Online Media as Conflict Generators

Abstract

The media have always had great influence on the construction of attitudes and opinions of the public, thus it comes as no surprise that they constantly adjust to contemporary tides and the ways in which the public obtains information. Thanks to the popularity and possibilities offered by the Internet, the media were forced to converge towards online forms of reporting. Besides this, the Internet enabled the removal of state limits when it comes to informing, so the public can learn more easily about events from all over the world. In this way, mass-media communication gets new outlines while directing social tides on the global level. Although such a trend can be useful, it can also carry certain dangers. Therefore, the new media can become a platform for international conflicts and lead to possible interruption of good relations among states. Considering the fact that relations between Serbia and Croatia are characterised by a now concluded war, this paper examines the way in which the Serbian and the Croatian online media report on the relationship between the two states from the perspective of political relations, media presentations of each other, as well as how large the role of the modern media is in provoking new conflicts. Using a quantitative-qualitative analysis of the content, both the Serbian and the Croatian versions of the portal “24 hours” were analysed within the period from April 1 to April 30, 2017.