Being Scared In A Secondary Universe: Experiencing The Self Through The Horror Film, Emily C. Hueser

Media and Cultural Studies Honors Projects

This paper explores the horror film as a site of self-creation. Using Michel Foucault and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, I argue that the horror genre primes the viewer for an embodied, affective experience, and the resulting interaction between self and screen constitutes and redefines the self. By engaging with Jordan Peele’s Get Out, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Fly, and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, I explore how horror films engage our physical bodies and rework our experience and understanding of race, disability, and collectivity. These interactive experiences of filmviewing allow us to conceptualize the cinema as a tangible site of identity creation, …

How Does The Rise Of Ai-Generated Media Influence Public Trust In Audiovisual Communication?, Danny Mathew

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This study examines how the rise of AI-generated media influences public trust in audiovisual communication. As artificial intelligence technology advances, they have become capable of producing highly realistic images and videos that challenge traditional assumptions about the credibility of audiovisual media. This research uses a qualitative visual content analysis to compare AI-generated and authentic audiovisual content shared on social media platforms, specifically on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. A dataset of 30 media samples was evaluated using a structured coding framework that evaluated visual realism, facial and visual inconsistencies, contextual presentation, indicators of AI generation, and perceived credibility. The …

Soft Life Or Survival? The Digital Rebranding Of Black Womanhood In Online Culture, Elizabeth Revangil

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This thesis examines how Black women are using digital media, specifically the popular social media platform, TikTok, to redefine femininity through the soft life SOFT LIFE OR SURVIVAL 2 movement. Historically, Black womanhood has been tied to strength, resilience, and survival, leaving limited space for softness and emotional vulnerability. This tends to create unrealistic expectations, and an undeniable societal pressure on Black women to perform. In recent years, social media has created opportunities for Black women to challenge these expectations and present alternative definitions of the Black women identity, reshaped around peace, emotional well-being, and softness instead of strength. Using …

Scrolling Fatigue: How Continuous Short-Form Video Consumption Affects User Attention And Satisfaction, Maribeliy Ramos Jimenez

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This thesis focuses on the negative effects that derive from continuous short-from video consumption. It specifically examines the relationship between user scrolling fatigue, attention, and satisfaction with constant usage of short-form video platforms. It mainly focuses on the use of digital platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. This research builds on previously examined empirical investigations that analyzed the effects of scrolling through short-form video digital platforms influences users’ memory, stress, and procrastination. The research analyzes the possible connection with the use of survey-based quantitative methods. The study aims to determine how users process the continuous exposure to short-form …

An Experimental Study On Gendered Leadership Effects In Neighborhood Climate Protests, Farzana Fahmee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leaders are at the frontline as they determine the attitude that audiences have towards social movements and the level of attention they are willing to give to those movements. This paper investigates the influence of a neighborhood environmental protest leader’s gender on perceived leadership and democratic participation. The study relies on self-categorization theory, social identity theory, and the concept of issue-fit to assert the possibility of women gaining from the cultural connection between environmental care and femininity, while also experiencing backlash due to the masculine coding of leadership. A post-test online experiment involving 189 university students was conducted in which …

How To Talk To Zionists, Samuel Bischof

Theses and Dissertations

This paper offers rhetorical tools for weakening Liberal Zionists' commitment to the Israeli State, including a call to action, a typology of American Zionists, reflections on the author's Zionist upbringing, and an analysis of the pseudo-leftist phenomenon of Decolonial Zionism.

Dignity And The Free Press, Erin C. Carroll

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

As American institutions wither and die, those who believe in their importance must reflect and rebuild. One institution worthy of sustained attention is the free press. Divorced from government by design, the press can benefit from efforts to reinvigorate and reinvent it in ways that institutions more directly under the federal government’s thumb cannot. To best undertake these efforts, we need a richer understanding of why a free press is vital. Articulating the values that underlie the need for this institution is necessary not only to build the most robust free press, but also to best exercise our freedoms as …

Branding The Protector And Helper: How The U.S. Army National Guard Presents Itself In Humanitarian Outreach, Aaron Otoo Acromond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how the United States Army National Guard constructs and communicates its humanitarian identity during domestic disaster response through official social media. Addressing limited scholarship on how hybrid military institutions frame their roles in domestic crises, the research applies qualitative content analysis to visual and textual posts from official Facebook and Instagram accounts during three disasters: Hurricane Ian (2022), the Hawaii Wildfires (2023), and Hurricane Helene (2024). The analysis identifies three communication themes: operational preparedness and technical capacity, humanitarian assistance to affected civilians, and collaboration with civilian agencies. These narratives portray the National Guard as a professional and …

The Effects Of Excessive Smartphone Use On Interpersonal Relationships, Lisa M. Whitesell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Smartphones are integral to daily life, generating a propensity for overuse that raises concerns about the potentially adverse effects on social connections and communication. Previous research is primarily quantitative, focused on male subjects outside the United States, and has not explored the impact of smartphone use on relationships from the perspective of close friends and family. This study addresses the gap by applying qualitative methodologies using a more balanced gender sample in the United States. Semi-structured interviews will capture participants’ experiences and perceptions of how excessive smartphone use affects their interpersonal relationships. Open-ended questions will explore smartphone use patterns, the …

Quantifying Macrophyte Ecosystem Services And Improving Environmental Nonprofit Messaging, Peyton R. Hughey

All Theses

Environmental nonprofits are essential to the management and restoration of our natural spaces. They are also tasked with engaging the public via outreach, education, and advocacy. As natural spaces are degraded, the ability of environmental nonprofits to deliver on their missions will become increasingly important. This study aimed to improve two approaches to environmental nonprofits’ missions: ecological restoration and social media communication.

Environmental nonprofits operate with limited resources, and ecological restoration can be an exhaustive task; therefore, we explore functional restoration as a tool. In this study, we focus on the use of functional, trait-based restoration to restore ecological function …

Identity, Party, And Politics: A Discourse Analysis Of Democratic Elites In Pod Save America, Geneva Lei P. Luteria

All Theses

The rise of popular podcasts has shaped public discourse and influenced millions worldwide on how they ought to think, imagine, and act about controversial subjects. Podcasts create an avenue for stories about power and technology to co-create a narrative that viewers buy into. This thesis analyzes one of these essential podcasts, Pod Save America, in how Democratic elite guests approach identity politics, a phenomenon best described as advocacy based on one position’s in society. I begin the thesis by considering the differences in scholarly interpretation of how identity politics functions conceptually and practically. Then, I integrate ideas about how …

Romanticizing 'Monsters': Sexualized Digital Fandom Of The Menendez Brothers, Kimberly M. Brooks

All Theses

This study was conducted to explore the expressions of sexualized fandom and parasocial relationships within the context of true crime. The Menendez Brothers were chosen as the case to focus on due to the Netflix dramatization ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ release and online popularity. Reddit was the platform chosen for data collection because of the longstanding presence of true crime followers participating in dialogue on the platform. The r/MenendezBrothers thread was chosen to collect data from because of its large following and large number of weekly contributions. Sprinklr, the social media analytics platform, was employed to gather …

The Cost Of Her Journalism: Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Against Women Journalists In The Former Soviet Union Countries, Kamila Eshalieva

All Theses

Although offline gender-based violence has been studied for decades, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) remains a prevalent yet underrecognized phenomenon. Journalism is a field in which this form of violence is especially persistent, and women journalists face disproportionate targeting. From cyberbullying and harassment to doxxing and disinformation, TFGBV comes in a myriad of forms, each leaving lasting scars on reporters who already face elevated professional risks. The post-Soviet region is particularly concerning, given its history of repressive regimes and hostile environments for journalism. While technology has expanded the ways for new forms of violence to emerge, these incidents are often not …

Portrayals Of Miscarriage In Film And Television: A Qualitative Analysis, Geovana Leonetti Saraiva

All Theses

Entertainment media may serve as a primary source through which individuals learn about miscarriage; however, little research has examined how miscarriage is portrayed in film and television. This study addresses this gap by conducting a textual analysis of five films and five television shows using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Guided by the model of stigma communication (MSC), communication privacy management theory (CPM), and social support frameworks, the analysis explores how miscarriage is represented in entertainment media.

Findings indicate that the analyzed content frequently includes stigma-related cues—such as marks, labels, responsibility, and peril—that may contribute to the formation and reinforcement …

Addressing Medical Mistrust Among Women: Effects Of Narratives Acknowledging Mistrust On Identification, Credibility, And Persuasive Outcomes, Kylie A. Friday

All Theses

This study examines the effectiveness of narratives addressing medical mistrust in addressing medical mistrust and promoting preventive sexual health behaviors among women. Drawing on narrative persuasion frameworks, this research investigates how tailoring to aspects of medical mistrust influences identification, transportation, credibility, emotions, and persuasive outcomes. Particular attention is given to the role of medical mistrust as a key audience characteristic that may influence how individuals engage with and interpret health messages. By considering both emotional and cognitive mechanisms of persuasion, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of how narratives may function differently across audiences with varying levels of trust …

Media Portrayal Of High-Profile Female Victims Of Sexual Harassment, Chinenye Nwaneri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This rhetorical study investigated how the Nigerian media portray high-profile female victims of sexual harassment. The research was undertaken in response to concerns that media narratives often reinforce gender stereotypes and influence public perceptions of victims. Focusing on the sexual harassment allegations made by senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate president Godswill Akpabio, the study analyzed newspaper coverage from Daily Trust and Vanguard between February and December 2025. Using Critical Discourse Analysis within the framework of Feminist Media Theory, the research examined how language and framing shaped the representation of the female accuser. The findings reveal that media coverage constructed the …

Log Off To Level Up: The Effect Of Social Media Hiatus On Goal Pursuit, Nekysha L. Y. Jalil, Yong Han Tan, Andree Hartanto, Eddie M. W. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Concerns are growing that social media, with its constant notifications and attention-grabbing content, may distract individuals and hinder progress toward important goals. Despite its pervasive presence in our lives, the impact of social media on goal achievement has not been thoroughly studied. This within-subject experimental study aims to investigate the effects of social media hiatus (SMH), a short abstinence from social media usage, on goal pursuit processes. Participants (N= 107) completed daily diaries over three consecutive days of SMH and three days of regular social media use. SMH was manipulated by blocking participants’ access to multiple social media platforms. The …

Moodify: A Mood-Based Music Recommendation System, Meghana Kagitha

Theses and Dissertations

Music has long been recognised as a powerful tool for emotional regulation, yet existing music streaming platforms often fail to align song recommendations with a user's current emotional state. Moodify is a mood-based music recommendation system designed to bridge this gap by delivering personalised playlists that reflect how a user feels in real time.

This project presents the design, development, and evaluation of Moodify, a mobile application that leverages the Circumplex Model of Emotion to capture user mood through an intuitive two-dimensional valence-arousal interface. Rather than relying on text input or manual search, users plot their emotional state directly onto …

Policy Analysis Of Utah's Family Vlogging Bill: Examining The Influence Of The Mormon Church On Utah State Legislation And Its Effects On Child Performer Protections, Jayna J. Moskovitz

Honors College Theses

Following the criminal sentencing of Mormon family vlogger, Ruby Franke, of the 8Passengers YouTube channel, the state of Utah passed House Bill (H.B.) 322 in 2025 with the aim of protecting minors involved in social media content. This thesis investigates the connection between Mormonism and family vlogging to determine whether the Mormon influence in Utah’s state government impacted the effectiveness of H.B. 322’s provisions. My research asked: How does H.B. 322 protect children featured in social media content? (How) did the involvement of the Mormon Church in Utah politics and/or the high profile of the Ruby Franke case lead to …

The Guardian The Month Of May 2026, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of February 2026. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since May of 1965.

The Artificial Artist: Considering Ai’S Impact On Image Copyright, Alyse Mandelblatt

Communication Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to create empirical results to ground what has been a largely theoretical discussion about the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on copyright law in the United States. AI has disrupted traditional ideas of creativity and expression, which are vital communication tools. Copyright is a regulatory agent to encourage the production of unique communication products by giving owners complete rights to their work. Copyright principles conflict with current AI model training practices. This research considers how AI literacy may provide insight into copyright knowledge and AI attitudes for prediction of how common law and AI regulation policy may …

Of The Land And Sea: A Critical Ecocultural Analysis Of Disney's Frozen And Moana, Maggie A. Andress

Communication Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the modern era of performative inclusivity and widespread greenwashing, it is critical to examine popular media through an ecocultural lens to determine if said media is being handled responsibly as a social practice and if a discursive atmosphere is being created. This paper takes an ecocultural critical analysis of Disney’s worlds of Frozen and Moana, inspecting their treatment of the human, treatment of the more-than-human, and human/more-than-human relationships. This study finds that although both franchises have been broadly praised for cultural representation of Indigenous people groups, Disney’s failure to effectively acknowledge the intrinsic relationship between humankind and the …

Nonbinary And Transgender Representation In Media: How Scripted Media Impacts And Shapes The Identities Of Communities Outside The Gender Binary, Makenna Dykstra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The lack of, and otherwise poor, representation of nonbinary and trans communities contributes to the societal othering of these communities. However, nonbinary and trans representation holds importance to these communities. Trans and nonbinary communities, like other communities, use media to help them negotiate their identities (Hall, 2005). However, current representation in scripted television is small and contentious, with the ability to have just as much of a negative impact as a positive one. LGBTQ+ television has a history of favoring moderate depictions of queerness, like that in nonbinary and trans characters, as a means of defining these identities to cisgender …

Suplexing Silence: A Media Analysis Of Sexual Misconduct In Pro Wrestling’S #Speakingout, Tommy W. Mccardle

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The 2020 #SpeakingOut movement marked a pivotal moment in professional wrestling, as survivors of sexual misconduct publicly challenged longstanding industry norms surrounding power, silence, and accountability. This study employs thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to examine how survivor narratives and organizational responses constructed competing meanings during the height of the movement between June 1 and August 31, 2020. Drawing from publicly available posts on X (formerly Twitter) and official company statements, the analysis explores how discourse functioned as a site of both resistance and institutional preservation. Inductive analysis of survivor narratives produced three primary themes: Abuse of Power, The …

Turning Me Into We: A Workbook To Improve Relational Communication, Megan N. Charchenko

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Communication is a key factor that contributes to relational satisfaction, yet many couples struggle with communication. I wrote a set of workbooks for couples intended to teach healthy communication skills to help couples overcome their communication barriers. The workbooks cover topics of identity, expectations, boundaries, and physical intimacy. Each chapter utilizes theories and research to educate individuals on communication skills and then guides them through the application of the skills. I wrote a workbook for the individuals and one for the couple to work on together. Together, the workbooks will help couples improve communication and implement healthy communication behaviors regarding …

The Mouse At The Border: Magic, Money, And Manufactured Identity, Ricardo Manuel Hinojosa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the methods by which The Walt Disney Company constructs and negotiates representations of Latine, gender, and queer identities within contemporary animation, with a particular emphasis on Coco (2017), Encanto (2021), and Wish (2023). Through a critical and intersectional lens, this research posits that Disney strikes a balance between cultural specificity and global market appeal, often leading to representations that are visually elaborate yet narratively limited. Both Coco and Encanto showcase a significant engagement with cultural traditions and themes such as memory and generational trauma; however, they ultimately fall short of thoroughly addressing systemic issues like colonialism and …

Examination Of The Association Among Family Communication Patterns, Attitudes Toward Sex, And Sexual Communication Self-Efficacy, Brooklynn Edelmayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the role that family communication plays in the development of sexual attitudes and sexual communication self-efficacy. Essentially, each family has a unique communication environment, which consists of how open communication is, the variety of topics a family might discuss, and expectations of conformity that parents have for their children. Attitudes toward sex can be conservative–reflecting traditional views toward sex–or progressive–reflecting tolerance and flexibility toward various sexual lifestyles. Sexual communication self-efficacy is the degree to which an individual feels comfortable communicating about sex with a sexual partner. Participants in …

It's Okay, I'M Fine: A Communication Approach To Masculinity, Vulnerability, And Emotional Intimacy In Male Friendships, Nathan M. Spencer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Vulnerability is a key part of any relationship, as it allows people to feel more connected and closer to one another. However, toxic masculine norms are inhibiting men from being vulnerable in their relationships, especially in their friendships with other men. This study seeks to explore how vulnerable communication can lead to increased feelings of emotional intimacy and partner responsiveness within male friendships, even when it goes against the person’s expectations. Findings suggest that when a man is exposed to a vulnerable message, he will perceive an increase in both emotional intimacy and partner responsiveness. Another factor was that when …

Centering Latinx Perspectives And Cultural Identification In Music Listening: Examining Musical Consumption Behaviors And Choices Among Latinx Adults, Javier Alejandro Silerio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Music is a critical cultural activity and resource for people all over the world, often used for communication, recreation, identity formation, social bonding, and many other aspects of our daily lives. Moreover, this has been reported across many cultures and is not unique to a single group. Despite this, there is currently limited information and research around Latinx American music consumption and this population's overall relationship with music. Because of this, the purpose of this study is to examine music consumption behaviors among Latinx Americans, as well as possible relationships between their Latinx cultural identification and said music consumption behaviors. …

Developing A Questionnaire For The Interoceptive Awareness Of Stuttering, Leslie Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stuttering is commonly measured through its overt characteristics (blocks, prolongations, and repetitions). This equates to stuttering “severity,” or the frequency of these behaviors. This method, however, does not reflect the lived experience of adults who stutter. This “measurement problem” has been the subject of numerous studies. In this graduate thesis, the measurement problem is addressed by using qualitative data previously gathered by Malcolm (2024) from adults who stutter about the internal experience of stuttering to create survey. Quotes from adults who stutter were gathered, categorized, edited for clarity, and formatted into a survey, The Multidimensional Interoceptive Awareness of Stuttering Scale …