onfield performance of the team does have an impact, but it is largely associated with the media coverage that this on-field success provides. They also identified that in the sport of AFL on-field success is largely controlled by the AFL governing organisation.

Dilettantism in investigating the impact of the internet on the wellbeing of the elderly

The surge of interest in the social impacts of the Internet has led information systems experts to apply methods and theories garnered from disciplines such as psychology and sociology. As researcher look across disciplines for methods and explanations of outcomes, they run the risk of researching badly. This may be because they are inexperienced in the theory or method, or because the theory or method is not entirely applicable to the context that challenges them. Thus, in the search for the novelty necessary to achieve publications, and given the lack of experience in applying information systems to issues beyond the corporate sphere, research that does not hold water is being undertaken. This is of particular interest because it is not necessarily being undertaken by the novice. The research reported here was undertaken by experienced researchers using experimental and interview methods with which they had experience in other disciplines (psychology and economics). However, the context of researching the impact of the Internet on the quality of life of first time users over the age of 65 was sufficiently different as to render the methods and possibly the theory inappropriate. This dilettantism must be recognized for what it is.

The impact of violent video-games on cognition, affect and personality

This research investigated the impact of playing violent videogames. Aggressive or anxious responses were most likely: when the player perceived the violence in the games to be extreme, when the player experienced a heightened sense of becoming 'absorbed' into the game, and during a relatively brief exposure to the game. The portfolio explores the use of manualised interventions in psychology research and practice. Four illustrative case studies regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of adapting manualised interventions for clients with chronic health conditions are presented.

Examining representations of women's leadership in the media and Australian universities

Examines how diverse academic women educational leaders experienced and negotiated media representations of leadership in their work. The thesis argues that feminist leadership analyses assume a commonality of women's interests, ignoring the diversity, which exists between different groups of women and the material impact of diversity upon female leaders' work.

From despotism to democracy : reporting Iraq's January 2005 election in the Australian and Middle Eastern print media

It is only in recent times that the magnitude of Ancient Mesopotamia’s contribution to language, agriculture, modern thought and urbane society has begun to be understood. Most relevant to this study is the governance of Mesopotamia’s early city-states by a political system that Jacobsen has termed ‘Primitive Democracy’ where “…ultimate political power rested with a general assembly of all adult freemen” (Jacobsen, 1977; 128). Yet, despite this, the coverage of Iraq in the Western media since its creation at the end of the First World War and particularly since the first Gulf War, has tended towards Orientalism (Said, 1978) by trivialising this nation and thereby reinforcing the hegemony of the West over the ‘backward, barbaric’ East.

This paper examines this issue further by comparing and contrasting the representations of the Iraqi election of January 30, 2005 in four of Australia’s leading daily newspapers (The Australian, The Courier-Mail, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald) with four Middle Eastern English language papers (The Daily Star from Lebanon, Andolu Agency and Dunya both based in Turkey, and the eponymous Kuwait Times). In essence, it finds that while the Australian media posits democracy as a Western concept and asserts a discourse of US hegemony, the Middle Eastern papers are more contemplative, focusing on the impact that this election could have throughout the region.