Digital Commons Network^™

Information, Politics And Government Communication : Discourse Analyses Of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency On Twitter, Nicolau Depaula

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Government communication is an important activity for society, during times of calm and times of crises. Moreover, social media have become widespread information and communication technologies for government agencies around the world. In the U.S. federal government alone, there are thousands of accounts on various platforms broadcasting multiple messages a day. However, there seems to be few analyses of government discourse on social media. Although content analyses of the posts of various types of government agencies around the world abound, the categories are narrow to specific events or are agnostic about details of semantics and language structure. In this study …

Use Of Evidence-Based Best Practices And Behavior Change Techniques In Breast Cancer Apps: Systematic Analysis, Kerstin Kalke, Tamar Ginossar, Joshua M. Bentley, Hannah Carver, Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah, Anita Y. Kinney

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Background: Theoretically designed mobile health (mHealth) breast cancer interventions are essential for achieving positive behavior change. In the case of breast cancer, they can improve the health outcomes of millions of women by increasing prevention and care efforts. However, little is known about the theoretical underpinnings of breast cancer apps available to the general public.

Objective: Given that theories may strengthen mHealth interventions, this study aimed to identify breast cancer apps designed to support behavior change, to assess the extent to which they address content along the cancer care continuum and contain behavior change techniques, and to assess …

Trauma Exposure And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Regional Journalists In Pakistan, Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah, Faizullah Jan, Tamar Ginossar, J. Patrick Mcgrail, Danish Baber, Rahman Ullah

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study sought to examine work-related exposure to trauma and predictors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms among regional journalists in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a conflict-ridden area in northwest Pakistan. We recruited 216 KP journalists. Analysis of the surveys revealed a high prevalence of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms. All of the participants had covered at least one trauma inducing event. Exposure to work-related trauma, active emotional coping and avoidant emotional coping were statistically significant factors associated with PTSD symptoms. This study is the first to highlight the severity of the impact of trauma on regional journalists in …

Can Instagram Be Used To Deliver An Evidence-Based Exercise Program For Young Women A Process Evaluation, Rachel G. Curtis, Jillian C. Ryan, Sarah M. Edney, Carol A. Maher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background Instagram provides an opportunity to deliver low cost, accessible and appealing physical activity content. This study evaluated the feasibility of delivering an exercise program for young women using Instagram. Methods A single-group pre- and post-intervention trial examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week Instagram-delivered program with young inactive women (n = 16; M = 23 years), which prescribed running and body weight exercises to complete three times per week. Daily Instagram posts delivered the exercises, video demonstrations and motivational content. Feasibility was evaluated by examining exposure (Instagram posts viewed per week), engagement (likes, comments and tags on …

Freedom Of Journalism In International Human Rights Law, Edward L. Carter, Rosalie Westenskow

Faculty Publications

Contemporary attacks of various types have prompted calls for stronger public support and legal protections for journalism. Around the world, journalism faces not only government regulation that affects editorial content but also economic and corporate pressures as well as lack of public understanding of its societal functions. In the United States, courts and even journalism organizations have been reluctant to define journalism or single it out for special protection. But international human rights law presents a possible solution. This article discusses the international human rights law provisions that protect individuals engaged in journalism. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has …

Successful Strategies To Address Disruptive Innovation Technologies In The Digital-Media Industry, Latronya M. Acevedo-Berry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Digital media executives lack strategic solutions for the preparation and response to changing media innovation technology. The lack of innovative technological strategies threatens digital-media corporations’ ability to maintain marketplace sustainability for addressing disruptive innovation technologies. Grounded in Christensen’s disruptive innovation theory and Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore innovative technological strategies some executives of digital-media corporations used to maintain marketplace sustainability for addressing disruptive innovation technologies. The participants were 7 digital-media executives in New York and California, who used effective strategies to innovate technology and maintain marketplace sustainability. Data were …

Successful Strategies To Lead Change Initiatives, Lorice S. Edwards Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As financial systems, global trade, and the regulatory environment integrate, business leaders are often ill equipped to develop and implement strategies to lead changes in organizations. Business leaders who lead change initiatives without proven sustainability strategies are highly susceptible to business closure. Grounded in Lewin's theory of change, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies some business leaders used to develop and manage change initiatives to remain operable beyond 5 years. The participants included 4 industry business leaders with a minimum of 5 years of successful change leadership experience. The data collection included semistructured …

Strategies To Mitigate Negative Social Media Communications In Collegiate Athletics, Jennifer A. Parks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Harmful social media communications in collegiate athletics are challenging, compelling athletic administrators to implement strategies to mitigate costly damage to the university. Grounded in framing theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies some collegiate athletic administrators use to mitigate negative social media communications by their student-athletes and coaches that may cause problems resulting in reputational damage to the brand, negative publicity, financial loss, sanctions, and fines for the university or college. Participants were 4 collegiate athletic administrators located in the southeastern United States, who had a social media policy and strategies to successfully mitigate …

Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies That Engage Employees And Increase Productivity., Alvin Sidney Moton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractLow employee engagement can negatively impact productivity for small fast-food restaurants in the United States. Small fast-food restaurant managers who do not engage employees experience decreased employee productivity. Grounded in Hofstede's cross-cultural dimensions theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies managers of small fast-food restaurants managers use to improve employee engagement. Participants were four small fast-food restaurants manager within the southern region of the United States who used cross-cultural strategies to successfully engage employees. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and internal company documents and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) …

Understanding Ethical Decision-Making In Design, Danielle J. Corple, Carla B. Zoltowski, Megan Kenny Feister, Patrice M. Buzzanell

Communication Faculty Publications

Background: Little is known about how students engage in ethical decision-making, especially when designing in messy, real-life contexts. To prepare ethically competent engineers, educators need a richer understanding of students' ethical decision-making throughout the course of the design process.

Purpose/Hypothesis: This study examines students' intuitive ethical decision-making as it emerges throughout the design process as well as when and how students engage in ethical reflection. Outlining these processes enables educators to better structure and support students' ethical reasoning.

Design/Method: We conducted 103 semi-structured interviews with students in a multidisciplinary service-learning program. To capture how ethical decision-making unfolded over time, we …

There And Back: Vindicating The Listener's Interests In Targeted Advertising In The Internet Information Economy, Caitlin Jokubaitis

Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts

Targeted advertising — the process by which advertisers direct their message at a specific demographic — is neither a recent1 nor an irrational phenomenon.2 One industry executive has proclaimed it the “rare win for everyone” because it serves producers, advertisers, and consumers alike. It should be no surprise that the Information sector of the online economy — particularly new and social media platforms with robust access to consumer data — has structured revenue streams to benefit from targeted advertising. These platforms generate “substantially all of [their] revenue from advertising,” which in turn rely on active user engagement.

The Internet Information …

Food Accessibility Related To The Double Your Dollar Program, Julia Carlson, Heather Friedrich, Mechelle Bailey, Curt Rom

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The Double Your Dollar (DYD) Program is a program that gives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) participants match dollars to spend at local farmers markets. The DYD’s goal is to incentivize healthy eating among individuals of low income and promote spending at farmers markets. Food insecurity affects over 60,000 individuals in Washington and Benton counties in Arkansas. The aim of this study was to assess how the DYD program impacted users’ food accessibility and how the program could be improved for the future. A survey was used to address basic demographics, type, …

The Biofiltration Ability Of Asparagus Densiflorus To Remove Sulfur Dioxide From The Indoor Atmosphere, Rhiannon De La Rosa, Mary Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Sulfur dioxide is an inorganic compound (IC) and air pollutant that causes health risks in humans. The buildup of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in enclosed indoor spaces is, therefore, a concern to human health, especially since the average person spends 90% of his/her time indoors. This study focused on decreasing SO2 concentration in a cost-effective and simple way—by using botanical biofiltration, or the uptake of pollutants by plants. Research in biofiltration has focused mostly on the remediation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). However, research has also shown that plant species that remediate VOC efficiently also have the potential for efficient IC …

Acts Of Meaning, Resource Diagrams, And Essential Learning Behaviors: The Design Evolution Of Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

Lost & Found is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed for teaching medieval religious legal systems. The long-term goals of the project are to change the discourse around religious laws, such as foregrounding the prosocial aspects of religious law such as collaboration, cooperation, and communal sustainability. This design case focuses on the evolution of the design of the mechanics and core systems in the first two tabletop games in the series, informed by over three and a half years’ worth of design notes, playable prototypes, outside design consultations, internal design reviews, playtests, and interviews.

Against The "Safety Net", Matthew B. Lawrence

Faculty Articles

Then-Representative Jack Kemp and President Ronald Reagan originated the “safety net” conception of U.S. health and welfare laws in the late 1970s and early 1980s, defending proposed cuts to New Deal and Great Society programs by asserting that such cuts would not take away the “social safety net of programs” for those with “true need.” Legal scholars have adopted their metaphor widely and uncritically. This Article deconstructs the safety net metaphor and counsels against its use in understanding health and welfare laws. The metaphor is descriptively confusing because it means different things to different audiences. Some understand the safety net …

Communication Apprehension About Death, Religious Group Affiliation, And Religiosity: Predictors Of Organ And Body Donation Decisions, Heather J. Carmack, Jocelyn M. Degroot

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Communication willingness has previously been identified as an important communication factor in influencing individuals’ decisions to become an organ donor. Missing from this conversation is the role of communication apprehension about death and its impact on donation decisions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between communication apprehension about death, religiosity, and religious affiliation, and donation decisions. Three hundred and thirty-three individuals participated in an online survey. Findings suggest that communication apprehension about death, especially communication avoidance about death, negatively impact donation decisions. Additionally, religiosity and affiliation with a specific religion also negatively impact donation decisions. These …

Feminazis And Social Justice Warriors: Gender And Rhetoric Is Superhero Film Fan Culture, Shelby Miksch

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Online Collaboration Platforms: Communication Implications For Workplace Virtual Teams, Anthony J. Paz

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

As more organizations face the growing need to accommodate employees who are unable to work in a traditional face-to-face office environment, many turn to new computer programs that can connect all employees. These programs, generally referred to as online collaboration platforms, help to connect members of an organization while enhancing productivity and allowing work to be completed from around the world. While there is extensive research on the structure and nature of communication within virtual teams, there has been little research on the implications of online collaboration platforms on virtual teams. This study demonstrates how employees work with one another …

Consumers’ Exposure To Facebook Pages Regarding Environment, Environmental Awareness, And Behavioral Tendency In Thailand, Porntip Jakmongkolchai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research aims to analyze the exposure to Facebook pages regarding environment, consumers’ environmental awareness, and their behavioral tendency. The research explores the relationship between the exposure to Facebook pages and consumers’ environmental awareness, as well as relationship between consumers’ environmental awareness and their behavioral tendency. This quantitative research was conducted through an online survey which collected data from 200 respondents, aged between 18 to 64 years old who currently reside in Thailand. The results from the study reveals that respondents frequently see both text post and photo post equally (M = 2.47) from Environman or 3WheelsUncle or other Facebook …

Relationship Between Personal Factors And Consumer's Attitudes And Behavioral Intentions On The Uses Of K Plus Mobile Banking Service, Pitchaya Hautavanija Limsakul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this research was to study the relationship between personal factors and consumer’s attitude and behavioral intentions on the uses of K Plus mobile banking service. Two hundred and sixty-three Generation Y respondents, aged between 25 and 35 years old who are K Plus mobile banking users for the past six months, and used the service for more than 3 times per month, and living in Bangkok and vicinity were samples of the online survey. The findings revealed that personal factors, that is, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust, and perceived risk are important determinants …

การออกแบบสารในการสื่อสารภาวะวิกฤตของศูนย์บริหารสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (ศบค.), ธวัช เวศตัน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาเรื่องการออกแบบสารในการสื่อสารภาวะวิกฤตของศูนย์บริหารสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาด ของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (ศบค.) ผู้วิจัยมีวัตถุประสงค์ในการวิจัย 2 ประการ ได้แก่ (1) เพื่อวิเคราะห์การออกแบบสารในการสื่อสารภาวะวิกฤตของศูนย์บริหารสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (ศบค.) และ (2) เพื่อวิเคราะห์กลวิธีทางภาษาในการสื่อสารภาวะวิกฤตของศูนย์บริหารสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (ศบค.) ใช้วิธีวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ (Qualitative Research) การวิเคราะห์เนื้อหา (Content Analysis) และการสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึก (In-depth Interview) ผลวิจัยพบว่าเมื่อเกิดภาวะวิกฤตการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 รัฐบาลได้มีการจัดตั้งศูนย์บริหารสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (ศบค.) ขึ้นมาเพื่อบริหารจัดการภาวะวิกฤตดังกล่าว ในการสื่อสารกับประชาชนนั้น การออกแบบสารประกอบไปด้วยการให้ข้อมูล และการโน้มน้าวใจในกระบวนการออกแบบสารนอกจากการเลือกประเด็นที่นำเสนอโดยคณะทำงาน ซึ่งแบ่งออกได้เป็น 3 ส่วน ได้แก่ ส่วนนำ มีลักษณะสร้างความเข้าใจในปัญหา โดยมีความจำเป็นเร่งด่วน โดยใช้แนวคิดการสื่อสารจากแหล่งเดียวอย่างเป็นทางการ ซึ่งจะสามารถควบคุมความถูกต้องของเนื้อหา สร้างความชัดเจนในการสื่อสารได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ โดยมีหลักการที่ทีมงานออกแบบสาร ของ ศบค. ได้จัดทำไว้ ส่วนเนื้อหา มีลักษณะสร้างความเข้าในในภาวะวิกฤตที่เกิดขึ้น รวมถึงแนวทางการแก้ปัญหาที่รัฐบาลได้เตรียมไว้ ซึ่งการรายงานข้อมูลเท็จจริง สารต้องมีความน่าสนใจ เข้าถึงได้ง่าย สามารถตีความได้ ประมวลผลได้ ทําให้ผู้รับสารมีความเข้าใจในความหมายที่สารกํากับไว้ได้ และส่วนสรุป มีลักษณะเป็นการนำเสนอแนวทางแก้ไข สร้างทัศนคติให้ผู้รับสารได้ตระหนักถึงความอันตรายกับเหตุการณ์การแพร่ของโรคระบาดที่เกิดขึ้น ผู้ออกแบบสารจะต้องตรวจสอบยืนยันความถูกต้องของข้อมูล เพราะสารที่รออกแบบย่อมส่งกระทบกับผู้รับสารนอกเหนือจากความเข้าใจในสารที่ตรงแล้ว สารนั้นจะต้องสร้างความรู้ สร้างการรับรู้ และสร้างทัศนคติกับผู้รับสาร แล้วยังมีการใช้ทำเนียบภาษาทางการแพทย์ และสาธารณสุข รวมถึงการใช้คำคล้องจองอีกด้วย

Ict Aid Flows From China To African Countries: A Communication Network Perspective, Rong Wang, François Bar, Yu Hong

Communication Faculty Publications

The challenge in evaluating China’s foreign aid has always been the unavailability of reliable data sets. This study constitutes the first analysis of the AidData data set from a communication network perspective. It examines China’s development aid to Africa in the ICT sector from 2000 to 2014. Combining data mapping, network modeling, and regression, it uncovers general trends of aid allocation, central players, and collaboration patterns among aid agencies. The results demonstrate the variability in the distribution of China’s foreign assistance to 44 African countries. In particular, African countries with less population, worse economic development, but higher oil rents are …

2020 Icrcc Proceedings Table Of Contents, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

These proceedings are a representative sample of the presentations given by professional practitioners and academic scholars at the 2020 International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference (ICRCC) held March 9-11, 2020. The ICRCC is an annual event that takes place the second week in March in beautiful sunny Orlando, Florida. The conference hosts are faculty and staff from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. The goal of the ICRCC is to bring together prominent professional practitioners and academic scholars that work directly with crisis and risk communication on a daily basis. We define crisis and risk broadly to include, for …

Using The Idea Model To Analyze Messages Used In Hepatitis B Vaccination In Uganda, Ann Mugunga, Angella Napakol

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This research analyzed the messages that both the Government of Uganda and the National organization of persons living with Hepatitis B use to communicate to at-risk populations in order to enable them take up the vaccination against Hepatitis B. Content analysis was carried out on two electronic fliers circulated from the ministry of health’s program in charge of Hepatitis control and treatment, and one hard copy flier from the National organization of persons living with Hepatitis B. The study assessed how the publications made use of the IDEA concepts of internalization, distribution, explanation and action in getting the audience to …

Turning Mismanaged Crisis Into Opportunity: Developing A Municipal Emergency Communication Plan For Puerto Rico, Mariely Valentin-Llopis

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Three years after Hurricane Maria, rural municipalities of Puerto Rico find themselves as vulnerable as before the category 4 storm dwindled the Island’s resources. The town of Aguas Buenas is among the rural municipalities struggling to prepare for the next natural disaster. This pilot study provides a plan for activating the community with the purpose of forming the first community emergency management team (CEMT) in coordination with local officials. Through in-depth interviews with the people living in Aguas Buenas, the study presents a situation analysis followed by recommendations on how to train the community leaders and turn the crisis into …

Simulating Medical Isolation: Communicatively Managing Patient And Medical Team Safety, Elizabeth L. Spradley, R. Tyler Spradley

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Reducing hospital acquired or associated infections (HAIs) is a national public health priority. HAIs pose risks to patients, visitors, and medical personnel. To better understand how to communicatively manage safety in medical isolation, data was collected with nursing students simulating medical isolation in a high-fidelity simulation with a medical mannequin with C. difficile. Observations of nursing students and faculty revealed four distinct communication practices: social support, patient education, humor, and storytelling. Conclusions include recommendations to intentionally design these communication practices into high-fidelity medial isolation simulations and scale up these communication practices in routines of safety.

Viral Stories In Spanish And English: A Qualitative Analysis Of Narrative Perceptions Regarding Infant Immunizations Across Major Ethno-Linguistic Communities, Zeynep H. Elshaer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to analyze the varying perceptions among Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) and Anglophone communities regarding vaccines and more specifically infant immunization practices, in order to identify common or diverging patterns of communication, information dissemination, and narrative discourse. Currently, medical messaging and health policy is largely formulated without thorough attention to the different ways diverse or minority ethno-linguistic communities may interpret the information, thereby leading to deficiencies in effective communication practices between individuals and healthcare providers or policymakers, and outright opposition between informal and formal public health messaging. This evaluation was conducted in order to broaden the current …

Crmm 4500: Web Publishing I: Html/Css (Syllabus), Jin Yang

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Introduction of web design software and web design concept; basic knowledge of web markup language html and cascading style sheets (CSS); overview of WordPress as content management system (CMS); development of website projects incorporating multimedia elements.

Jrsm 2121: Media Writing (Syllabus), Pamela Denney

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Basic instruction in journalistic forms and AP style; information gathering and composition of news stories; media literacy.

Pbrl 3409: Pr Case Studies (Syllabus), Kim Marks Malone

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Case studies and typical public relations problems; planning and preparation of communications materials for various media; application of public relations techniques.