HOW PEOPLE LIVE UNDER THE UNCERTAINTIES OF TODAY’S TIMES
Abstract
I have a growing feeling that we humans nowadays
don’t think enough and certainly don’t think very accurately
about our world, subject to a revolution, an upheaval
produced by artificial intelligences, in fact so radical that
sometimes we don’t know if now is now or yesterday, or
tomorrow, if the up is somehow not down and vice versa.
Improbable nightmares seem to be more common than
improbable dreams. We no longer listen to that rational
argument which, naturally, is opposed by the slightest
resistance on the logical road to a conclusion.
Keywords: uncertainties, expectations, perception.
THE SECURITY DISCOURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF GEOPOLITICAL CONFRONTATIONS AND OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to analyse the parameters
of the security discourse in the context of the war in
Ukraine. In this sense, we aim to reflect the functional line,
associations and synergy between concepts such as:
strategic communication, security discourse and
international public relations. We will analyse the strategic
narratives in the context of the geopolitical confrontations.
As a case study, the following three security speeches were
selected: that of Biden, that of Putin and that of Zelensky;
their impact and international resonance was also
discussed.
Keywords: strategic communication, security speech,
strategic narratives, Zelensky, Biden, Putin, Trump.
JAPAN – A BALANCE POINT IN A NEW BIPOLAR WORLD
Abstract
This essay starts from the hypothesis that we are
entering a new bipolar world, dominated by the US and
China. Time will prove its sustainability in front of other
scenarios, like the unipolar world, the multipolar world
or the emergence of new superpowers. Based on this
hypothesis we discuss Japan’s possible role as a credible
facilitator between the US and China. According to its
history, traditions, culture and geography, Japan belongs
to the Far East and according its system of government,
economy and civil liberties, it belongs to the Euro-
Atlantic value system. Through this equidistance, in a
world where China seeks to assert its hegemon role on
various global levels, Japanese diplomacy and good
practices can represent a point of balance. In the
US-China-Japan triangle, relations are like a traffic light
(three “co”): green-cooperation, yellow-competition, and
red-confrontation. Currently, yellow dominates China’s
relations with the other two actors, while green prevails
between the US and Japan. Japan’s diplomatic skills
could reduce the risk of red colour (confrontation) on
either side of the triangle.
Keywords: bipolar world, Japan, US, China.
RESHAPING OR DEMOLISHING DIPLOMACY
Abstract
We are currently nearing the end of the first quarter of
the twenty-first century. Geologists were able to prove that
we ended the Holocene epoch, which began at the end of
the ice age, and 11,700 years later we entered the
Anthropocene, an era in which the influence of humanity
on the planet is irreversible. Humanity managed, beyond
the traditional planetary ambience, which includes the
hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, to create the
technosphere!
Keywords: diplomacy, negotiation, confrontation.
POLYSEMY AND MEANING-MAKING OF MEDIA CONTENTS AMONG THE AUDIENCE
Abstract
The problem of understanding polysemous words that
differ in meaning has dominated discourse in
communication studies in recent years. It has not only led
to studies on problems of representation between
homonymy and polysemy and their linkages in memory,
but also involves the various ways that any message can
be decoded for understanding. The paper is anchored on
two theoretical underpinnings: the framing theory
developed by Erving Goffman which explains the use of
cognitive skills to make meaning out of individuals’
environmental stimuli in daily life; and the relevance
theory, which owes its origin to Paul Grice and posits that
meaning is first a psychological phenomenon before
becoming a linguistic one. The paper examines the concepts
of communication production, circulation, use,
consumption, distribution, and reproduction, which
represent methods by which messages are produced and
disseminated; as well as the preferred, the oppositional,
and the negotiated forms, which are the major ways that
messages are decoded. It also explains how cultural texts
or codes, which are essentially systems of meaning whose
rules and conventions are shared by members of a culture,
lay the foundation for the interpretation of media texts and
how ‘readers’ of media texts can combine their experiences
of given media programmes to further communicate such
texts to others, a process that is akin to the multi-step flow
process of communication by opinion leaders in their
extension of influence.
Keywords: Cognitive skills, cultural texts, enantiosemy,
homonymy, monosemy, polysemy.
AWARENESS AND PUBLIC RESPONSE TO RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE (RTI) INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON NTDS AMONG RESIDENTS OF CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
This article discusses the awareness and public response
to Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International campaign
on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) among residents
of Cross River State, Nigeria. The major objective of this
study is to upscale awareness and promote public response
to RTI International Campaigns on NTDs among residents
of Cross River State. The study adopted the qualitative
research approach, with cross-sectional face-to-face semistructured
in-depth interview as its data collection
instrument. The Health Belief Model (HBM) formed the
theoretical framework for the article. Findings indicate that
the adoption of mixed media ensured effective awareness
and maximum response by residents of CRS during the
campaign. Findings also reveals that effective participatory
communication increased the campaign’s efficacy to
address public disinformation, misinformation, myths,
and misconceptions held against NTD medicines, thus
optimizing its intake. In addressing the communication
gaps identified during the campaign, the article
recommends health workers to equip themselves with the
necessary resources in order to disseminate evidencebased
information to prevent and address communication
gaps in the awareness and public engagement with its
campaign.
Keywords: Awareness, Response, NTDs, Receptiveness,
Onchocerciasis, Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Soiltransmitted
Helminth.
THE SOCIAL PARADIGM OF FEAR IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
Abstract
This paper started from the premise that emotions
occupy an important place in one’s life, giving meaning to
human existence, and it was shaped by the need to
understand human behaviour and the essence of society
as a whole. The approach of understanding led us to an
analysis of emotions that goes beyond a single subject and
up to a broader one, the sociology of emotions.The
contemporary society is marked by perpetual change and
is disturbed by the uncertainty that affects both the psyche
of individuals and the structures of the society. Today,
negative emotions, and implicitly fear, easily propagate
between individuals and take on a strong social character,
and the perception of individual and collective threats is
often the result of distorting the real picture of threats,
which profoundly affects how fears can be managed. The
present study focuses on the theoretical analysis of the
evolution of human perception of emotion in general and
on the manifestation forms of fears. It also aims to expose
an overview of fears, trying to capture their dynamic,
oscillating and easily influenced character, from a
sociological perspective, focusing on the specific
characteristics of the Romanian people.
Keywords: paradigm, fear, anxiety, anguish, phobia, social
fears.
CORPORATE ADVERTISING BY THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) IN THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA
Abstract
This paper is titled Corporate Advertising by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2023 General
Elections in Nigeria. The paper seeks to examine how INEC,
as a corporate organization, utilizes corporate advertising
in the conduct of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria. The
paper conceptualizes corporate advertising for clarity and
a better understanding of the concept under review.
Adopting the secondary method of data collection, the
paper gathered relevant literature through books, journal
articles, and the internet, among others. The study was
anchored on the structural functionalism theory, which sees
a society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent
elements, namely norms, customs, traditions, and
institutions. INEC, as one of the institutions in our society,
is saddled with the responsibility of conducting a free, fair,
credible, and peaceful election that will produce credible,
promising, and good leaders for the good of the society as
a whole. The study also established that INEC engages in
corporate advertising to promote its causes, raise awareness
about its mission and programs, attract support and voter
participation, and generate public interest and engagement.
The study, therefore, concluded that the effect of advertising
on corporate image is extremely vital for any organization.
This is due to the fact that it stimulates consumer demand
for their products or services, which eventually leads to an
increase in sales or patronage levels, resulting in a high
profit or a good reputation.
Keywords: Corporate Advertising, INEC, 2023 General
Election, Nigeria.
CONCEPTS IN THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Abstract
The current status of contemporary society with the
changes and profound transformations of the development
of information technology requires a perfect adaptation of
the managerial act, simultaneously with the acquisition of
new models of labour organization and, of course, of
human resources and the initiation of practical procedures
that as a whole ensure the efficient functioning of the
organizational ensemble. Our emphasis on human resource
stems from the central place that it occupies in the
organizational structure. This aspect has focused the
attention of many specialists so that today we can talk
about a historical evolution of the concept of human
resource management, to the configuration of which
generations of researchers have contributed.
Keywords: human resource management, concept,
evolution.
FACEBOOK – A SPACE OF NARCISSISM AND LONELINESS
Abstract
Almost everybody has a Facebook page. Until the third
millennium, the objects we craved were destined for
personal consumption, with a limited area of expansion.
Today, we want terminals with which we can connect, at
least hypothetically, to the whole world. A human society
inevitably turns into a network. Individuals on Facebook
are brought together in diverse groups. Although they
think they are connected to the entire planet, the users of
this social network are ALONE in front of modern
electronic devices, but lacking compassion for those
around them. We are witnessing the peak of narcissism in
front of the computer.The new homo internautus is
increasingly narcissistic and lonely on his Facebook page,
despite the fact that everyone appreciates him and
empathizes with his feelings.
Keywords: Facebook, homo internautus, narcissism,
loneliness.
THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE EXPANSION OF THE INTERNET OF BODIES (IOB)
Abstract
The Internet of Bodies represents a new frontier of
technology that has the potential to revolutionize a
multitude of fields. By using sensors and monitoring
devices to collect information, the use of IoB can contribute
to increasing the efficiency and quality of health care
services, it can bring benefits in the field of business
management, or in areas such as sports and wellness, as
well as in terms of personal safety. The article presents the
technologies that are used in IoB, the contribution of IoB
to increasing the efficiency and quality of services, and also
the risks and ethical issues of using the Internet of Bodies.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Bodies
(IoB), Internet of Things (IoT), JEL Classification: JEL: M59.
FORGIVENESS AND WELL-BEING IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
Abstract
Forgiveness represents the victim’s own decision to
let go of anger, feelings of hatred and the desire to punish
the party responsible for the harm caused (apud. Shrive,
1995). Through forgiveness, the injured person overcomes
the feelings of anger and revenge (apud. Freedman &
Enright, 1996). Forgiveness is a liberation from negative
affections and resentment towards the source of an unjust
act (apud. Thompson et al., 2005). Subjective well-being,
or happiness, is defined as a person’s current, cognitive,
and affective assessments of their own existence. These
assessments include the emotional reactions to events, as
well as various cognition-based judgments regarding
personal satisfaction and fulfilment.
Keywords: forgiveness, close relationships, conflicts in
relationships, well-being.
