Issue 25/2 Published: Multimedia political communication. Channels, content, usage, and impact

2025-11-26

Dear Colleagues, Authors, and Readers,

We are pleased to announce the publication of the second issue of Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS) for 2025. Issue 25/2 presents a Thematic Section dedicated to Multimedia political communication, bringing together articles that examine channels, content, usage, and effects across contemporary and historical political communication landscapes.

  • Guest Editorial by Franziska Oehmer-Pedrazzi & Stefano Pedrazzi, Multimedia political communication. Channels, content, usage, and impact
    The introduction to the thematic section. (Link)

  • Kira Klinger, Florian Wintterlin, Julia Metag & Lukas Lindenschmidt, More of the same or manifold perspectives?
    A systematic literature review offering an overview of current research on politicians’ social media use, showing a strong dominance of Twitter-based content analyses from the USA and Europe. (Link)

  • Tasmin Kaltschmitt, Laura Kaspar, Annika Diehl, Antonia Schmitt & Ole Kelm, “Hello Hackis, stay at home!”
    An analysis of how political topics and decisions were discussed in popular German entertainment podcasts during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Link)

  • Judith Reinbold, From “War Hero” to “Peace Hero”?
    A qualitative framing analysis of how the Bundeswehr’s participation in the MINUSMA mission is portrayed on Facebook, emphasizing heroism as a central narrative motif. (Link)

  • Florin Zai & Dominique Wirz, News usage on Instagram
    A study of how Swiss adults encounter news on Instagram, showing predominantly incidental exposure and usage patterns shaped by political interest. (Link)

  • Johanna Burger, No local newspapers, but WhatsApp?
    An examination of local-level political information use, identifying repertoires linked to differences in voter turnout and highlighting the democratic relevance of local media access. (Link)

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Franziska Oehmer-Pedrazzi and Stefano Pedrazzi for serving as guest editors of this thematic section; to all authors for their insightful contributions; to the reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive feedback; and to Seismo Verlag for their expertise, patience, and continuous support throughout the publication process. Enjoy reading!

Philipp Bachmann
SComS Journal Manager