Postmodernism Problems

Technological Influence on Communications and Society: All Roads Lead to AI

Stella Angova, Ivan Valchanov — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This issue covers the history of AI, the role of AI in transforming public relations, political communications on social media, the relationship between post-culture and Generation Z, ethical dilemmas of social media use, the dynamics of news value, the narrative transformation of video game-based television series, and the ethical use of AI in marketing.

Ethical Dilemmas About Social Network Sites – A View From Romania

Valentina Marinescu — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

In contemporary society, the ubiquity of technology has led, somewhat inevitably, to a series of theoretical and practical concerns related to the problems caused by the security of personal data in an interconnected world. The case of “Cambridge Analytica” - Facebook indicated serious legal and practical issues in protecting users’ personal data. This paper presents the previously mentioned phenomenon, its impact on the Romanian population, and the degree of information of Romanian citizens on this subject. From a methodological point of view, the method used was the survey based on a questionnaire, applied to a sample of 220 subjects in April-June 2022. The analysis results indicate that most respondents (88%) consider online data theft personally as a crime. Although 54% of respondents stated that they do not agree with the use of personal data without their consent, 51.1% of respondents considered that they do not agree that the legislation be amended to further protect against the misuse of personal data by online companies. Starting from the analysis of the obtained results, the present paper concludes in favor of public awareness and information campaigns regarding the ethical and legal measures necessary for the protection of the personal data of internet users.

News Value Dynamics – Communication Through Audience Experience Research

Maya Vassileva — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

News is a viable and essential form of traditional journalism. News television programming incorporates the seriousness of democratic issues into the public conversation. Regarding themes, current events, international policies, or cultural phenomena, news value is key in structuring newscasts. Scholars and practitioners point to the news value dynamic as a conditional measure of the direct experience of the living world. From the audience perspective, the study methodology of this article presents a scientific aspect of how communication specialists perceive and rethink the news critically, more often as professionals who precisely notice twisting reality, rather than journalists, who specify why challenges of news value never abate. In this special study, conducted in May and June 2024, a group of trainee communication specialists in the role of respondents participated in research of the news value of four news items covering vital hot news in Bulgarian society. Respondents must guess the inherent relationships between factors of the news value and try to understand the logic behind the dynamics of news value. For this paper, the dynamics of news value is identified as a postmodernism problem not only concerns the semantic differentiation, stemming from media professional standards but also expands into what journalistic and communication theory call “scientific applied” and traces the contour of a complex practice of research facets and needs for new agile findings. The paper offered to your attention looks at how the news value dynamic sustains audience interest through the professional lens of communicators.

Emergence and History of Artificial Intelligence

Evelina Christova — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Artificial intelligence has entered the practice of public relations professionals and is on its way to fundamentally changing the way the PR industry works. Many professionals are already using AI applications in their work, and a large part of the public remains unaware of this fact. Very often, both parties are unaware of the history and emergence of artificial intelligence, the understanding of which is the basis for understanding its capabilities and the risks of its use. This article attempts to gather basic information on the emergence of AI and its development by the summer of 2024.Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence in PR: Transformations of Communication Strategies and Campaigns

Maria Nikolova — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article examines the transformative impact of artificial intelligence in the field of public relations, specifically within the context of communication strategies and campaign execution. With the increasing integration of AI-based technologies, such as machine learning algorithms, data analysis software, audience targeting, and real-time monitoring, PR practices have evolved significantly. AI enables communication specialists to streamline repetitive tasks, en-hance audience targeting, and optimise content creation and management. However, the arti-cle also explores the ethical challenges posed by AI, including issues of authenticity, transpar-ency, and data privacy. By summarising recent studies, reports from professional organisations, and case analyses, the article highlights AI's dual role in boosting PR efficiency and presenting ethical challenges for the profession.

Under the Flags оf Digital Political Agitation

Iliya Valkov — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Communication between politicians and citizens is increasingly transferred to the topos of digital platforms. Serious funds are invested for advertising, political agitation, groups and pages are created in which opponents are attacked. The publication is focused on processes and tools for political agitation in social networks such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram. Case studies from Bulgaria and the world are analyzed. Various quantitative and qualitative methods are used - analysis and synthesis of literature, case studies, working with data, involved observation, etc. Case studies show that the public space is increasingly saturated with messages that carry misinformation, conspiratorial narratives, division provoked by fear and hatred, and undermine trust in traditional institutions and authorities. The text proposes the idea that one of the tools for counteracting these social phenomena is the construction of collective immunity from knowledge and skills to improve the digital and information literacy of citizens.

TV Series Based on Video Games as a Crossing Point of Narrative Forms

Zlаtina Dimitrova Valchanova — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in creating TV series based on video games. They are based on the audiovisual aesthetics of popular games and turn them into television shows. This paper examines the interaction between the two types of screen narratives through a comparative analysis of genre, development of main characters, and plot in three examples. ‘Halo’ (2022) draws inspiration from the main storylines in the popular game but adds new ones and makes changes to the characters' features, making the story more understandable for the TV audience. This is required by the genre of the video game, which relies on fight scenes and limits the possibilities for interpretation. ‘The Last of Us’ (2023) is an example of a successful video game adaptation, as the series not only preserves the visual aesthetic of the source material, but also faithfully recreates the main characters, their features and relationships. ‘The Witcher’ (2019) is an adaptation of both books and games. As the plot develops, the episodes move away from the essence and the source material, which negatively affects the viewer's perception. The examples in this article indicate that there is no one universal method to adapting a videogame into a television production, and the particular approach is chosen depends on both the creators of the series, the specifics of the videogame and the extent to which it is suitable for adaptation. However, all three case studies highlight the importance of the visual code of the source material for its truthful adaptation into a TV series.

Postculture Influence on Generation “Z”

Milena Vinarova — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article aims to identify the characteristic features of postculture influencing the understanding of culture of generation Z. Culture itself is not seen as a kindred culture and spirit, but as an action and sensibility that passes from generation to generation in the context of social culture. The link between postculture and Generation Z is recognized in their intolerance of the status quo. Benefits are created from strategic synergies that lead to the positive symbiosis of cultural requirements among young people. It is no coincidence that Generation Z is the first with an innate adaptability to change. The research is based on statistical data from inquiries made to representatives of Gen "Z". The main thesis is that the focus of the generally accepted traditional culture is shifting to the new culturally modernist influences in a digital environment accompanying the everyday life of the generation.

Artificial Intelligence and Marketing. Ethical Dilemmas in the Bulgarian Professional Environment

Kalina Kyosovska — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing marketing by analyzing large volumes of data, deriving trends and patterns in consumer behavior and the business environment, automating routine tasks, etc. The entry of AI into marketing seriously raises the question of its ethical and responsible application. Examination of global studies and scholarly texts has shown that the dilemmas relate to four main themes – ensuring transparency, respecting confidentiality, avoiding bias and manipulation, maintaining a balance between automation and human participation. Based on the familiarity with a number of global are formulated questions about the degree of preparedness of Bulgarian marketing professionals for the introduction of AI. An online survey was conducted on the Microsoft Forms platform. The results show that professionals are aware of the need for regulation and insist that there should be a clear definition of responsibility in a legal, professional and internal company framework for integrating ethical practices into marketing strategies. They declare a need for more training for an industry that is generally ill-equipped to deal with ethical challenges. Coinciding with the global ethical issues are the topics of privacy breaches, manipulative practices, lack of transparency and accountability, and poor data security and protection. They do not face the issue of discrimination and inequality as a possible effect of working with AI and here we can see the Bulgarian context. For them AI is a tool mainly for automation of processes and tasks in the team, data analysis, more engaging interaction with users, cost optimization and ROI, precise audience targeting, forecasts.