Pub Date : 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1177/14614448251391731
Sophie Mayen, Anne-Linda Camerini
Longitudinal research on the characteristics and dynamics of parental mediation strategies and their associations with adolescents’ mental health and autonomy is scarce. Using three-wave panel data from 717 Swiss adolescents (collected between spring 2018 and autumn 2020), we applied Latent Transition Analysis to identify distinct parental mediation classes and adolescents’ transitioning patterns, resulting in the: Enforcing & Engaged Approach; Hands-off Approach ; and Moderate Approach , showing fluctuation over time. Regression analysis revealed no significant associations between the three classes and mental health; however, adolescents in the Moderate Approach class reported lower perceived autonomy compared to those in the Enforcing & Engaged Approach class. These findings highlight that (1) mediation strategies likely reflect broader parenting styles, (2) adapt to developmental needs, and (3) high parental engagement in setting boundaries coupled with active dialogue supports autonomous adolescent development. This insight can guide caregivers, healthcare, and policy development.
{"title":"Exploring parental mediation trajectories and their associations with mental health and autonomy in adolescents: A latent transition analysis","authors":"Sophie Mayen, Anne-Linda Camerini","doi":"10.1177/14614448251391731","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251391731","url":null,"abstract":"Longitudinal research on the characteristics and dynamics of parental mediation strategies and their associations with adolescents’ mental health and autonomy is scarce. Using three-wave panel data from 717 Swiss adolescents (collected between spring 2018 and autumn 2020), we applied Latent Transition Analysis to identify distinct parental mediation classes and adolescents’ transitioning patterns, resulting in the: <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Enforcing & Engaged Approach; Hands-off Approach</jats:italic> ; and <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Moderate Approach</jats:italic> , showing fluctuation over time. Regression analysis revealed no significant associations between the three classes and mental health; however, adolescents in the <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Moderate Approach</jats:italic> class reported lower perceived autonomy compared to those in the <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Enforcing & Engaged Approach</jats:italic> class. These findings highlight that (1) mediation strategies likely reflect broader parenting styles, (2) adapt to developmental needs, and (3) high parental engagement in setting boundaries coupled with active dialogue supports autonomous adolescent development. This insight can guide caregivers, healthcare, and policy development.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1177/14614448251391735
Leah Henrickson, Louise Santina Tompkins-Tinari
This article explores the sociocultural implications of digital human versions, drawing parallels between the self-objectification in Marina Abramović’s 1974 performance Rhythm 0 and that in recent AI-driven digital version CarynAI, a chatbot run by a social media influencer in 2023–2024. A digital version is a digital replica of an embodied human, living or dead, that convincingly mimics that person’s textual, visual and aural habits, and exists independently of that source person. By considering digital versions through the lens of (self-)objectification, this article argues that individuals simultaneously assert and relinquish power when creating their own digital versions. Following its analysis of CarynAI, this article proposes a research agenda about digital versions, suggesting avenues for future study about versions and versioning. Ultimately, this article argues for the urgent need to understand the shifting dynamics of personal agency, interpersonal intimacy and identity posted by digital human versions.
{"title":"Everything to everyone, all at once: Digital human versions as objects of agency and surrender","authors":"Leah Henrickson, Louise Santina Tompkins-Tinari","doi":"10.1177/14614448251391735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251391735","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the sociocultural implications of digital human versions, drawing parallels between the self-objectification in Marina Abramović’s 1974 performance <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Rhythm 0</jats:italic> and that in recent AI-driven digital version CarynAI, a chatbot run by a social media influencer in 2023–2024. A digital version is a digital replica of an embodied human, living or dead, that convincingly mimics that person’s textual, visual and aural habits, and exists independently of that source person. By considering digital versions through the lens of (self-)objectification, this article argues that individuals simultaneously assert and relinquish power when creating their own digital versions. Following its analysis of CarynAI, this article proposes a research agenda about digital versions, suggesting avenues for future study about versions and versioning. Ultimately, this article argues for the urgent need to understand the shifting dynamics of personal agency, interpersonal intimacy and identity posted by digital human versions.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1177/14614448251392190
Jeffrey A Hall, Liesel L Sharabi
This study outlines four pathways toward satisfying the need to belong through media use: relational remembrance, mediated social interaction, connection with content or target, and shared human experience. In study 1, participants ( N = 292) described moments of connection while using social media, and social interactions with existing relationship partners were most common. In study 2, participants ( N = 188) screenshotted moments ( n = 551) when they experienced social presence through media in daily life. Participants reported the degree to which they had an established relationship or a social interaction with the target, connected with the content or target absent any pre-existing relationship, and felt a shared experience. Multilevel models found all pathways were associated with social presence and perceived change in connection. Although social interactions within established relationships constitute most experiences of belongingness and social presence, a sense of identification, parasocial relationships, and online communities are other meaningful pathways.
{"title":"The rich social world of mobile and social media: Four pathways toward satisfying the need to belong","authors":"Jeffrey A Hall, Liesel L Sharabi","doi":"10.1177/14614448251392190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251392190","url":null,"abstract":"This study outlines four pathways toward satisfying the need to belong through media use: relational remembrance, mediated social interaction, connection with content or target, and shared human experience. In study 1, participants ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">N</jats:italic> = 292) described moments of connection while using social media, and social interactions with existing relationship partners were most common. In study 2, participants ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">N</jats:italic> = 188) screenshotted moments ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n</jats:italic> = 551) when they experienced social presence through media in daily life. Participants reported the degree to which they had an established relationship or a social interaction with the target, connected with the content or target absent any pre-existing relationship, and felt a shared experience. Multilevel models found all pathways were associated with social presence and perceived change in connection. Although social interactions within established relationships constitute most experiences of belongingness and social presence, a sense of identification, parasocial relationships, and online communities are other meaningful pathways.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1177/14614448251382485
Anaëlle J Gonzalez, Margot Lissens, Laura Vandenbosch
Social media personalities—including influencers, athletes, and celebrities who are typically nonpolitical figures, such as Taylor Swift—now serve as a primary news source for many adolescents on social media This study, grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, explores how exposure to political content from adolescents’ favorite influencers and celebrities on social media may reciprocally relate to their political interest. A three-wave panel study collected data among 520 French adolescents ( Mage = 15.14, SDage = 1.90, 58.7% girls) in 2021–22 and was linked to content analytical data on the political posts of adolescents’ favorite accounts. The random intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed no significant between-person differences or within-person reciprocal effects between exposure to influencers’ and celebrities’ political content and adolescents’ political interest. Furthermore, neither peer nor parental political interest moderated these relationships. Explanations for the absence of media and selection effects are discussed.
{"title":"Politically influenced by nonpolitical actors? Longitudinal reciprocal associations between social media personalities’ political social media posts and political interest in adolescence","authors":"Anaëlle J Gonzalez, Margot Lissens, Laura Vandenbosch","doi":"10.1177/14614448251382485","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251382485","url":null,"abstract":"Social media personalities—including influencers, athletes, and celebrities who are typically nonpolitical figures, such as Taylor Swift—now serve as a primary news source for many adolescents on social media This study, grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, explores how exposure to political content from adolescents’ favorite influencers and celebrities on social media may reciprocally relate to their political interest. A three-wave panel study collected data among 520 French adolescents ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">M</jats:italic> <jats:sub>age</jats:sub> = 15.14, <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">SD</jats:italic> <jats:sub>age</jats:sub> = 1.90, 58.7% girls) in 2021–22 and was linked to content analytical data on the political posts of adolescents’ favorite accounts. The random intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed no significant between-person differences or within-person reciprocal effects between exposure to influencers’ and celebrities’ political content and adolescents’ political interest. Furthermore, neither peer nor parental political interest moderated these relationships. Explanations for the absence of media and selection effects are discussed.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"178 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1177/14614448251388993
Longhan Wei, Tian Yang
Social media platforms have removed influential users for violating platform rules. While this intervention reduces harmful content on the platform, deplatforming high-profile figures may prompt general users to migrate to alternative domains, where they can continue to engage with inappropriate communication. Utilizing web tracking data from 12,400 US Twitter users, we showed that after Twitter deplatformed Donald Trump, users had no immediate change in Twitter usage, but their engagement with the platform decreased slightly over time. Meanwhile, they demonstrated an increase in visiting alternative domains, although this spike gradually tapered off. This pattern varied across the population: Those frequently consuming left-leaning news immediately increased Twitter usage, whereas users visiting right-leaning outlets displayed a rise in using alternative social media, especially among heavy consumers of right-leaning news. These findings highlight the importance of investigating two separate processes of platform migration, non-use and new use, for appraising the impact of content moderation.
{"title":"Deplatforming Donald Trump influences platform migration between Twitter and alternative sites","authors":"Longhan Wei, Tian Yang","doi":"10.1177/14614448251388993","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251388993","url":null,"abstract":"Social media platforms have removed influential users for violating platform rules. While this intervention reduces harmful content on the platform, deplatforming high-profile figures may prompt general users to migrate to alternative domains, where they can continue to engage with inappropriate communication. Utilizing web tracking data from 12,400 US Twitter users, we showed that after Twitter deplatformed Donald Trump, users had no immediate change in Twitter usage, but their engagement with the platform decreased slightly over time. Meanwhile, they demonstrated an increase in visiting alternative domains, although this spike gradually tapered off. This pattern varied across the population: Those frequently consuming left-leaning news immediately increased Twitter usage, whereas users visiting right-leaning outlets displayed a rise in using alternative social media, especially among heavy consumers of right-leaning news. These findings highlight the importance of investigating two separate processes of platform migration, non-use and new use, for appraising the impact of content moderation.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"178 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-18DOI: 10.1177/14614448251387109
Lucia Bainotti, Stijn Peeters
This article discusses a methodological approach to the study of audio-visual content on platforms like TikTok. We argue that existing methodologies for the analysis of visual content based on the notions of the metapicture are not yet fully equipped to account for the multi-layered, dynamic, and information-rich nature of audio-visual material. To fill this gap, we propose an approach aimed at ‘enriching’ the metapicture with textual and other components, alongside visual ones, to critically and systematically analyse video collections. First, we explain how researchers can enrich the metapicture by following three main principles: metadating, disaggregation and reaggregation, and readability. To illustrate our approach, we present a case study based on data donations to explore the content and gender representations TikTok users are exposed to. The study is structured in three steps, each introducing a type of enriched metapicture: the megapicture, scene-by-scene timeline, and video stack.
{"title":"Enriching the metapicture: How to analyse audio-visual content on TikTok and other platforms","authors":"Lucia Bainotti, Stijn Peeters","doi":"10.1177/14614448251387109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251387109","url":null,"abstract":"This article discusses a methodological approach to the study of audio-visual content on platforms like TikTok. We argue that existing methodologies for the analysis of visual content based on the notions of the metapicture are not yet fully equipped to account for the multi-layered, dynamic, and information-rich nature of audio-visual material. To fill this gap, we propose an approach aimed at ‘enriching’ the metapicture with textual and other components, alongside visual ones, to critically and systematically analyse video collections. First, we explain how researchers can enrich the metapicture by following three main principles: metadating, disaggregation and reaggregation, and readability. To illustrate our approach, we present a case study based on data donations to explore the content and gender representations TikTok users are exposed to. The study is structured in three steps, each introducing a type of enriched metapicture: the megapicture, scene-by-scene timeline, and video stack.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145535557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1177/14614448251385085
Maurice Vergeer
Gender inequality in Dutch politics remains persistent, with men dominating parliament. This study explores whether social media campaigning can help reduce this imbalance by examining how women and men differ in their online campaign strategies and how these differences affect likability on social media and electoral success. Drawing on the concept of trait-balancing, the study analyzes communication styles, issues, and sentiments in tweets from all parliamentary candidates using topic modeling. Results show that while men and women use similar communication styles, women benefit more from social and positive messaging, as well as participation in Q&A interactions—factors that predict higher preference votes. However, these advantages do not offset systemic barriers. The findings suggest that structural factors, such as male-dominated candidate lists and informal party-selection rules, continue to sustain unequal gender representation. Thus, while social media offers opportunities, institutional reform remains essential for achieving gender equality in politics.
{"title":"Gender and social media campaigning: Opportunities for women candidates to close the gender gap in Dutch politics?","authors":"Maurice Vergeer","doi":"10.1177/14614448251385085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251385085","url":null,"abstract":"Gender inequality in Dutch politics remains persistent, with men dominating parliament. This study explores whether social media campaigning can help reduce this imbalance by examining how women and men differ in their online campaign strategies and how these differences affect likability on social media and electoral success. Drawing on the concept of trait-balancing, the study analyzes communication styles, issues, and sentiments in tweets from all parliamentary candidates using topic modeling. Results show that while men and women use similar communication styles, women benefit more from social and positive messaging, as well as participation in Q&A interactions—factors that predict higher preference votes. However, these advantages do not offset systemic barriers. The findings suggest that structural factors, such as male-dominated candidate lists and informal party-selection rules, continue to sustain unequal gender representation. Thus, while social media offers opportunities, institutional reform remains essential for achieving gender equality in politics.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145531620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1177/14614448251385920
Moa Eriksson Krutrök, Pär Poromaa Isling
As AI-driven language models transform communication, minority languages like Meänkieli—a national minority language in northern Sweden—face new forms of digital marginalization. Historically suppressed by the Swedish state, Meänkieli now risks exclusion from rapidly evolving AI ecosystems. This article examines how current AI platforms shape language inclusion, combining semi-structured interviews with language technologists, conservators, and promoters, and a platform analysis of AI translation and language tools. Drawing on these materials, we develop the concept of “technolinguistic suspension” to describe the state in which Meänkieli currently exists: symbolically recognized yet excluded from the technological infrastructures that increasingly define linguistic legitimacy. We identify four interrelated aspects—two conditions (non-representative technologies and low-resource status) and two responses (active work-arounds and AI skepticism)—that illuminate how institutional neglect and platform-level dynamics jointly constrain digital revitalization. The study argues that overcoming technolinguistic suspension requires both structural reforms in platform design and sustained institutional commitment to minority language futures.
{"title":"Technolinguistic suspension and the digital futures of minority languages: AI and Meänkieli in Sweden","authors":"Moa Eriksson Krutrök, Pär Poromaa Isling","doi":"10.1177/14614448251385920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251385920","url":null,"abstract":"As AI-driven language models transform communication, minority languages like Meänkieli—a national minority language in northern Sweden—face new forms of digital marginalization. Historically suppressed by the Swedish state, Meänkieli now risks exclusion from rapidly evolving AI ecosystems. This article examines how current AI platforms shape language inclusion, combining semi-structured interviews with language technologists, conservators, and promoters, and a platform analysis of AI translation and language tools. Drawing on these materials, we develop the concept of “technolinguistic suspension” to describe the state in which Meänkieli currently exists: symbolically recognized yet excluded from the technological infrastructures that increasingly define linguistic legitimacy. We identify four interrelated aspects—two conditions (non-representative technologies and low-resource status) and two responses (active work-arounds and AI skepticism)—that illuminate how institutional neglect and platform-level dynamics jointly constrain digital revitalization. The study argues that overcoming technolinguistic suspension requires both structural reforms in platform design and sustained institutional commitment to minority language futures.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145515595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-06DOI: 10.1177/14614448251385082
Piotr Marczyński, Catherine Tebaldi
This article examines how far-right groups advance political agendas through digital platforms, specifically by embedding reactionary ideology within health and wellness discourse. Our investigation concerns the “Barbarian Right” subculture on X (formerly Twitter), where reactionary content is often intertwined with wellness messaging. Using social network analysis of 42 accounts identified through digital ethnography, we mapped the structure of this community and identified key influencers. Subsequent semiotic discourse analysis revealed ideological practices and their relationship to platform affordances. Our findings reveal a small number of prominent accounts, supported by alternative media outlets that dominate this space. These accounts primarily deliver health advice strategically interspersed with white nationalist messaging. This research offers empirical insights into the growing alignment between far-right and wellness communities, shedding light on potential radicalization pathways and recruitment strategies of the dissident right.
{"title":"The wellness pipeline: Tracing far-right health narratives on X","authors":"Piotr Marczyński, Catherine Tebaldi","doi":"10.1177/14614448251385082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251385082","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines how far-right groups advance political agendas through digital platforms, specifically by embedding reactionary ideology within health and wellness discourse. Our investigation concerns the “Barbarian Right” subculture on X (formerly Twitter), where reactionary content is often intertwined with wellness messaging. Using social network analysis of 42 accounts identified through digital ethnography, we mapped the structure of this community and identified key influencers. Subsequent semiotic discourse analysis revealed ideological practices and their relationship to platform affordances. Our findings reveal a small number of prominent accounts, supported by alternative media outlets that dominate this space. These accounts primarily deliver health advice strategically interspersed with white nationalist messaging. This research offers empirical insights into the growing alignment between far-right and wellness communities, shedding light on potential radicalization pathways and recruitment strategies of the dissident right.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145447146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study explores how digital humor functions as a form of critique in contexts where overt dissent is constrained. Focusing on memes shared by members of a Facebook support group for Israeli reservist soldiers’ wives during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the study analyzes how humor helps negotiate personal and collective tensions. Using thematic and critical discourse analysis, we identify four spheres of critique—targeting spouses, social circles, institutions, and broader expectations. These memes convey frustration and resistance not through direct confrontation, but via irony and satire, allowing women to express grievances while remaining aligned with hegemonic national narratives. We conceptualize this as quasi-political expression, where personal complaints, framed humorously, subtly challenge and reinforce dominant discourses. By introducing this concept, the study highlights how individuals in ideologically constrained settings use digital culture not only to resist or reproduce power, but to navigate the blurred boundaries between personal and political life.
{"title":"The personal is the (quasi-) political: The role of memes in critiquing and reproducing hegemonic narratives among reservists’ wives","authors":"Hila Lowenstein-Barkai, Elie Friedman, Hananel Rosenberg","doi":"10.1177/14614448251386384","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251386384","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores how digital humor functions as a form of critique in contexts where overt dissent is constrained. Focusing on memes shared by members of a Facebook support group for Israeli reservist soldiers’ wives during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the study analyzes how humor helps negotiate personal and collective tensions. Using thematic and critical discourse analysis, we identify four spheres of critique—targeting spouses, social circles, institutions, and broader expectations. These memes convey frustration and resistance not through direct confrontation, but via irony and satire, allowing women to express grievances while remaining aligned with hegemonic national narratives. We conceptualize this as quasi-political expression, where personal complaints, framed humorously, subtly challenge and reinforce dominant discourses. By introducing this concept, the study highlights how individuals in ideologically constrained settings use digital culture not only to resist or reproduce power, but to navigate the blurred boundaries between personal and political life.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"78 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145427404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：