The main social media platforms have been implementing strategies to minimize fake news dissemination. These include identifying, labeling, and penalizing –via news feed ranking algorithms– fake publications. Part of the rationale behind this approach is that the negative effects of fake content arise only when social media users are deceived. Once debunked, fake posts and news stories should therefore become harmless. Unfortunately, the literature shows that the effects of misinformation are more complex and tend to persist and even backfire after correction. Furthermore, we still do not know much about how social media users evaluate content that has been fact-checked and flagged as false. More worryingly, previous findings suggest that some people may intentionally share made up news on social media, although their motivations are not fully explained. To better understand users’ interaction with social media content identified or recognized as false, we analyze qualitative and quantitative data from five focus groups and a sub-national online survey (N = 350). Findings suggest that the label of ‘false news’ plays a role –although not necessarily central– in social media users’ evaluation of the content and their decision (not) to share it. Some participants showed distrust in fact-checkers and lack of knowledge about the fact-checking process. We also found that fake news sharing is a two-dimensional phenomenon that includes intentional and unintentional behaviors. We discuss some of the reasons why some of social media users may choose to distribute fake news content intentionally.

Analizamos la representación de mujeres y hombres en la prensa diaria generalista española de mayor difusión. Metodología: Utilizando la técnica de muestreo de semana construida se realizó un análisis cuantitativo del contenido no publicitario de 28 ejemplares de dos de los periódicos de españoles de mayor tirada, El País y El Mundo. Resultados y conclusiones: Los resultados muestran gran desigualdad en la representación de mujeres y hombres en ambos periódicos. Las mujeres están infrarrepresentadas, tanto como participantes como protagonistas de los textos e imágenes publicados, y la representación que se hace de mujeres y hombres es según los estereotipos de género que atribuyen el poder y la autoridad a los hombres. Aunque es muy poco frecuente que las mujeres aparezcan como deportistas, aparecen representadas como víctimas con mayor frecuencia que los hombres. También es menos frecuente que las mujeres aparezcan como fuentes y como firmantes de textos y fotografías.

The aim of this study was to analyse the portrayal of women and men on Spanish television news. A quantitative content analysis was conducted which comprised 1,834 news stories from 41 television newscasts of the three television channels with the highest viewership ratings in Spain. Content-analysis results showed that women were portrayed in the news much less frequently than men, and women and men were depicted after the gender stereotypes that attributed greater power and status to men than to women. Furthermore, women were portrayed as victims more frequently than men, and men were portrayed as athletes more frequently than women. Men were represented as main character in 40.7% of the news stories whereas in the case of women it amounted to just 7.3%. News stories by women reporters were more likely to relay on women as main characters than did stories by male reporters; also women reporters were more inclined than male reporters to use females as sources, although the most common sources in the new stories both by male and female reporters were expert men. Results allow us to conclude that the portrayal of women and men in television newscast is very unequal in Spain.

A growing number of people use mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps for a variety of purposes—most commonly related to social interaction, but also to coordinate work-related activities, fulfill informational needs, and discuss politics and public affairs. Despite its convenience for daily life, MIM may also act as an environmental antecedent of technostress due to users’ inability to cope with the demands of the app in a healthy manner. We conducted two qualitative studies (N₁ = 26; N₂ = 147) to examine why people use MIM apps in their daily life and if diverse uses relate to MIM stress differently. This research (1) develops a general catalogue of MIM uses; (2) suggests a four-dimensional construct of MIM technostress consisting of overload, ambiguity, invasion, and urgency; (3) outlines several differences across age groups and between genders; and (4) describes possible relationships between MIM uses and stress.

Scientific journal published by the Department of Journalism, Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the Faculty of Communication.

Introducción: El fútbol femenino estuvo vetado durante muchos años hasta que comenzaron a crearselos primeros equipos en Canarias. Metodología: La investigación ha partido de la revisiónbibliográfica y hemerográfica de la prensa especializada y de las noticias deportivas de la época.Asimismo, se han tenido en cuenta otros estudios actuales para centrar una posición desde la historiasocial del deporte. Esta comunicación recoge los artículos publicados en los periódicos canarios entrelos años 1915 y 1950. Resultados y conclusiones: La investigación muestra la escasa representacióndel fútbol femenino en Canarias en el periodo estudiado y un tratamiento desigual fruto del contextohistórico, social y jurídico de la época estudiada.