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This master's thesis focuses on the features of media discourse online in the context of communication processes and technological aspects of the Internet. The Internet is a universal medium, offering wide opportunities for representation of information; however, because of processes of commercialization in the concentrated market of Lithuania, online news portals avoid serious discourses or analytical texts and limit their content to short amount texts, which are dominated by sensationalism. The possibilities provided by multimedia in this area can potentially degrade the quality of media discourse by shifting the focus from texts that encourage critical thinking to large photos and videos. On the other hand, online hyperlinks and other dynamic features of the internet provide the opportunity to easily link together various texts, diversify the discourse of this democratic medium, allow well-grounded opinions to be expressed and heard. The object of the thesis is the media discourse of Lithuanian online news portal "Delfi". The aim of this thesis is to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the apparent features of the media discourse of online news portal "Delfi". In order to achieve this aim, the following tasks were set: to analyze literature discussing online media and determine the relations between discourse impacted by technologies on the Internet and the subjective elements of media discourse; to analyze the interviews of online news portals' journalists and their views concerning online media discourse; to analyze the key features of media discourse used in the news portal "Delfi". The following research methods were used in the thesis: analysis of secondary data and literature; structured qualitative interviews; and quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that a simpler, less analytical discourse is used online, based on the small size, limited source use and genre limitations of the analyzed texts. The hypothesis that technological aspects of the Internet negatively affects news portal's discourse was unconfirmed, because the main reason of content simplification was "Delfi" newsroom's conscious choice to limit the use of technological possibilities and use more traditional media elements. The final hypothesis predicted that objectivity was lacking in the articles of "Delfi" but according to the qualitative analysis it was also unconfirmed.

This master's thesis focuses on the features of media discourse online in the context of communication processes and technological aspects of the Internet. The Internet is a universal medium, offering wide opportunities for representation of information; however, because of processes of commercialization in the concentrated market of Lithuania, online news portals avoid serious discourses or analytical texts and limit their content to short amount texts, which are dominated by sensationalism. The possibilities provided by multimedia in this area can potentially degrade the quality of media discourse by shifting the focus from texts that encourage critical thinking to large photos and videos. On the other hand, online hyperlinks and other dynamic features of the internet provide the opportunity to easily link together various texts, diversify the discourse of this democratic medium, allow well-grounded opinions to be expressed and heard. The object of the thesis is the media discourse of Lithuanian online news portal "Delfi". The aim of this thesis is to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the apparent features of the media discourse of online news portal "Delfi". In order to achieve this aim, the following tasks were set: to analyze literature discussing online media and determine the relations between discourse impacted by technologies on the Internet and the subjective elements of media discourse; to analyze the interviews of online news portals' journalists and their views concerning online media discourse; to analyze the key features of media discourse used in the news portal "Delfi". The following research methods were used in the thesis: analysis of secondary data and literature; structured qualitative interviews; and quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that a simpler, less analytical discourse is used online, based on the small size, limited source use and genre limitations of the analyzed texts. The hypothesis that technological aspects of the Internet negatively affects news portal's discourse was unconfirmed, because the main reason of content simplification was "Delfi" newsroom's conscious choice to limit the use of technological possibilities and use more traditional media elements. The final hypothesis predicted that objectivity was lacking in the articles of "Delfi" but according to the qualitative analysis it was also unconfirmed.

This master's thesis focuses on the features of media discourse online in the context of communication processes and technological aspects of the Internet. The Internet is a universal medium, offering wide opportunities for representation of information; however, because of processes of commercialization in the concentrated market of Lithuania, online news portals avoid serious discourses or analytical texts and limit their content to short amount texts, which are dominated by sensationalism. The possibilities provided by multimedia in this area can potentially degrade the quality of media discourse by shifting the focus from texts that encourage critical thinking to large photos and videos. On the other hand, online hyperlinks and other dynamic features of the internet provide the opportunity to easily link together various texts, diversify the discourse of this democratic medium, allow well-grounded opinions to be expressed and heard. The object of the thesis is the media discourse of Lithuanian online news portal "Delfi". The aim of this thesis is to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the apparent features of the media discourse of online news portal "Delfi". In order to achieve this aim, the following tasks were set: to analyze literature discussing online media and determine the relations between discourse impacted by technologies on the Internet and the subjective elements of media discourse; to analyze the interviews of online news portals' journalists and their views concerning online media discourse; to analyze the key features of media discourse used in the news portal "Delfi". The following research methods were used in the thesis: analysis of secondary data and literature; structured qualitative interviews; and quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that a simpler, less analytical discourse is used online, based on the small size, limited source use and genre limitations of the analyzed texts. The hypothesis that technological aspects of the Internet negatively affects news portal's discourse was unconfirmed, because the main reason of content simplification was "Delfi" newsroom's conscious choice to limit the use of technological possibilities and use more traditional media elements. The final hypothesis predicted that objectivity was lacking in the articles of "Delfi" but according to the qualitative analysis it was also unconfirmed.

Problematics of Online Insurance Contracts Insurance is not only a form of business, but a unified combination of economic, financial and social relations, as it involves offering consumer protection services to those in distress. However, the range of online insurance products poses certain legal problems associated with pre-contractual relationships. The unique nature of these contracts stems from the policyholder's position as the weaker party in comparison with the insurer, as well as from the demand for the policyholder to fulfill their obligations. The legislator who has created the existing legal regulations has established that the policyholder and the insurer have mutual rights and obligations and that the fulfillment thereof is mandatory. Prior to concluding the insurance contract, the insurer is required to familiarize the policyholder with the terms and conditions thereof, but this is a mere legal fiction which is not implemented in actual mutual relations. Despite efforts to present insurance rules and non-standard conditions in a more appropriate manner, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. A reference to a particular document which is integral to the insurance contract is insufficient for providing the customer with an appropriate amount of information. Such a position is expressed, inter alia, in the case-law, which, in the author's opinion, must be adhered to. In addition, insurance contracts concluded by electronic means often fall short of another requirement, in that they lack of proper verification. Along with the due expression of the party's will, appropriate verification implies the electronic equivalent of the traditional signature, known as an electronic signature, which is used to verify the document's authenticity. Proper authentication with an electronic signature would prevent identity theft for the purpose of engaging in illicit action. Although the policyholder is interested in safeguarding their insurance cover, this does not necessarily mean that their identity, as well as that of any other person, should be presumed. These have also been expressed by overseas authors and are believed to be correct, since, before a person's identity is properly verified, the insurer cannot be certain that they are dealing with the same individual. The problem is that insurers do not demand proper identity verification while concluding contracts by electronic (automated) means, i.e. they do not require the contract to be confirmed with an electronic signature. Thus, the fact that an insurance contract has been concluded in an automated manner means, first and foremost, that its legal force cannot be called into question merely because it was drawn up electronically. Secondly, a document prepared by electronic means is subject to the same legal principles as one that was prepared physically. It should be noted that insurers frequently fail to perform their duties properly, whereas policyholders are required to provide as much detail as possible. Thirdly, an insurance contract may be concluded without any physical interaction between individuals. Among other things, insurance contracts with consumers may be concluded by logging into an online system, which has resulted in a decline in the policyholder's role in the insurance relationship owing to their inability to influence the content of the standard terms and conditions. Nevertheless, the legislator is ready to protect policyholder rights using the safeguards provided for in the relevant legislation. To summarize, an insurance contract is a unique contract between the policyholder and the insurer. In the event that the insurance contract is concluded in an automated manner, the parties are not exempted from performing their duties. There are problems with concluding insurance contracts by automated means not only by e-mail, but also directly on the insurer's website.

Problematics of Online Insurance Contracts Insurance is not only a form of business, but a unified combination of economic, financial and social relations, as it involves offering consumer protection services to those in distress. However, the range of online insurance products poses certain legal problems associated with pre-contractual relationships. The unique nature of these contracts stems from the policyholder's position as the weaker party in comparison with the insurer, as well as from the demand for the policyholder to fulfill their obligations. The legislator who has created the existing legal regulations has established that the policyholder and the insurer have mutual rights and obligations and that the fulfillment thereof is mandatory. Prior to concluding the insurance contract, the insurer is required to familiarize the policyholder with the terms and conditions thereof, but this is a mere legal fiction which is not implemented in actual mutual relations. Despite efforts to present insurance rules and non-standard conditions in a more appropriate manner, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. A reference to a particular document which is integral to the insurance contract is insufficient for providing the customer with an appropriate amount of information. Such a position is expressed, inter alia, in the case-law, which, in the author's opinion, must be adhered to. In addition, insurance contracts concluded by electronic means often fall short of another requirement, in that they lack of proper verification. Along with the due expression of the party's will, appropriate verification implies the electronic equivalent of the traditional signature, known as an electronic signature, which is used to verify the document's authenticity. Proper authentication with an electronic signature would prevent identity theft for the purpose of engaging in illicit action. Although the policyholder is interested in safeguarding their insurance cover, this does not necessarily mean that their identity, as well as that of any other person, should be presumed. These have also been expressed by overseas authors and are believed to be correct, since, before a person's identity is properly verified, the insurer cannot be certain that they are dealing with the same individual. The problem is that insurers do not demand proper identity verification while concluding contracts by electronic (automated) means, i.e. they do not require the contract to be confirmed with an electronic signature. Thus, the fact that an insurance contract has been concluded in an automated manner means, first and foremost, that its legal force cannot be called into question merely because it was drawn up electronically. Secondly, a document prepared by electronic means is subject to the same legal principles as one that was prepared physically. It should be noted that insurers frequently fail to perform their duties properly, whereas policyholders are required to provide as much detail as possible. Thirdly, an insurance contract may be concluded without any physical interaction between individuals. Among other things, insurance contracts with consumers may be concluded by logging into an online system, which has resulted in a decline in the policyholder's role in the insurance relationship owing to their inability to influence the content of the standard terms and conditions. Nevertheless, the legislator is ready to protect policyholder rights using the safeguards provided for in the relevant legislation. To summarize, an insurance contract is a unique contract between the policyholder and the insurer. In the event that the insurance contract is concluded in an automated manner, the parties are not exempted from performing their duties. There are problems with concluding insurance contracts by automated means not only by e-mail, but also directly on the insurer's website.

Problematics of Online Insurance Contracts Insurance is not only a form of business, but a unified combination of economic, financial and social relations, as it involves offering consumer protection services to those in distress. However, the range of online insurance products poses certain legal problems associated with pre-contractual relationships. The unique nature of these contracts stems from the policyholder's position as the weaker party in comparison with the insurer, as well as from the demand for the policyholder to fulfill their obligations. The legislator who has created the existing legal regulations has established that the policyholder and the insurer have mutual rights and obligations and that the fulfillment thereof is mandatory. Prior to concluding the insurance contract, the insurer is required to familiarize the policyholder with the terms and conditions thereof, but this is a mere legal fiction which is not implemented in actual mutual relations. Despite efforts to present insurance rules and non-standard conditions in a more appropriate manner, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. A reference to a particular document which is integral to the insurance contract is insufficient for providing the customer with an appropriate amount of information. Such a position is expressed, inter alia, in the case-law, which, in the author's opinion, must be adhered to. In addition, insurance contracts concluded by electronic means often fall short of another requirement, in that they lack of proper verification. Along with the due expression of the party's will, appropriate verification implies the electronic equivalent of the traditional signature, known as an electronic signature, which is used to verify the document's authenticity. Proper authentication with an electronic signature would prevent identity theft for the purpose of engaging in illicit action. Although the policyholder is interested in safeguarding their insurance cover, this does not necessarily mean that their identity, as well as that of any other person, should be presumed. These have also been expressed by overseas authors and are believed to be correct, since, before a person's identity is properly verified, the insurer cannot be certain that they are dealing with the same individual. The problem is that insurers do not demand proper identity verification while concluding contracts by electronic (automated) means, i.e. they do not require the contract to be confirmed with an electronic signature. Thus, the fact that an insurance contract has been concluded in an automated manner means, first and foremost, that its legal force cannot be called into question merely because it was drawn up electronically. Secondly, a document prepared by electronic means is subject to the same legal principles as one that was prepared physically. It should be noted that insurers frequently fail to perform their duties properly, whereas policyholders are required to provide as much detail as possible. Thirdly, an insurance contract may be concluded without any physical interaction between individuals. Among other things, insurance contracts with consumers may be concluded by logging into an online system, which has resulted in a decline in the policyholder's role in the insurance relationship owing to their inability to influence the content of the standard terms and conditions. Nevertheless, the legislator is ready to protect policyholder rights using the safeguards provided for in the relevant legislation. To summarize, an insurance contract is a unique contract between the policyholder and the insurer. In the event that the insurance contract is concluded in an automated manner, the parties are not exempted from performing their duties. There are problems with concluding insurance contracts by automated means not only by e-mail, but also directly on the insurer's website.

Problematics of Online Insurance Contracts Insurance is not only a form of business, but a unified combination of economic, financial and social relations, as it involves offering consumer protection services to those in distress. However, the range of online insurance products poses certain legal problems associated with pre-contractual relationships. The unique nature of these contracts stems from the policyholder's position as the weaker party in comparison with the insurer, as well as from the demand for the policyholder to fulfill their obligations. The legislator who has created the existing legal regulations has established that the policyholder and the insurer have mutual rights and obligations and that the fulfillment thereof is mandatory. Prior to concluding the insurance contract, the insurer is required to familiarize the policyholder with the terms and conditions thereof, but this is a mere legal fiction which is not implemented in actual mutual relations. Despite efforts to present insurance rules and non-standard conditions in a more appropriate manner, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. A reference to a particular document which is integral to the insurance contract is insufficient for providing the customer with an appropriate amount of information. Such a position is expressed, inter alia, in the case-law, which, in the author's opinion, must be adhered to. In addition, insurance contracts concluded by electronic means often fall short of another requirement, in that they lack of proper verification. Along with the due expression of the party's will, appropriate verification implies the electronic equivalent of the traditional signature, known as an electronic signature, which is used to verify the document's authenticity. Proper authentication with an electronic signature would prevent identity theft for the purpose of engaging in illicit action. Although the policyholder is interested in safeguarding their insurance cover, this does not necessarily mean that their identity, as well as that of any other person, should be presumed. These have also been expressed by overseas authors and are believed to be correct, since, before a person's identity is properly verified, the insurer cannot be certain that they are dealing with the same individual. The problem is that insurers do not demand proper identity verification while concluding contracts by electronic (automated) means, i.e. they do not require the contract to be confirmed with an electronic signature. Thus, the fact that an insurance contract has been concluded in an automated manner means, first and foremost, that its legal force cannot be called into question merely because it was drawn up electronically. Secondly, a document prepared by electronic means is subject to the same legal principles as one that was prepared physically. It should be noted that insurers frequently fail to perform their duties properly, whereas policyholders are required to provide as much detail as possible. Thirdly, an insurance contract may be concluded without any physical interaction between individuals. Among other things, insurance contracts with consumers may be concluded by logging into an online system, which has resulted in a decline in the policyholder's role in the insurance relationship owing to their inability to influence the content of the standard terms and conditions. Nevertheless, the legislator is ready to protect policyholder rights using the safeguards provided for in the relevant legislation. To summarize, an insurance contract is a unique contract between the policyholder and the insurer. In the event that the insurance contract is concluded in an automated manner, the parties are not exempted from performing their duties. There are problems with concluding insurance contracts by automated means not only by e-mail, but also directly on the insurer's website.

The authors present a more comprehensive analysis of two countries—the United States and Nigeria. The choice is based on the fact that the United States has a great experience of fighting cyber crimes and, as research has shown, is the only country where online identity theft is criminalized. While the situation in Nigeria is taken for an in-depth consideration because of its Criminal Code Act having a separate chapter in which personation is criminalized. Also, in this article, summarized information about other analyzed countries is presented, the differences of the existing criminal legislation are described and the variety of sanctions for online identity theft phases is discussed. However, the research has shown that the penalties imposed for online identity thefts (or its separate phases) are mostly fines or imprisonment. In this article, it is emphasized that online identity theft is not criminalized (except the United States), and this impedes the detection, investigation and prosecution of such conduct at both domestic and international levels. Therefore, the authors are going to bring online identity criminalization up for discussion on the basis of the research presented in this article.

The authors present a more comprehensive analysis of two countries—the United States and Nigeria. The choice is based on the fact that the United States has a great experience of fighting cyber crimes and, as research has shown, is the only country where online identity theft is criminalized. While the situation in Nigeria is taken for an in-depth consideration because of its Criminal Code Act having a separate chapter in which personation is criminalized. Also, in this article, summarized information about other analyzed countries is presented, the differences of the existing criminal legislation are described and the variety of sanctions for online identity theft phases is discussed. However, the research has shown that the penalties imposed for online identity thefts (or its separate phases) are mostly fines or imprisonment. In this article, it is emphasized that online identity theft is not criminalized (except the United States), and this impedes the detection, investigation and prosecution of such conduct at both domestic and international levels. Therefore, the authors are going to bring online identity criminalization up for discussion on the basis of the research presented in this article.

This paper analyzes the issue of the representation of religious diversity in Lithuanian online media. The first part of the article represents the media's influence on the formation of public opinion. Also, it describes the most important issues of religious diversity representation in the media. The second part reveals the aspects of media representations of the Lithuanian Catholic Church, other traditional and non-traditional religious communities, and new religious movements. According to the empirical data, it can be stated that very popular online media in Lithuania frequently presents information that is negative, stereotypical and lacks objectivity about various issues related to religious diversity. The empirical data also showed that the analyzed online news portals are in favor of mainstream religious community representational politics that spread dominant religious values, attitudes and contribute to the existence of religious hegemony. However, representations of various new religious movements and other non-traditional religious communities are mostly negative, stereotypical and full of subjective judgments and argumentation.

This paper analyzes the issue of the representation of religious diversity in Lithuanian online media. The first part of the article represents the media's influence on the formation of public opinion. Also, it describes the most important issues of religious diversity representation in the media. The second part reveals the aspects of media representations of the Lithuanian Catholic Church, other traditional and non-traditional religious communities, and new religious movements. According to the empirical data, it can be stated that very popular online media in Lithuania frequently presents information that is negative, stereotypical and lacks objectivity about various issues related to religious diversity. The empirical data also showed that the analyzed online news portals are in favor of mainstream religious community representational politics that spread dominant religious values, attitudes and contribute to the existence of religious hegemony. However, representations of various new religious movements and other non-traditional religious communities are mostly negative, stereotypical and full of subjective judgments and argumentation.

This paper analyzes the issue of the representation of religious diversity in Lithuanian online media. The first part of the article represents the media's influence on the formation of public opinion. Also, it describes the most important issues of religious diversity representation in the media. The second part reveals the aspects of media representations of the Lithuanian Catholic Church, other traditional and non-traditional religious communities, and new religious movements. According to the empirical data, it can be stated that very popular online media in Lithuania frequently presents information that is negative, stereotypical and lacks objectivity about various issues related to religious diversity. The empirical data also showed that the analyzed online news portals are in favor of mainstream religious community representational politics that spread dominant religious values, attitudes and contribute to the existence of religious hegemony. However, representations of various new religious movements and other non-traditional religious communities are mostly negative, stereotypical and full of subjective judgments and argumentation.

Primarily, mass media, together with online dailies, which became popular due to its activity changes, makes an increasing impact on thinking, beliefs and conduct of the society. By emphasizing aspects of various actual social issues of the society in news agendas, such as emigration, and framing them in a discourse, mass media influences an attitude of the society toward the issue of emigration; it forms an assessment of the country of origin and induces to make decisions whether to stay or leave a country. The article presents the results of a pilot research of emigration discourse framing in Lithuanian online dailies delfi.lt and 15min.lt. Precisely, the research aims at examining an emigration discourse constructed in Lithuanian online dailies and identifying the role of mass media in representing an issue of emigration. The research is carried out by combining the methods of a quantitative content analysis and a critical discourse analysis under the discourse research methodology of N. Fairclough. Furthermore, the research has revealed that the role of mass media in representing emigration can be assessed as a formation of tendencies and regularities that motivate to depart from Lithuania. The pursuit of mass media to form tendencies is revealed by a demand to enlighten an issue of emigration in a field of political realities and international events, which are particularly significant to Lithuania, to provide a topic of emigration in the most readable news sections of online dailies, not describing it in detail, but relating it to the most favorable public realities, namely, the welfare of the people and the financial situation of the country. The issue of emigration presented in mass media is constructed by a negative one-sided discourse, which forms positive frames of emigration. Moreover, it has been ascertained that a negative valuation of Lithuania as the country of origin is predominant in online dailies. There are very distinct tendencies to propagate an economic migration, whereas a positive evaluation of the country is very abstract and it does not reveal any specific peculiarities of Lithuania, which would be a reason to stay in this country. Finally, the emigration discourse in online dailies can by characterized by an emotional, biased rhetoric, which further intensifies an expression of tendencies formed by mass media.

Primarily, mass media, together with online dailies, which became popular due to its activity changes, makes an increasing impact on thinking, beliefs and conduct of the society. By emphasizing aspects of various actual social issues of the society in news agendas, such as emigration, and framing them in a discourse, mass media influences an attitude of the society toward the issue of emigration; it forms an assessment of the country of origin and induces to make decisions whether to stay or leave a country. The article presents the results of a pilot research of emigration discourse framing in Lithuanian online dailies delfi.lt and 15min.lt. Precisely, the research aims at examining an emigration discourse constructed in Lithuanian online dailies and identifying the role of mass media in representing an issue of emigration. The research is carried out by combining the methods of a quantitative content analysis and a critical discourse analysis under the discourse research methodology of N. Fairclough. Furthermore, the research has revealed that the role of mass media in representing emigration can be assessed as a formation of tendencies and regularities that motivate to depart from Lithuania. The pursuit of mass media to form tendencies is revealed by a demand to enlighten an issue of emigration in a field of political realities and international events, which are particularly significant to Lithuania, to provide a topic of emigration in the most readable news sections of online dailies, not describing it in detail, but relating it to the most favorable public realities, namely, the welfare of the people and the financial situation of the country. The issue of emigration presented in mass media is constructed by a negative one-sided discourse, which forms positive frames of emigration. Moreover, it has been ascertained that a negative valuation of Lithuania as the country of origin is predominant in online dailies. There are very distinct tendencies to propagate an economic migration, whereas a positive evaluation of the country is very abstract and it does not reveal any specific peculiarities of Lithuania, which would be a reason to stay in this country. Finally, the emigration discourse in online dailies can by characterized by an emotional, biased rhetoric, which further intensifies an expression of tendencies formed by mass media.