Slavomír Gálik – Communication Today

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Influence on Slovak Media Professionals

Slavomír Gálik — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The research focuses on the status of media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic by media professionals in Slovakia. Out of a representative research sample calculated to be 242 reporters out of a total of 2,130 reporters in Slovakia, only 50 reporters responded to the questionnaire, which is also a limitation of this research. From the responses, the authors generated the current status of media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive results of the questionnaire survey include that most of the media reporters tried to rely on the opinions of experts such as epidemiologists, virologists, etc. Also, 64% of the respondents did not feel any restriction of freedom in their work. The high percentage of self-study by reporters should also be added to the positive phenomena. On the negative side, as many as 56% of the respondents stated that it was not important for them to influence public opinion, and a smaller percentage also mentioned various influences that interfered with the impartiality and objectivity of reporting. Also, a high percentage of respondents were critical of the government’s management of the pandemic. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the state of media coverage in Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic was not entirely optimal. Further research should complement and refine the picture of the Slovak media at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

KEY WORDS:
COVID-19 pandemic, information, journalism, media, media reporters

12. TOMKOVA et al. – CT 2-2023 Download

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2023.Vol.14.No.2.12

Media coverage and Its Determinants in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Slavomír Gálik — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 13:00:26 +0000

ABSTRACT:
This study covers the issue of information dissemination. Along with recognising this topic in the social epistemology framework, the authors aim to identify and analyse the circumstances and significant factors that determine it in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. They uncover certain risks in terms of achieving the very objectives of disseminating information via the media.In the first part, the authors outline the process’s essence and nature, but also its social value in the current pandemic situation. They make a particular reference to the role of journalism, or rather journalists in their specific professional and personal circumstances (broader and global communication ecology that concerns the pandemic with a direct news cycle, or social media and layman media practices and, for example, also the financing issues or insecurity of the profession, economic conditions, etc.). In the second part, they identify the determining factors influencing media coverage – its technological context – space and time, but also ethical and noetic factors related to journalists. They draw attention to relations and interactions that shape the specific character of media-disseminated information and bring risks (‘information explosion’ in society, including “(dis)infodemic”, the professional noetic crisis in connection with the crisis of relevant concepts in journalism and the quality of journalists’ work, but also the ethical crisis in the context of non-ethical interests and relations in the media (ideological, political, economic), journalists’ personal moral failures and their own neglect of epistemic (cognitive) training in the context of professional practice, etc.) for the public, concerning its aim to contribute to the reduction of social uncertainty, fear, risk of fear and panic, or to the correct and ethical judgement and action of the public at the time of the pandemic.

KEY WORDS:
COVID-19, disinformation, hoax, infodemic, journalism, media-disseminated information, pandemic, truth

04. GALIK – GALIKOVA TOLNAIOVA – CT 1-2022 Download

Temporal Changes under the Influence of Digital Media

Slavomír Gálik — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:26:57 +0000

ABSTRACT:
Current online communication disintegrates linear time and supports the simultaneous. Fast online communication also accelerates the ‘offline’ world – the world of business, transportation and so on. Thus, new temporal changes introduce disruption and desynchronisation of the old temporalities. The authors identify 4 risks caused by temporal desynchronisation: 1 – on the media level – desynchronisation between linear and simultaneous time. 2 – on the cognitive level – desynchronisation between fast time and limited cognitive capacity in humans. 3 – on the social level – desynchronisation between fast work time and slow time that we use for recreation, family life and so on. 4 – on the environmental level – desynchronisation between the fast economy and the slow regeneration of natural resources. The authors see a solution in antitemporalities, i.e. the ability to slow down fast time and switch between various time rhythms. However, we need to systematically learn how to use these anti-temporalities. The authors believe that the human mind needs quality cognitive training to be capable of slowing down and speeding up and thus switch efficiently between different time modes.

KEY WORDS:
contemporality, digital media, offline world, online communication, slow and fast time, temporal desynchronisation

01. GALIK – OPRALA – CT 1-2021 Download

Influence of Cyberspace on Changes in Contemporary Education

Slavomír Gálik — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 20:15:27 +0000

ABSTRACT:
Cyberspace of digital media changes contemporary education in two ways: by a new approach to understanding information and a new way of organising this information. In the first case, it is objectification of information that favours the idea of a reduced type of education, based on certain extent of knowledge that is applicable in practice. In our approach, we emphasise the fact that information cannot be taken merely as an object, but also as a contextual and unlimited semantic unit which, through a new organisational level, becomes knowledge. Besides information and knowledge, higher level of cognition requires tacit human features – creativity and wisdom, as well as moral character of man. The second case brings a net-like structure of information, characterised by loop processing, prompt (almost immediate) linking of information that is predominantly image-based. This type of communication and organisation of information is useful because it gives us a fast way of searching for information and – perhaps – more creativity as well. However, it quite possibly implies a risk of weakening some of the cognitive abilities of man (such as logical and abstract thinking), vital not only in the scientific activities, but also in the everyday life. Under influence of communication within cyberspace, contemporary education is beginning to dramatically turn away from discursive (logical, abstract) thinking to associative (especially image-based) thinking. These new trends in education are reflected on really negatively by many authors, for example by M. Bauerlein, N. Carr, K. P. Liessmann or M. Spitzer, as they demand certain ‘counteraction’ which should be based on literacy, critical thinking, information hygiene and which should also become an important component of modern media education.

KEY WORDS:
cyberspace, education, information, media education, wisdom

02_Gálik_CT-1-2017 Download

Influence of the Internet on the Cognitive Abilities of Man. Phenomenological and Hermeneutical Approach

Slavomír Gálik — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:33:29 +0000

ABSTRACT:
In this article, the authors study the influence of the Internet on human cognitive abilities using a phenomenological and hermeneutical approach. They characterize the Internet as an electronic or technological form of media communication facilitating nearly instantaneous and active dissemination of information, in particular image-based information. The authors study the Internet’s influence on the cognitive abilities of humans using a definition of the Internet as multilaterally connected information networks. Applying the theoretical approach, they reach the conclusion that newly formulated thinking strategies feature a network-like character to the detriment of the ability to observe, remember and other higher levels of thinking. The empirical approach is based on neurological and sociological studies which reveal the fact that new ways or strategies of thinking are being fixed in the brain, thereby driving long-term and permanent changes in human thinking. In such a case, the inability to concentrate on one idea for an extended period of time in order to reach a deeper state of contemplation proves to be at risk. In connection to this, we may encounter, as the authors believe, symptoms of knowledge deficiency resulting from a loss of interest in linear, chronological thinking. The authors claim that knowing these risks should lead to a more careful and more critical approach to the Internet, or even Internet communication, which may partially mitigate its negative influence.

KEY WORDS:
phenomenology, hermeneutics, the Internet, cognitive processes, linear and non-linear thinking, consideration, memory, level of thinking

01_Gálik_Tolnaiová_CT-1-2015 Download

Influence of the Internet on the Cognitive Abilities of Man. Phenomenological and Hermeneutical Approac

Slavomír Gálik — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:31:23 +0000

ABSTRACT:
In this article, the authors study the influence of the Internet on human cognitive abilities using a phenomenological and hermeneutical approach. They characterize the Internet as an electronic or technological form of media communication facilitating nearly instantaneous and active dissemination of information, in particular image-based information. The authors study the Internet’s influence on the cognitive abilities of humans using a definition of the Internet as multilaterally connected information networks. Applying the theoretical approach, they reach the conclusion that newly formulated thinking strategies feature a network-like character to the detriment of the ability to observe, remember and other higher levels of thinking. The empirical approach is based on neurological and sociological studies which reveal the fact that new ways or strategies of thinking are being fixed in the brain, thereby driving long-term and permanent changes in human thinking.
In such a case, the inability to concentrate on one idea for an extended period of time in order to reach a deeper state of contemplation proves to be at risk. In connection to this, we may encounter, as the authors believe, symptoms of knowledge deficiency resulting from a loss of interest in linear, chronological thinking. The authors claim that knowing these risks should lead to a more careful and more critical approach to the Internet, or even Internet communication, which may partially mitigate its negative influence.

KEY WORDS:
phenomenology, hermeneutics, the Internet, cognitive processes, linear and non-linear thinking, consideration, memory, level of thinking

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