Digital Commons Network^™

Arab Citizens’ Contributions To Investigative Reporting: An Examination Of Arabs' Awareness, Willingness, And Satisfaction Toward Citizen Investigative Reporting, Ahmed Makharesh

Dissertations

This dissertation aims to measure Arabs' understanding of investigative reporting and willingness to engage in investigative reporting practices through a survey of 421 Arab citizens from countries that include the Eastern African, Northern African, Arabian Peninsula, and Fertile Crescent regions. It also aims to measure Arabs' understanding of gatekeeping and their willingness to serve as gatekeepers. Further, this dissertation emphasizes various hypotheses, including that increased investigative reporting would benefit the region's citizens and increase the quality of journalistic work. The gatekeeping theory fits into this dissertation because of the significant development of the news delivery process on social media in …

Exploring Healthcare Chatbot Information Presentation: Applying Hierarchical Bayesian Regression And Inductive Thematic Analysis In A Mixed Methods Study, Samuel Nelson Koscelny

All Theses

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, significantly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. While contributing to over 691,000 deaths in 2021 alone in the United States (U.S.), it also imposes immense economic burden on the healthcare system, costing approximately $131 billion annually. One way to address this issue is for increased self-care behaviors and medication adherence, both of which require sufficient health literacy. Despite the importance of health literacy, 90% of U.S. adults struggle with health-related subjects. Overcoming the issues associated with health literacy requires addressing the …

“Koláče In The Blogosphere: Cultivating Food Expertise Through Domesticity, Femininity, And Ethnicity”, Cathryn Janka

Institute for the Humanities Master's Papers, Projects, and Capstones

Koláče in the Blogosphere is an analysis of food blogs to determine how female food bloggers cultivate food expertise through domesticity, femininity, and ethnicity. Their readership are predominately the adult children and grandchildren of immigrants seeking rediscovery of lost recipes or the completion of partial recipes of loved ones that have passed on. The bloggers are typically recent immigrants themselves or native writers in their home countries sharing recipes with those seeking rediscovery. Gender and food studies scholars have studied women as guardians of domesticity, ethnicity, the world of ethnic cuisine, and food authenticity along with the matrilineal transmission of …

The Rise And Fall Of Elizabeth Holmes: Investigating Myths Within Media Coverage, Charlotte Emelia Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When Elizabeth Holmes became the youngest female billionaire in 2014, news media framed her as the next Steve Jobs due to her similarities as a dropout, a passionate industry disruptor, and a visionary. When she was discovered as a fraud in 2018, coverage framed her as a feminine, seductive monster who duped everyone. I analyzed the media coverage in both years to uncover myths that guided these narratives and argue that these news frames contributed to the large interest in her rise and fall while also reinforcing harmful ways of thinking toward success and female leadership.

Righting Reproductive Wrongs: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Special Topoi In Alberto Fernández’S Pro-Voluntary Interruption Of Pregnancy Speeches, Kymberlie Crosby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The reproductive rights movement argues that abortion rights are fundamental and necessary for women to enjoy their human rights. Politicians opposed to abortion rights around the world have made it clear that they plan to ban abortion both statewide and nationwide. A country that has proven to be successful in defending its reproductive rights is Argentina. In 2020, the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill (Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo; IVE) democratically passed and legalized abortion throughout Argentina. Argentine President, Alberto Fernández, supported IVE and delivered a series of speeches over four years highlighting IVE and the progress that has succeeded each …

To Be Framed: Investigating The Influence Of American Media Frames On Gun Control, William C. Chamblee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gun control may be one of the most polarizing political issues facing America today. While there are many factors that contribute to gun control controversy, one may be how it is framed by news organizations. Research suggests that the emergence of partisan news media, differing levels of issue salience, and the public’s increased willingness to selectively expose could widen the gap between both Republicans and Democrats through their opinions on the issue of gun control, causing polarization. Using a survey, this study found that both Republicans and Democrats are likely to selectively expose to partisan media outlets and that a …

Exploring The Use Of Social Media Among Theme Park Guests: A Uses And Gratification Theory Approach, William J. Henderson

All Dissertations

Theme parks have provided billions of dollars to the local economies of tourist destinations (Blair & Rush, 1998; Warden, 2019). In the digital age, the theme park experience is shared with vast online audiences and so there is a need to understand how theme parks are presented on social media from the guest perspective. Specifically, it is vital to understand the uses and gratifications of social media use and content creation from guests and influencers within a theme park context.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory serves as a foundational theory for this research to understand the psychological gratifications found through …

A Comparative Study Of Hpv Vaccine Acceptability Across Global North And South Countries: Usa And Kenya, Robert Nyaga, Prince Adu Gyamfi

Faculty Publications

This study examined the HPV vaccine landscape in Kenya and the USA with

a focus on if differences exist in the perceptions of HPV knowledge, vaccine

attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and vaccine

intention among students across country and gender. It also provides useful

findings that can inform the design of persuasive health messages to promote

the uptake of HPV vaccines among college students in Kenya and the USA.

The study used surveys to recruit 1,033 participants (511 Kenyan and 522 USA

students). The two-way MANOVA analysis revealed that the multivariate

main effects showed no significant differences for gender, …

“We Need To Wake Our World Up”: Collegiate Athletes’ Communicative Constitution Of Activism, Lillian B. Feder, Diane L. Jackson, Sean M. Eddington

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study examines National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes’ experiences engaging in activism through the lens of the communicative constitution of organizations. Specifically, we investigated the modalities and approaches collegiate athletes employ in their activism. Findings indicate that collegiate athletes gravitate toward online and offline channels, and fiscal, ideological, and organizational activities as modalities for their activist efforts. We also uncovered that collegiate athletes’ inclination to call-in versus call-out is characterized by their willingness to engage with the recipients of their cause-related messages. This inquiry demonstrates the discursive and material nature of collegiate athlete activism, highlighting the call-in …

Tiktok For Adlab's Brand Awareness, Apriansyah Wicaksono, Besty Priyandhini

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

Currently, social media has become a communication tool that exists in almost every aspect of life. Social Media marketing has become a form of marketing that is very relevant with advances in social web technology. A Social Media Specialist has an important role in increasing the existence of a TikTok account to expand the brand awareness. The focus of this thesis is to highlight the role of Social Media Specialists in developing TikTok Adlab UI brand awareness, outline the message to form Adlab brand awareness, and describe the content strategy implemented. The methodology used in this writing includes observation and …

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 …

Evaluating Language And Communication Surrounding Responsible Gambling, Marla B. Royne Stafford, Anastasia Hronis, Alan Feldman, William T. Hartwell

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The topic of responsible gambling has been the focus of debate over recent years. Unfortunately the language surrounding responsible gambling has proven ineffective, due to varying definitions and debate over stigma related to responsibility. This paper discusses the importance of language in communicating about consumer protection and harm minimization to the public. Three key areas of discussion are highlighted: 1) decoupling responsible gambling and problem gambling to reduce the barrier of stigma; 2) redefining responsible gambling, and 3) the need for conversations amongst peers and parents, all with the view to proactively prevent gambling-related harms.

Digital Citizenship Education: Perceptions On The Concept, Self-Reported Competences And Practices Of Georgian School Society, Vitor Tomé, Marika Sikharulidze, Sofiko Lobzhanidze, Giorgi Urchukhishvili

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The project ‘Digital Citizenship in General Education Schools in Georgia: Challenges and Ways of Implementation’ aimed to understand to what extent were teachers, students and parents aware of the Digital Citizenship Education (DCE) concept, whether teachers felt competent to implement it in the classroom and what DCE activities were carried out there. Data were collected from 1954 individuals, among teachers (205), students (972), parents and guardians (777), following an exploratory sequential design (qualitative followed by quantitative), and data analysis exposed that even half of the school society members claim to be aware of the DCE concept, they lack the right …

Effect Of Media Literacy On Entrepreneurial Development Of Learners In Adult And Vocational Education, Othuke Valentine Oroka, Columbus D. Bessong, Napoleon Osang Bessong, Agnes Awoli Ewuru, Gloria Iniobong Olori

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Much attention has been paid to the contributions of media literacy to children and adolescent development in most developed countries. This study adopted a non-equivalent control type of quasi-experimental research design involving the experimental and control groups. The sample size for the study was 90 learners drawn from all public adult and vocational education centres across Nigeria. The Entrepreneurial Development Test” (EDT) was the data collecting instrument. Data gathered were analysed using mean, standard deviation and analysis of covariance. Findings show that learners exposed to media literacy had a higher positive effect on entrepreneurial development than basic literacy. Furthermore, the …

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 …

Unfaithful Brands: How Brand Attachment Can Lead To Negative Responses To Influencer Marketing Campaigns, Kara Bentley, Priyali Rajagopal, Katina Kulow

Business Faculty Articles and Research

The use of influencer marketing campaigns has increased exponentially in recent years as brands have embraced such campaigns in order to capitalize on the relationships that social media influencers (SMIs) have built with their followers as a means of increasing brand awareness and sales. Although influencer marketing is extensively utilized in practice, much is still unknown about the effects of these campaigns, including potential downsides and audience-level variables that could moderate their success. In the current research, we find that partnering with SMIs is perceived as a norm violation for consumers with a high brand attachment, negatively impacting consumption intentions. …

Using An Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Recognition Practice To Improve Job Satisfaction, Hali Bianchi

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: The project targeted low job satisfaction and high nurse turnover in a Central Florida bone marrow transplant unit, impacting patient care and costs.

PICOT: (P) For registered nurses (RNs) on the bone marrow transplant unit, (I) does implementing an evidence-based practice employee recognition program (C) compared to no employee recognition program, (O) lead to an increase in job satisfaction (T) over 10 weeks?

Evidence: The evidence supported the effectiveness of meaningful recognition programs, such as personalized verbal acknowledgment from leadership, in boosting job satisfaction among nurses.

Intervention: The intervention involved nurse managers using a weekly employee recognition …

Looking To The Past And Abroad To Enhance U.S. Presidential Debates, Jacob W. Justice, Talya P. Slaw, John Koch

Studies in Debate and Oratory

Presidential debates are a valuable, but flawed, method of educating voters about policy issues and candidates. Growing dissatisfaction with presidential debates, and polling evidence suggesting they are failing to inform audiences, creates exigence to reconsider the format of future debates. In this essay, we propose modifications to the format of United States presidential debates, in the interest of facilitating greater clash and audience education. To improve U.S. presidential debates, we draw upon two sources of inspiration: the history of U.S. presidential debates and international experiences with political debates. We recommend exploration of new debate formats that include (1) a narrow …

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 …

Framing The Path To Fitness: Age Differences In Response To Framed Exercise Messages, Iliya Sherif, David B. Taullahu, Alyssa R. Minton, Joseph A. Mikels

DePaul Discoveries

Physical activity is one of the most protective health behaviors one can engage in, yet 75% of active adults in the US, meaning those who exercise regularly, fall short of the recommended levels of physical activity, with an even greater percentage of older adults living inactive lives, meaning they exercise minimally and engage in prolonged sedentary behavior (CDC, 2019). The goal of the current study was to explore different types of message framing targeted at encouraging older and younger adults to exercise. We recruited older adults (n = 184; Mage = 69.45 years, age range: 65- 80 years) and younger …

Back To The Future? How The Global Powers And The Local Militias Hindered Un Multi-Dimensional Mediation In The Libyan And Syrian Civil Wars After 2011, Ahmed S. Mahdi, Melissia Shapib, Noura Gamie

Future Journal of Social Science

UN mediation efforts in the Libyan and Syrian civil wars, which followed the Arab Revolutions of 2011, were hampered by the great power intervention, and by the belligerents' insistence on solving the problem through military victory instead of negotiation. There is a shortage in the literature which examines an alternative, or how UN mediation can be improved. One of the few models to assess, and improve, UN mediation in civil wars is the so-called Kane Model (2022). Using the model presented by Kane to assess the procedures of a powerful UN mediation process in internationalized civil wars, this paper argues …

Approaches And Tools Of Peace And Conflict Management Between Two Perspectives, Yasmine Z. Radwan

Future Journal of Social Science

This study aims at pointing out the tools of peace and the approaches to conflict management and resolution presented in the Islamic and Western perspectives. It also searches for clarifying the convergent and divergent zones that could help in finding, analyzing and criticizing the basic concepts on which arguments and debates are constructed. This study concluded that the differences between the Islamic and the Western perspective are a human requirement for acquainting and integrating based on a crucial notion, which is identity. Identity is treated in details in many discourses and occupies a large place in the Western literature on …

How To Be In Two Places At Once: A Search For The Immersive Experience In Renaissance Music And Visual Arts., Andrew Hallock

Journal of Network Music and Arts

Immersion is a hot topic, but it is often invoked in a vague or shallow way. This essay aims to arrive at a more nuanced consideration of the immersive experience by presenting some perhaps surprising arguments from the past—from Renaissance music and visual arts—drawing parallels with our own time, and positing that the Network Arts can take inspiration from this history to enhance its own immersive endeavours. Four interrelated topics serve as the basis for this investigation: miniature devotionalia, polyphonic canons, anamorphic puzzles, and early cosmology. By using perspective to disclose hidden meanings, ideas, and realities, these varied practices draw …

Connectivity, Presence, And Time: A Pedagogical Experience With Telematic Music, Cássia Carrascoza Bomfim, Alexandre Ficarelli, Danilo Rossetti

Journal of Network Music and Arts

This article aims to discuss the notions of connectivity, presence, and time in the specific context of telematic music. To do so, we describe the work of the Telematic Ensemble LaFlauta, formed by students and professors from the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto campus, for performance at the NowNet Arts Conference 2023.4 This work involved rehearsals and performances of three compositions dedicated to the group: Virtual Studies (2023) by Paulo C. Chagas, Modules 2 - My Words (2023) by Cássia Carrascoza, and Textural Studies (2023) by Danilo Rossetti. We conclude that the positive results of telematic music in a …

Kairotic Entanglement: Kairos, Artificial Intelligence, Persuasion, And The Search For Meaning – A Literature Review, Jonathan Moore

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper advances to understand kairos in the contemporary context and its relation to emerging persuasive technologies. The ubiquitous and omnipresent nature of digital technologies prompts a deeper understanding of the possible implications of these technologies and the meaning which emerges from human- computer interactions. A substantial literature review was conducted on kairos, captology, and related subterms to understand and interpret the proximal relationships of these concepts. Additionally, a discussion is offered, and a direction for future works is presented. This paper moves to suggest that kairos plays a substantive role in persuasive technologies and human computer interactions by presenting …

Valuing Trans Lives After Suicide: Rituals Of Commemoration In Digital Social Media Culture, Joe Edward Hatfield

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2014, a trans teenager named Leelah Alcorn posted a suicide letter to her public Tumblr account. Almost a decade later, in 2023, Eden Knight, another young trans woman, posted a suicide letter to her public Twitter account. Both suicide letters went viral and inspired memorial hashtags on the platforms where they initially circulated. In this article, I identify similarities between the cases, conceptualizing both as rituals of commemoration aimed toward restoring value to trans lives lost too soon. My analysis shows how ordinary users leverage the connective affordances embedded within popular social media platforms to sustain structured, value-laden acts …

Ocular Gene Transfer In The Spotlight: Implications Of Newspaper Content For Clinical Communications, Shelly Benjaminy, Tania M. Bubela

Office of the Provost

Background: Ocular gene transfer clinical trials are raising hopes for blindness treatments and attracting media attention. News media provide an accessible health information source for patients and the public, but are often criticized for overemphasizing benefits and underplaying risks of novel biomedical interventions. Overly optimistic portrayals of unproven interventions may influence public and patient expectations; the latter may cause patients to downplay risks and over-emphasize benefits, with implications for informed consent for clinical trials. We analyze the news media communications landscape about ocular gene transfer and make recommendations for improving communications between clinicians and potential trial participants in light of …

The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age, Yvette, Ying Wai Lau

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Because of the unprecedented and unexpected force of the pandemic since 2020, most churches around the world have experienced some online worship during the lockdown of their cities or the mandated closure of the church buildings. For many people, online worship seems to be an equivalent, if not better, alternative for gathering together—a physical co-presence in worship—even after the pandemic has ended. As necessary and vital as online worship experiences have been for Christians during the pandemic, the witness of the church from Pentecost throughout Christian history indicates that gathered worship in physical spaces is irreplaceable for faith formation and …

Reality In Motion: An Audio Documentary Exploring The Fluid Essence Of Life, Alessandro Bonaiuto

Theses and Dissertations

Reality in Motion is a science communication project that aims to create an audio documentary based around the theme of movement in various aspects of life, both human and non. The project is a 30-minute podcast that explores the topic of life and movement through the lens of smaller stories. Guided by a main narrator, with the intervention of experts, Reality in Motion seeks to provoke thought and inspire curiosity about the intricate dynamics that shape our world.

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 …