The main goal of Studia Humanistyczne AGH. Społeczeństwo. Kultura. Technologia is to popularize the interdisciplinary perspective on the complex relations between modern technologies and society and culture. Since 2023, the journal has been published as a biannual publication and focuses on topics including: interrelations and influence between science and technology and society and culture; - the impact of innovation on contemporary societies and cultures (including their artifacts and practices) in the fields of urban studies, energy studies, and environmental and climate change research from the perspective of human experience and society; in the field of changes occurring in the media, media messages and communication under the influence of digitization and virtualization processes; related to contemporary inequalities in the context of technological change, including gender, disability, and old age studies. View more Editor-in-Chief: Grzegorz Ptaszek View Editorial Team
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Ludzki Tłumacz: ekspertyza i niepewność w erze zautomatyzowanej reklamy cyfrowej
Niniejszy artykuł przedstawia analizę codzienności pracy specjalistów Pay-Per-Click (PPC) w warunkach rosnącej automatyzacji i algorytmicznej nieprzejrzystości systemów reklamowych, takich jak Google Ads i Meta Ads. Wraz z delegowaniem kluczowych procesów optymalizacyjnych do modeli uczenia maszynowego, rola człowieka w ekosystemie reklamy cyfrowej ulega głębokiej transformacji. Badanie, które jest oparte na jakościowym studium etnograficznym obejmującym 27 pogłębionych wywiadów oraz netnograficzną analizę dyskursu z zamkniętych forów branżowych eksploruje, w jaki sposób specjaliści PPC konstruują, negocjują i praktykują swoją wiedzę i odpowiedzialność zawodową w obliczu strukturalnej niepewności epistemicznej. Wyniki wskazują, że praca specjalistów przesuwa się z poziomu zadań technicznych w stronę praktyk interpretacyjnych, opartych na intuicji, doświadczeniu ucieleśnionym i kolektywnym wytwarzaniu sensu w społecznościach praktyków. Specjaliści pełnią funkcję mediatorów między nieprzejrzystymi systemami algorytmicznymi a oczekiwaniami klientów i menedżerów, tworząc narracje wyjaśniające decyzje modeli, mimo braku wglądu w ich wewnętrzną logikę. Kluczową rolę odgrywa wiedza utajona (tacit knowledge), pozwalająca na rozpoznawanie wzorców i anomalii na podstawie doświadczenia, a nie udokumentowanych reguł działania algorytmu. Artykuł rozwija koncepcję odpowiedzialności algorytmicznej jako praktyki epistemicznej, czyli codziennego wysiłku interpretowania i uzasadniania wyników generowanych przez autonomiczne systemy. Wyniki badań pokazują, że w środowisku algorytmicznej nieprzejrzystości człowiek nie traci znaczenia, lecz staje się niezbędnym interpretatorem, umożliwiającym funkcjonowanie hybrydowych układów ludzko-maszynowych w gospodarce opartej na danych.
Copyright (c) 2026 © Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków 2024, Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Marketing Potential of Queer Books for Libraries – The Case of Instagram
Libraries are institutions with enormous social and bonding potential, which fosters inclusive initiatives. As such, they target individuals from diverse backgrounds and social groups, offering them a range of services. One group at risk of exclusion, and one largely overlooked by Polish libraries, is the LGBTQ+ community. Various types of libraries can provide this group with a service by collecting literature related to this topic – this includes scientific, popular science, historical, fiction, children's and young adult literature, as well as journals and zines. Such initiatives are not only inclusive but also attract interested audiences to libraries. This study attempts to examine marketing activities related to queer literature conducted within the social networking site Instagram. This portal, like other social media platforms, is used to promote library activities in the digital space. As part of the research, the author analyzed four hashtags related to literature addressed to LGBTQ+ people (#queerksiążki, #queerksiazki, #queerksiazka, #queerksiążka) to look at the content tagged with these tags, identify their types, authors, purposes of their publication, and find the potential for library marketing activities in this field.
nauki o komunikacji społecznej i mediach
The Role Of Social Media In Disseminating Knowledge About The History Of Fashion In China
This article analyzes Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu in terms of disseminating knowledge about the history of Chinese fashion. Widespread awareness of the diversity of Chinese attire began to emerge in society with the publication of Shen Congwen's research in 1981. Acquiring knowledge in this field is associated with difficulties in reading specialized vocabulary and the specificity of the Chinese language. Social media in China has witnessed the emergence of influencers educating on fashion history. Reconstruction and training materials are published, offering easy-to-remember content. This medium offers an opportunity to disseminate knowledge from a broad perspective on fashion studies, but it carries risks. Not every creator possesses the necessary competences and knowledge. For this reason, social media contributes to the spread of false information and creates a distorted image of imperial-era fashion.
Video Games and Contemporary Art: Polygonal Painting and Environmental Storytelling in Art Installation.
This article describes two kinds of relations between contemporary art and video games. The first part of the article is about contemporary painting, which draws inspiration from the style of polygon graphics. In the second part the author describes similarities between the methods of transmitting narrations in contemporary art installation and videogames, which use environmental storytelling.
sztuki plastyczne i konserwacja dzieł sztuki
New Migrations, New Narratives: On the Study of Migration Narratives. Introductory Remarks
The article addresses narratives surrounding contemporary migration and is the outcome of an academic conference entitled 'New Migrations, New Narratives'. The Contemporary Experience of Migration: Patterns, Strategies, Contexts'. In the introductory section, the authors explore the concept of narrative and its academic history. Originally a concept in literary studies, it has found its place within the broadly defined field of the social sciences, including sociology. The article outlines key research topics and directions present in the literature and discusses the potential application of narratology to migration studies, referring mainly to foreign sources due to the marginal presence of this subject in Polish migration research. The theoretical section focuses on the core of migration narrative research, which seeks to answer the question: how is migration narrated? More specifically, it examines how various forms of representation contribute to the production, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge about migration processes and phenomena. In the third part, the authors analyse the articles included in the volume, focusing particularly on their narrative dimensions.
Narratives, Migrations, „Narrative turn” in Migration Studies, Social Contexts of Migration, Migration Narratives
Copyright (c) 2025 © Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków 2024, Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Społeczne granice przyjaźni i miłości: Muzułmańscy studenci w krakowskiej przestrzeni akademickiej
Celem niniejszego artykułu jest analiza doświadczeń społecznych muzułmańskich studentów studiujących w Krakowie, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ich sieci społecznych, strategii adaptacyjnych oraz barier integracyjnych. Badanie koncentruje się na procesie nawiązywania relacji przyjacielskich i romantycznych, a także na wpływie kontekstu społeczno-kulturowego i instytucjonalnego na codzienne życie studentów. Wykorzystując metodę wywiadów pogłębionych, artykuł ukazuje, w jaki sposób różnice kulturowe, bariery językowe oraz islamofobia kształtują społeczne funkcjonowanie badanej grupy. Wyniki wskazują, iż studenci pochodzący z krajów islamskich w Polsce często doświadczają trudności w budowaniu relacji z lokalnymi mieszkańcami i w większym stopniu opierają się na sieciach etnicznych oraz religijnych. Dodatkowo, kwestie tożsamości religijnej silnie wpływają na ich możliwości nawiązywania związków romantycznych.
Can embracing contradictory moral principles be a cure for political polarization? Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory.
The essay analyzes Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) and its application in explaining political polarization. It discusses the three main principles of morality and the six universal moral foundations proposed by Haidt, as well as the controversial claim that the political right draws on a broader range of innate moral intuitions. Despite numerous theoretical and methodological objections to MFT, it remains an influential model for explaining ideological and political differences. At first glance, MFT leads to pessimistic conclusions that rational arguments have little significance and do not reduce worldview divisions. However, awareness of universal cognitive limitations and diverse moral matrices is undoubtedly a valuable perspective that expands the possibilities for social depolarization.
Writing skills in Polish as a second language in students with migration experience in Polish schools – context and theoretical review
The article presents a literature‑based review and identifies the principal challenges involved in fostering writing proficiency in Polish as a second language among upper‑secondary students with migration experience. The introductory section delineates the scale and dynamics of recent migration to Poland, paying particular attention to its repercussions for the school system. The subsequent theoretical section clarifies key constructs—Polish as a second language, the language of schooling (Język Edukacji Szkolnej, JES), and Cummins’s BICS/CALP model—underscoring the stringent linguistic demands that JES imposes on learners’ writing development. Later sections synthesise current research on writing and document the specific obstacles faced by migrant students, including cross‑linguistic interference, limited access to genre‑appropriate models, and assessment practices that insufficiently accommodate their linguistic profiles. The article concludes with practice‑oriented recommendations for educators and researchers and calls for further empirical studies aimed at devising effective instructional and systemic solutions.
Unlocking the World: Expert Insights on High School Study Abroad
High School Study Abroad (HSSA), a form of mobility providing temporary physical mobIility for adolescents, has been facilitated by various organisations for more than 80 years, with growing interest in participation. Despite its growth, scholarly attention remains limited compared to similar programs at the tertiary level. This qualitative study aimed to gather perspectives on HSSA through six interviews with experts identified with the support of AFS Intercultural Programs. The result presented in the article is a detailed characterisation of the phenomenon, its sector, and its historical context. The analysis highlights the interplay of macro- and mezzo-level factors shaping program design and operations, as well as potentially influencing experiences of individual participants. The findings provide a valuable foundation for future research in the field.
Broken Biographies of Russian Migrant Women in Poland After Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine
Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 had a profound impact not only on the direct victims of the conflict but also on the lives of Russians abroad. In Poland, where social and political relations with Russia were already tense, migrant women from Russia found themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Our qualitative research conducted as part of the GEN-MIGRA project ‘Gender, mobility and migration during and after the COVID-19 pandemic - marginalisation, resistance and strategies for the future’ shows that Russian women who arrived in Poland before the outbreak of the war have on the one hand experienced the negative effects of the war in their family, professional and social relationships, and on the other hand, they have been facing increasing discrimination and rejection, both from the majority of Polish society and institutions, primarily in the form of refusing to extend their residence permits. The presentation of the situation of women forces us to reflect on the effects of the war, the interrupted life course project, unforeseen suffering and normative chaos.
lived experience, broken biographies, Russian migrant women in Poland, enemy figure, trajectory, rupture
Tożsamość narracyjna. Strategie konstytuowania siebie w relacji z miejscem poprzez opowieść – na przykładzie Nowohuckiej telenoweli Renaty Radłowskiej
Analiza narracyjna 19 reportaży składających się na zbiór Nowohucka telenowela Renaty Radłowskiej pokazuje, jak budowniczowie i pierwsi mieszkańcy Nowej Huty używają opowieści do konstruowania własnej tożsamości w relacji z miejscem. Podstawą teoretyczną przedstawionych badań jest narratologia Mieke Bal, która zakłada trójdzielność tekstów narracyjnych (tekst, opowieść i fabuła). Spisane przez reporterkę historie zawierają tę samą (lub podobną) opowieść, każda stanowi jednak odrębny tekst narracyjny. Analizowanie ich swoistości prowadzi do wniosków na temat intencji i statusu bohaterów. Dla świadków i uczestników budowy Nowej Huty opowiadanie staje się gestem emancypacji wobec „tożsamości mniemanych” – wizerunków projektowanych przez PRL-owskich ideologów czy funkcjonujących społecznie stereotypów. Efekty badań mogą stanowić uzupełnienie dla faktografii dotyczącej początków Nowej Huty.
New narratives about war refugees from Ukraine
The article presents a research project on changes in the perceptions of rural communities in the Nowy Targ district regarding the inhabitants of Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022. The project, carried out using ethnographic methods in 2023-2024, showed how narratives about femininity have changed, capturing the image of female refugees from Ukraine and the self-image of the Highlander interviewees. Analysis of masculinity-related narratives revealed double standards of male duties towards the homeland. Conversations with primary school children showed the struggles of the teaching staff building open attitudes in children with critical opinions conveyed by their parents. A comparison of narratives explaining the purpose and meaning of aid practices in two communities documented many ways of giving meaning to similar actions. Work, a fundamental value in Podhale, turned out to be a key category used to assess migrants, both from Ukraine and from non-European countries. Resentment related to the Volhynian events still present in social memory, was silenced in conversations so as not to undermine the justification of the aid uprising. Narratives about war refugees from war-torn Ukraine were accompanied by geopolitical conspiracy discourses revealing the deeper meanings of political events.
Narratives, Ukraine, refugees, Podhale, social imaginaries
Refugees' perception of the shape of Europe: The case from Kos
In 2016, 49 interviews were conducted with migrants on the Greek island of Kos, as well as a several conversations on the Hungarian-Serbian and Macedonian-Greek borders. The interviews were supplemented with a request to draw a map of Europe. The analysis of the obtained sketch maps revealed a clear West-centrism, spatial egocentrism, the influence of the experience of the "road" on the perception of space, and a linear perception of space, reminiscent of historical maps of pilgrimage routes.
Europe, refugees, perception, sketch maps
Czy w Polsce będą dwie mniejszości białoruskie?
W analizach sytuacji mniejszości narodowych rzadko uwzględnia się relacje między mniejszością narodową a społecznością imigrancką należącą do tego samego co mniejszość ethnosu. W artykule podjęto ten wątek w odniesieniu do mniejszości i imigracji białoruskiej w Polsce. Te dwie społeczności należące do jednej społeczności diasporycznej różnią się od siebie językowo, religijnie, poziomem świadomości narodowej i pamięcią historyczną. Każda tworzy własne organizacje i fundacje skierowane najczęściej do „swoich”. Czy stworzą w przyszłości jedną społeczność, czy przeciwnie, różnice między obiema społecznościami będą się utrzymywać prowadząc do współwystępowania dwóch społeczności białoruskich w Polsce? W artykule podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na to pytanie, odwołując się do wyników pilotażowego badania wśród liderów mniejszości i aktywistów imigranckich zrealizowanego w 2023 i 2024 roku na Podlasiu. In analyses of the situation of national minorities, the relationship between a national minority and an immigrant community belonging to the same ethnos is rarely considered. This article addresses this issue in relation to the Belarusian minority and Belarusian immigration in Poland. These two communities, both part of the same diasporic group, differ in terms of language, religion, level of national consciousness, and historical memory. Each forms its own organizations and foundations, primarily aimed at its own members. Will they form a single community in the future, or will the differences between them persist, leading to the coexistence of two separate Belarusian communities in Poland? The article attempts to answer this question by referring to the results of a pilot study conducted among minority leaders and immigrant activists in 2023 and 2024 in the Podlasie region.
: mniejszość białoruska, imigranci białoruscy, diaspora białoruska, relacje etniczne na Podlasiu
Migrations in the context of climate vulnerability and resilience
The aim of the paper is to summarize research on the connections between human mobility and climate change. The first part discusses selected social consequences of climate change, especially those with potential impact on migrations (including rising sea levels, epidemiological threats and temperature changes). Emphasis has been placed on factors which, on the one hand, make certain populations and subgroups thereof vulnerable to climate change and, on the other hand, factors which make individuals and groups resilient to climate change impacts. In the second part, the paper discusses unequal impacts and unequal contribution to the climate crisis. The main part highlights key features of environmental migrations. This type of mobility constitutes an adaptive strategy employed in a particular social and economic context and depending on one’s place in the social structure.
“Yizkor”: A Case of Holocaust Memory Activism In a Czech Village
The article explores the construction and preservation of Holocaust memory in the small Czech village of Kosova Hora. The study, based on focus group interviews, reveals how local Holocaust memory is shaped by a unique combination of activism, local history, and communal practices. The article highlights the role of a Jewish couple who, by rescuing and restoring the village synagogue during the Communist era, created a central site for Holocaust remembrance. This act of preservation catalyzed broader local engagement, resulting in a collective effort to remember the Jewish community that once thrived there. The synagogue now serves not only as a cultural and educational center but also as a place for religious commemoration, despite the absence of a local Jewish population. The research concludes that such localized efforts are crucial for sustaining Holocaust memory, showing how minority activism can embed itself within majority memory, even in small and seemingly ordinary communities.
Copyright (c) 2024 © 2024 Authors. This is an open access publication, which can be used, distributed and reproduced in any medium according to the Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Transgenerational Holocaust Memory In Slovakia: From Forgetting to Ambivalence About the Roots of Hatred
This article explores Holocaust memory in Slovakia, shedding light on how Slovak citizens perceive this past and its transgenerational transmission. The data presented were gathered in 2023 through ethnographic fieldwork and focus group interviews with informants belonging to three generations (between ages of 18 and 95), in three different locations across the country: Krupina, Prešov, and Bratislava. The initial findings show that Slovakia has been moving from indifference towards the Holocaust to the limited capability of realizing the actual causes and effects of atrocities, while at the same time officially accepting the commemorative centrality of the Holocaust.
Mitigating Central Tendency And Acquiescence Biases in Survey Design: A Methodological Exploration With Empirical Evidence
This paper presents a survey design methodology aimed at mitigating central tendency and acquiescence biases, which are commonly encountered in traditional Likert-scale surveys. The proposed approach employs a forced ranking method, using a case study involving 220 engineering students at the University of Zagreb as a source of data to assess whether respondents exhibit patterns of systematically avoiding honest answers for any reason. Statistical analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the design in reducing these biases. The results provide strong evidence that the method developed in this article can minimize response distortions without sacrificing data richness. While the primary focus is on the methodological aspects, the case study illustrates the potential of this approach for ethical and attitudinal research. The study concludes with recommendations for refining survey techniques and exploring their broader applicability in different populations and contexts.
Collective Memory or Collective Oblivion? The Case of Holocaust Memory In Three Polish Localities
The aim of this article is to show the scope and content of the memory of Jewish deportations and the Holo caust today through a study conducted in three Polish towns of varying sizes with a rich Jewish past (Kraków, Nowy Sącz, Muszyna) which I surveyed in 2023. Additionally, I wanted to identify the channels in which the memory of the Holocaust and deportations circulates in the surveyed localities. The research was conducted with representatives of three generations, so it is also important to show how age differentiates the memory of Jewish deportation and the Holocaust. Both age and the size of the locality turn out to be important in dif ferentiating the extent of this memory. Moreover, an important conclusion of the study is that the memory of those events is limited and subject to repression, at risk of falling into oblivion. Relatively speaking, most of the memory of those events is preserved in larger cities among representatives of the middle generation, which is related to the existence of material memory infrastructures there facilitating the formation of local communities of memory of Jews and the Holocaust. Based on the three focus group interviews I conducted, it can be concluded that the dominant channel of memory transfer about local Jewish history and the Holocaust is communicative memory. Conversations about Jews and the Holocaust, if they do occur, generally happen with family members or acquaintances, but relatively rarely at school. Generally, conversations are initiated by people already interested in the topic and here the role of communities of memory, such as the Sądecki Shtetl, is very important.
Copyright (c) 2024 © 2024 Author. This is an open access publication, which can be used, distributed and reproduced in any medium according to the Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Local Meanings of the Holocaust Memory In Zrenjanin (Serbia)
The choosen topic of my paper was local meanings of the memory of the Holocaust in Zrenjanin. The main questions of my research dealt with the research community’s general attitude, stereotypes, and prejudices towards Jews. I deemed it relevant to examine the current situation and the importance of the memory of the Holocaust. I assumed that the answers to these questions could bring out the existing deficiencies of current local and general strategies of remembrance and contribute to a critical reconsideration of these efforts. The aim of my research was also to contribute to the exploration and analysis of the local and personal empirical depths of memory. I wanted to record the constructed and reconstructed personal narratives of the generation of survivors and witnesses, and the narratives of the next generations. In this study, I have also strived to process and interpret recent meanings of the memory of the Holocaust.
The Presence of Absence. Transgenerational Local Memory of the Holocaust Among Hungarians
The paper reports on the results of a non-representative focus group research aimed at exploring the local memory of the Holocaust in Hungary. The research took place between 2021 and 2024, almost 80 years after the events of 1944, at the historical moment when communicative memory is transforming into cultural memory. The sites of the research were villages, small and medium-sized towns, and the capital, precisely those scenes where the drama of the Holocaust took place in the summer of 1944. The results of the research showed that the Jews disappeared, but signs of their former presence remained. The traces of past Jewish life, however, became increasingly obscured over time in the minds of the successive generations.
Copyright (c) 2024 © Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków 2024, Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Education in the Digital Era: Adapting the Learning Process Through the Potential of Virtual Reality
Modern education faces challenges related to personalized learning and the development of key soft skills among students. In response to these needs, this article presents an analysis of the application of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in education as an effective platform to achieve these goals. VR allows the creation of realistic and engaging experiences, enabling the personalization of educational materials and tasks, while also supporting the development of soft competencies. Through virtual environments, students can explore, review, and make decisions during the learning process, thereby enhancing engagement and knowledge acquisition effectiveness. Moreover, VR facilitates the practice of interpersonal skills through interactions with virtual characters and simulations of diverse scenarios. The article also addresses challenges associated with VR implementation in education, such as costs, hardware accessibility, and the need for teacher training. Potential solutions to these issues are proposed, including funding opportunities, resource-sharing among schools, and teacher training programs. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the significance of further research and development in the field of VR in education to fully leverage the potential of this technology and contribute to better aligning education with the needs and abilities of students.
education, Virtual Reality, modern teaching methods, technology
Measure Happiness – A Contribution To Stanislaw Lem’s Definition of Happiness. Part 2: Limits of Approach
In the fable Kobyszczę, Stanisław Lem proposes a definition of Happiness that allows for the formulation of a mathematical model describing the intensity level of Happiness, which can be experienced by humans in different situations. Completing, correcting, and contextualization of the existing model are the main issues addressed in this article. The proposed mathematical model is not about the same Happiness experienced by different individuals. It is about the measure of intensity level of Happiness, which is experienced by an individual in many situations. That is why the proposed model describes Happiness in a new area of research located in digital humanities, where AI can be used to continue future work. The issue related to model reflects on the possibility of translating complex issues, e.g. philosophical ones, into the language of science specifically mathematics. The definitional procedure and the contextualization of the issues of good and evil and Happiness proposed by Lem in the fable Kobyszczę flow from his conception of the art of writing as the art of translating literary, philosophical, or theological issues into the language of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science, thus contributing to the trend of considerations in the field of digital humanities and developing by use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Consequently, an analysis of the narrative structure of the fairytale will identify the limits of applying this kind of approach to the question of translatability. Issues linking Kobyszczę to some of the matters being discussed in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) will also be identified.
A Culture of Wellbeing… in the Kitchen. Reflecting on Food in the Context of the Concept of Wellbeing
A Culture of Wellbeing… in the Kitchen. Reflecting on Food in the Context of the Concept of Wellbeing The aim of this article is to show that referring to the concept of well-being in a broad sense (not only in terms of physical health, but also in an emotional or social sense) is used in food advertising to encourage consumers to purchase food products. However, referring to the idea of wellbeing in food advertising does not necessarily imply building a ‘positive food culture’, that is, one that supports healthy eating habits (Mingay et al., 2021), as it can also be found in advertisements for sweets or fast food. One of the theoretical references used in the article is the concept of food for wellbeing (Block et al., 2011), which complements the hitherto popular food for health concept.
marketing, food, wellbeing, advertising, food for wellbeing
“But Why Do They Both Call You ‘Sweetheart’?”. An Anthropological Perspective on Consensual Non-monogamy in Poland
The article explores consensual non-monogamy as a new area of research in anthropology regarding intimate relationships in postmodernity. While psychology and sociology currently dominate this topic, an anthropological approach based on ethnographic research can provide a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Ethnography allows for the examination of diverse strategies and practices adopted by people living in a nonmonogamous manner. The anthropological approach, which places individual human experience at the center of cultural context, has the potential to broaden an understanding of concepts such as jealousy, relationship/ frienship, and family. The author examines the development of concepts of non-monogamy, polygamy, and monogamous family by looking at the beginnings of anthropology and then critically reading them in relation to the contemporary social world and her own fieldwork conducted among women living in consensually nonmonogamous relationships in Poland.
ethnography, consensual non-monogamy, family, postmodernity, jealousy, polyamory, relationship/ friendship
Weight-Related Photos on the Instagram And Female Well-Being – An Eye-Tracking Approach
This study investigates the role of eye tracking in detecting bias in body image studies, focusing on Instagram. Combining eye tracking with a questionnaire, it hypothesized a partial discrepancy between declarations and eye tracking, which is confirmed by the obtained results. Psychometric scales assessing well-being were additionally employed, uncovering correlations solely with eye tracking variables rather than declarations regarding body shape preferences. The eye-tracking data offered fresh insights into participants’ avoidance strategies and attention to subjectively unattractive areas when viewing very slim silhouettes. Furthermore, they tend to reveal lower self-esteem among individuals potentially internalizing societal beauty ideals. The exploratory study implies that weight-related Instagram content might affect participants’ psychological well-being, with eye tracking potentially uncovering biased attention to attention-capturing body areas. This paper may provide valuable insights for further research on body image, well-being, and the influence of social media on it.
well-being, women studies, body image, social media, Instagram
“Fitspiration” – A Healthy Lifestyle or a Fit Obsession? Literature Review
In the modern world, social media plays a major role in shaping the lifestyle of individuals. Excessive disciplining of women’s bodies has led to a situation in which eating disorders have become a civilization’s disease (Wojnarska, 2019). The aim of the article is to present the main conclusions from research on media coverage of the “fitspiration” trend in 2016–2023. The author analyzed peer-reviewed articles in English using the ScienceDirect, EBSCO and Google Scholar databases. Based on the analyzed scientific articles, it can be concluded that “fitspiration” is a developing, dangerous digital trend. Despite the health-promoting assumptions, most studies point to a negative aspect associated with body dissatisfaction and unfavorable eating behaviors of the young female population. Moreover, it was found that the process of self-isolation caused by the pandemic intensified the use of social media promoting negative “fitspiration” content (Cataldo et al., 2022).
body image, social media, healthy lifestyle, fitspiration, female body ideal
Mythologization of Slavic Culture in the Works of Polish Activist In Cieszyn Silesia, Paweł Stalmach (1824–1891)
The aim of this article is to analyze and interpret Cieszymir and Księgi Rodu Słowiańskiego, texts by Paweł Stalmach (1824–1891), a Polish national activist in Cieszyn Silesia. Using gathered data, traditions, and legends, Stalmach presents a mythologized culture and religion of the Slavs, as well as the history of Cieszyn and Cieszyn Silesia. The reflection also concerns the role that Cieszymir and Księgi Rodu Słowiańskiego in the author’s socio-political activities. The analysis was conducted based on the narrative concepts of Hayden White and Frank Ankersmit, as well as the mechanisms of mythologization defined by Jerzy Topolski (universalization, mystification, deification or glorification, stereotyping, and prophesying). The picture of the past presented by Stalmach contains almost all mechanisms of mythologization. Cieszymir and Księgi Rodu Słowiańskiego present an extremely positive image of the Slavs. The texts were part of Stalmach’s socio-political activities aimed at creating a local Polish community in Cieszyn Silesia.
Cieszyn, mythologization, Cieszyn Silesia, Paweł Stalmach, Slavic region