In Monterrey, Mexico, three sisters aged 9, 12 and 14 recorded a Metallica cover in their basement studio and went viral on YouTube in late 2014. They are Dany, Pau and Ale Villareal – The Warning. Now, in 2025, The Warning is touring their 4th full length-album, both in solo shows, famous music festivals, and as opening acts for bands such as Muse, The Offspring and Avril Lavigne. In a scenario where attention economy, platforms and algorithms may be the greatest challenge for new bands, they can also be their greatest allies. In this paper, I trace the 10 years of marketing and communication strategies put into place by the band to create, sustain and grow a loyal fanbase that, curiously, starts with baby boomers and slowly reaches the current generation. From fan-based incentives via crowdfunding to making good use of livestreaming during the pandemic, the band demonstrates how a GenZ band can grow an audience and thrive in an overpopulated entertainment scenario that rarely opens space for alternative rock bands. Furthermore, their online marketing strategy, particularly in the last two albums, shows how they understand the modes of communication that benefit from algorithmic logic and resonate aesthetically with the trends of consumption commonly seen in the current social media scenario.

The increasing reliance on data to train large language models has heightened concerns about data rights and protections. Governments and civil society organizations globally adopt varied approaches based on cultural, political, and economic contexts. A common strategy is the appointment of Data Protection Officers (DPOs), tasked with enforcing data protection laws. This study examines how government organizations in Norway, China, and Kenya conceptualize and implement data rights and protections. Specifically, it explores how data rights are communicated, the strategies DPOs employ, and how national contexts influence data governance.

Using document analysis and semi-structured interviews with DPOs, this study compares regulatory frameworks and organizational practices in these three countries. While Norway follows the GDPR’s rights-based approach, China prioritizes state control and economic interests, and Kenya balances rapid digital expansion with emerging privacy concerns. Despite their differences, all three countries assign DPOs a critical role, though their responsibilities and regulatory support vary.

Theoretically, this research draws on contextual integrity iheory, socio-technical systems, and sensemaking theory to analyze privacy norms, regulatory interactions, and DPO roles. Findings reveal that while global data governance trends influence national frameworks, implementation is shaped by local socio-political dynamics.

This study contributes to discussions on data sovereignty, digital governance, and the evolving role of DPOs. It highlights the need for context-sensitive approaches to data protection that balance individual rights, national priorities, and the demands of a global digital economy.

TikTok has emerged as a prominent platform for science communication, with an estimated 10 million STEM-related videos published globally as of 2024. Science communicators on TikTok blend affective and informative elements, engaging audiences in ways that challenge normative expectations of science communication. As scientists adapt to these digital norms, TikTok presents a unique opportunity to shape public perceptions of science and scientists. However, little research has investigated how scientists construct these perceptions on TikTok. Using the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), we explore how scientists present themselves on TikTok through the dimensions of warmth and competence. We conducted a multimodal content analysis (MMCA) of highly engaged STEM TikTok videos, focusing on science communicators with at least 1 million likes on their pages. Using the TikTok API, we analyzed videos published between January and October 2024, selecting those with the highest engagement rates for in-depth analysis (N = 110). Our analysis considered visual, textual, aural, contextual, and platform elements used to signal warmth and competence, following MMCA procedures by Serafini & Reid (2023). Our findings reveal that science communicators on TikTok employ hybrid self-presentation, balancing professional and personal self-disclosures to connect with audiences while establishing credibility. They also engage in participatory and dialogic communication, fostering two-way interactions and making science an accessible and enjoyable pursuit. Additionally, science communicators leverage platform-native cultures and features to create emotionally resonant and informative content. These strategies offer valuable insights for scientists, educators, and policymakers aiming to enhance public trust and engagement with science on digital platforms.

This paper examines how craft e-commerce platforms, such as Etsy, are repurposed during geopolitical crises, using the Ukraine-Russia war as a case study to illustrate broader global patterns of digital dissidence. While digital media scholars have explored craft metaphors such as weaving and stitching, less attention has been paid to the ways digital craft platforms themselves become sites for and enable modes of political resistance. I argue that repurposing craft platforms – where repurposing draws from craft practices themselves - constitutes a platform rupture, subverting capitalist logics of digital consumption into mechanisms for alternative communication economies.

Employing critical discourse analysis and political economy, this paper investigates how Etsy sellers transform product listings into fundraising efforts, political statements, and most importantly digital testimonies and news of war. Beyond economic adaptation, this practice reconfigures e-commerce spaces into platforms for information dissemination and alternative communication networks, which is particularly important in a geopolitical crisis marked by misinformation and censorship. Case studies from Etsy, Folksy, and Ravelry demonstrate how craft communities engage in tactical détournement, turning capitalist structures against themselves to challenge neoliberal governance.

This study situates platform repurposing within communicative capitalism, highlighting how the same infrastructures that reinforce neoliberal participation can be inverted for democratic intervention while still acknowledging the constraints and limits of digital dissidence on capitalist platforms. Ultimately, through examining how users repurpose platforms in times of crisis, this paper articulates the role of digital rupture within contemporary communication, global economies and community-led resistance.