Rhetoric and Communications, Issue 68, July 2026
DOI 10.55206/DFBJ5411
Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivanka Mavrodieva
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
E-mail: mavrodieva@phls.uni-sofia.bg
Issue 68 of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal comprises articles united by the overarching concept of communication, examining its manifestations across a variety of domains, including politics, the media, international relations, and education. The contributors analyse transformations in communication resulting from social, psychological, cultural, technological, and other factors.
The first section, “Political and Public Communication”, includes articles presenting the results of research from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. The authors establish themselves as analysts within both well-established and emerging fields of scholarly inquiry, while the methodologies employed in their studies offer new opportunities for future research.
Strahil Deliyski, drawing upon established schools of analysis (G. Lakoff, M. Johnson, N. Fairclough, R. Wodak, T. A. van Dijk, and Z. Kövecses), examines metaphor and Critical Discourse Analysis and presents the findings of a study on conceptual metaphors in the Bulgarian political, public, and media spheres.
Svetoslav Malinov analyses a topical yet still insufficiently explored field of communication in post-democratic societies, approaching it through the lens of algorithmic transformations and manipulation, including within the digital environment.
Theodoros Vaniotis presents the results of an analysis of the communication tactics and instruments of political discourse employed by far-right parties and status quo elites within the European Union.
Tsvetelina Uzunova examines monarchist discourse and the communicative techniques employed within it in the context of a changing communication environment.
The second section, “Media and Internet Communication”, brings together articles devoted to the media and communication on the Internet.
Through a presentation of a monograph dedicated to the media, Simeon Vassilev expands the field of media research towards new perspectives by employing the allegory of the “contemporary media pharmakon.”
From a theoretical perspective, through a review of scholarly publications as well as studies conducted by media associations and non-governmental organisations, Stella Angova identifies the distinctive characteristics of youth audiences together with emerging trends and innovations within the news ecosystem.
Drawing on the perspectives of philosophy and communication studies, Steliana Koleva examines the scope and content of the concept of post-truth in the context of public service media and outlines opportunities for interdisciplinary research through a clearly defined conceptual framework.
Nikolina Tsvetkova dwells on employing cyber ethnography by young people studying in an academic environment and presents noteworthy findings.
From a theoretical perspective, Iliyana Marinkova discusses the concept of disinformation and several communication techniques employed in its dissemination, including those operating through the media and social networks.
In summary, with its 68th issue, the Rhetoric and Communications Journal continues its tradition of serving as an online academic forum for the publication of research by both established scholars and early-career researchers. The published studies further consolidate scholarly engagement with emerging fields, including post-truth, disinformation, monarchist rhetoric and discourse, and the media ecosystem. The articles present research findings obtained through methods such as desk research, discourse analysis, cyber-ethnographic observation, and other research approaches.
Ivanka Mavrodieva is Professor, Doctor, and Doctor of Sciences. She is Professor of Rhetoric, Business Communication, Public Relations, and Academic Writing at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria. She served as a Member of the Executive Board of the Rhetoric Society of Europe (2013–2023). She is the manager of the academic podcast The Orator in the 21st Century – https://www.youtube.com/ @instituteofrhetoricandcomm142. As a lecturer, blogger, podcaster, and trainer, her research explores rhetoric as an ancient yet vital discipline and communication as a practice integrating business and artificial intelligence.
Issue 68 of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal (July 2026) is published with the financial support of the Scientific Research Fund, Contract No. KP-06-NP7/23 of December 08, 2025.