Journal of Asian Pacific Communication - Volume 34, Issue 2, 2024

Abstract

Drawn from attribute agenda setting theory and propaganda theory, this study examined an attribute agenda structure of YouTube videos on North Korean propaganda and its relationship with social media network indicators. A topic modeling analysis with 2,538 video descriptions clustered bulk documents into four attribute agendas: proximity, prominence, conflicts, and common interest. Proximity related North Korean propaganda to its main stakeholders such as China. Prominence was concerned with the relationship between North Korea and business. Conflict showcased North Korea’s military power as a confronting mode against South Korea. Common interest covered daily attractions in North Korea, including music and tourism. A positive relationship between conflict and all network strength indicators implies that YouTube descriptions of North Korea are related to military confrontations, showing belligerence as a notable attribute. Four topics and their linkage with network ties suggest that, despite North Korea’s efforts to build a soft image via YouTube, influencers set conflicts as key agenda attributes.

Abstract

Filipino People living with HIV (PLHIV) have used X, formerly Twitter, as an avenue to make sense of what it means to live with HIV in the Philippines. However, big data analyses do not provide a comprehensive investigation of X as a community. Grounded in the concepts of Alfonso’s (1992) socially shared inquiry (SSI), this paper discusses how this discursive process of sense-making and sense-giving occurs in an X hashtag called #PLHIVDiaries through analyzing and interpreting tweets (n = 1089) that narrate the daily experiences of Filipino PLHIV. This describes how their different struggles are framed and reframed through SSI process which unravels disabling perplexities such as problem, barrier, conflict, absence, dilemma, and error. Among the non-disabling frames that serve as a foil to disabling perplexities, we identified a variety of tweets that contained testimonies, personal triumphant stories, and answers to problems that were endorsed and authenticated by community members.

Abstract

A stigmatized expression is featured by its potentially discrediting attributes unwanted by community members. It is heavily context-dependent, especially in computer-mediated communication (CMC), which is text-based and features abbreviations, acronyms, and creative use of punctuation. The paper discusses the perception, judgment, and use of stigmatized expressions from the socio-cognitive approach (SCA) perspective. Our theory- and data-based analysis leads to the following conclusions. First, stigmatized expressions are considered pervasive and generally detrimental, thus worthy of continuous attention. Second, their emergence and recognition arise from the mutual effort of societal and individual factors, making them dynamic, ambiguous, context-dependent, and culture-specific. Third, the mechanism of generating stigmatized expression turns out to be spiral, while the circulation seems scarcely affected by its divergent interpretations. The sociocultural context serves as a trigger and an outcome in that it facilitates the processing of stigmatized expressions and is simultaneously modified.

Abstract

This study investigates the motivations behind TikTok content creation among Vietnamese Gen Z expatriates by exploring the interplay of the social comparison theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory in shaping their engagement with the platform. Through qualitative interviews, we uncover the dual role of TikTok in their lives: a tool for fostering social connection and personal expression and a platform for social comparison and validation. These findings illuminate the complex interplay between digital media use and the experience of digital migration, highlighting how Gen Z expatriates navigate transnational identities and seek belonging in an increasingly interconnected world. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on digitalization and expatriation, emphasizing the multifaceted role of social media in shaping the experiences of young migrants in the digital age.

This article reviews Comics Art in China9781496846471

This article reviews The Sounds of Mandarin: Learning to Speak a National Language in China and Taiwan, 1913–1960