Digital Commons Network^™

“Every Mother A Missionary”?: The Vlogs Of Mormon Mothers, Celia Golden

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) places high expectations on mothers because their role in the church is to rear children into godly adults. When their lives are made public through social media, Mormon mothers online avoid religious expectations by withholding information about their Mormon faith and scarcely showing their husbands on-camera. Mormon husbands are expected to be the providers for the family, but as demonstrated through mothers’ vlogs on Instagram, husbands’ erasure allows for mothers to market their expertise to others as a paid product to earn their own revenue. Through descriptive coding, this study …

Fractured Spectacle: Contrasting Reactions To Itaewon Stampede Across Korean And English-Language Networked Publics, Jin-A Choi, Saif Shahin

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Late modern society has been conceptualized as a spectacle, a metaphor that brings to light not only its commodification but also the benumbing impact of mass media on the audience’s political agency. This study turns attention to the spectacle in the age of social media. Building on a growing body of research on the spectacle of suffering, we compare reactions to the 2022 Itaewon Halloween stampede, which claimed more than 150 lives, across Korean-language and English-language posts on the social networking platform, X (previously Twitter). Our research draws on two computational techniques, topic modeling and network analysis, to examine …

Cartoons From The 2000s: The Representation Of Disability And A Culture Of Inclusion, Alessia Rosa, Claudia Chellini

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Representations of diversity and otherness in cartoons offer metaphors for identity that can affect children’s perceptions and attitudes towards the potential and challenges associated with various forms of disability. This contribution analyses a corpus of animations made up of feature films, series, and short films with a focus on how disability is represented. It examines the role that characters with physical or mental disabilities play in the story, the structure of narratives in which disability is presented as an integral part of reality, and the types of disability explored in the stories. The image that emerges is one in which …

Media Quiteracy: Why Digital Disconnection Belongs In The Media Literacy Curriculum, Katie Day Good, Michelle Ciccone

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this essay, we introduce media quiteracy, which we use to conceptualize and describe the valuable learning that can happen through the refusal to take up new media or the act of pausing or ceasing its use. We see media quiteracy as an active and generative approach to learning and argue for its inclusion in the media literacy curriculum. We trace the history of critical engagement with technologies within education and then articulate what media quiteracy can look like in practice. We surface and discuss three potential obstacles to teaching media quiteracy, which include the ways in which it …

Assessing The Impact Of Media And Information Literacy On Creative Video Content Production, Reem M. Al-Zou’Bi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study explores the impact of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) on developing creative video production skills among undergraduate students at Al al-Bayt University, Jordan. The sample consisted of 60 students divided into an experimental group (MIL course) and a control group (Educational Foundations course). Using a quasi-experimental design, students’ video production skills were evaluated using a rubric covering nine key criteria, weighted based on expert input. Results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in creative video production, highlighting MIL’s role in enhancing these skills. Notably, both groups emphasized content integrity similarly, while the MIL group …

Cognitive Diagnosis Of Media And Digital Literacy Knowledge Schema In Mexican High School Students, Janneth Trejo-Quintana, Guadalupe E. Morales-Martinez, Betsabe Hernandez-Alvarez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research explored the mental representation of media and digital literacy (MDL) in 242 Mexican high school students through a definitional task based on the natural semantic networks technique. The participants defined ten target concepts related to MDL, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers, and then they rated each definer with a scale from 1 to 10. The smaller the number, the lower the quality of the definer to conceptualize the target, while the higher the rating, the higher the quality of the definer to define it. The participants showed a beginner level in MDL despite their daily navigation …

Exploring Online Search Behaviors For Information Literacy Education, Luca Botturi, Loredana Addimando, Martin Hermida, Azza Bouleimen, Chiara Beretta, Silvia Giordano

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Information Literacy education is challenged by an ever-changing and complex environment. The design and development of current and effective Information Literacy education requires a thorough understanding of how young people search information online, which mainly happens with generalist search engines. The present study involved a voluntary sample of 152 young people (age group 16-20), who were asked to solve four different information tasks. We collected 595 search stories, each containing the sequence of navigation actions performed while solving a single information task, enriched with automatic metadata. We used cluster analysis to identify emergent search behaviors, and statistical analysis to observe …

Provision Of Brand Information And Critical Reasoning Predict Advertising Literacy, Eugene Zheng Yao, Alexandra List

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study investigated students’ critical reasoning about commercials, as an aspect of advertising literacy. Critical reasoning was examined under two different experimental conditions. That is, students were tasked with watching four different commercials with 1) brand information provided or not, and 2) asked to engage in critical reasoning or not. The commercials chosen used various production techniques (e.g., socially conscious marketing) to mask their persuasive message. Students provided with brand information within commercials had significantly higher critical reasoning scores when viewing two, out of the four, commercials, and significantly higher overall Analysis of Persuasive Intent (API) scores and brand recall. …

Effects Of Wikipedia Knowledge, Algorithm Awareness, And Reading Comprehension On Undergraduates’ Preference For And Use Of Lateral Reading Strategies To Evaluate Information, Arshia K. Lodhi, Patricia J. Brooks, C. Donnan Gravelle, Jessica E. Brodsky, Maryam Syed, Donna Scimeca

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internet users are bombarded with information and need strategies to evaluate its trustworthiness. Expert fact-checkers rely on lateral reading, which involves investigating sources, finding better coverage, and tracing information back to original contexts. This study contrasted college students’ preference for and use of lateral reading to evaluate online content, and examined factors associated with variation in preference and use. Undergraduates (N = 483) often selected lateral reading as the preferred strategy for evaluating content (multiple-choice items) without demonstrating use of lateral reading (open-response tasks). Use of lateral reading was associated with higher Wikipedia knowledge, algorithm awareness, and reading comprehension; …

A Unique Light: The Presence, Salience And Portrayal Of Unique Religious Values On College Football Television Broadcasts, Joseph Bradford Hovey

Theses and Dissertations

A mixed-methods content analysis case study of BYU football broadcasts (2023-2024), guided by agenda setting and framing theories, was conducted to determine to what extent the unique Latter-day Saint religious values of BYU were present and salient, as well as how they were framed, on BYU football television broadcasts. Using the university's 2024 brand messaging guide as a standard for topics indicative of such religious values, the 25 game broadcasts were analyzed and coded for presence or absence of religious values along with sentiment valence in each case. Frequency tests determined that 56% of games over the two seasons included …

Sustainable Brand Trust In Mobile Banking: A Case Study Of Bsi Mobile User Reviews On Google Play, Novian Tiandini, Haqqi Hidayatullah

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

In contemporary times, communication is important in resolving problems or crises in various field. One of them in digital transactions. The digital transactions are a frequently performed activity, including the use of mobile banking (m-banking), which has become an essential application due to the high volume of transactions utilizing it. Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) mobile is one of Indonesia's mobile banking services that experienced disruptions for several days in May 2023. Even BSI issued an official statement regarding the issue through their social media. This has the potential to affect users' trust in their brand, while a brand's strength is …

User-Generated Content: A Systematic Literature Review (Slr) Research, Ni Wayan Suryatini, Puput Tripeni Juniman, Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy, Irwansyah Irwansyah

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

The advancement of technology has given rise to the phenomenon of user-generated content (UGC), which presents an intriguing subject for investigation through various perspectives. This paper aims to conduct an analysis of journal articles focusing on UGC within the context of the Instagram social media platform. To achieve this, the paper employs a systematic literature review (SLR) research method, adhering to the PRISMA protocol, focusing specifically on journal articles discussing UGC on Instagram. The literature search was conducted in April 2023 using the keywords "UGC" and "Instagram" in the Scopus database. After a series of exclusions, the research examined 30 …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 100, No. 3, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period February 17 - April 20, 2025.

• Wilborn, Price. You Matter & You Are Not Alone
• Smith, Kane. Peggy Crowe Reflects on Counseling Center in Face of Staff Shortages
• Stafford, Hallie. Help with Horses – New Beginnings Therapeutic Horse Riding
• Hawkins, Kaylee. How a WKU Professor Helps Improve Student Mental Health – Jay Gabbard, National Alliance on Mental Illness Recovery Support Group
• McMahon, Jake. More Than a Coach – Brent Chumbley, Track & Field
• Simpson, Libby. WKU’s American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Brings Mental Health Into the Light
• Hardesty, Emma. Trans …

The Impact Of Mindfulness-Based Journaling On Psychological Well-Being, Jonah Guthrie

Honors Projects

This study investigated the effects of mindfulness-based journaling compared to free-form journaling on perceived stress, emotion regulation, and mindfulness in undergraduate students. Participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness-based journaling group or a free-form journaling group. Both groups journaled daily for two weeks and completed pre- and post-intervention assessments using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ).

A series of 2 × 2 mixed-design repeated measures ANOVAs revealed a significant main effect of time for perceived stress, F(1, 7) = 28.38, p = .003, …

The Movies That Make Us: A Qualitative Research Study On How People Interpret Messages In Movies, Ethan Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study, “All Movies Have Messages: A Qualitative Research Study on How People Interpret Messages in Movies,” was to analyze the relationship between an individual’s personal, political, or religious views and the way that individual interprets messages and agendas in film. Using Stuart Hall’s model of encoding and decoding, the researcher discovered how an individual’s personal beliefs affected the way a person interprets messages in movies. Focus groups and a survey were used to collect data. This study served to fill the gap in literature available on Hall’s model and reception theory. Most research conducted has not …

Words That Win: A Qualitative Phenomenological Analysis Of Rhetorical Techniques In Forensics, Lindsay Anton

Masters Theses

This study explores how different rhetorical techniques in collegiate forensics influence college students. Many people do not fully understand how two types of forensic speeches—oral interpretation and platform presentation—affect college students. Using a qualitative approach, this research examines which rhetorical techniques were most influential. A forensics showcase was held. Both an oral interpretation and a platform presentation were performed on the same topic to see how they influenced students. After watching, students answered survey questions about which techniques were most impactful. The results showed that emotional storytelling was the most memorable and persuasive. This study found that a storytelling approach …

The Cultivation And Harvesting Of Parasocial Relationships For Evangelism: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Pastors’ Use Of Video On Social Media, Larry D. Witzel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The digital transformation of society has resulted in people living much of their lives online. Some believe the command of Jesus to “go into all the world” necessarily includes entering the digital realm for evangelistic purposes, particularly as the effectiveness of traditional evangelistic methods has declined. This research explored the communication techniques used for digital outreach by seven pastors on social media to cultivate parasocial relationships and the calls to action they used to harvest these relationships evangelistically. This qualitative multiple case study analyzed public video communication and other social media, comparing these pastors’ online ministry with the known techniques …

The Decline Of Civil Discourse On Facebook: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of The Comment Sections Of News Organizations' Facebook Pages, Cameron Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explores the role of Facebook’s comment sections in the decline of civil discourse, examining how the platform’s design influences user behaviors and contributes to increased incivility. Through a qualitative content analysis of 3,030 comments from 12 national and regional news organizations’ posts on both Facebook and their website, the research identifies key structural elements such as engagement-drive algorithms and broader reaction options that amplify uncivil behavior. The study also introduces three prevalent persona types in online discourse—the passionate partisan, the agitator, and the cynical joker. Each of these contributes to the dynamics of incivility in different ways. Grounded …

The Impact Of Digital Communications And Social Media On Government Officials And The Political Sphere: A Case Study Of The Arab Spring Revolutions, Wurood Shaher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates the dual role of social media as both a tool for political mobilization and a mechanism for government surveillance during the Arab Spring. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 22 government officials from various Middle Eastern and North African countries, the research explores how social media influenced internal decision-making processes and external governmental responses during the uprisings. Employing the theory of structuration and the sociocultural tradition as its theoretical frameworks, the study uncovers the profound impact of social media on state power and public activism. Thematic analysis reveals several key themes, including the rapid adaptation of governmental strategies, …

A Qualitative Constant Comparative Analysis Of The Editing Evolution Through Walter Murch’S Fourth Rule: Eye Trace, Emphasizing Its Utilization In Black Cinema By Renowned Black Directors From The Late 1980s To Present, Hakim Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research using qualitative methods is growing, notably in media and communication studies. The proposed research will explore Walter Murch's fourth rule, Eye Trace, and its film editing guidelines, focusing on Black filmmakers' utilization of it and the evolution of editing overall. The study will use a Constant Comparative Analysis as the foundation of the research, with planned future use of Green and Bock's Transportation Theory to examine how media material immerses people in narratives; this research method often uses content analysis to identify and analyze text themes, patterns, and messages. The study examines whether content analysis can assess Murch's principles …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Males With Absent Fathers: A Phenomenological Study, Justin Danta Gravely-Strayhorn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of African American males who grew up with absent fathers and how this affected them in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods in the rural and urban areas of Chesapeake, Virginia. The theories guiding this study are Bandura's Social Learning Theory, Vygotsky's social learning theory and Bowlby’s attachment theory. These theories explain cognitive development and the influence of social interaction on children’s attitudes and emotional reactions. The theories also explain the role of observation in social interaction and cognitive development, as both explain how cognitive development is influenced by …

We Are Our Brains: Disembodied Brain Films In 1950s Cold War America, David P. Pierson

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

Personified Body Parts in Cinema, Literature, and Visual Culture investigates the power of personifying body parts in cinema, television, visual culture, literature, erotica, folklore, and mystique.

Culturally, socially, and poetically exposing hidden aspects and subtleties of human existentialism, this book vigorously questions and problematizes numerous artistic, aesthetic, technological, naïve, and macabre manipulations of body parts for various purposes. A diverse team of authors explore how scribing human traits to limbs, eyes, brains, genitalia, hearts, and other inner organs is grotesque and aesthetic, repealing and appealing, intimidating and intimate, rude and enjoyable, material and spiritual, surprising and mundane. Personified organs are …

Capturing Tradition: The Business, Branding, And Personal Identity Of Senior Portraits In The Modern South, Xenia R. Minton

Honors Theses

The rise of college students starting photography businesses, particularly in graduation portraits, has transformed the creative and entrepreneurial landscape in the South. This thesis explores the senior portrait culture at the University of Mississippi, analyzing its rapid growth through the perspectives of photographers and academic experts in Southern Studies. Grounded in eight years of experience as a photographer, this study examines the evolution of the industry, business strategies, and cultural significance. Through interviews with seasoned senior portrait photographers and Southern Studies professors, this research investigates how regional traditions, social media, and consumer expectations have shaped the profession. By analyzing these …

Tales About Afghan Women After The U.S. Lost The War In Afghanistan In 2021: A Frame Analysis Of Coverage In The New York Times, Ismat Ara Begum

Communication ETDs

This study investigates how U.S. news media framed Afghan women’s identities and experiences in the context of the Taliban’s return to power after the U.S. military withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In this qualitative inquiry, I examined 11 in-depth, human-interest stories in The New York Times, a mainstream news organization known for its influence on coverage of international and global affairs. A frame analysis was applied to identify salient frames and their ideological underpinnings. The findings show two dominant frames in the coverage, women’s rights and victimhood, articulated through three rhetorical strategies—binary oppositions, comparing loss vs. gain, and emphasis on …

The Force Will Be With You"¦ Won't It? How In-Groups Grow And Develop Around Fandom Through The Lens Of Star Wars, Joseph R. Wirthlin Jr

Theses and Dissertations

The creation of Star Wars by George Lucas sparked the creation of a vast universe of films, books, television shows, toys, games, and more. Star Wars fans quickly took the reins, fleshing out the universe Lucas had created in new and exciting ways. Decades after the conclusion of the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy arrived on the scene, sparking excitement and trepidation among fans of the Original Trilogy. A decade after the Prequel Trilogy concluded and three years following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Corporation, the Sequel Trilogy arrived at an even more significant wave of mixed …

What You See Is Not What You Get: Food Advertising Amidst The Global Overweight And Obesity Pandemic, Marija Ocokoljic

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

The tandem issue of obesity and overweight is a serious global issue that has attained pandemic scale. Media, particularly advertising, plays an active role in shaping perceptions and behavioural patterns, influencing both how and what people eat. This paper analyses food advertising in Serbia in 2023 in the context of promoting dietary habits. Content analysis of commercials aired on a selection of television stations during the year showed the overwhelming prevalence of ads for food high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS), with confectionary products in lead positions. Commercial narratives centre on framing them as sources or catalysts for joyful, …

The Current - Volume 35 Issue 12, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

The Cowl - V. 88 N. 19 - April 10, 2025

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 88 No. 19 - April 10, 2025. 16 pages.

Examining Cultural Competency In Audiologists Across The United States: A Pilot Survey, Olivia Montoya

Student Research Symposium

• Cultural competency refers to the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors, including tailoring delivery to meet patients' social, cultural, and linguistic needs (Betancourt, 2002).

• Limited studies to date have explored the implementation of cultural competence in audiology, which begs the question of how audiologists are fighting against—instead of contributing to—healthcare disparities among ethnic minorities.

The Fear Of Replacement: How Ai Panic In Journalism Mirrors Existential Crisis In Industry, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This study systematically examines the portrayal of artificial intelligence (AI) errors, such as hallucinations and deepfakes, in journalistic contexts, evaluating whether these narratives reflect a broader existential anxiety about AI's role in reshaping journalism. Using a systematic literature review combined with a qualitative content analysis of recent AI-focused news reports, this study identifies recurring themes in media coverage to assess the accuracy and context of reported AI errors relative to actual technological limitations and affordances. Findings suggest that while AI errors are comparatively rare, they receive amplified coverage, often fueling public mistrust in AI technologies. Nevertheless, a balanced examination reveals …