Creating the effect of presence in mobile broadcasts of the main media during emergency events

Chzhou Shengnan ORCID: 0009-0003-0071-7861 Postgraduate student; Institute of Higher School of Journalism and Mass Communications; St. Petersburg State University 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, line 26, V.O., 7, sq. 12 3272613629@qq.com

Introduction

"Mass media are external extensions of a person," and the derivative development of all media consists in meeting the individual needs of the audience ^[1]. In a comprehensive media environment, traditional media have lost their only form of emergency coverage. The timeliness of information dissemination and the complete restoration of the authenticity of events are not able to meet the expectations of the audience and meet people's information needs ^[2]. According to Sheridan's theory of the presence effect, audiovisual media can create a more powerful sense of presence than traditional media due to real-time feedback and on-site representation of events^[3]. The development of modern technologies has brought mobile live broadcasts to the forefront in the history of media.

Modern technologies of mobile live broadcasting are effectively integrated into the coverage of the latest news through multilateral interaction with various audience groups and successful cooperation with traditional mainstream media. This combination not only naturally combines the authority and timeliness of coverage of current events, but also contributes to the establishment of favorable interactive relationships that complement and develop each other. Due to the simultaneous receipt of content and reports, as well as timely interaction with online users, mobile live streaming significantly enhances the sense of ownership and reliability of news ^[4]. Thus, creating a sense of presence during a mobile live broadcast and striving to convey the atmosphere of the scene to the audience so that they can more intuitively understand the essence and meaning of the event is becoming the main task of modern media in covering emergencies.

The purpose of this article is a comprehensive analysis of the practice of live media reporting in emergency situations, as well as the study of factors influencing the formation of a sense of presence, in order to provide theoretical and practical recommendations for responding to information challenges and meeting mass needs in future emergencies.

Methods and methodology: This study identifies gaps in the theoretical framework for building a sense of presence on live television based on a systematic review of the literature on the topic. A comprehensive scientific research method is used, including case studies, empirical studies and content analysis, to identify the communication characteristics of various modern technologies and their impact on the effectiveness of information by analyzing the features of information transmission through various channels in mobile broadcasting during emergencies.

The theoretical basis of this scientific work is the research of foreign scientists such as M. McLuhan, Liu Zhi, Ma Fangfei, Zhang Xinhui, Liang Shuang, Yu Guoming, Yuan Jinyan, Xia Lu, Liu Tao, Huang Ting, Thomas B. Sheridan, Joe Salzman, and others, covering various aspects of media communication, including mobile and slow live broadcast. Among Russian researchers, the works of M. O. Uvarova, I. A. Kuksin, O. V. Myalkovskaya, N. V. Makarushkina, M. N. Koroleva and others have been used, considering discursive practices of constructing emergencies in the press, media communication priorities in emergency coverage, as well as approaches of Russian online media to describing traumatic events. However, Russian studies are mostly dominated by studies on print media.

The results of the study

In the traditional mainstream media, there are strict procedures for processing news and information, starting with on-site interviews with reporters, through data export, content editing, fact checking, and ending with the release of news, where each link is mandatory, which guarantees high-quality content ^[5]. However, the urgency, complexity, and uncertainty of emergencies negate many of the advantages most media outlets have in covering such events. Competition between the media leads to contradictory and distorted messages.

One of the most tragic pages in the modern history of Russia was the terrorist attack in the Moscow theater on Dubrovka in 2002. In the face of media competition, Rossiya TV channel was the last major media outlet to report the incident. Later, the presenter of Vesti, Sergey Brilev, explained the delay on Rossiya by saying that in the first minutes the information was contradictory, and the channel's staff were waiting for official confirmations ^[6].

In the process of processing, recording and broadcasting information content in traditional media, sometimes unjustified edits and deletions occur ^[7]. Emergencies are all–encompassing, which makes it difficult to determine and predict which content is useful and which is useless ^[8]. Blind and arbitrary content editing leads to a lack of detailed information ^[9]. Given that the audience does not receive more complete information, they are not able to adequately assess the trend of emergency situations from a psychological point of view. When relationships and emotions are disrupted, rumors spread quickly, which in turn leads to the formation of subjective and irrational public opinion. Thus, the mainstream media needs to study how to avoid lagging behind in the dissemination of information and prevent the occurrence of rumors related to the root cause of events.

Despite the fact that the media currently uses "continuous" short news releases in real time in emergency situations to compensate for the lag in traditional coverage of events such as COVID-19, the bushfires in Australia, the dumping of radioactive water from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other crises. this is still not enough to satisfy the audience's sense of belonging. Getting information after the fact is nothing compared to engaging in real-time events. The mobile live broadcasting system was formed due to the acute need of the audience for synchronized information and simultaneous feelings.

The creation of mobile emergency live streaming in the mainstream media dates back to the era of television broadcasting in the 1950s, when television networks began broadcasting sports events, political speeches, and other events live using video modeling technology. However, due to technological limitations, the coverage and accessibility of this live content were limited ^[10]. Although the media at that time strongly rejected this form, considering it superficial, trivial and incomplete ^[11]. Nevertheless, its development continued to arouse public interest, especially after the rescue of Jessica McClure in 1987, the Gulf War in 1991, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and other major events in real time, after which the influence of this form of media became significantly noticeable.

The live broadcast quickly became a source of information that viewers relied on and shared. This provided the society with a common set of facts and an unprecedented participatory experience, as well as facilitated broad discussion and debate.

However, at that time, the greatest opportunity for live reporting was ENG (Electronic Newsgathering, or electronic journalism). The term was coined by television news departments in the United States, which began the transition from film-based news collection to electronic field technology in the 1970s. It included both one reporter with one video camera and an entire television crew working from a truck on the scene.

The evolution of the tools has ushered in a new era of integration of various forms of emergency live streaming. According to the German research company Statista, as of October 2024, there were 7.41 billion mobile phone users in the world ^[12], while the number of Internet and social media users was 5.52 billion and 5.22 billion, respectively ^[13].

According to app downloads on iconic websites such as Android and iOS, popular news apps with high levels of downloads from mobile devices in recent years include the following: BBC News, Flipboard, Apple News, New York Times, CNN News, Yahoo News, and others. Some of these client applications belong to traditional media such as BBC News; some belong to web portals such as Yahoo News; and some belong to aggregated websites such as Flipboard^[14]. Instagram Facebook, Facebook, and Twitter, however, are currently the majority of them active on social media. Reputable mainstream media outlets, in particular BBC News, The New York Times and CNN News, conduct continuous live mobile broadcasts on their social media accounts, especially when breaking news occurs.

These data show that mobile Internet terminals have become the main channel for people to receive information. The emergence of social networks and specialized client applications has contributed to the emergence of various forms of news coverage. Live broadcasts began to move from stationary studios to the event site ^[15], and sophisticated equipment was transformed into optimized smart products. Viewers can use mobile devices to transmit and disseminate the information they receive in their circles in a timely manner. This method of information exchange has created the effect of autonomous audience participation in circular communication, significantly expanding the breadth and speed of information dissemination, as well as ensuring that viewers actively participate in learning the experience on the spot.

Presence is an inevitable development of media convergence, which means the authenticity of news reports and access to first-hand information. This, of course, includes the timely release of breaking news, and also enables the media to use reliable information to protect against rumors on the Internet and restore the original context of the news ^[16].

Thomas W. Schubert defines presence as "the feeling of being present in a virtual environment" ^[17]. Presence also reflects the degree to which a person feels immersed in an immersive environment ^[18]. This concept provides an important theoretical framework for understanding the multifaceted value of mobile live streaming. It can be argued that mobile live streaming effectively creates a sense of presence in the audience, using tools such as instant feedback, interactivity and visual presence, which allows them to feel more deeply connected with the events taking place and become part of the information flow.

Based on the update rate of mobile live streaming content and the various ways to interact with the audience, mobile live streaming can be divided into two main forms – fast live streaming and slow live streaming.

"Fast-paced live broadcasts" often showcase dynamic scenes of unexpected events, providing viewers with a real-time experience that captures the urgent atmosphere of a situation through fast-paced action. The last batch of American troops was withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2021, and the Taliban retook the country 20 years later. This incident has attracted the attention of the whole world. Including the BBC, CNN and a number of leading media outlets, the changes in the situation in Afghanistan are being covered via mobile fast-motion live broadcasts showing the scene of the airport evacuation and people's reactions. At the same time, media platforms are encouraging a global audience to share their views and understanding of the incident through live broadcasts. Due to the interaction between the audience and the media, many opinions were widely disseminated, which led to a lively discussion within the community about the situation in Afghanistan at the global level.

To a large extent, fast live streaming adapts to the rapidly changing lifestyle of modern people, meeting the disparate needs of users for information and making news broadcasting very flexible and convenient. In case of emergency situations such as natural disasters, traffic accidents, mass health incidents, terrorist attacks and others, the first scene can be presented to the audience in a fast live broadcast format. This form of live broadcast, focused on perceiving events in real time and directly from the scene, often requires reporters to respond promptly: providing the necessary basic knowledge in real time, conducting interviews with people related to the event, as well as accurate comments about the incident, and so on. Emergency coverage puts journalists before a professional test, requiring them to quickly prepare and transmit original factual material with comments from witnesses and experts, and television reporters must also provide an appropriate video sequence, observing strict requirements for its content ^[19]. All this guides the audience's thoughts and promotes a cycle of communication with the audience. In addition, due to the fact that reporters play a leadership role, information is presented intuitively, which not only makes news reports more transparent and trustworthy, but also creates a better interactive atmosphere among the audience, enhancing the sense of intimacy.

Despite the late introduction of mobile video broadcasting into practice, the development of this field is very rapid, which leads to uneven formation of business skills among a number of new journalists. Even some large media organizations are not always able to provide a high level of professionalism and sufficient practical experience in a short time, which makes it difficult for them to adapt to various situations that require a quick response from a reporter.

Some local reporters come from traditional media outlets and, although they have some professional knowledge in the field of reporting, they easily obey the established rules and regulations, which leads to insufficient motivation to engage the audience ^[20]. This, in turn, affects the amount of video traffic. This situation inevitably leads to a decrease in the audience's sense of presence. When a reporter is unable to adequately understand the dynamics of news that is important to the audience and cannot grasp the essence of what is happening, viewers experience a sense of loss, and the sense of participation decreases accordingly.

M.N. Koroleva believes that reports with high "Participation of people" demonstrate a style of publication that uses real stories of citizens and forms non-hierarchical relationships with the audience, which contributes to objective coverage of stressful events, including the opinions of the authorities and ordinary people ^[21].

A "slow live broadcast" is considered as an additional form to a fast live broadcast. In this type of live broadcast, there is usually no presenter, music, commentary-subtitles, editing and switching cameras; only a surveillance camera or a stationary camera captures the events, demonstrating a more realistic picture of what is happening ^[22]. This format compensates for some of the disadvantages of a reporter's mobile live broadcast.: It's difficult for him to pay attention to the whole process for a long time, and it's difficult for him to stay on the scene for a long time to shoot. In other words, slow-motion live streaming implements the entire process of providing content without the need for people to be present, which encourages the audience to think independently, gives them a live experience, and makes it easier for the media to collect information.

In fact, slow-motion live streaming was not originally intended as a form of emergency coverage; it was mainly used for filming natural and man-made landscapes. With the help of appropriate equipment, the real scene was recorded in real time for a long time and presented in its original form. Relatively speaking, emergency communications usually require rapid and timely dissemination of information, which makes the format of a fast live broadcast more suitable. However, in some cases, the concept of slow live streaming turns out to be more applicable to such messages. This is especially true in the period after an incident, when it is necessary to monitor the situation for a long time or continuously monitor its development. Although slow-motion live streaming often does not appear in the first frames of emergency reports, it focuses on deep content analysis, using a slow and immersive format so that viewers can take in as much detail as possible of every detail of the event over time.

China is one of the first countries to try to integrate the slow-motion live broadcast format into reporting on some current events. On January 25, 2020, a scheduled meeting was held in Wuhan, within the framework of the Chinese command for the prevention and control of COVID-19, where it was decided to build a Leishenshan hospital specifically designed to combat the severe epidemiological situation. This was done in order to increase medical resources, ease the burden on the healthcare system and ensure timely treatment of more patients.

During the construction of Leishengshan Hospital, China Media Group Mobile launched a slow live broadcast. During the viewing process, viewers became "cloud observers", paying attention in real time to the events on the construction site and various details, which contributed to a high degree of interaction and participation. This led to an emotional resonance from the joint observation of the "epidemic of war" and formed an integrated communication resonance in the form of "presence – participation – resonance". It is in this emotional resonance that the audience forms an identity with groups such as the Cloud Watchers, who create and share information, opinions, and emotions, receiving emotional energy in return, such as confidence in the fight against the epidemic. Cloud Watcher creates a unique collective memory, strengthens identity, and gives users a unique sense of engagement and camaraderie.

After analyzing fast and slow live broadcasts from mobile devices, we saw their unique balance in emergency coverage. As mentioned earlier, the live broadcast of "Kuai" helps viewers better understand the whole picture of what is happening thanks to its immediacy and the guidance of reporters. On the other hand, slow live broadcast uses continuous tracking and in-depth analysis to form long-term friendships with the audience. The integration of these two methods provides a more diverse way of presenting news and demonstrates a new trend in the dissemination of information.

Nowadays, with the advent of various new technologies, this trend has been further developed, and the sense of audience presence in emergency situations has improved significantly. New digital spaces are constantly being formed, and technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are being comprehensively developed and applied in a specialized way to improve user experience and immersion ^[23].

Augmented Reality (AR) adds new features to the real world, allowing people to interact with the physical environment by receiving additional information from their devices or augmented reality applications. Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer–generated world that can be accessed using immersive devices such as helmets, gloves, and headphones. The information it provides can include images, sounds, as well as tactile sensations, smell, and even taste ^[24].

These technologies were used during the recent US presidential election. CBS, one of the three largest national commercial broadcast television networks in the United States, said: "Ahead of this historic election, we are committed to bringing our viewers closer to history than ever before. Using our revolutionary AR/VR technology, we not only cover elections, but also immerse our viewers in an atmosphere that gives them unprecedented access to the events, data, and knowledge that define our democracy." By contrast, Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-language television channel in the United States, is using virtual reality technology in its reporting for the first time. John Perez, senior vice president of news production and technical operations for the corporate network, said in an interview: "We have created a great interactive studio in the heart of Telemundo. Using the capabilities of virtual and augmented reality, we will be able to tell about voting on election night in a fascinating way" ^[25]. These tools provide three-dimensional maps and ballot data to help viewers better understand the election process and results. This interactivity not only improves the presentation of information, but also provides vivid visual effects.

In mobile live coverage of crisis events, the collaboration of AR and VR technologies allows for the superimposition of virtual information in real time, such as the location of the event, key facilities, and relevant personnel. In addition, thanks to the technology of three-dimensional live streaming, viewers can independently choose the viewing angle. This audience-controlled, real-time scene makes the live report richer and more three-dimensional, allowing viewers to better understand the real background of the report's content.

AR and VR technologies have similarly been used in the coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in order to improve understanding and empathy for the consequences of this conflict. When covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leading media outlets such as CNN and NBC, with technical support, created a three-dimensional model of the conflict zone, which allowed the audience to conduct a virtual tour. In the realistic, dynamic space created by this three-dimensional live broadcast, historical data and sound recordings realized with the help of technology allow you to reproduce scenes from life before and after the conflict. Viewers can see the damage caused to buildings using a mobile lens, as well as observe the surrounding environment and the crowd from their point of view, feeling anger, fear and pain caused by the conflict on the ground. This avoids the lack of information caused by incomplete viewing angles.

It can be said that the popularity of mobile devices and technological progress have opened a subspace wall between the viewer's smartphone and the news reporter. As soon as an emergency news event occurs, a 3D panoramic live broadcast allows viewers thousands of kilometers away to immerse themselves in virtual reality and receive information about the news event through their own perception and understanding. This situation not only increases the viewers' ability to perceive what is happening, but also allows their five senses and psychological sensations in space and time to expand infinitely, truly experiencing the emotions contained in breaking news.

Another distinctive feature of mobile coverage of breaking news live is the distribution of citizen journalists' content. As witnesses of an emergency, masses of people can use mobile devices to download videos at any time from the scene and even start live streaming as a kind of "personal media". This information is becoming an important part of the mainstream media's emergency communications.

Firstly, due to the complex content of emergencies and confusing prompts, relying only on the limited manpower and resources of the mainstream media, there is no time to take fragmentary information into account. Currently, the recordings of the witnesses present are very valuable for press coverage, which contributes to the integration of news content into the mainstream media and its dissemination.

Secondly, the audience actively participates in the coverage of emergencies, violating the procedures of authoritative top-down coverage of events inherent in traditional media ^[26]. This phenomenon is epochal and innovative. A self-sufficient content production model enhances the audience's sense of pride and satisfaction, as well as a sense of identity with the media. The mutual compatibility of professionals and non-professionals enriches the sources of information for the audience, makes the verification of sources more effective and allows you to search for the truth from different points of view.

Finally, audience participation in the preparation and dissemination of news and information can provide more practical information, for example, in conditions of heavy rains, floods, etc. The specific location indicated by the participants is likely to become important information for the rescue of people trapped.

However, using the content created by the audience to shape its perception requires a careful approach from the mainstream media. Those who are at the center of the event are usually the first to get the opportunity to transfer the "fragment" or "general meaning" of the event to new media platforms via mobile live streaming. At the same time, the "first" ones in most cases precede the moment when the media finds out about the events ^[27]. Thus, in most emergency situations, the "fragment" or "general meaning" of the incidents disseminated in new media has already left a first impression with the public, and this first impression will become important information that public opinion will be guided by. To prevent public opinion from going down the wrong path, the mainstream media must constantly monitor the tone of public opinion that has already formed on the Internet in order to create a favorable environment for monitoring the development of the situation and the subsequent resolution of the incident. At the same time, the mainstream media should pay more attention to educating and guiding their audience in their regular reporting so that the public can process and disseminate information correctly and rationally.

In addition, the mobile broadcast of the "immediate place" raises new questions about the journalistic ethics of the mainstream media. How to ensure the neutrality and impartiality of the news, to avoid bias or positions that mislead the public, is a question that every reporter and editorial staff of a news organization should think deeply about. Especially in the format of fast live broadcasts, the nature of real-time information can cause serious difficulties in verifying facts and influence the judgments of journalists. This requires journalists to be able to act quickly and accurately on the spot, which places increased demands on their professionalism and analytical skills.

During slow live broadcasts of emergencies, it is necessary to pay attention to the confidentiality of personal information. When slow-motion footage of a live broadcast in public places captures people without appropriate changes, it can violate personal privacy. However, there is still not enough time to develop a slow-motion live broadcast, and laws and regulations regarding layout, approval, shooting range, lens content, and other aspects need to be further improved.

Conclusions and recommendations

It is necessary to recognize the significant benefits that technological progress brings to society.: 1) carrying and shooting become more flexible, which reduces the burden of journalists and allows them to quickly go deeper into the front line to report on the real situation; 2) the lens is more versatile, able to capture everything happening on stage from different angles, as well as carry out a variety of live broadcasts, such as multipoint connections, which allows reporting to form a horizontal and vertical live broadcast grid without dead ends; 3) the continuous presence of mobile reporting in real time minimizes the loss of relevant information, increasing the completeness and reliability of emergency content and satisfying the public desire to receive information about them in real time. Based on these advantages, the mainstream media have opened up new horizons for breaking news coverage, which has made it possible to meet the public's need for a lively perception of these events in an unprecedented way.

Mobile broadcasting of emergency events in real time, representing a completely new form of news, reflects the process of democratization of both the production and dissemination of information. Using all the possibilities of modern technology, she creates a sense of presence at the scene for the audience. Breaking news coverage not only allows the public to feel the emotional tension associated with the event and social tension, but also gives the user experience a sense of sublimation. At the same time, it deepens our understanding of the role of media in social dynamics and actualizes social values. However, at this stage, creating a media presence during live broadcasts of events is not an instant success; it requires time, experience, and constant experimentation. This requires the mainstream media to closely monitor changes, continuously improve media literacy and navigation skills, and strive for the sustainable development of live broadcast reporting.