Digital Commons Network^™

The Transforming Image | Class 1.1, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 1.2, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 1.3, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 3.2, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

Slow Fashion Behavior In Young Consumers, Melissa Clark

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this research is to better understand the gap between Generation Z’s (Gen Z) knowingness and attitude toward sustainable clothing and their behavior including repair and disposal. A theoretical model was created based on the known relationships among Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB), specifically considering environmental sustainability knowingness (ESK), environmental sustainability attitude (ESA), and slow fashion behavior (SFB) while extending it with the addition of repair and disposal. The data were collected via online survey of consumers identifying as Gen Z and analyzed via regression analysis in SPSS. The findings suggest that the established construct relationships (ESK, ESA, and SFB) held …

Sweet Skepticism: Health Consciousness And Consumer Resistance To Health-Oriented Gummy Products, Raghava Gundala Dr, Kathleen Mckee, Pritosh Kumar

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Health consciousness is usually modeled as a driver of demand for healthier food. This study asks what happens to that relationship when the product itself is indulgent. Survey data were collected from students at a public university in the United States, and a first-stage moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model 7) was estimated on the 231 respondents with complete data. After adjustment for perceived marketing effectiveness and demographic covariates, health consciousness was negatively related to perceptions of health-oriented gummy products and to purchase frequency, although its zero-order correlation with product perception was near zero. Part of the health-consciousness relationship with purchase …

Lessons On Generative Artificial Intelligence From The American Association Of Dental Editors And Journalists (Aadej), Christopher J. Smiley

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ) recently released "Guidance for Authors, Editors and Publishers on the Use of Generative AI". Developed by an 11-member stakeholder panel, this guidance paper serves a dual purpose: It provides practical strategies for mitigating the risks that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) poses to professional writing and explains how GAI creates these risks. Understanding both the underlying vulnerabilities of GAI and how to address them is critical for users at all levels, from authors and reviewers to editors, publishers, and general users, to maintain the validity and reliability of their written work. This …

Provoking Generative Ai Futures: Merging Theory And Praxis, Regina M. Luttrell Ph.D., Nick Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

An accessible exploration of the myriad applications and challenges of generative AI for media and communication students, scholars, and practitioners alike.

The latest emergence of increasingly low-cost and scalable AI technologies presents a point of both celebration and concern for the contemporary media and information ecosystem. To this end, this edited volume gathers media and communications scholars and practitioners to engage in discussions and exchange ideas about current trends and developments in the field. Questions this volume asks include: What are the essentials of generative AI from a media and communication perspective? How has generative AI influenced research and scholarship? …

Critical Feminist Editorial Praxis: My Tenure As The First Journal Editor Of Color Of Communication Monographs, Srivi Ramasubramanian

Media Studies - All Scholarship

In this essay I theorize about Critical Feminist Editorial Praxis, which envisions journal editing as a site for scholar-activism. I use the term activism because to counter the hegemonic whiteness and coloniality of Communication knowledge requires active efforts to go against the taken-for-granted processes and practices. Journal editing is a significant location for interventions because this is often where we learn what is considered cutting-edge scholarship within our discipline. This significance is especially clear when the journal in question is a flagship publication of a leading professional organization. As I end my tenure as the first editor of color of …

The Role Of Media Literacy In Shaping Campus Student Leaders’ Perceptions Of Media Activism, Online Risks, And Social Support, Srivi Ramasubramanian, Minnie Mcmillian, Shumaila Bhatti, Shannon Burth, Julius Matthew Riles, Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, Melody Wilson

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Campus activism by student leaders has historically played a significant role in social movements. Within contemporary contexts, media is an important site through which campus student leaders raise awareness, share relevant information, distribute online petitions, and shape public discourses on various social issues. Media literacy is an essential skill for student leaders to be effective in their activist initiatives and be able to cope with the inevitable pushback through trolling and cyberbullying that such activism would likely bring up. This survey (N = 855) with college student leaders across three universities explores how they rate themselves on media literacy skills, …

“He Will Always Love Me”: Authentic Romance And Reciprocal Love In Otome Games, Elena Yifei Zhao, Nick Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

This study investigates how players construct and articulate emotionally meaningful relationships in otome games. Drawing from 293 open-ended responses from Chinese players, a thematic analysis identified six recurring themes: authentic romance, companionship, shared experience, integration into daily life, game features, and personal growth. The most dominant theme, authentic romance, reveals that players often describe otome boyfriends as emotionally responsive partners who provide validation, support, and affection. Functional descriptions of gameplay mechanics were notably disconnected from other themes (primarily emotional engagement themes). A follow-up analysis of the most popular otome games in the same …

You Are Your Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: A Journey Beyond The Lens Blueprinting The Influence And Impact Of Media And Podcast Pedagogy On Black And Brown Creatives In Higher Education And Beyond, Diamond N. Morgan Dr.

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Explores the influence and impact of media and podcast pedagogy on Black and Brown creatives (BBC) in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), the Black Creative Educational Experience (BCEEs) framework, and the conceptual lenses of sociological and public podcasting, this study examines how podcasting functions as a transformative pedagogical and sociocultural tool for storytelling, identity development, creative expression, and community building within collegiate environments. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 65 participants with qualitative focus group discussions to provide a holistic understanding of participant experiences across personal, professional, academic, social, …

No Screens Before Two: How First-Time Australian Parents Negotiate Enduring Digital Media Guidelines, Stephanie C. Milford, Emma Jayakumar, Harrison W. See, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital parenting guidance often fails to reflect early caregiving realities, particularly for first-time parents navigating screentime. Although professional guidelines have shifted from rigid time limits toward co-engagement and content quality, these shifts are inconsistently communicated and poorly absorbed into public discourse. Meanwhile, technopanic narratives fuel confusion, guilt, and social judgement. While some studies link extended screen use with adverse outcomes, we examine how correlational findings become blanket prescriptions in early caregiving. Drawing on two interview rounds and three focus groups with 23 Australian first-time parents of children aged birth-to-four, and informed by a socio-ecological approach, we explore how parents interpret …

Netflix And Feel: Cultivating Fandom And Identity Through Sports Docuseries, Jessica L. Payne

Faculty Publications - Communications

This work investigated how parasocial relationships (PSRs), audience behaviors, and sports docuseries consumption jointly shape today’s sports fandom. The research utilized a combination of social identity theory (SIT) with PSR, conducting a survey of 277 participants to test a moderated mediation model (Hayes PROCESS Model 7). This model examined the relationships between PSRs, docuseries consumption, fandom, and behavioral engagement outcomes such as intent to recommend, cross-platform engagement, multi-platform viewing habits and brand engagement, live engagement and event intentions, intent to continue viewing, and fan conversion. This research contributed to SIT by demonstrating how streaming platforms and docuseries offer a different …

Building A Digital Altar For The Justice-Centered Torch-Bearers: The Role Of Digital Networks In Supporting Contemporary Racial Justice Activists Through Contemplative Practices, Renée L. Bradford

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This mixed-methods study aimed to identify factors critical in building a digital support network employing contemplative practices to support activists engaging in racial justice work in the United States. The research question that guided this study was: What factors do racial justice activists regard as critical in building a digital support network employing contemplative practices? The study’s importance lies in addressing the evolving landscape of digital activism while honoring the spiritual and relational foundations that have historically sustained social justice movements, particularly as contemporary activists navigate new technological tools while seeking to maintain authentic connection and contemplative grounding. Key findings …

Righteous Defenders And Evil Challengers: The Morally Polarized Battle For Books On Reddit, Erika Casburn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The issue of book bans has moved to the forefront of public and political debate over the past few years. Anti-censorship advocates who defend against these challenges have yet to be studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and worldviews as expressed by those defenders in a public forum—Reddit. Data in the form of Reddit threads was collected from subreddits belonging to states that have seen the greatest number of book challenges. This data was subjected to discourse analysis, first manually, then by qualitative analysis software (MAXQDA). Analysis revealed that defenders spent a majority of discursive …

Do You See What I Hear?: The Effects Of Musical Harmony On Cultural Perception And Recognition, Marvin Martin Williams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores whether listeners can identify the differences in harmonic progressions in a musical composition, and, if so, whether those differences can elicit a cultural or social perception of the origins of the music. By investigating how audiences respond to variations in harmony, specifically traditional versus altered harmonic treatments, the research offers a framework for music producers, educators, healthcare providers, and other cultural gatekeepers to better understand and engage with audiences on an empathetic and meaningful level. The underlying hypothesis posits that harmony in music does more than evoke emotion but may inform a cultural interpretation, thus presenting an …

Navigating An Uncharted Path: Chief Diversity Officer Challenges In Creating And Implementing A Dei Strategy Plan Within Major Hospital Systems, Diane Shines Mcdaniel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the major challenges Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) face when creating and implementing DEI strategy plans within major hospital systems in the United States. The study was guided by one research question: What are the major challenges that Chief Diversity Officers face in creating and implementing a DEI strategy plan within major U.S. hospital systems? A phenomenological design was used to examine the challenges of six Chief Diversity Officers serving in major U.S. hospitals as they led DEI strategy planning and implementation. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews consisting of eight open-ended questions designed to elicit …

Multihoming And Single-Homing Complementors' Responses To Intensified Between-Platform Competition: Evidence From The Youtube–Twitch Rivalry, Niloofar Abolfathi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research Summary: This paper examines how heterogeneous YouTube content creators-specifically, single-homing and multihoming channels-respond to a sudden increase in the exposure of the rival platform, Twitch. Contrary to expectations, I find that multihoming channels reduce their content creation efforts and underperform relative to single-homers. To make sense of these surprising results, I develop a formal model that characterizes the strategic behavior of different types of complementors operating across two platforms with varying levels of user exposure. The model offers a plausible explanation for the observed empirical patterns, suggesting that intensified competition between platforms, as a consequence of their changing exposure, …

“America Is For Americans Only”: Journalistic Professionalism, Populism, And Latino Ethnic Media In The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Maria Villarroel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how journalistic professionalism shaped news coverage of Latino-related issues during the 2024 U.S. presidential election across mainstream and Latino ethnic media outlets. In a polarized political environment, immigration and the “Latino vote” were not only central campaign issues but also sites of radicalized rhetoric that frequently targeted Latino communities and journalists. In this context, journalists were tasked with reporting on highly contentious, hostile narratives while adhering to professional norms. This study argues that these norms influenced how journalists selected, framed, and contextualized political rhetoric, and how media coverage further elevated immigration and Latino communities as key electoral …

Addressing Algorithmic Bias In Ai Journalism: A Toolkit For More Equitable Coverage Of Marginalized Communitie, Sierra Monet Worden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project addresses a critical gap in journalism reporting concerning the use of artificial intelligence (AI) when covering stories on marginalized communities. Partially as it relates to the bias that exists in artificial intelligence algorithms, and the lack of training that exists for the implementation of these tools. Journalists play a crucial role in providing accurate and fair information on marginalized communities, yet the implementation of AI presents a set of all new challenges and allows opportunities for more bias to make its way into news coverage. Existing resources for reporting focus more on ethics and less on how to …

Use Of Generative Ai In Scholarly Research: Challenges And Opportunities, Marco Marabelli, Robert M. Davison, Giovanni Gatti, Ankita Srivastava, Monideepa Tarafdar

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

The focus of this panel report is to present evidence of a panel discussion that took place in October 2025 on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in academic research and publishing. The panel included publishers (Elsevier, Emerald, Gailot Press, MIT Press, Nature/Springer, Wiley) and editors in chief (representing the Information Systems Journal, Journal of the AIS, Journal of Data Science and ICES Journal of Marine Science). Key outcomes of the panel are the following: 1) publishers and editors have some disagreements regarding GAI use; 2) besides disagreements, all recognize that GAI is here to stay, therefore outstanding issues …

Constructing The 'Other': A Cda Of Social Actor Representation And Agency Attribution In The New York Times Reporting On Palestine And Israel (2023–2025), Faithlyn H. Graham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Media organizations play a central role in shaping public understanding of international conflict. Following the publication of a leaked internal editorial memorandum from The New York Times in 2024 advising reporters to avoid terms such as "genocide," "ethnic cleansing," and "occupied territory," questions emerged regarding institutional influence and ideological framing in coverage of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. This study examined how The New York Times discursively constructed the conflict between October 7, 2023, and October 10, 2025, using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) informed by KhosraviNik's (2010) three-level analytical framework. A purposive sample of 119 hard-news articles was analyzed using …

Cultural Perceptions And Willingness Or Reluctance To Use Ai Chatbots For Emotional Support By International African Students In Higher Educational Institutions In The United States, Zakariah Issah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for emotional support underscores the need to understand how cultural perceptions shape their adoption among international African students in higher education institutions in the United States. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Social Stigma Theory, this qualitative study explored the perceptions, motivations, and barriers influencing the use of AI chatbots for emotional support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 undergraduate and graduate students from 10 African countries. The findings reveal that participants viewed AI chatbots as conditional and situational sources of emotional support rather than replacements for human relationships. Convenience, …

“Black Students Matter”: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Student Experiences At A Predominately White Institution In Appalachia During The Dual Pandemic Of Covid-19 And Systemic Anti-Black Racism, Toni Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the spread of COVID-19 escalated into a global pandemic in 2020, simultaneously, the nationwide media in the United States (U.S.) highlighted coverage of the country’s ongoing incidents of longstanding systemic anti-Black racism in America, another pandemic. In the Summer of 2020, a collective of Black students at West Virginia University (WVU) signed and publicly submitted a petition to the university’s leadership with a list of demands to address their needs as they were further exacerbated by the dual pandemic. This study is guided by the question, “What are the lived experiences of Black Students at West Virginia University during …

Technology-Facilitated Violence And Abuse: Portrayals And Perceptions, Christina S. Walker

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In the past, intimate partner violence (IPV) was primarily perpetrated in person. However, due to new mediated communication technologies and capabilities like social media and artificial intelligence (AI), perpetrators can use this technology for various purposes including subjecting others to violence, harassment, and abuse. Such violence can be a form of IPV and is referred to as technology-facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA). TFVA is becoming increasingly prevalent and is encountered by a staggering percent of women. Furthermore, unlike traditional forms of IPV, even men are subjected to TFVA at increasing and disproportionate rates, particularly male teens.

In the current state …

The Power Of A Picture: Building Visual Depictions Of The Eppm Bolstering Sunscreen Application Motivation, Ansley M. George

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates visual depictions of efficacy skin cancer health risk messages. Using Witte's Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) and existing literature on fear appeals and visual persuasion as a theoretical framework, the study aims to explore how self and response efficacy imagery impacts individuals' perceptions of health risk messages in the context of skin cancer prevention when emphasizing specific principles of design. Formative research was employed via qualitative photo sorts and participants were exposed to an assortment of images depicting efficacy in the context of skin cancer prevention where they discussed why they felt they were or were not …

Swimming In Uncertainty: Filling Data Gaps And Providing An Educational Platform For Beach Water Quality At Tybee Island, Georgia, Lukas Roberson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

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Swimming in beaches water contaminated with high levels of bacteria can make you sick. Current monitoring at the public beaches on Tybee Island consists of weekly monitoring and enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria that takes 24 hours for results. If the number of bacteria exceed regulatory limits, a public health advisory is issued, and affected waters are retested until …

Community Care During Austerity: Mutual Aid And Online Connection Among Disabled Americans, Maeve J. King

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Amidst a mental health epidemic and rising inequality, online communities offer a medium for peer support networks for disabled Americans. Community care, especially in the form of mutual aid, has increased in popularity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering troubling increases in eugenics-based messaging and disproportionate economic inequality, disabled Americans in particular have leaned into community care. Previous research establishes social media as a hub for resource mobilization and safe space for members of marginalized communities to connect. This research aims to explore the impacts of social, political, and economic unrest on the development of community care and …

Children's Peer Selection In Stem: The Influence Of Gender, Ethnicity, And Disability, Meagan Girard, Kim P. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined how children’s peer selection in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) may be influenced by gender, ethnicity, and physical disability. Sixty-four children (ages 6-12) from elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario completed three tasks: a simulated peer selection task, an attribution of ability task, and a stereotype belief questionnaire. In the peer selection task, participants were repeatedly asked to select one peer from a set of AI-generated photographs showing children who differed by gender (male, female), ethnicity (White, Black, East Asian), and physical disability status (able-bodied user vs. nondisabled). The Peer Selection Task was based on the …