{"title":"Debating pornography and the notion of harm in public discourse: The case of Billie Eilish’s experiences with sexual content online","authors":"Despina Chronaki, Liza Tsaliki, Debra Dudek, Elisabeth Staksrud, Giselle Woodley, Thi Bich Thuy Dinh","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333740","url":null,"abstract":"Young people’s experiences with sexual content online are a regularly featured popular topic in news media, feeding heated ongoing policy and academic debates. Concerns and calls for further regulation and youth’s self-regulation are exacerbated when celebrities and popular public figures share statements and confessions about their own sexual lives at a young age. In this article, we study the discursive conditions of media coverage and the celebrity confessional as narratives of regulation and self-regulation. Using Billie Eilish’s statement about her self-perceived experience of harm from use of pornography during teenage life (13 December 2021), we study how global and national media outlets constructed Eilish’s confession in the light of broader concerns about children’s experiences with such online sexual content. This study enhances our understanding of how adolescents’ experiences of sexual content online is publicly shaped.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"228 1","pages":"2597-2619"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290218","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}
{"title":"“My mom caught me watching porn!”: YouTube videos as performative risk biography and cautionary sex ed","authors":"Jessica Yarin Robinson, Khalid Ezat Azam","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333738","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates the presentation and public self-disclosure of sexual content by young people on YouTube’s #storytime genre. Applying Beck’s concept of the “risk biography,” we explore the way these digital narratives recount encounters with pornography in a setting intended to reach other young people. The analysis combines computational text analysis with manual analyses to characterize how young people tell their own stories. Findings suggest that while content creators critically address sexual norms, they also reinforce the Internet’s potential for harm. Yet, the greatest risk identified is not pornography itself, but parents—namely, the threat of punishment, including physical punishment.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"22 1","pages":"2575-2596"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290210","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}
Harrison W See, Kjartan Ólafsson, Brian O’Neill, Lelia Green, Carmen Jacques, Kelly Jaunzems
{"title":"Do parents ‘know best’ when it comes to their teenaged children’s experiences of sexual content online?","authors":"Harrison W See, Kjartan Ólafsson, Brian O’Neill, Lelia Green, Carmen Jacques, Kelly Jaunzems","doi":"10.1177/14614448251333737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333737","url":null,"abstract":"In 2010, the EU Kids Online project, and aligned AU Kids Online study, interviewed one parent and one child (9–16) from 25,542 families across 26 countries. Information gathered included parents’ awareness of their child’s experiences of sexual content online. This dataset has since been updated by recent ethnographic work in Australia and Ireland, capturing parents’ approaches to managing their children’s (11–17) digital engagement with sexual content. Parents identified risks and benefits in their children’s encounters with adult content online. This article concludes that parents do not judge the efficacy of their digital parenting around preventing their child from seeing restricted 18+ content or, indeed, knowing whether their child has encountered sexual content online. Instead, they adopt a nuanced approach that reflects knowledge of their child and the child’s relative maturity, with a view to supporting their child’s progressive development towards full digital and sexual citizenship.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"65 1","pages":"2638-2656"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144290214","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}
Shawn Suyong Yi Jones, Annie Harrisson, Sâmia Pedraça, Jessie Marchessault-Brown, Dmitri Williams, Mia Consalvo
{"title":"The virtual census 2.0: A continued investigation on the representations of gender, race, and age in videogames","authors":"Shawn Suyong Yi Jones, Annie Harrisson, Sâmia Pedraça, Jessie Marchessault-Brown, Dmitri Williams, Mia Consalvo","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336427","url":null,"abstract":"This study revisits the original four research questions of Williams et al.’s “The Virtual Census: Representations of Gender, Race and Age in Video Games” to investigate if mainstream videogame representations have changed over time. In addition, this study expands on the original by including a fifth question examining the intersection of representations within videogames. Using a sample of the top 100 best-selling boxed videogames of 2017 from four console platforms, this study compares its findings to the 2017 US Census demographic estimates as well as to findings of the original study. The results of the study are similar to those of the original, but the intersectional analysis shows an over-representation of white adult male characters, specifically, and an under-representation of Black female characters of any age group. This study discusses potential reasons for the slow progress made in videogame representations and the need for more intersectional analyses on videogames.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193037","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}
{"title":"More platforms, less attention to news? A multi-platform analysis of news exposure across TV, web, and YouTube in the United States","authors":"Tian Yang, Sandra González-Bailón","doi":"10.1177/14614448251341496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251341496","url":null,"abstract":"We gain exposure to news across a range of platforms and, within each platform, across a range of sources. How does a multi-platform media environment shape the news choices we make and the gaps that result from those choices? We address this question tracking news exposure across TV, the web, and YouTube for approximately 55,000 unique US panelists over a period of 39 months. We find important variations in the demographic profiles of those who choose to consume news within platforms and those who consume news across, casting light on the contingencies of news divides. We also show evidence of a systematic amplification effect: the slice of the population that chooses to consume news across platforms increases their overall levels of exposure, suggesting that a multi-platform media environment widens the gap between news consumers and those who decide to opt out.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193226","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}
{"title":"Digital She-nanigans: Social media users’ response toward online hostilities targeting a female science communicator with marginalized identities","authors":"Melanie Saumer, Kevin Koban, Jörg Matthes","doi":"10.1177/14614448251342242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251342242","url":null,"abstract":"Online hostility poses a growing societal challenge, yet quantitative evidence on how social media users respond to different kinds of hostility targeting different identities is limited, even though insights into bystander perceptions are detrimental to combat the online hate endemic. This online experiment ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 461) examines cognitive (perceived acceptability), affective (negative emotions), and behavioral (intervention intentions) responses to varyingly hostile comments (impolite vs uncivil vs intolerant) directed at a female science communicator with different ethnic (Black vs White) and LGBTQIA+ identity cues (heterosexual vs homosexual vs trans), thus shedding light on intersectional identities comprising social group affiliations with varying levels of marginalization. While intolerance triggered stronger emotional reactions than impoliteness and incivility (likely due to its discriminatory nature), participants were, somewhat paradoxically, more inclined to act (and advocated for more institutional action) against incivility. Furthermore, ethnic cues had a much stronger influence than LGBTQIA+ identity cues across response domains.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193225","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}
Dror Walter, Ayse D Lokmanoglu, Yotam Ophir, Eduard Fabregat
{"title":"Some assembly required: Unpacking the content and spread of Wayfair conspiracy theory on Reddit and Twitter","authors":"Dror Walter, Ayse D Lokmanoglu, Yotam Ophir, Eduard Fabregat","doi":"10.1177/14614448251341497","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251341497","url":null,"abstract":"Wayfair, an American furniture and home goods retailer, garnered sudden attention across social media in 2020, particularly Twitter and Reddit, due to a conspiracy theory linking the company to child trafficking. The short-lived, well-delineated nature of this theory, coupled with its simultaneous emergence across multiple platforms, makes it a distinct case for studying the dynamics of online conspiracy development and spread. Using intermedia agenda-setting theory and computational approaches, we analyzed 1.2 million posts to explore cross-platform interactions. We examined how platform affordances shaped discourse and enabled the conspiracy’s dissemination. Reddit’s anonymity and detailed discussions sustained narratives, while Twitter amplified emotional content and broadened the audience. Hourly time-series analysis reveals a bidirectional influence: Reddit set thematic agendas that Twitter amplified, while Twitter’s emotional content shaped Reddit’s discussions. These findings shed light on the digital development of child abuse conspiracy theories while advancing the understudied aspects of intermedia agenda-setting literature.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193224","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}
{"title":"What I miss most: Journalists’ rationalization of relational social media use","authors":"Alexis Haskell, Logan Molyneux","doi":"10.1177/14614448251340365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251340365","url":null,"abstract":"Journalists’ social media use is a recent example of long-standing gaps between journalistic discourse and journalistic practice. This manuscript applies the sociological concept of rationalization to explain the persistence of this gap, theorizing that the need for rational explanations of one’s work is so powerful for journalists that they offer one description publicly, or to their bosses, while practicing something different. We apply rationalization theory to reflect on journalism’s love affair with Twitter, now that many journalists and their organizations have deprioritized the platform. In interviews, journalists indeed could readily offer rational explanations for Twitter’s use and purpose in journalism, but further questions revealed that common practices didn’t serve the stated purposes; instead, journalists’ attachment to the platform was primarily relational. We argue humans’ inherent sociality, individuals’ response to a field in crisis, and journalism’s acute need for social validation may contribute to this disconnect.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193230","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}
Esteban Morales, Jaigris Hodson, Victoria O’Meara, Anatoliy Gruzd, Philip Mai
{"title":"Online toxic speech as positioning acts: Hate as discursive mechanisms for othering and belonging","authors":"Esteban Morales, Jaigris Hodson, Victoria O’Meara, Anatoliy Gruzd, Philip Mai","doi":"10.1177/14614448251338493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338493","url":null,"abstract":"While digital platforms foster a sense of community and identity, they also facilitate harmful exclusionary practices. In this context, toxic and hateful speech are key mechanisms not only for harming others but also marking processes of othering and belonging. In this article, we examine the role of hateful and toxic speech in structuring processes of in- and out-group formation and maintenance by focusing on a public Colombian Telegram group. More specifically, we examine how members use toxic speech to position themselves and others in relation to narratives emerging from the group by analyzing 3221 posts with high levels of toxicity. Our analysis yields insights into the complex and paradoxical uses of antisocial behavior on social media platforms. Overall, the findings of this study deepen our understanding of the social gratifications that underlie how hate and toxic speech are used to disenfranchise individuals.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144165402","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}
{"title":"TikTok’s political landscape: Examining echo chambers and political expression dynamics","authors":"Yanlin Li, Zicheng Cheng, Homero Gil de Zúñiga","doi":"10.1177/14614448251339755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251339755","url":null,"abstract":"Using a comprehensive dataset of over 160,000 public TikTok accounts and more than 16 million videos, this study indicates a notable increase in political TikTok video content from 2019 to 2023, with a peak around the 2020 US presidential election. The network analysis reveals distinct clusters of politically homogeneous networks or “political echo chambers” where users were exposed to attitude-consistent political TikTok content. Furthermore, through digital trace data, we found that users with strong political views and positive social feedback are more likely to share their political opinions on the platform. This research emphasizes TikTok’s growing importance as a hub for political engagement, as well as its potential polarization effects. The open-source datasets and methodological tools developed in this study offer valuable resources for future research on TikTok’s role in political communication.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144193231","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}