http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar The SSOAR digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:23:30 GMT 2026-04-19T02:23:30Z http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109577 Experimentation on TikTok, Standardisation on Reels? Party Short-Form Video Use in the 2024 UK General Election Southern, Rosalynd; Cashell, Niamh; McLoughlin, Liam; Suwantawit, Ploykamol Campaign practices evolve alongside technological change. We examine one of the most salient current developments: the rise of short-form video on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels - often termed the "TikTokification" of election campaigns (Gerbaudo, 2024). The adoption of short-form video may signal the arrival of Römmele and Gibson's (2020) "subversive" fourth era of campaigning, characterised by emotion, disruption, spontaneity, and the mimicry of authenticity. Here, we examine how the five main UK parties used short-form content during the 2024 UK General Election through a manual content analysis of all TikToks and Instagram Reels posted during the campaign period (N = 887). We find evidence of extensive but uneven adoption of short-form video across parties, with TikTok generating substantially higher reach and engagement than Instagram Reels. Whereas Reels were largely used to repurpose traditional campaign material, TikTok served as a site of experimentation, with parties more frequently deploying humour, memes, and in-app music. Leader-centred communication remained dominant overall, but traditional campaign functions were more pronounced on Reels than on TikTok. Thus, results suggest a compressed cycle of experimentation and standardisation. Furthermore, TikTokification occurred mainly on TikTok itself rather than diffusing across short-form platforms. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109577 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109576 Cognitive Implications of Using GenAI in Design Thinking: Insights From Educational Case Studies Unkelos-Shpigel, Naomi; Levy, Meira; Sherman, Sofia; Hadar, Irit Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping knowledge-intensive industries, requiring knowledge workers to adapt and, at times, reinvent their practices. Educating the next generation of knowledge workers in this rapidly evolving era of GenAI requires higher education to prepare students for this new work environment by incorporating GenAI-augmented practices into the educational process. This study investigates the integration of GenAI tools in design thinking (DT) workshops and examines their behavioral and cognitive implications across two educational settings. Drawing on data from two case studies and using a mixed-method research approach, we analyzed students' experience with and without the use of GenAI in both real and simulated customer contexts. Our findings reveal that GenAI integration transformed the practice of DT. Qualitative analysis of students' prompting practices revealed limited sophistication, with most students copying task guidelines directly and accepting AI-generated content without iteration, effectively exhibiting "metacognitive laziness." However, in authentic project contexts, students demonstrated more structured approaches. Quantitatively, students reported overwhelmingly positive perceptions of GenAI integration, with surveys showing notable improvements in perceived capabilities and self-efficacy compared with baseline conditions. Context-dependent differences emerged, with authentic project settings consistently associated with higher performance across all DT stages compared with hypothetical scenarios. This research contributes to the emerging discussion on the use of GenAI in design tasks by providing empirically grounded insights. It further proposes a GenAI-DT framework that facilitates authenticity and cognitive forcing processes to prevent cognitive degradation and promote critical thinking. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109576 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109575 Representation of Vulnerable Groups in Dutch Climate Crisis News: An Analysis of Mainstream Narratives Nguyen, Sergül; Nguyen, Dennis; Wang, Yijing The present study provides an empirical analysis of how different vulnerable groups (migrants, children, women and gender minorities, older adults, and people experiencing poverty) are included in Dutch climate crisis reporting. These groups are often disproportionally affected by climate developments, yet empirical research on their media representation in this context is limited. By utilising computational methods for text analysis, this research provides a critical-empirical exploration of framing practices on a large volume of news articles (N = 17,550) retrieved from seven major news outlets published between 2014 and 2023. The findings show dominant media frames in Dutch climate crisis reporting, with distinct patterns emerging depending on the vulnerable groups under consideration. The analysis explores the extent to which these groups are portrayed as active agents or passive victims in news media reporting. The study contributes to broader societal debates on equity and inclusion, offering insights that can inform more inclusive climate communication. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109575 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109574 Re-figuring Return: Halfway-Return Migration to the United Arab Emirates Paul, Anju Mary; Yavaş, Mustafa Halfway-return migration refers to an emigrant's return from a distant country to the broader geographical region from which they originated, rather than the specific country they were born and raised in. The ideal-typical halfway-return destination is more geographically and culturally proximate to the emigrant's origin country than their previous overseas destination, while also offering a higher standard of living and better career opportunities than what is available in the emigrant's origin country. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 48 high-skilled multinational migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia who previously lived in the West or East Asia, we find that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fulfils all four criteria for a halfway-return destination for migrants from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA), but not for Sub-Saharan African migrants. These findings demonstrate the need to "re-figure" our understanding of return migration to move beyond the methodological nationalism of assuming the origin country is the only home a migrant can "return" to. Rather than the traditional territorial logic, we suggest using alternative logics of return migration, in making a destination feel like an idealized home. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://www.ssoar.info:80/ssoar/handle/document/109574 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z