Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Nonfiction films propose a textual articulation of social contingency based on the assertion that the objects, subjects, relationships, and events they represent are true and offer rational explanations of conflictive contexts and the actions of those immersed in them. This article adopts the understanding of nonfiction cinema to approach --from a semiodiscursive perspective -- social protest in the films Las tres muertes de Marisela Escobedo (Carlos Pérez, 2020) and Espero tu (re)vuelta (Eliza Capai, 2019). By analyzing their enunciative strategies, we seek to explore some of the political possibilities of nonfiction cinema. The study aims to explore how these strategies contribute to the representation of social protest and the integration of individual actions into collective movements. The results suggest that the selected films employ two strategies for integrating the unique into the collective: from individual performance towards political awareness and from polyphonic filmmaking towards social action. These strategies are posited as potential contributions to both the repertoires of collective action and representation of nonfiction cinema.

The virtual band Gorillaz is one of the most paradigmatic examples in the music industry. Combining musical and visual projects, its creators, musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, have incorporated image innovations and technologies to build a remarkable track record in the contemporary music scene. In 2023, they launched their latest album, Cracker Island, in which they apply social media’s narrative and identity potential to their particular storytelling. As in previous works, for this album, they have created a storytelling that jumps from the virtual world to the physical one, giving it a transmedia and hybrid nature. This research discusses such storytelling and its visual and symbolic resources with which the band expands and consolidates its unique imaginary. The methodological design combines a documentary review with narrative and visual analyses of various pieces developed to promote the album. The results demonstrate the existence of a unique storytelling and visual universe that connects with audiences and becomes a central element of the Cracker Island transmedia project, expanding the limits of the visual album. This work, in the vein of Plastic Beach (2016), Humanz (2017), and The Now Now (2018), expands the band’s imaginary, which, this time, is disseminated through all the media that the band has at its disposal.

This paper focuses on the analysis of El otro lado de los filtros and Rescate en el Mediterráneo, the two latest interactive documentaries created by Lab RTVE in 2023. Both utilize multimedia narrative to expand the story, thus adapting to the demands of digital communication and the new information landscape. The main objective is to understand what strategies and resources they use to promote interactivity and offer new content consumption experiences to their target audience. To this end, a methodological approach based on mixed content analysis is used, based on analytical-descriptive research. The findings highlight that the narrative and story structure, as well as the multimedia resources used, offer various possibilities for interaction in order to personalise the user’s exploration of the content. However, there is a notable lack in the insertion of strategies that seek participation and the creation of a social community around the content, which undermines the growth of an active and co-creative audience for interactive documentaries as a hybrid digital genre.

This article focuses on the BasqueParl project, which uses machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to analyze political rhetoric in the Basque Parliament (Spain). It is a good example of political code-switching in the context of bilingualism and a quantitatively balanced political representation between men and women. The investigation builds on the documentary analysis of parliamentary records (2012 and 2020), comprising 13,872,105 words in Basque and Spanish. Variables such as date, speaker, birth year, sex, party, language, slogans, and entities are considered. To visualize the results, we present an experimental dashboard divided into four sections: Interventions, Tables, LDA, and Scattertext, using lemmatization and recognition tools for named entities, among others. The dashboard offers a graphic view of parliamentary activity, showing that 21 % of rhetorical production is in Basque. Other findings include that women speak less and that minority parties have a disproportionate discursive presence. Furthermore, there is a traditional genre-based distribution of political issues. We conclude that in the era of open government and open data, these tools are essential to promote transparency in public administration.

In recent years, citizens have made greater use of mobile instant messaging services, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, as a tool for political communication. The privacy and close communication that define these platforms have made them a preferred space for the public when it comes to accessing information, sharing and debating on issues of everyday life. However, despite their popularization, citizens’ perceptions of the political use of these media have been the subject of little scientific research. For this reason, we analyze citizens’ perceptions of the consequences of these channels on democracy, taking the Spanish case as a framework for study. The methodology used is based on a quantitative survey applied through an online panel. Fieldwork was carried out in May 2023 through Qualtrics, with a sample of 1106 citizens residing in Spain. Findings show that the main benefit that citizens associate with the political use of mobile messaging services in an increased intention to vole in elections and the opportunity to participate in public debate. On the other hand, the main harm reported is the spread of misinformation and false news. Additionally, citizens perceive that the capacity to influence the opinion of third parties is the most decisive characteristic of these channels in public debate. Overall, the level of confidence in these services as a tool for improving democracy is moderate. Finally, political ideology is the only variable that conditions all aspects studied.

Digital convergence has radically transformed the way young people consume films. This study explores how social isolation and sociability coexist in online film consumption among university students. Using a survey, it examines the impact of factors such as the use of video-on-demand (VOD) platforms and social media on the audiovisual consumption habits and social relationships of this demographic. The findings reveal that while individualized viewing is commonly perceived, university students often combine solo watching with online social interactions --challenging the notion of complete isolation. These insights are crucial for understanding new forms of technology-mediated sociability and for informing marketing strategies within the entertainment industry.

Within the framework of the iconographic turn in social studies, this study investigates Gustavo Petro’s and Rodolfo Hernández’s Instagram feeds during the 2022 Colombian presidential campaign. Based on previous studies, we expected to observe practices of media negativism, user celebrification, and actions adjusted to specific roles. A content analysis was conducted based on a total sample of 373 posts with the most user reactions. Significant differences were found depending on the candidate. Petro framed the electoral victories as popular, while Hernández alone threatened to settle accounts between the people and corrupt politicians. Petro embodied the roles of protector, great communicator, and hero. Hernández opted for the role of administrator and resorted to a framing based on his qualities to govern and his bluntness. The two candidates coincided in the customization of their content and the limited prominence of their vice presidents, Afro-descendant women, in both cases. Instagram seems to promote political communication but is less interested in negativism and government plans than in political correctness, cheerful virality, personalism, and the exposure of the candidates’ private lives.

This study aims to analyze the representation of Black individuals in influential media environments such as video games and anime. It considers that, historically, structural racism has contributed to the erasure of Black characters across various media formats, despite the significant presence of Afro-diasporic populations in the countries that produce and consume cultural industries. The study focused on games that won the “Game of the Year” category at The Game Awards (2014 -2022), and anime series that won at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards (2017 -2023). The research methodology was based on self-identification and external identification, as defined by Brazil’s Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA). The findings reveal that, among the video games analyzed, only three include Black characters in their lineup. As for the anime series examined, none feature Black protagonists, highlighting a concerning disparity in the representation and visibility of Black characters within these media spaces.

Patients have transformed social media from a simple tool for searching health-related information into a space that fosters the doctor-patient relationship. By recognizing communication as a key value, social media has become a public relations tool for healthcare professionals --not only to share specialized knowledge but also to build engagement with the public. This study identifies the official YouTube channels of four scientific-medical societies and analyzes how their use has evolved as a tool for disseminating accurate medical information. The findings reveal not only a significant increase in subscribers and content over the study period but also a notable shift toward educational content rather than institutional or organizational messaging. A key highlight is the collaboration with influencers familiar with medical topics, who are also recognized by the institution’s relevant stakeholders. By doing so, these societies strengthen their role as scientific authorities and build authentic connections with their stakeholders, turning one of their communication channels into a space for debunking misinformation and fostering meaningful dialogue.

This study explores the challenges that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face when attending or participating in event planning. While diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have gained attention in recent years, conditions like ASD are still often overlooked by European organizations --especially in Spain --when planning public relations and communication strategies, including event organization. This research focuses on identifying the changes organizations should make to create more inclusive events. It has two main objectives: first, to identify the barriers that people with ASD face when accessing and participating in events; and second, to propose strategies for hosting more inclusive events for individuals with ASD. To achieve this, the study used a descriptive cross-sectional approach. A questionnaire was distributed to families of individuals with ASD through national autism associations, and an in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with an expert to validate the findings.