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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Communication

Honors Projects in Communication

Communication Technology and New Media

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

If You Can't Take The Tweet: Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility Through The Lens Of Social Media Marketing, Julia Winterhalter Apr 2022

If You Can't Take The Tweet: Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility Through The Lens Of Social Media Marketing, Julia Winterhalter

Honors Projects in Communication

Companies are increasingly taking action on societal issues and are aware of the impact that their corporate voice has on impressionable publics. Existing research focuses greatly on corporate social responsibility and the moral standards that set up companies to market themselves authentically to the values they build themselves on. The current study explores how three companies utilize their platform to share their values in relation to ethical issues arising in the modern world. Through the Twitter accounts of Ben & Jerry's, Patagonia, and Starbucks, a content analysis was conducted on their use of language related to their ethical standpoints on …


What Makes A Successful Social Media Influencer?, Catherine Jokela Apr 2021

What Makes A Successful Social Media Influencer?, Catherine Jokela

Honors Projects in Communication

Social media have changed the way people communicate and live their lives. And as might be imagined, with new platforms come new opportunities. One of those opportunities is becoming a social media influencer. Social media influencers can earn fame and fortune, but how is that success measured? In depth interviews with Katy Bellotte and Mikayla Nogueira, two successful social media influencers, will be analyzed to answer the question, “What makes a social media influencer successful?”


Name Of The Game: A Media Analysis Of Concussion Terminology In Documentary Film, Kaitlyn Graham May 2018

Name Of The Game: A Media Analysis Of Concussion Terminology In Documentary Film, Kaitlyn Graham

Honors Projects in Communication

This project explores the way concussions are communicated to us through the use of documentary film. By examining the use of concussion related terms, as well as the tone and general word choice, it can be seen that there are certain words and phrases that are commonly left out, and others that are used too much. The differences in the usage of these words and tones reflects the current concussion crisis occurring in many contact sports around the world. This media analysis was conducted with the goal of finding trends in how concussions are discussed depending on the sport and …


Think Before You Click: An Analysis Of Facebook As A Source Of News, Lauren Malone May 2018

Think Before You Click: An Analysis Of Facebook As A Source Of News, Lauren Malone

Honors Projects in Communication

The purpose of this study is to analyze how millennial college students perceive and interpret the news-related content that is posted on the social networking website Facebook. The news that this study is focused on is related to major events in American politics, especially this past Presidential election. One research question was developed to compete this study: what influence are news stories being shared on Facebook having on millennials? In order to determine the answer to this question, focus groups with college students at Bryant University were held in which the students were asked to evaluate a news article and …


Chasing Success: A Cultivated Reality, Anastasia Bevillard Apr 2018

Chasing Success: A Cultivated Reality, Anastasia Bevillard

Honors Projects in Communication

George Gerbner’s cultivation theory claims that people who consume heavy amounts of media are more likely to be influenced by those messages to believe the media reality as opposed to actual reality. Using cultivation theory as the basis for study, I performed a cultivation analysis examining the intersection of mass media and perceptions of success among college-aged young adults living in the United States. The analysis focused on three main points: (1) How mass media perceives and subsequently demonstrates success. (2) The impact of mass media on young adults living in America. (3) What reality of success is cultivated by …


Uncovering America’S Horror Story: A Content And Critical Analysis Of American Horror Story., Jessica Maio Apr 2016

Uncovering America’S Horror Story: A Content And Critical Analysis Of American Horror Story., Jessica Maio

Honors Projects in Communication

The popular television series American Horror Story has captivated millions of Americans with its shocking and twisted plotlines that never fail to surprise. Perhaps one of the reasons that the show has become so popular is that it uses the horror genre as a way to explore controversial topics. The purpose of this project is to examine the controversial topics that are presented in American Horror Society and compare them with the current views of mainstream society to determine whether the show primarily reflects the views of the larger society or challenges them. In other words, how does American Horror …


The Implications Of Viral Media & Advocacy: Kony 2012, Cassandra Bopp Dec 2012

The Implications Of Viral Media & Advocacy: Kony 2012, Cassandra Bopp

Honors Projects in Communication

This research paper analyzes the video “Kony 2012” as an example of advocacy film making and viral media. By analyzing critical sources, I draw conclusions as to why this video became the most viral video of all time and how other advocacy groups can use this phenomenon to learn about viral advocacy media. Using data from LexisNexis Academic, I track the popularity of “Kony 2012” via different forms of media (blogs, news articles, etc.) and compare my data to prior research conducted on social media sites. Ultimately, I will find that several key characteristics can be pinpointed as the primary …


Twitter: Businesses Increasing Their Revenues 140 Characters At A Time, Adekemi O. Oyalabu Apr 2012

Twitter: Businesses Increasing Their Revenues 140 Characters At A Time, Adekemi O. Oyalabu

Honors Projects in Communication

With the consumer market becoming more competitive by the day, businesses must find innovative yet cost effective means of reaching their target markets and steadily increasing their revenues. While businesses compete with one another to remain the best, they must have a strategic market plan that differentiates their products and/or services from their competitors. In an effort to do this, many businesses have begun using social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn as a means of reaching their target markets. Such sites have opened businesses to a new level of advertising where they reach consumers faster, have the …


A New Definition Of Reading: Exploring Media Literacy In A Changing World, Theresa Navarra Apr 2012

A New Definition Of Reading: Exploring Media Literacy In A Changing World, Theresa Navarra

Honors Projects in Communication

The purpose of this study is to look at media literacy and how it is taught. Considering the rapid advances in technology which have led us to read more than just books, this research argues for a new form of literacy. Through focus group discussions and an analysis of a background questionnaire in support of those discussions, this study discovered that media literacy education in its current state may be having more of a negative effect on students than it anticipates. This research demonstrates the students who have taken media literacy courses, in direct comparison with those who have not, …