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Content Themes in PEMRA Complaints: A Cognitive Dissonance Perspective

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Pakistan has one of the most active media landscapes in South Asia, but not everyone feels comfortable consuming it; therefore resort to complaining about its content. The study examines the PEMRA complaints through the theoretical lens of cognitive dissonance theory. It’s based on a quantitative content analysis, founded on a descriptive study method. It aims to explore the dominant themes in Pakistani media that cause dissonance among the audiences. The study analyses the annual complaints data for the year 2021 that are obtained through the official platform of the media regulatory body, which is the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Quantitative content analysis was used to analyze the dominant themes in the complaints using a manual coding instrument. The results of this study show that the Pakistani audience is most disturbed by the socio-cultural aspect, as they are disturbed the most by what they believe to be vulgar.

Source: Global Social Sciences Review

DOI: 10.31703/gssr.2025(x-iv).03

Authors: Fatima Khalid, Muhammad Sabhi Ul Hussain Warsi, Sarmad Iqbal

Institutions: Riphah International University, National University of Sciences and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Media Studies and Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4417188546

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