Tripodos

Journalists’ Self-Perception of Their Profession in Spain: Analysis of Social and Technological Challenges

José Sixto-García — 2022-11-18

The influence of social and technological factors —from the shadow of disinformation to automation and emerging forms of journalism— redefines the role of journalism and its practices. Journalistic metamorphosis has not been traumatic, but it has been complex, leading to tensions, reflections and controversies. The challenges facing journalism during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 are assessed with a focus on Spain. The research consists of a survey of 197 Spanish journalists and nine interviews with prestigious academics and internationally recognized professionals. Changes within journalism are addressed in five major themes: the role of journalism today; the relationship between journalism and politics; the incidence of bots and artificial intelligence; mobile journalism and social media; and emerging forms of journalism. The results show that the role of journalism remains unchanged, but the pandemic has strengthened some of its functions. The influence of politics in journalism is very prominent, as well as the concern about automation and misinformation. To face the future, high specialization is needed due to the fast technological evolution and the emergence of new techniques.

* This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Government of Spain) and the ERDF structural fund within the research project “Digital native media in Spain: Storytelling formats and mobile strategy” (RTI2018-093346-B-C33).

Bitcoin Investment Strategies Based on Google Trends and AI Models

Raúl Gómez Martínez — 2022-06-30

The evolution of the price of bitcoin has captured the attention of analysts in recent years. But how can a cryptocurrency be valued? Given that the price is linked to expectations, we propose, in this paper, to predict the trend of bitcoin using Google Trends as an explanatory variable. To do so, we develop two alternative algorithmic trading systems that buy or sell bitcoin depending on whether the searches for this term in Google increase or decrease. The approach is powered using artificial intelligence. The results of these trading systems are positive and show that trading strategies can be implemented based on investors’ mood about an asset, in this case measured through Google Trends. The use of artificial intelligence in trading is new and this is an example of its potential.

The Essential Role of Media in and for Mental Health

Gavin Adamson — 2022-11-18

Introduction

Mental Health and Climate Change. The Birth of Eco-Anxiety in the Spanish-Language Press

Isidro Jiménez — 2022-11-18

In recent years we have witnessed a great deal of media interest in climate change, echoing the growing public concern about a complex phenomenon with daunting consequences. This paper examines the impact of concepts such as “eco-anxiety” and “solastalgia” in the Spanish and Latin American written and digital press. These neologisms attempt to explain the emotional effects of climate change on mental health. Between 2015 and 2019 the words “solastalgia” and “Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD)” slowly made their way into the media, until 2019, when the term “eco-anxiety” became relatively successful in the newspapers. In addition to analysing the factors involved in the birth and evolution of this concept, the study describes the most frequently cited emotions, such as fear, anguish, stress, sadness and guilt. The results obtained indicate, on the one hand, that eco-anxiety is still a vague idea and not very present in the media, too often linked to negative emotions, in contradiction of clinical psychology advice. Meanwhile, emotions such as anger or indignation, which would enable a collective response to climate change, are often neglected.

Approach to Spanish TV Broadcasting Dealing with Mental Health Issues Related to Pandemic Lockdown

Antonio Sanjuán Pérez — 2022-06-30

Despite the importance of mental health matters for people’s well-being and the essential role of television to help spread medical issues, our study shows that the media coverage of this subject has been poor and somehow trivial during the so-called “pandemic fatigue” in Spain. This research focuses on the 24-hour television broadcast of five channels throughout 16 months, coding the content to identify trends and to know how media covered mental health topics all along seven days in January 2021. The analysis reveals a trivial representation of the topic, including irrelevant references to mental health that may not help make visible problems such as depression, anxiety, or stress. Instead, there seems to be a lack of rigorous analysis of the mental health conditions arising after the pandemic. We can infer that private broadcasters have a more suitable approach when presenting data, describing people involved or taking advice from mental health professionals. Effective information on mental health requires deep messaging and medical recommendations or statements, but from this research, it turns out that there is a touch of frivolity in the way television approaches mental health issues.

It Is Represented in the Media, So it Exists: Anxiety in the Movies ‘Eighth Grade’ and ‘Silver Linings Playbook’

Célia Felícia Belim Rodrigues — 2022-06-30

This paper aims to understand how anxiety disorders are represented in the films Eighth Grade and Silver Linings Playbook. A filmic analysis is conducted, specifically narrative analysis. Additionally, qualitative interviews with qualified informants bring a more robust understanding of anxiety disorders and explanation of the results obtained. The results reveal that the filmmakers choose to represent characters with characteristics that go beyond mental illness, enabling an identification by the viewers. In Eighth Grade, there are characteristics coincident with the symptomatology, such as apathy, restlessness, and irritability, and deviant ones, such as dependence on the Internet, the manifestation of increased maturity, and the revealing of confidence. In Silver Linings Playbook, irritability, mood swings, and refuge in sports are coincident particularities, and the expression of happiness, motivation, and recognition of overcoming are dissonant symptomatology. In both films, there was an attempt by the filmmakers to convey a positive message and a happy ending, condensing the idea of overcoming mental illness. The films, assuming an educational function, provide tools that teach how to deal with anxiety in everyday life.

The Problematic Scientificity of Psychology in the Media: How Mental Illness Coverage Could Lead to Criminality Prejudice

Adalberto Fernandes — 2022-06-30

We analysed how psychologists in the media approached a recent case of mass murder “attempt” by a university student. Contrary to previous media studies focused on the relationship between crime and mental health, we do not take for granted the scientificity of psychology in order to understand how its trembling epistemic status affects its public discourse. The case was one of the first happening in Europe during the COVID-19 crisis, an event that is known for its impacts on mental health. Using Foucault’s genealogical-archaeological method we found that there was a prominent level of speculation that, dangerously, linked mental illness with criminal behaviour, especially when there was a lack of information about the student and his intentions. The pandemic context constituted a renewed opportunity for experts to talk about ‘collective mental illness’ in alarming terms. Interestingly, the experts presented naïve versions of the “magic bullet theory” to explain the power that media have on subjects with mental illness who engage in criminal behaviour. We also found that specialists proposed hypotheses that cannot be disproven, creating a dogmatic sense of a fearful inescapability from mental illness that can lead to criminal behaviour.

Locating Cyberbullying and Mental Health in the Recent Literature

Musthafa Mubashir — 2022-11-18

Communication theories and related literature had significantly explored the effect of media on mental health from its early stage. These theories identified the potentiality of media discourse as a constructive phenomenon in the constitution of mental health and stigma. In this line, cyberbullying, a form of mobbing via electronic media affects the mental health. Considering this fact, this systematic review maps how academic enquires responded to the concept of cyberbullying among adolescents that invariably affect mental health. The systematic review confirms that cyberbullying is a global phenomenon, prevalent among all cultures and geographies, and enhances its frequency owing to technological advancements. Quantitative studies tempt to quantify the mental illness and experiences associated with cyberbullying. The systematic review has also identified a deficit of methodologies for the measurement of cyberbullying and qualitative academic inquires in the recent literature. The majority of the studies conceived cyberbullying from the perspective of victims ignoring the psychological aspects of perpetrators and bystanders. To escape from this positivistic inclination, cyberbullying and mental health have to be addressed footing on the theories of performativity and materiality.

Tripodos — 2022-06-30