Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Making Of Wars: Analysis Of The Franchise Management Of God Of War And Gears Of War, William Seaton

All Theses

Two of the most prominent franchises in the video game industry are God of War and Gears of War. These franchises, produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and Xbox Game Studios (XGS), respectively, and their presentation through company blogs offer insight into the franchise management strategies and franchise conceptualizations that their parent companies have. Understanding these franchising aspects furthers knowledge on how these companies, two of the three largest video game producers, engage in franchising behaviors through discourse. Utilizing a framework of the discourse of franchise paratexts, this thesis examines those franchising tactics and discursive frames that the companies …

Refigured: Separations In Portraiture, Caroline Myers

All Theses

Utilizing traditional painting techniques embedded with digital syntaxes, Refigured: Separations in Portraiture, serves as a catalog of my experiences with communication in a hyperconnected world. Processing illegible information caused by my hearing loss informs the process of imposing similar boundaries within my paintings. Like a technical glitch, these obstructions create an illegible visual experience, with evidence of my process remaining as a clue for the viewer’s understanding of the image.

Though personal in nature, I expand from my experience with auditory communication to employ pertinent explorations into the sustained unpredictability of today’s ever-expanding medium that is technology. My paintings …

The Connection Between Gen Z And Online Fast Fashion Media; Aiming To Create A Sustainable Future In Fashion., Rachel Peters

School of Art Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is impossible to think about culture in the past two decades without referencing social media. My generation, commonly known as Gen Z (born between 1997-2010), has been on the forefront of social media development. One of the first generations to grow up with some form of unfiltered online social experience, Gen Z has been hard wired to consume media. While using social media alongside my peers, I have observed a problem that has resulted from this: mass consumption. A mass consumption of food, beauty products, home decor, and clothing in particular. On social media we see hundreds of videos …

The Landscape Does Not Care It Is A Landscape: A Utopian Pessimist Journey In Kentucky., Shachaf Polakow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

These thesis and exhibition, invite the viewers to travel through different places in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The region’s landscape, like many other American landscapes, is often known to the public through the settler colonial lens—a lens that ignores Indigenous peoples’ history in the region. The work in the exhibition is a response to landscape art's history and its complicity with American settler colonialism- art that was recruited to create a new identity for the settlers and for the country from the beginning of the American Colonial Project. Landscape art was a crucial part of this effort, presenting the land …

Connecting Students With Community-Based Organizations For Informal, Short-Term Experiential Learning Opportunities: A Portal Proposal For Csusb, Dia Poole

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Each term, scores of students enrolled in practicum courses at universities must connect informally with community-based and nonprofit organizations (CBOs/NPOs) for short-term research, volunteerism, or practicum coursework assignments. In most cases, these student-community connections are known only to the students, the organizations they serve with, and the faculty who see the results of coproduced assignments. Few examples can be found in scholarly literature—beyond cursory nods to their existence—of structures designed and implemented primarily for connecting students with CBOs/NPOs and tracking participation in these informal experiential learning opportunities. Further, few examples exist of mechanisms that allow local organizations to convey their …

Tourism Marketing To Southeast Asian Countries Via Social Media And Its Ethical Implications, Emma Parker

Student Research Submissions

As the influence of social media on the tourism marketing industry continues to grow, it becomes necessary to analyze how these platforms are being used. This study aims to determine the ways in which the combination of visuals and written copy in an Instagram post work to create an advertisable overall image of Southeast Asian countries as tourist destinations.

Using a qualitative content analysis, twenty seven posts from the official tourism Instagram accounts of Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines were analyzed to determine what overall image is being presented, how this is being accomplished, and if the advertisement of these …

The Rise Of Agenda Diversity In America: Its Cause And Consequences, John K. Wagner

Political Science ETDs

More than ever, Americans disagree on what issues are important. This diversity in the public agenda has received scant attention in recent years. Consequently, our understanding of why agenda diversity developed relies on a single analysis method, and we know next to nothing about the consequences for the American polity. Using a novel approach to measuring agenda diversity and an advanced experimental design, this dissertation demonstrates the causal connection between issue-based selective exposure to news and higher agenda diversity. Concerning its consequences, this work investigates congressional responsiveness. Results from a complex analysis of constituency public opinion, Congress bill sponsorship, and …

Exploring The Effects Of Individuals’ Perceived Prototypicality Within A Fandom, Keely Diebold

LSU Master's Theses

Passionate fandoms centered on popular film and television series can elicit large-scale positive fan activity. At the same time, however, negative consequences can arise as factions or subsets of members with varying opinions arise within fandoms. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is varied levels among fandom members of how prototypical they view themselves within the context of that fandom. Research on social groups, however, has historically looked exclusively at perceptions of others' prototypicality and not of the self. Drawing on theories of social identity (SIT) and self-categorization (SCT), this project serves to bridge this research gap by exploring to …

Using Podcasts To Bring National Estuarine Research Reserves Into The Classroom For Grades 6-12, Kaitlyn M. Dirr

Senior Theses

In a typical classroom setting, there are significant challenges to exposing students to concepts related to earth sciences and the environment. These challenges are exacerbated when conveying lessons about geographic areas with limited access, such as oceans and coastlines (Louv, 2010). It is now more important than ever for environmental education to improve and adapt to our changing world. Educators may have the opportunity to bring these subjects to life by using media content such as podcasts to introduce students to new places and the scientists, managers and educators that work in those spaces. In the United States, there exists …

Let's Talk Body: An Applied Senior Project On Social Media Body Image, Katherine R. Tonges, Lindsey J. Dwyer

Communication Studies

This paper discusses the overwhelming presence of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok in the recent generation's (Gen-Z) daily lives. Influencers have become the new celebrities by creating a “relatable and desirable” lifestyle that users aspire to gain. However, the pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards and buy promoted products can lead to negative effects on users' mental health and self-esteem. The authors of this paper (Tonges and Dwyer) have created a podcast and Instagram account to encourage an honest conversation about the impact of social media on one’s actions, emotions, and brain chemistry. By analyzing social media …

An Assessment Of High-Performance Work System On The Survival Of The Print Media In Tanzania, Frank Sanga

Theses & Dissertations

This study assessed the high-performance work system (HPWS) on the survival of print media in Tanzania. The study was guided by three specific objectives namely; (i) to assess the extent to which the high-performance work system is practised in Mwananchi and Nipashe newsrooms, (ii) to assess the correlation between the high-performance work system and the performance of Mwananchi and Nipashe newspapers, and (iii) to examine challenges of practicing HPWS in Mwananchi and Nipashe newspapers. The study was based on qualitative research approach. This approach was applied for the purpose of getting in-depth information from the sample of 24 respondents from …

Social Media And Journalism: A Study Of Whatsapp Use In Newsroom Convergence At Nation Media Group In Kenya, Bernard Mwinzi

Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to investigate how news organisations can tap into the interactivity, convenience and fast speeds of the social, multi-media networking site WhatsApp to aid in both news gathering and processing, as well as convergence. It is prompted by the fact that Kenyan media are at a crossroads. As they transition from analogue technologies, they are faced with the dilemma of choosing which new habits and processes to adopt. To make matters worse, even before they settle on the right technology, they are being forced to adopt the concept of convergence, where the various print, audio, and visual platforms …

“Tweeting During Emergencies”: The Egyptian Ministry Of Health Twitter Communication Strategy Under The Umbrella Of The Crisis And Emergency Risk Communication Model (Cerc) Case Study: Covid-19 Pandemic, Pakinam Elgohary

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates using the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model (CERC) for COVID- 19 communication by analyzing the content of Twitter messages posted by the Government of Egypt through the Egyptian Ministry of Health (MOHP). It further examines how official communicators and institutions utilize social media to contact the public during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting critical strategies of recommendations. Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC), a five-staged theory, recommends a set of messaging and pertained communication characteristics to implement at each stage of the identified following stages: (1) “Pre-crisis, (2) Initial event, (3) Maintenance, (4) Resolution, and …

Transmedia Journalism And Financial Sustainability In Uganda’S Legacy Media, Yonah Ahabwe Nkirirehi

Theses & Dissertations

The media world over continues to ponder over the most viable business models to sustain their business considering the effect disruption has had on their revenues as a media, but most importantly maintain their relevancy as a profession. As a result, media houses continue to make management moves in response to the disruption, and part of those is transmedia journalism. This study is set to analyse the adoption of transmedia journalism by Ugandan legacy media houses in the effect to address revenue challenges, the quality of journalistic content produced by these media houses, and their financial viability. Using a survey …

A Study To Investigate The Uptake Of Digital Technology In Ruben Fm Radio Station, Nahashon Shisia Wasilwa

Theses & Dissertations

Having realized the potential of digital technologies, radio stations in Kenya have embraced technology to improve “interactivity with their listeners”. However, the extent to which digital technologies are used at radio stations and existing challenges and opportunities in uptake is yet to be established. The research's primary goal was to investigate technology uptake in Ruben FM radio stations. Specifically, the study sought to examine the extent of use of the existing digital technologies in Ruben FM radio station, explore other digital technology opportunities for uptake in Ruben FM radio station and establish challenges facing digital technology uptake in Ruben FM …

How Climate Change Advocacy By Ngos In Kenya Is Covered By The Media, Victor Anyura Oluoch

Theses & Dissertations

The world is dealing with the effects of climate change, and the threats appear more menacing in developing countries like Kenya. The case for dealing with the effects of climate change is made more significant because Kenya’s economy largely depends on natural resources such as agriculture, tourism and energy to support its growing population. These challenges require the concerted efforts of various stakeholders to bring about meaningful solutions. With its power to set and influence agendas, the media is crucial, and so are environmental NGOs working with various communities to develop solutions. In this environment, NGOs and the news media …

Implementation Of New Vision’S Digital Strategy: Analysis Of The Website, E-Paper, And Social Media Platforms, Obonyo Frank Nyanjeye

Theses & Dissertations

There is an increased shift from traditional to digital media operations in Africa. The general objective of this study was to analyse the adoption and implementation of the digital strategy of the New Vision with a focus on the challenges and opportunities to help understand the shift from traditional to digital media. This study investigated the implementation of New Vision’s digital strategy, focusing on the website, e-paper and social media platforms. The study employed an in-depth interview guide for data collection: The collected data was transcribed and organized following the research questions. The data was reviewed and explored deductively, then …

Examining The Adoption Of Mobile Journalism In Uganda’S Newsrooms: A Case Of Nbs Tv And Ntv, Eve Masawi

Theses & Dissertations

Mobile journalism has increasingly become popular in television newsrooms due to the burgeoning number of audiences using mobile devices and social media. Scholarship in mobile journalism has analyzed news gathering, production and dissemination and content production for mobile users. However, no studies focus on adopting mobile journalism within Uganda’s newsrooms. This study aimed to examine the adoption of mobile journalism in newsrooms in Uganda using the case study of NBS TV and NTV newsrooms. The study employed diffusion of innovation and adopted a mixed methods research approach and case study design, employing survey (N=109) and in-depth interviews (N=12) as data …

An Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Far-Flung Counties In Kenya, Galgallo Duba Fayo

Theses & Dissertations

This study explored how the Kenyan Print Media covers far-flung counties, with a case study of Marsabit, Turkana and Mandera counties. The following research objectives guided the study: (i) To analyse the prominence of Marsabit, Turkana and Mandera Counties issues by the Daily Nation and The Standard (ii) To determine the frames that the Daily Nation used and The Standard in coverage of issues from far-flung counties and (iii) To analyse the extent to which stories from the three counties published by the publications draw from local sources and realities. The two newspapers were selected from the population of 44 …

The Acquisition Of Knowledge And Practical Skills By Freelance Media Practitioners In The Digital Era, Loyce Achieng’ Odhiambo

Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to understand how freelance media practitioners are acquiring knowledge and practical skills for the different newsrooms they produce content for in the current digital world, a time when there are dynamic technological trends and an audience that is not only changing but also creating news and media content. The study was based on the Skill Acquisition Theory, which describes how people progress in learning a variety of skills, from beginner to advanced proficiency. The study employed quantitative and qualitative methods by use of questionnaires and interview guides. Data emanating from the questionnaires were analysed using SPSS and …