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Exploring the Usage, Interpretation, and Implications of Disease Metaphors in Cancer Reports: A Case Analysis of the People's Daily

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HCI International 2023 – Late Breaking Posters (HCII 2023)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1957))

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Abstract

Cancer's invasive characteristics have been metaphorically represented for over seven decades in China. This study examines the utilization of metaphors in digital news of cancer. Its objective is to identify prevalent metaphors used in cancer reporting, the factors that influence their usage, and the social interactions that follow as a result of the depiction of cancer and cancer patients in digital news. The study utilizes a metaphorical criticism analysis method, which involves selecting language samples, identifying and categorizing metaphors, and analyzing their use and effects. The findings reveal that the cancer report of People's Daily (1949–2022) utilized seven metaphors, namely war, demon, killer, opportunistic, plague, star, and hell metaphors. Among them, the war and killer metaphors were the most frequently used. The study suggests that the prevalence of war metaphors in Chinese mainstream media can be attributed to China's historical and ideological background. Furthermore, the results indicate that the use of metaphors in cancer reporting follows a distinct pattern influenced by political and social factors across different periods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Journalism and Communication, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Yuhan Wang & Yuanbing Deng

Authors
  1. Yuhan Wang
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  2. Yuanbing Deng
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Correspondence to Yuhan Wang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Crete and Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Constantine Stephanidis

  2. Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Margherita Antona

  3. Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Stavroula Ntoa

  4. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Gavriel Salvendy

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Wang, Y., Deng, Y. (2024). Exploring the Usage, Interpretation, and Implications of Disease Metaphors in Cancer Reports: A Case Analysis of the People's Daily. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S., Salvendy, G. (eds) HCI International 2023 – Late Breaking Posters. HCII 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1957. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49212-9_55

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49212-9_55

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-49211-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-49212-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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