Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Book Review: Making Media Studies By David Gauntlett, Antonio Lopez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Making Media Studies is a collection of previously published and updated works by David Gauntlett, including his infamous essay, “Media Studies 2.0.” It explores ways in which the traditional media studies paradigm has been disrupted by prosumers and the practices of everyday people and DIY “makers” who are using the internet to learn, make things and share ideas. He argues that media studies practitioners need to learn from the makers movement to encourage more creativity, design thinking and conversation. Gauntlett positions himself as an optimist and criticizes overly negative approaches to internet culture that he sees as common among media …

Book Review: Healthy Teens, Healthy Schools By Vanessa Domine, Hailee K. Dunn

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

Smartphone Apps In Education: Students Create Videos To Teach Smartphone Use As Tool For Learning, Kara E. Clayton, Amanda Murphy

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Smartphones are regular classroom accessories. Educators should work with children to understand the capacity of smartphones for learning and civic engagement, rather than being a classroom distraction. This research supports a collaborative project the authors engaged in with students in two states to discover what the perception of smartphone use was by students and teachers. One element of this project included students producing YouTube style tutorials on the educational use of mobile apps. The authors explored smartphone use in the classroom. Student created products correlated to technology trends in K-12 education and their relationship with state by state demographic data.

What Do You Use Mobile Phones For? A Creative Method Of Thematic Drawing With Adolescents In Rural China, Jiachun Hong

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study sets out to explore Chinese adolescents’ subjectivities toward the use of mobile phones, and reveal the dynamic relationship among students, parents, and school concerning mobile phone usage in rural China. Twenty-one high school students were recruited, and asked to draw a painting that expresses their perceptions of mobile phones in relation to family and school life. After analyzing the thematic drawings and their self-explanations upon the drawings, several themes arise: the mobile phone as a bridge of love, as an extension of the home, as an iron cage, as the blasting fuse of family conflicts, and as a …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Social Networking Site Privacy Awareness Through A Media Literacy Lens, David Magolis, Audra Briggs

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research study focused on the social networking site (SNS) awareness of undergraduate students, examining their experiences through the type and extent of the information shared on their SNSs in order to discover the students’ experiences with SNS privacy. A phenomenological research approach was used to interview eight undergraduate to explore the question, “what is the nature of undergraduate students’ social networking privacy?” Each recorded interview lasted up to one hour in duration and was transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that all of the participants were aware of their online privacy, but each had different …

Subjectivity Filtering: Finding Cognitive Authority In Online Social Media Opinion Posts, Laurie J. Bonnici

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The technological explosion of information ushered in by the Internet, and more so with online social media (OSM), has provided a forest of personal opinions from which hunters forage. Personal opinions abound in OSM, serving as secondhand knowledge sources that inform everyday decisions. This research proposes a new lens, Cognitive Authority Framework – Quality Information Source (CAF-QIS), to explore the nature, tone, intentions, and believability of OSM postings. The conceptual framework is informed by Wilson’s four dimensions of cognitive authority (CA) combined with the five traditional criteria used as a common (unnamed) model for the identification of information quality in …

Incubating An Internet Identity, Nolan Kresnak

Honors Papers and Posters

This poster explores the process of creating and fostering an Internet identity and grow an online audience, particularly through the website YouTube.

Online Information Seeking By Patients With Bipolar Disorder: Results From An International Multisite Survey, Jörn Conell, Rita Bauer, Tasha Glenn, Martin Alda, Raffaella Ardau, Bernhard T. Baune, Michael Berk, Yuly Bersudsky, Amy Bilderbeck, Alberto Bocchetta, Letizia Bossini, Angela Marianne Paredes Castron, Eric Yat Wo Cheung, Caterina Chillotti, Sabine Choppin, Maria Del Zompo, Rodrigo Dias, Seetal Dodd, Anne Duffy, Bruno Etain, Andrea Fagiolini, Julie Garnham, John Geddes, Jonas Gidebro, Ana Gonzalez-Pinto, Guy M. Goodwin, Paul Grof, Hirohiko Harima, Stefanie Hassel, Chantal Henry, Diego Hidalgo-Mazzei, Vaisnvy Kapur, Girish Kunigiri, Beny Lafer, Chun Lam, Erik Roj Larsen, Ute Lewitzka, Ramus Licht, Anne Hvenegaard Lund, Blazej Misiak, Patryk Piotrowski, Scott Monteith, Rodrigo Munoz, Takako Nakanotani, René E. Nielsen, Claire O'Donovan, Yasushi Okamura, Yamima Osher, Andreas Reif, Philipp Ritter, Janusz K. Rybakowski, Kemal Sagduyu, Brett Sawchuk, Elon Shwartz, Ângela Miranda Scippa, Claire Slaney, Ahmad Hatim Sulaiman, Kirsi Suominen, Aleksandra Suwalska, Peter Tam, Yoshitaka Tatebayashi, Leonardo Tondo, Eduard Vieta, Maj Vinberg, Biju Viswanath, Julia Volkert, Mark Zetin, Iñaki Zorrilla, Peter C. Whybrow, Michael Bauer

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Information seeking is an important coping mechanism for dealing with chronic illness. Despite a growing number of mental health websites, there is little understanding of how patients with bipolar disorder use the Internet to seek information.

Methods

A 39 question, paper-based, anonymous survey, translated into 12 languages, was completed by 1222 patients in 17 countries as a convenience sample between March 2014 and January 2016. All patients had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder from a psychiatrist. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equations to account for correlated data.

Results

976 (81 % of 1212 valid responses) …

Understanding How Intentionally Unplugging From Cell Phones Shapes Interpersonal Relationships And The Undergraduate College Experience, Jadelin P. Felipe

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than …

Professional Resource: The Routledge Companion To Remix Studies (2015), Benjamin Thevenin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

Padawan’S Journey: Remixing Star Wars Radio For Adolescent Literacy Education, Mark J. Davis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The Star Wars phenomenon motivates adolescents who may be disengaged in the classroom. The wealth of visual content may overshadow the power of the music, sound effects, and dialogue. In literacy education, skills are often practiced by reading and discussing traditional texts. In this digital literacy project, struggling readers remixed the Star Wars canon through audio storytelling. Students served as actors, Foley artists, and directors in the recording of brief episodes based on the original trilogy. The project heightens students’ oral fluency and text comprehension by engaging in close reading and structured dialogue. The recordings demonstrate how students can be …

The Think Aloud Approach. A Promising Tool For Online Reading Comprehension, Stefania Carioli, Andrea Peru

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Despite its unquestionable interest from a theoretical and practical point of view, so far there has been little research on online reading and there is a lack of attention paid to this topic in most European educational institutions. In particular, primary and secondary school teachers are not adequately trained on how and when to intervene to support students’ proficiency in the online reading comprehension. After presenting a rationale demonstrating why students may struggle with online reading comprehension and the importance to adopt a self-regulated reading, this study proposes a Teacher’s Guide that could support late primary and secondary school teachers …

The Issues And Challenges Of Assessing Media Literacy Education, Evelien A. Schilder, Barbara B. Lockee, D. Patrick Saxon

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In the media literacy literature, the challenges associated with assessment have, to a great extent, been ignored. The purpose of this mixed methods study was therefore to explore the views of media literacy scholars and professionals on assessment challenges through qualitative interviews (n = 10) with the intent of using this information to develop a quantitative survey to validate and extend the qualitative findings with a larger sample of media literacy professionals and scholars from around the world (n = 133). The findings offer an overview of the assessment challenges encountered by these participants.

Why Does Film And Television Sci-Fi Tend To Portray Machines As Being Human?, Edward Brennan

Conference Papers

This paper identifies, and attempts to explain, a lack of diversity in the way that cinema and television science fiction represents robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Through a qualitative content analysis of recent film and television portrayals, it is argued, that a limited and limiting vision predominates. This limitation may serve to ideologically reinforce the power of corporate elites. It may also hamper discussion and debate around technological possibilities and their relationship with society.

There has been a slew of entertainment productions since 2013 that represent AI and robotics. This work examines Her (2013), Transcendence (2014), Interstellar (2014), Chappie (2015), …

Putting Assessment Into Action: Selected Projects From The First Cohort Of The Assessment In Action Grant, Darren Sweeper

Sprague Library Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Broadband And Mobile Internet Services In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Larry J. Mcelravy Jr.

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that home broadband adoption has plateaued in the United States. In addition, there has been an increase in adults who use a smartphone to access the Internet but do not have traditional broadband service in their home. Given these national trends, how do rural Nebraskans access the Internet? Are they accessing the Internet from their cell phones? Are they subscribing to high-speed Internet services at home? How satisfied are they with their Internet services? How important do they feel Internet access is for various items? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these …

Officer On Duty: How An Image Can Change In An Instant, Derrick Battle

Masters Theses

The deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice sparked an uproar in many communities across the United States. These incidents brought to light that there is an issue that remains prevalent between citizen and police officers. The New York Police Department, Ferguson Police Department, and the Cleveland Department of Police have all dealt with tension involving the communities they serve. Since these incidents changes have been made within each department. Some had the help of the Department of Justice to reform old polices. While law enforcement does what they believe it is necessary to protect the public, sometimes …

Texting Etiquette And Its Effects On Our Perceptions Of Intimate Relationships, Taylor Clarke

Communication Studies

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the association between texting habits and characteristics and partner perceptions of intimate relationships. This study investigates multiple aspects of texting such as: temporality, participants’ perceived satisfaction with their significant other, length of text messages, frequency of communication, among others. It is hypothesized that texting etiquette and its various sub-components will be influential in how participants will rate their level of satisfaction (closeness, intimacy, emotional support, and effort) with their significant other. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with college-aged participants. They were asked questions regarding the texting etiquette of their significant other as well as …

Adapting Nonverbal Coding Theory To Mobile Mediated Communication: An Analysis Of Emoji And Other Digital Nonverbals, Carley Durante

Masters Theses

Nonverbal communication has been an area of communication theory studied for decades. Despite more daily communication occurring over mediated communication, there is a lack of research surrounding digital communication, specifically mobile-mediated communication (MMC). While there has been research conducted regarding computer-mediated communication (CMC), specifically studies examining email communication and instant messaging (IM), the mobile conversation is relatively untouched by current scholarship. This paper will streamline nonverbal coding research to set the groundwork for application and translation of nonverbal coding elements to mobile-mediated communication and the text message conversation. Even more specifically, the elements of kinesics, vocalics, and chronemics will be …

Fandom And Social Media Marketing: Looking At Doctor Who Tumblr Engagement Through The Lens Of Participatory Culture, Elizabeth Demeo

Masters Theses

In social media marketing, the most important aspect that brands and companies try to reach for is engagement with their audience. Today’s audience is no longer filled with passive consumers, but active participants. Nowhere is this more obvious than with fans of entertainment television. When television fans go on social media, they look to actively discuss, share content, and engage with other fans of the show. In the realm of entertainment television and social media marketing, the Doctor Who Tumblr has both a strong presence and an engaged audience. In 2013, the Tumblr page won a Shorty Award for its …

Position The Brand: Identify The Role Of Social Media For Public Accounting Firms In Digital Age, Linbo Yao

Masters Theses

Due to the popularity of social media, accounting industry gradually adapts to using social media for their social benefits and social business. Various social media platforms provide new approach for accounting companies to get involved in this modern digital age. The present study is intended to investigate the roles of social media in public accounting firms in modern digital age by comparing three largest public accounting firms’ social media usages in Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook is community-based network that allows people to connect and make friends with each other. Twitter is a micro blogging network that delivers short and …

The Ebola Crisis: A Communicative Response From Samaritan's Purse, Bailie Porter

Masters Theses

Crisis does not discriminate. It can strike without warning, at any time or place. Managers, organizations, and leaders alike, must be ready at all times to respond to them, whether they are planned for or not. An efficient and quick response is especially necessary when health crises or natural disasters strike, because human life may be at stake. Crisis communication has become more and more important in a world that is daily filled with catastrophes. This study uses W. Timothy Coomb’s situational crisis communication theory as a lens to view the Ebola crisis. The purpose of the research is to …

"Nobody Can #Dragmedown": An Analysis Of The One Direction Fandom's Ability To Influence And Dominate Worldwide Twitter Trends, Nicole Kelsey Santero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With more than 25 million followers and counting, One Direction is currently the biggest boy band in the world, and its fans—known as “Directioners”—have become one of the most visible and recognizable fandoms to utilize social media, especially Twitter. Drawing upon an updated version of a fan theory highlighting the interpretive community and social hierarchy that exist within a fandom, this study examines the participatory culture among One Direction fans online that helps them create and dominate worldwide Twitter trends, as well as overshadow what is regarded as more serious news topics. Although previous research studies have examined Directioners and …

Investigating How Restaurant Week's Price Promotion Affects Diners' Online Perceptions, Jian Zhao

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Price promotion is being widely employed in the global restaurant industry. This exploratory study uses online user-generated content (UGC) to investigate how price promotion affects diners’ perceptions. The study uses secondary data extracted from a Chinese third-party review website, Dianping.com. The data was separated into Restaurant Week’s price promotion group and non-price promotion group for comparison. Structured content analysis and further chi-square tests were used to analyze qualitative data, and a two-way MANOVA was applied to analyze quantitative data. Empirical evidence shows that food, service, and environment are the top three determinant attributes for full-service restaurants, and they are not …

Your Face Betrays You: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of Lie To Me, Caroline Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research concerning the consequences of edutainment has revealed that television shows have the capability to influence audience members. As the lines between education and entertainment are becoming increasingly blurred, viewers may not be aware of how watching such shows impacts them. Lie to Me is a popular edutainment television series that educates viewers about the power of micro expressions. Ekman has dedicated a large part of his life to the development of research related to micro expressions. The show’s main character, Cal Lightman, portrayed Paul Ekman’s special talents and knowledge through his ability to detect micro expressions. The first three …

The Effect Of Relational And Interactive Aspects Of Parasocial Experiences On Attitudes And Message Resistance, Riva Tukachinsky, Angeline Sangalang

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study examines direct and interaction effects of parasocial interactions (PSIs) and relationships (PSRs) on message resistance (reactance and counterarguing) and message-consistent attitudes. PSI involves the give-and-take within the media encounter, whereas PSR entails the relational bonding with the media figure that continues to exist outside the context of any particular media exposure. A 2 (high/low PSI) × 2 (high/low PSR) experiment revealed that PSI (but not PSR) can increase message resistance, particularly when PSR is low. No significant effects of PSR/PSI on attitudes were found. The study suggests that, contrary to past theorization, PSIs may facilitate, rather than reduce, …

Establishing A Brand: How To Create A Household Name For A Wine Brand Through Social Media And Image, Megan Rodrigues

Journalism

This paper was conducted as a Senior Project for the Journalism Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California during a 10 week quarter. This paper explores the topic of wine branding through social media and image. The research for this paper consisted of interviews with three experts that are currently working in the wine industry as well as a literature review of several articles and books that support the topic. The questions that arose about wine branding, brand recognition, social media, wine label and image during the literature review were then asked to the three experts: …

Review: A Pedagogy Of Powerful Communication: Youth Radio And Radio Arts In The Multilingual Classroom, Jillian M. Belanger

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this review of Dana Walker's 2014 book A Pedagogy of Powerful Communication: Youth Radio and Radio Arts in the Multilingual Classroom, Jillian Belanger recounts the project's four main aims of media production, community engagement, student confidence, and language development, and offers insight to what made Walker's work engaging English Learners with youth radio production a success, including recommendations for how her findings might be replicated in other environments.

Review: Sexualized Media Messages And Our Children: Teaching Kids To Be Smart Critics And Consumers, Becky Michelson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Today’s youth are exposed to sexualized media at an alarming rate. The inundation of sexuality and gender stereotypes is further perpetuated by youth interactions with celebrity culture, the search for fame, and social media. In her book, Sexualized Media Messages and Our Children: Teaching Kids to be Smart Critics and Consumers, Jennifer Shewmaker explains the increasingly sexualized media’s effects on the self-esteem, identity formations, and sexual behavior of youth. Shewmaker offers a research-based approach to the detrimental effects of media that is supplemented by case studies, interactive media critique exercises, and discussion pointers for influential adults and educators in …

What Do Facts Have To Do With It? Exploring Instructional Emphasis In The Stony Brook News Literacy Curriculum, Jennifer Fleming

Journal of Media Literacy Education

An analytic matrix comprised of multiple media literacy teaching and learning principles is conceptualized to examine a model of news literacy developed by journalism educators at Stony Brook University. The multidimensional analysis indicates that news literacy instructors focus on teaching students how to question and assess the veracity of news texts, and their approach favors cognitive skill development over other ways people make meaning of media messages. Based on these findings, a cognitive theory of news literacy is proposed as a means to situate the journalistic methods and mindsets that informed the Stony Brook curriculum within the parameters of established …