Explore the vast range of titles available.

When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, millions of lives changed in an instant. Millions of people were suddenly on the move. In this great flow of people was a reporter from the north of Scotland. Jen Stout left Moscow abruptly, ending up on a border post in southeast Romania, from where she began to cover the human cost of Russian aggression. Her first-hand, vivid reporting brought the war home to readers in Scotland as she reported from front lines and cities across Ukraine. Stories from the night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers: stories from the ground, from a writer with a deep sense of empathy, always seeking to understand the bigger picture, the big questions of identity, history, hopes and fears in this war in Europe.

This paper studies the adult online entertainment industry, particularly the consumption side of the market. In particular, it focuses on the demographics and consumption patterns of those who subscribe to adult entertainment websites. On the surface, this business would seem to face a number of obstacles. Regulatory and legal barriers have already been mentioned. In addition, those charging for access to adult entertainment face competition from similar content available without a fee. In the context of adult entertainment, free access offers consumers an extra benefit: online payments tend to create records documenting the fact of a customer's purchase; consumers of free content may feel more confident that their purchases will remain confidential. More broadly, measured levels of religiosity in American are high. On the other hand, social critics often argue that the rise of Internet pornography is contributing to a coarsening of American culture. Do consumption patterns of online adult entertainment reveal two separate Americas? Or is the consumption of online adult entertainment widespread, regardless of legal barriers, potential for embarrassment, and even religious conviction?

The cultural and entertainment industry (CEI) actively promotes the economy. Xi’an is a comprehensive pilot city of China’s cultural system reform. The characteristics of the staged changes and regional differentiation of the interaction between the CEI and urban development from 2000 to 2020 were studied by selecting seven districts in Xi’an. We used an expansion intensity index, equal-fan analysis, and coordination model. This analysis revealed the mechanism of the interaction between the CEI and urban development. We found that both the CEI and urban development mainly expand to northeast and southwest, while the expansion synchronicity of the CEI and urban development differs in various directions. The coordination between the CEI and urban development shows a pronounced “center-edge” feature. In other words, the closer to the city center, the stronger the coordination between them. The city guides the layout of the CEI through the agglomeration of elements. Meanwhile, the CEI promotes the reconstruction of urban space in turn, through its production. The study’s findings may enrich the theory of coordinated development of the CEI and urban development. Furthermore, it provides a scientific basis for formulating the layout and development patterns of the CEI in Xi’an and other developing cities worldwide.

Objective Workers of the Australian entertainment industry exhibit disproportionately high rates of impaired psychological wellbeing and suicidal behaviors, with such rates being exacerbated by the negative impact of working long and odd hours (Work Scheduling Impact; WSI). Nonetheless, stable and secure social support networks may buffer the risks associated with such systemic difficulties. Methods The responses of 1302 Australian entertainment industry workers (50.3% females, M age 38.39 years) on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Short Form Health Survey, WSI, and suicidal behaviors questions were examined via moderation analyses. Results Higher social support and lower WSI appeared to reduce the suicidal ideation of those experiencing poorer mental health, while lower WSI further enhanced social support’s positive effect. Conclusions Findings highlight the likely detrimental effect of WSI regarding the suicidal ideation reported by vulnerable Australian entertainment industry workers and stress the importance of the social support they experience. Public health implications Interventions attempting to increase social support could improve inherent conditions associated with the Australian entertainment industry. Similarly, the negative effect of working long and odd hours on workers’ mental health and suicidal behaviors indicates the need to regulate the industry appropriately.

As digital fandom communities expand and diversify, user engagement patterns increasingly shape the social and emotional fabric of online platforms. In the era of Industry 4.0, data-driven approaches are transforming how online communities understand and optimize user engagement. In this study, we examine how different forms of activity, specifically posting and commenting, characterize fandom engagement on Weverse, a global fan community platform. By applying a clustering approach to large-scale user data, we identify distinct subsets of heavy users, separating those who focus on creating posts (post-heavy users) from those who concentrate on leaving comments (comment-heavy users). A subsequent linguistic analysis using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tool revealed that post-heavy users typically employ a structured, goal-oriented style with collective pronouns and formal tones, whereas comment-heavy users exhibit more spontaneous, emotionally rich expressions enhanced by personalized fandom-specific slang and extensive emoji use. Building on these findings, we propose design implications such as pinning community-driven content, offering contextual translations for fandom-specific slang, and introducing reaction matrices that address the unique needs of each group. Taken together, our results underscore the value of distinguishing multiple dimensions of engagement in digital fandoms, providing a foundation for more nuanced platform features that can enhance positive user experience, social cohesion, and sustained community growth.

The dilemmas experienced by managers in cultural industries are also to be found in a growing number of other industries where knowledge and creativity are key to sustaining competitive advantage. Firms that compete in cultural industries must deal with a combination of ambiguity and dynamism, both of which are intrinsic to goods that serve an aesthetic or expressive rather than a utilitarian purpose. Managers involved with the creation, production, marketing, and distribution of cultural goods must navigate tensions that arise from opposing imperatives that result from these industry characteristics. In this paper we outline five polarities that are shaping organizational practices in cultural industries. First, managers must reconcile expression of artistic values with the economics of mass entertainment. Second, they must seek novelty that differentiates their products without making them fundamentally different in nature from others in the same category. Third, they must analyse and address existing demand while at the same time using their imagination to extend and transform the market. Fourth, they must balance the advantages of vertically integrating diverse activities under one roof against the need to maintain creative vitality through flexible specialization. And finally, they must build creative systems to support and market cultural products but not allow the system to suppress individual inspiration, which is ultimately at the root of creating value in cultural industries.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted global industries, including the cinema sector, where restrictions forced widespread theater closures and disrupted traditional film distribution models. This study investigates how two leading Chinese cinema chains—Wanda Cinema and Guangdong Dadi Cinema—adapted their social media behavior on the Weibo platform to address the unique challenges posed by the pandemic. Utilizing content and statistical analysis, we examined over 1,200 tweets from official cinema accounts on Weibo, spanning from November 2019 to March 2020. Our methodology included data collection on tweet frequency, timing, thematic content, and engagement metrics, coupled with a comparative analysis to observe shifts in behavior pre- and post-pandemic onset. Additionally, we discussed the commonalities and distinct features of Chinese cinema chains’ social media behaviors during the pandemic compared to findings from similar studies on cinema chains in other countries. This study reveals that the social media focus of Chinese cinema chains evolved from sales-driven marketing to fostering audience engagement and maintaining connections amid theater closures. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, cinemas decreased tweet frequency, shifted content themes from film promotions to interactive and industry-related topics, and modified engagement strategies to prioritize user interaction over direct marketing. Comparative analyses indicate differences between the two chains’ approaches, with Wanda Cinema employing a more dynamic engagement strategy. The strategic adaptation of social media by Chinese cinemas highlights the resilience of the film industry in navigating audience engagement during crises. This shift from traditional marketing to relational engagement highlights the increasing importance of social media in the entertainment industry.

This article critically examines influencer retreats as important sites of industrialization within the social media entertainment industry. Using Pangea Dreams as a case study and drawing on industrial discourses and textual artifacts, including interviews, popular press articles, and social media posts, I argue that influencer retreats constitute sites where assumptions about modes of production, labor, and content are produced and circulated, passing industry lore and knowledge onto those aspiring to break into the scene. Positioning influencer retreats as part of a growing influencer para-industry, I argue that these sites deserve consideration and critical examination as part of the extra-textual field and organizational structure surrounding the rapidly formalizing social media entertainment industry. This research provides insights into processes of industrialization in the social media entertainment industry and its growing para-industry, as well as a critical examination of the ways in which influencer retreats both reflect and reproduce social inequalities and hierarchies within the industry.

The damaged goods hypothesis posits that female performers in the adult entertainment industry have higher rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), psychological problems, and drug use compared to the typical woman. The present study compared the self-reports of 177 porn actresses to a sample of women matched on age, ethnicity, and marital status. Comparisons were conducted on sexual behaviors and attitudes, self-esteem, quality of life, and drug use. Porn actresses were more likely to identify as bisexual, first had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample, although there were no differences in incidence of CSA. In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group. Last, female performers were more likely to have ever used 10 different types of drugs compared to the comparison group. A discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 83% of the participants concerning whether they were a porn actress or member of the matched sample. These findings did not provide support for the damaged goods hypothesis.

Cyfryzacja konsumpcji stanowi jeden z kluczowych trendów współczesnego rynku, którego wpływ wyraźnie zaznacza się w zmieniającej się branży medialnej i rozrywkowej. Widzowie stopniowo odchodzą od tradycyjnych mediów analogowych, takich jak telewizja, na rzecz nowoczesnych rozwiązań – przede wszystkim platform VoD. Celem opracowania było zbadanie zmieniających się tendencji w preferencjach polskich konsumentów dotyczących korzystania z platform VoD. Badanie koncentrowało się na identyfikacji kluczowych czynników wpływających na wybór konkretnych platform VoD. W badaniu udział wzięło 237 respondentów, a zastosowaną metodą badawczą był kwestionariusz CSAQ udostępniony za pośrednictwem formularza Google. Badanie miało wymiar jakościowy. Odpowiedzi przedstawiono w formie zagregowanej. W artykule omówiono pojęcie preferencji konsumenta oraz zidentyfikowano czynniki determinujące rozwój rynku platform VoD. Na podstawie przeglądu literatury przedmiotu oraz wyników badań własnych zaprezentowano zmieniające się tendencje w preferencjach polskich użytkowników korzystających z platform VoD. Wskazano zarówno uwarunkowania rozwojowe rynku VoD, jak i determinanty decyzji o wykupieniu subskrypcji. Analiza preferencji konsumentów odgrywa kluczową rolę w rozwoju organizacji działających w branży medialnej. Zrozumienie czynników wpływających na wybory polskich użytkowników platform VoD może stanowić cenne źródło informacji dla przedsiębiorstw funkcjonujących w branży rozrywkowej, wspierając proces podejmowania decyzji strategicznych oraz budowania przewagi konkurencyjnej. Ograniczeniem badań jest niereprezentatywna próba badawcza, która nie pozwala na stawianie ogólnych wniosków. The digitization of consumption is one of the key trends in today’s market, whose impact is clearly evident in the changing media and entertainment industry. Viewers are gradually moving away from traditional analog media such as television, in favor of modern solutions – primarily VoD platforms. The research objective was to examine changing trends in Polish consumers’ preferences with regard to VoD platforms. Conducted study concentrated on identifying key factors influencing the choice of specific VoD platforms. The research involved 237 participants, and the research method used was the CSAQ questionnaire made available via a Google Form. The study utilized a qualitative approach. The responses were presented in aggregate form. The article discusses the concept of consumer preferences and identifies factors determining the development of VoD platform market. Based on a review of the literature and the results of our own research, we present changing trends in the preferences of Polish users of VoD platforms. We indicate both the conditions for the development of the VoD market and the determinants of subscription decisions. The analysis of consumer preferences plays a key role in the development of organizations operating in the media industry. Understanding the factors influencing the choices of Polish users of VoD platforms can be a valuable source of information for companies operating in the media and entertainment industry, supporting the process of strategic decision-making and building competitive advantage. The limitation of the study is the unpresentative research sample, which does not allow for general conclusions to be drawn.