EconPapers    
Economics at your fingertips  
 

Perceptions and paradigms: An analysis of AI framing in trending social media news

Ruolan Deng and Saifuddin Ahmed

Technology in Society, 2025, vol. 81, issue C

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms society, yet it remains a controversial and ethically charged innovation. While news media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception and acceptance, existing research primarily focuses on traditional news outlets, neglecting the growing influence of social media platforms. Additionally, few studies further dissect journalistic AI frames by deconstructing the framing patterns of different social groups. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, we examine general journalistic frames in the trending news reports on social media and the specific frames reflected in quotes attributed to various social groups. We identify seven distinct AI frames, ranging from optimistic to pessimistic portrayals. Our findings also reveal significant variations in how different social groups–including scientists, managers, researchers, policymakers, adopters, and those affected–interpret AI. These discrepancies highlight the complex and multifaceted nature of journalistic narratives surrounding this transformative technology. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how AI is framed in the digital age, offering valuable insights for policymakers, communicators, and researchers interested in the social and ethical implications of AI.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Frame analysis; Public opinion; Technology frames; Social legitimacy; Technology adoption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X2500048X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x2500048x

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102858

Access Statistics for this article

Technology in Society is currently edited by Charla Griffy-Brown

More articles in Technology in Society from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().

 
Page updated 2025-07-19
Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x2500048x