War in Ukraine. Media and Emotions

The aim of the book is to present the war in its two versions and dimensions, i.e., the media image and the human factor. The choice of these two areas has not been random. Due to the situation, communication, also the one that mobilizes and shapes attitudes toward war, has moved to the Internet. From the first days of the war, pieces of information have generated various emotions, which translated into individual feelings, but also evoked broadly understood movement—in the area of spreading (dis) information and direct behavior. This movement was multi-level—we see the mobilization of people in the area of conspiracy theories, the expression of difficult emotions in memes, as well as a test of strength in the information war between Russia and Ukraine. The presentation of Volodymir and Olena Zelenski in the media also had an undeniable impact of mobilization, and their attitude built the image of heroic Ukraine from the very beginning. These and other relationships between the indicated factors are presented in the book.

Agnieszka Turska-Kawa is Director of the Institute of Political Science, specializing in psychology of politics, particularly in the context of political behavior, motivations and emotions ruling politics, and cognitive aspects of political choices at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. 

Agnieszka Kasińska-Metryka is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of International Relations and Public Policy, specializing in political leadership, social communication, political marketing, and women political activity at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland.

Karolina Pałka-Suchojad is Political Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Institute of International Relations and Public Policy, specializing in social media analysis, management information in social media, and political marketing at the Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, Poland.