Journal of Education, Social & Communication Studies

Comparative communication of health and hygiene awareness guides in Senegal: Dynamics and field realities

Sahite Gaye — 2026-01-03

This article takes a close look at public health and cleanliness awareness campaigns in Senegal, unpacking how they’re shaped by local social representations and the persuasive communication techniques used by planners. The core question on the table: how effective are these guides—these campaigns, pamphlets, school programs, even cheeky SMS messages—at actually combating health threats like cholera and malaria, especially in the messiness of real-world cultural habits and beliefs? Methodologically, it is pretty robust—think: a “mixed-methods” approach, meaning the researcher didn’t just pluck stats from a spreadsheet. They got hands-on, analysing campaign content, running in-depth interviews, and even staking out actual initiatives to observe how people react in the wild. The analysis zeroes in on five significant Senegalese health efforts, such as “Marché Santé” (market-based health initiatives), “Écoles Santé” (school interventions), and the adrenaline-fueled Ebola SMS campaigns that bombarded communities during outbreaks. What did they find, as they combed through the data? Well, it’s not one-size-fits-all. Strategies ranged from top-down, didactic “here’s what you should do” messages, to more participatory, community-driven, and educational models. Interestingly, the notion of “cleanliness” itself turned out to be a hotbed of conflicting ideas—sometimes it’s framed in technical, almost clinical terms (use this soap, follow this routine), while elsewhere it’s enmeshed in the rhythms and traditions of local life (rituals, beliefs, even superstitions). The upshot of all this? If health guides are going to make real inroads, designers can’t just parachute in with generic solutions. Successful communication needs to be rooted in the everyday lives and cultural frameworks of specific communities. The article recommends, ultimately, that developers tailor health messaging more thoughtfully, integrating local practices and addressing the unique needs of each group. Only then is there any real hope of boosting health literacy and genuinely shifting everyday behaviours.

A comparative analysis of semantics and syntax in Philippine online news outlets

Reina Mae E. Esteban — 2026-01-03

This study examines the impact and influence of semantics and syntax on Philippine online news headlines. From 2010 to 2025, findings show that news outlets increasingly adopted diverse headline styles to appeal to specific audiences, reflecting shifts in cultural, social, and political contexts. ABS-CBN emphasized cultural identity and national unity, while The Philippine Star frequently used irony to highlight societal issues. The Philippine Daily Inquirer catered to a more informed readership through complex language, whereas the Manila Bulletin prioritized clarity and simplicity for broader accessibility. Across platforms, dominant syntactic features included brevity, concise sentence structures, and the use of active voice to ensure immediacy and impact. Semantically, headlines commonly employed rhetorical devices, emotional appeal, and culturally relevant terms to enhance reader engagement. Overall, Philippine online headlines evolved significantly during the 15-year period, adapting linguistic choices to audience preferences and societal changes while retaining their core function of providing clear, compelling information.

Transformation of symbolism in healthy food advertising: Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic analysis of healthy lifestyle trends on social media

Arya Megananda — 2026-01-03

Changes in healthy lifestyle trends in the digital era have triggered an increase in healthy food advertisements circulating on various social media platforms. These advertisements not only function as a means of product promotion but also as a medium for constructing new symbols related to the concept of health. This study aims to analyse the transformation of symbolism in healthy food advertisements using Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic approach, which emphasizes the triadic relationship between representamen, object, and interpretant, as well as the classification of signs into icons, indices, and symbols. The research method used is qualitative with semiotic analysis techniques on a number of healthy food advertisements uploaded on Instagram and TikTok from January to June 2025. The results show a dominant shift from the use of visual icons, such as images of fresh food, to activity indices that associate products with an active lifestyle, as well as symbols that position health as a social identity and prestigious aspiration. This transformation illustrates how healthy food is positioned not only as a nutritional need, but also as a representation of a modern lifestyle and certain moral values. Further discussion links these findings with previous literature and highlights the ethical implications of advertising strategies that focus on identity symbolism. The study's conclusions emphasize that healthy food advertising on social media plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions of the meaning of "healthy," which is no longer solely biological but also cultural and symbolic.

Language of horror: A syntactic analysis of audience reviews on letterboxd for the conjuring: Last rites

Patrick Carlos D. Famanilay — 2026-01-03

This study examined the syntactic structures used in audience reviews of The Conjuring: Last Rites on Letterboxd, focusing on how syntax contributed to evaluation, persuasion, and coherence in digital film discourse. Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), 20 English-language reviews were analyzed, segmented into clauses, and interpreted through Halliday’s ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions. Findings revealed that simple and coordinated sentences dominated the corpus, reflecting reviewers’ preference for clarity, immediacy, and a conversational tone, while complex structures appeared less frequently. Syntactic analysis showed that evaluative stance was conveyed through declarative clauses, modality, and intensifiers, whereas occasional exclamatives and interrogatives heightened emotional expression. Syntax not only articulated judgments but also enhanced persuasive impact by signaling certainty, emphasis, and personal engagement. Coherence was maintained through consistent use of topical themes, conjunctions, and cohesive devices, which structured a clear progression of ideas. These patterns demonstrated that even in informal digital contexts, syntax remained central to organizing meaning and shaping readers’ interpretations. Overall, the study highlighted the importance of examining syntax in understanding how audiences constructed and negotiated meaning within online film reviews.

Behind visuals and sounds: A Barthesian semiotic analysis of virtual identity representation in the film colorful stage

Ammar Riski Januar — 2026-01-03

This study explores the construction of virtual identity in the animated film Colorful Stage! A Miku Who Can’t Sing (2025) through Roland Barthes’ semiotic framework. Using a qualitative approach, the analysis focuses on selected visual and auditory signs, including stage design, avatar customization, audience responses, and glitch effects. Each sign is examined at the levels of denotation and connotation, followed by the identification of myths that naturalize particular understandings of digital identity. The findings demonstrate that the film portrays virtual identity as both aspirational and vulnerable: aspirational through the myth of perfection, where avatars appear flawless and empowering, and vulnerable through scenes that reveal emotional fragility and technological disruptions. This duality reflects broader cultural narratives about authenticity, social validation, and the tension between real and virtual selves. By situating the analysis within media semiotics and digital culture, the study highlights how Colorful Stage functions as a cultural text that mirrors contemporary discourses on identity in mediated environments.

Syntactic analysis of English pop song lyrics on youtube: A linguistic exploration

Romnick P. Vinuya — 2026-01-03

This study analyzes the syntactic arrangements and punctuation usage in English pop song lyrics on YouTube, focusing on how sentence structures and punctuation marks contribute to the meaning and interpretation of song lyrics. Employing a descriptive qualitative method and Systemic Functional Linguistics as the analytical framework, the study examines 10 pop songs with high audience engagement between 2020 and 2025. Findings reveal various sentence types mainly declarative with frequent grammatical deviations such as double negatives and subject-verb disagreements that serve stylistic functions. Punctuation is shown to play a critical role in shaping tone, rhythm, and clarity, while the interpersonal and ideational aspects reflect informal, playful expression and themes of love and personal growth. The study concludes that increased awareness of syntactic and punctuation norms could enhance lyric clarity, and recommends the use of song lyrics in language learning contexts. Future research may explore further syntactic and linguistic features in popular music. This research contributes to understanding the linguistic strategies employed in contemporary music lyrics and their communicative power.