TTLA: Public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media in Vietnam

1. Full name of doctoral candidate: Nguyen Hoang Anh 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: February 2, 1989 4. Place of birth: Bac Ninh
5. Decision No. 3684/2015/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2015, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, recognizing the doctoral student.
6. Changes in the training process
- Firstly, Decision No. 3740/QD-XHNV dated November 9, 2016, regarding the change of the doctoral thesis topic of the graduate student, from "Online newspapers and the issue of climate change in Vietnam today" to "Public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social networks in Vietnam".
- Secondly, the decision to return postgraduate students to their local areas/workplaces from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 is based on document No. 961/QD-XHNV dated May 10, 2021, from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
7. Thesis title: “Public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media in Vietnam”
8. Major: Journalism. 9. Code: 62 32 01 01
10. Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis
- Firstly, the thesis has systematized the basic concepts and theoretical basis of public participation in online discussions on newspapers and social media, identifying eight criteria for evaluating the quality of public participation and modeling public participation in discussions.
Secondly, the thesis surveys and analyzes the current state of public participation in discussions through the analysis of case studies and sociological surveys of the public. Based on this, the thesis recognizes the role of public participation as actors with their own perspectives and contributions within the media network. The results of the sociological survey show the level of participation, methods, content of participation, purpose of participation, level of satisfaction, and needs and desires of the public to participate in discussions on e-commerce and social media; from which it analyzes successes, limitations, and causes.
- Thirdly, the thesis researches and analyzes the laws and existing problems affecting public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media.
- Fourth, based on theoretical and practical research, the thesis proposes groups of solutions regarding supplementing and improving the State's policies and laws, media management solutions for newsrooms and social media administrators, and participatory cultural education from schools within the education and training system and organizations to ensure public participation and enhance the necessary effectiveness in building and developing public interaction strategies for media organizations in Vietnam in the context of current digital and cultural development.

12. Practical applications
- This dissertation contributes a new perspective, enriching the theoretical framework and in-depth practical research on the issue of public participation in online discussions and social media in Vietnam.
- This dissertation can be used as a resource for studying, researching, and teaching courses on media public opinion, social opinion, media management, etc.
- The proposals of this thesis are significant for media management agencies, online newspaper editorial boards, and social media experts to apply in practice to build effective public interaction strategies, as well as to mitigate the impact on the quality of public participation in discussions in order to affirm and enhance their position, increase revenue, develop the economy and increase competitive advantage, in order to better serve the needs of the public, in line with the development trends of online media in the context of digital media and the current development of culture.
13. Future research directions
Research on the public in the media sector is based on understanding their role, contributions, and significance in building and developing effective public engagement strategies for media agencies in Vietnam; and aims to improve the effectiveness of media in fulfilling its role as a forum for the interests, rights, and responsibilities of the public.
14. Published works related to the dissertation

 

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

 
1. Full name: NGUYEN HOANG ANH 2. Sex: Female
3. Date of birth: February 2, 1989. 4. Place of birth: Bac Ninh
5. Admission decision process: Admission decision number: 3684/2015/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2015 of the Rector of VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
6. Changes in academic process
- Firstly: Decision No. 3740/QD-XHNV dated November 9, 2016 on the modification of PhD thesis topic from “Online newspapers and climate change in Vietnam today” to “Public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media in Vietnam”.
- Secondly: Decision to return the PhD candidate to the locality/workplace from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 according to Document No. 961/QD-XHNV dated May 10, 2021 by the VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
7. Offical thesis title: Public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media in Vietnam
8. Major: Journalism. 9. Code: 62 32 01 01
10. Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen
11. Summary of new findings in the thesis:
First, the thesis has systematized the basic concepts and theoretical foundations of public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media, including eight criteria for evaluating the quality of public participation in discussions and modeling of public participation in discussions.
Second, the thesis examines and analyzes the current state of public participation in discussions through content analysis of case studies and sociological investigation of the public. On that basis, the thesis has recognized the role of the public in participating in discussions as actors with their own views and contributing to the media network. The results of the sociological investigation show the level of participation, method, content, purpose of participation, level of satisfaction, and the needs and wishes to participate in discussions on online newspapers and social media. Based on these, the success, limitations, and causes have been analyzed.
Third, the thesis researched and analyzed the principles and issues that have impacts on the public participation in discussions on online newspapers and social media.
Fourth, based on the theoretical foundations and practical research, the thesis proposes sets of solutions for improving and refining the State's undertakings and legal policies, and solutions for media management by the online newspaper editorial board and social media administrators, and solutions for education of the participation culture at schools in the education and training system and at organizations in order to facilitate public participation and improve the effectiveness required for building and develop strategies for public interaction by media agencies in Vietnam in the current digital context with development culture.

12. Prospect for practical applications
The thesis contributes a new perspective that has enriched the system of in-depth research theory and practice on the issue of public participation in discussion on online newspapers and social media in Vietnam.
The thesis can be used as references for studying, researching, and teaching modules on the public of journalism and communication, social public opinion, media management, and others.
The thesis's recommendations have implications for media management agencies, online newspaper editorial boards, and experts on social media in practical application in building effective public interaction strategies, as well as reducing the impact on the quality of public participation in discussions in order to affirm and enhance their position, increase revenue, develop the economy, and increase competitive advantages, better serving the needs of the public, in line with the development of journalism and communication in the context of digital media and current development culture.
13. Further research directions
Research on the public of journalism and communication based on the recognition of its roles, contributions, and effects on the development of effective public interaction strategies by journalism and communication agencies in Vietnam, also aims to improve the effectiveness of the media in performing its role as a forum for the interests, benefits, and responsibilities of the public.
14. Thesis - related publications
1. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Nguyen Hoang Anh (2019), “Activist PR in Vietnam: Public Participation via Facebook to save 6,700 trees”, Protest Public Relations: Communication disent and activism Chapter 11, pp.205-221.
2. Nguyen Hoang Anh (2019), “Public participation in social media”, Nguoi Lam Bao Journal (428), pp. 55-57.
3. Nguyen Hoang Anh (2020), “On the model of public participation: From cyberspace to policy impact”, In Journalism & Communication - Critical issues (2), pp. 211-224.
4. Nguyen Hoang Anh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2021), “Applying network theories to studying environmental policy discussions on online newspapers and social networks: A case of the project to renovate and replace 6,700 trees in Hanoi, Vietnam”, The International conference on Contemporary Issues in Substainable Development (CISD2021), Part1 pp.187-201.
5. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen & Nguyen Hoang Anh (2022), “Public discussion on online newspapers and social media: Approached by the Actor-Network theory”, Journal of Political Theory and Communication (1), pp. 213-216.
6. Nguyen Hoang Anh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2022), “Online Discussions on Traffic Safety Policy: Approached by the Multi-Step Flow Theory and ActorNetwork Theory”, International Conference on Social Economic and Environmental Issues in Development (ICSEED 15th), pp.1917-1932.
7. Nguyen Hoang Anh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2023), “The roles and influence of key opinion leaders (KOL) in the discussion about traffic safety on online newspapers and social media”, The first International Conference on The issues of Social Sciences and Humanities, pp.121-136.