Bitcoin: Media Portrayal of a Cryptocurrency

Abstract

The main aim of this diploma thesis is to find out how the Czech printed media face relatively new and complex phenomenon that emerged in the monetary sphere - virtual currency bitcoin. Through the means of quantitative content analysis, all printed titles showing relevant references to bitcoin between the years 2009 and 2016 were examined. The thesis is divided into several chapters. The theoretical part contains different media concepts dealing with the agenda-setting, the creation of a media portrayal and the construction of social reality through mass media. From a theoretical point of view, the cryptocurrency bitcoin was also subject for detailed analysis. The following methodological part of the thesis introduces the main objective of research, research questions and research design. The analytical part provides a clear overview of the results obtained, then interpreted and compared with predetermined hypothesis. The overview of collected findings about the media image of the virtual currency bitcoin in the Czech press are summarized in the conclusion. The thesis is the first paper to deal with the issues of the virtual currency bitcoin from the point of view of media discourse in the Czech Republic, and its ambition was to gather completely new information on this topic.