Digital Commons Network^™

Disney's Postfeminist Follies: Disney’S Postfeminist Portrayal Of Women In The Age Of Fourth Wave Of Feminism, Morgan Crafton

Honors Theses

In 2022, Disney CEO Bob Chepak spoke out against the "Don't Say Gay" bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis’ supporters derisively labeled Disney as “woke." However, the company does not warrant the label. Though Fourth Wave feminism has broadened Disney’s idea of a woman, the entertainment company largely operates with a postfeminist lens that prevents its heroines from being feminist representations of women. Audiences see this in "Frozen," (2013), "Moana" (2016), "Encanto" (2021), and "Turning Red" (2022). Disney’s postfeminist rhetoric allows it to portray supposedly progressive women without challenging societal notions of misogyny. Thus, Disney’s criticisms for “wokeness” …

Myth And Monument In Old Town Albuquerque: Southwest Pietà And The War Of Presiding Histories, Eric Castillo

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Luis Jiménez’s Southwest Pietà (1984) intended to combat cultural amnesia that obscured Native Americans’ and Mexicans’ contributions to the state. Jiménez’s Pietà sought to counter the iconography that shaped New Mexico’s colonialist heritage. But Old Town Albuquerque shrouds Native American and Mexican contributions to the region. Albuquerque’s public art has often been deployed as a wedge to write and rewrite narratives about land inhabitants, but the city’s public art tells a powerful story about race and place in New Mexico. This essay explores the socio-historical battle of land memorialization in Old Town Albuquerque and provides a geo-racial perspective about the …

Burn The Sympathy, Gabino Noriega Iii

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Poem

Fatphobia In Ballet: The Impact Of Organizational Practices On Body Size And Mental Health In American Ballet Companies, Ashley Chenery

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In American ballet companies, female dancers’ weights factor into decisions regarding hiring, casting, and promotions. However, female dancers are now using social media to speak out against fatphobic organizational practices. This paper analyzes personal accounts of size discrimination posted to Instagram and YouTube by high-profile veteran ballerinas of New York City Ballet. It also includes interviews with professional Gen Z ballerinas (in companies spanning the US), who discuss current fatphobic practices in companies and schools. Utilizing qualitative coding, this paper seeks to disarticulate thinness from artistry and to urge mental health as a priority in American ballet.

Curanderismo, Gabino Noriega Iii

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

N/A

Don’T Bite The Hand, Make Love To It: Disrupting Pervasive White Representation In Mitski’S “Your Best American Girl”, Nicole Bussey

Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards (WLURAs)

In 2016, indie-rock artist Mitski released a music video for her song, “Your Best American Girl.” Mitski Miyawaki, a Japanese American, wrote the song from the perspective of a woman who is unable to have a relationship with her white love interest due to their disparate social positions. The music video engages with the song’s message, adding nuance and complexity through the audiovisual medium. The music video for “Your Best American Girl” chronicles Mitski’s journey towards self-acceptance while critiquing the pervasive whiteness that permeates popular romantic narratives. Through a close textual analysis, this essay aims to analyze the ways in …

Representation Of Lgbtq Identity On Social Media: Multimodality Analysis On Instagram Account @Yayasangayanusantara, Muhammad Fauzi Fitri Andika, Ana Indriastuti, Khoirunnisa Nur Fithria, Pramudya Ardhika Hernanto, Tutik Wijayanti

Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia

This research examines the representation of LGBTQ identity on Instagram using multimodal content analysis on the @yayasangayanusantara account. Using Muted Theory, this study highlights how LGBTQ identities are formed and presented in social and digital contexts. Instagram was identified as an essential platform for authentic and multidimensional LGBTQ identities by challenging conventional stereotypes and discrimination in traditional media. The research methodology involves qualitative analysis of various forms of content (text, images, and videos). The main focus is how LGBTQ individuals use social media to express themselves, seek support, and build solidarity. The findings show that Instagram is not just a …

Implementation Of Violations Of The Ite Law Article 27 Verse (2) Of 2016 Concerning Promotion Of Online Gambling By Influencers In Indonesia, Mohammad Fawaid Pradika, Lukman Taufik Tri Hidayat, Achmad Habib Dwi Prakoso, Aasim Ahmad Khan

Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia

The 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) which was created by the government to tackle cyber problems has generated a lot of controversy, one of which is the regulation governing online gambling and its promotion in Article 27 verse (2) of the ITE Law. A number of influencers violate these regulations by using social media to promote online gambling, which carries a moral burden of influence in promoting illegal products, to provide good universal service to the community. Furthermore, as someone who has many followers, one influencer also has high public interest which requires, as someone who is …

The Politics Of Science Communication In Indonesia: Understanding The Role Of Science Academies, Uswatul Chabibah, Nur Rafiza Putri, Inaya Rakhmani, Muhamad Burhanudin, Wahyu Adiningtyas

Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia

The role of Indonesian academies as science communicators evolves together with changing government regimes. Globally, science academies are typically not-for-profit, independent academic communities committed to providing advice for the nation in matters pertaining to science and technology. In Indonesia, science academies are historically formed under state regimes. This article, drawing on Niilo Kauppi’s framework, examines five years of science communication by the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, and two organizations under its auspices: the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences and the Indonesian Science Fund. It reflects on their efforts to bridge the gaps between science, policy, and the public. Within the …

What's In It For Me? Applying Social Exchange Theory To Beverage Brand Engagement On Facebook, Destiny Elise Rinder

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Managing engagement with existing and potential consumers on social networking sites has proven to be a challenge for many brands (Gretry et al., 2017). Focusing on the marketing communications of American beverage brands on Facebook, the researcher aimed to learn why some brands earn more engagement than competing brands. To answer this question, the researcher conducted a qualitative study that utilized a content analysis. Social exchange theory was applied to the findings of the content analysis, which allowed the researcher to perceive and interpret the high-value rewards of brand communication. Applying a communication theory that combines behavioral psychology and elementary …

Principal Agency 50 Years After The Lau Decision: Building And Sustaining Bilingual Education Programs For Asian Languages, Kevin M. Wong, Zhongfeng Tian

Education Division Scholarship

This study examined how three champion principals of Asian language dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs—Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin—in California have navigated the oscillating language-in-education policies after the Lau decision. We explored principals' various roles through a lens of agency in a social justice leadership framework, specifically considering the opportunities and challenges for agentive leadership from three different phases: foregrounding and engaging, planning and implementing, and evaluating and sustaining. Findings demonstrate that the success of DLBE programs goes beyond the overarching language policies that supposedly enable bilingual education; rather it hinges on the bottom-up commitment, collaboration and resilience of principals, …

Archiving The Ephemeral In Digital Public Space: Using Speculative Design To Consider Collaborative Fan Play In The Metaverse, Naomi Jacobs

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Looking at fan activity through the lens of play, this paper considers the archiving opportunities and challenges posed by new technology for playful ephemeral fan co-creation in multiplatform digital contexts. These include technical concerns such as platform fragility and how to capture inherent liveness and temporality, but also ethical concerns such as sustainability, consent and content moderation.

To examine this, the paper takes fan-created alternate reality games (ARGs) as a particular example of such archiving challenges. It first describes a real example of such a game, ‘Blow the Man Down’ before introducing speculative design as a method to consider a …

Building Bridges Ii: Papers From The Fanlis 2024 Symposium, Ludi Price, Lyn Robinson

Proceedings from the Document Academy

No abstract provided.

Carceral Liberalism: Feminist Voices Against State Violence, Andrea Michaels

Feminist Pedagogy

The following book review of Shreerekha Pillai’s Carceral Liberalism: Feminist Voices against State Violence (2023) is an expansive and timely collection of essays on the carceral state in its implications for feminist educators. This review focuses on the connections and connectivity of two essays in the collection that attempt to address a minor examination of the person as political.

Interprofessional Collaboration As A Feminist Pedagogy: A Call For The Unsettling Of Care In Health Professions Education, Ivana Guarrasi, Rhonda Cornell, Sally Clemenson

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Space And Place In The Civil Rights Discourse Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Pamelia Adams

Communication Theses

This thesis, The Use of Space and Place in the Civil Rights Discourse of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., analyzes the academic literature on the social change agent. The study provides a deeper understanding of the relevance of place/location, where Dr. King delivered his civil rights message nationally and internationally. Three historically significant sites and the events impacting the civil rights movement, in the cities of Washington, D.C. and Birmingham, Alabama, are examined. The three sites included in Chapter 2: The Jail Site, Chapter 3: The Bombing Site, and Chapter 4: The March Sites as examples. The main findings of …

Rhetorical Tapestries Of Water Injustice: The Framing Of (In)Access And (In)Justice In The Struggle For Water Security In The United States, Carla R. Richards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that access to clean water is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of environmental justice. It critiques existing communication and rhetorical scholarship for overlooking the environmental dimensions of water access and justice. This gap hinders progress toward equity for marginalized communities disproportionately burdened by water insecurity.

This project proposes a communication approach that prioritizes culturally relevant strategies to empower these communities in advocating for their environmental rights and health needs. By bridging the communication and environmental justice fields, this project equips communities with the tools to demand fair solutions. It ultimately calls for a transformative shift …

Opportunities To Learn In Rural South Carolina Schools: Rurality, Place, And Passion, Grig Sawyer

All Dissertations

High school principals can change the status quo of the current iniquitous disparities in the education system between South Carolina’s rural high schools and their more populated and affluent suburban schools. Using a non-standard structure and the resources in their control, these school leaders can find solutions so schools can offer rural students advanced math and science programs. Yet, there is a paucity of studies examining how small rural school principals make advanced math and science courses available to their students, particularly in rural South Carolina. Thus, studies must examine how South Carolina school leaders successfully offer advanced math and …

We're Swarming Again! Swarming, Collectivity, And Trope: The Case Of Extinction Rebellion, Tyler J. Behymer

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the rhetoric of the eco-movement Extinction Rebellion, focusing on the use of swarming and nature tropes to mobilize collective action and revivify contemporary notions of collectivity. Drawing on rhetoric of social movement scholarship, cultural studies, and psychoanalysis, this essay theorizes swarming as a tropological economy that expands the conditions of propriety in the context of collectivity. Through an analysis of Extinction Rebellion’s discourse, this study demonstrates how the naturalization of swarming tropes works in various ways to rewild conventional political discourse, galvanize disruptive collective assembly, and challenge green neoliberalism.

Advisor: Casey Ryan Kelly

Praying To Tiktok, Seeking The Self: How Rhetoric Reveals And Conceals The World’S Most Powerful Guru Of The Postindustrial Age, Samantha L. Gillespie-Hoffman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Imagine a world where the most powerful leader is a wellness guru that runs an elaborate church with millions of followers. The guru is so powerful that everyone believes they can read minds and make ordinary people rich and famous. The guru controls forms of communication, media channels, consumer tastes, and what people eat, drink, say, and even think. What if this guru was not human but actually an algorithm? Does this sound like the plot of a science fiction novel? I argue that this scenario is closer to reality than most will admit. In this project, readers encounter a …

The Transnational Semiotics Of “Policing Murals”: How Representations Of Police Power In Murals Conceal And Reveal State Violence, Vivian A. Swayne

Doctoral Dissertations

Murals tell visual stories that legitimize/delegitimize formations of state power, conceal/reveal state violence, and attract collective interface from diverse parties. Scholars, artists, and organizers have studied murals as an aesthetic medium, tools for social movements, affective memorials, and episodes of conflict in the public space, but patterns and distinctions in the local, global, and digital duration of policing murals requires critical analysis. Policing murals refers to (1) murals made by police (and/or their advocates) to reproduce its preferred representations and (2) the censorship and control of unauthorized murals. Murals painted on police departments share semiotics globally, all of which conceal …

Increasing Social Entrepreneurship In Digital Media For Individuals With Lupus And Low Vision, Firmansyah Firmansyah, Andalusia Neneng Permatasari, Arba'iyah Satriani, Ratri Rizki Kusumalestari, Septiawan Santana Kurnia

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This paper discusses the development of social entrepreneurship empowerment for individuals with lupus and limitations in vision through Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), defined based on identifying their substantial aspects. After defining the characteristics of conditions of individuals with disadvantaged health, such as lupus and low vision, an ABCD approach is developed. The approach is planned within the framework of business development using digital media, carrying out five key steps—Discovery, Dream, Design, Define, and Destiny. It is argued that the ABCD concept can be effective in the continuity of the empowerment process, particularly in helping individuals with health inequalities. This study …

Social Media Microinterventions: Testing Information Activism As A Media And Information Literacy Tool, Maia Klaassen, Maria Murumaa-Mengel, Marju Himma

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Several studies have shown the effect of information activism and microinterventions, such as I Am Here International, the Elves and #NAFO to combat information disorder and hate online. Nevertheless, microinterventions have yet to be conceptualised in promoting media and information literacy (MIL) and informational resilience. This study positions microinterventions as information activism tools and empirically tests microinterventions in the context of higher education. Using an action research approach at a university MIL training course, we aim to understand what types of information activism are used and how the collective interventions affected the participants' MIL-s. We construct a typology of information …

Memetic Memory As Vital Conduits Of Troublemakers In Digital Culture, Alexander O. Smith, Jordan Loewen-Colón

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

Recent fears of data capitalism and colonialism often argue using implicit assumptions about cybernetic technology’s ability to automate data about culture. As such, the level of data granularity made possible by cybernetic engineering can be used to dominate society and culture. Here we unpack these implicit assumptions about the datafication of culture through memes, which both act as cultural data and cultural memory. Using Alexander Galloway’s critical method of protocological analysis and descriptions of media tactics, we respond to fears of cybernetic domination. Protocols – the source by which cybernetic technologies enable automated datafication – enables us to respond to …

Exploring Recognition, Rewards, And The Multi-Generational Workforce During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sara J. Hollenbeck

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

This study sheds light on the importance of rewards and recognition programs in improving employee engagement and highlights the need for organizations to rethink their rewards and recognition strategies to better meet the needs of multi-generational employees. One problem found in organizations was that many current multi-generational employees had low engagement due, in part, to outdated rewards and recognition programs (Agarwal et al., 2018; North, 2017; O.C. Tanner Institute, 2021). There was a gap in research regarding multi-generational employees in multiple professions and their perceptions of rewards and recognition and how those monetary and non-monetary rewards could affect their engagement …

Examination Of Ugandan Educators’ Cultural Preferences When Teaching Agriculture: A Q Methodological Study, Rebekah Mccarty, Shannon Norris-Parish, Don Edgar, Lacey Roberts-Hill, Jeff Witte

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Increasing human capital is a critical challenge of developmental aid. Secondary education is known to be the single greatest contributor to agricultural productivity in developing countries. Ultimately, as technology advances, researchers and curriculum designers must investigate variables influencing the successful transmission of agricultural information or the gap will widen. We used framing theory to examine the impact of culture on the adoption of educational resources in a developing nation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cultural preferences of educators in Uganda when engaging with educational materials created by individuals from a developed nation. We used Q methodology …

The Dangers Of Terrorist Organizations Using Deepfakes And Ways To Confront, Mohammad Bedeir

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

Societal reliance on digital data and cyber technology has increased, and an amazing boom in the field of artificial intelligence technologies has occurred in recent years, resulting in the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into daily life, through smart devices and smart cities, and although this has many advantages, as it is used in the entertainment and media industries, it also represents an increasing vulnerability to cyberattacks, which may manifest itself in deepfake attacks.

The researcher relied on the descriptive analytical approach, with the aim of describing the phenomenon under research, studying it from its various dimensions and aspects, and …

Black Radio’S Contribution To Collective And Cultural Memory: Personnel Perspectives Of Black Radio History In The United States, Kim Fox

Faculty Journal Articles

This interdisciplinary research investigates the significance of the community connection between Black radio personnel and their audiences through the lens of collective and cultural memory narratives. The study addresses two key research questions. First, how do Black radio personnel’s collective and cultural memories contribute to the Black public sphere? Second, what are the defining characteristics in developing parasocial relationships and interactions between Black radio personalities and their audiences? The qualitative research employs an autoethnographic methodology and a questionnaire, utilizing insights gained from the author’s experiences working at a Black-owned radio network and station. The questionnaire, distributed to key informants in …

Estranged Temporality: How Time Tells Stories In Science Fiction, Phillip H. Howells

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

According to Darko Suvin in his influential critical treatise, Metamorphoses of Science Fiction, estrangement in Science Fiction (SF) gives authors the ability to build worlds related to but distant from our own using specific metaphors. This dissertation takes up this term and applies it to the fulcrum of time in SF as a method of creating possible futures and imaginative pasts in order to illuminate the realities of the present. The realities of the present are congruent with the material circumstances of the past, and this can be seen in the kinds of SF worlds built by members of …

Exploring Gen Z’S Identity Formation And Its Influence On Consumption Of Pop Culture And Entertainment Merchandise, Melisa Annette Spilinek

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Fandoms have grown in size and influence, becoming a complex and dynamic cultural phenomenon that richly impacts the consumption of media and consumer behavior. The capitalistic United States with its diverse and media-savvy population, is a prime destination to study fan studies, particularly among young adults who are a crucial component of fandom influence.

The internet has grown to be a major component of the fan experience, an integral part of fandom culture. Online communities provide avenues for Generation Z to connect with others who share similar struggles, challenges, and interests, highlighting the importance of digital platofrms on the evolution …