Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Political Content Consumption From Tiktok On Civic Engagement And Online Political Participation Among Gen Zs - A Case Study In Cambodia, Menghieng Ngov

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: TikTok has grown as the foremost platform for short-form videos in Cambodia, widely recognized for its entertainment and showing activities like dancing and singing. This study aims to explore the amount of political and civic content on TikTok, produced by general users, news outlets, or politicians, and examine its influence on Generation Z's online political participation and civic engagement. This research investigates how exposure to those contents affects these Gen Zs, specifically addressing two main questions: (1) "How does TikTok influence Gen Z's understanding and engagement in political and civic topics in Cambodia?" (2) “How does the level of …

Divided Crowns: An Ideological Criticism Of Self-Black Determination And Conflicting Visions Of Wakanda In Black Panther, Alaya E. Hubbard

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Using an ideological criticism of Hollywood’s Black Panther (2018), this paper analyzes the differing portrayals of the self-Black determination of the film’s main characters, T’Challa and Killmonger, as it relates to their backgrounds, cultural connections, racial identities, power dynamics, and their fights for social justice. Aspects of the film that were analyzed included characters’ actions, dialogue, lore, and presence. Digging deeper into the film’s story once key themes were revealed. This examination included parallels to the real-world, including locations, social movements, and social reformation leaders. The goal of the paper is to show how the film offers insights into broader …

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies And Solutions Of International Students In Academic Environments With Consideration To Communication Accommodation Theory, Wendy K. Yeboah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT

Yeboah, Wendy, M.A., Spring 2024 Communication Studies

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies and Solutions of International Students in Academic Environments with Consideration to Communication Accommodation

Chairperson: Dr. Greg Larson

This study, exploring the communication challenges of international students within academic spaces may be particularly helpful due to the constant interaction that happens within the academic space. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was used as a guiding framework to ask eleven international students what their communication challenges are and subsequently what are the communication strategies they use to help alleviate these challenges. Analyses were conducted thematically, and international students' responses on what …

Payday Power-Up: Let's Make A Raise Distribution, Ayse Ozturk

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This study illustrates a problem-solving activity reflective of a real-life situation wherein high school students articulate their reasoning while contemplating the effectiveness and fairness of distributing raises. Study data were gathered via teaching experiment methodology in problem-solving sessions at a mathematics camp for secondary students. Examination of the data indicated that students sought entry points for problem-solving by making assumptions and pinpointing crucial variables. Framing mathematics within the concept of fairness encouraged students to review their work, engage in active listening, and find purpose in mathematical reasoning.

The Regenarrative: How To Change The Story In Order To Change The Future, S. Rose Bigheart O'Leary

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Abstract

In the era of Climate Change, many are concerned that the end of the Anthropocene, or the end of the era of human life on Earth, is upon us. Western European colonialism and its subsequent systems (settler-colonialism, colonial-capitalism, and globalization - sometimes termed “neocolonialism”) have all been implicated in contributing to unsustainable behaviors linked to accelerating climate change. In searching for possible solutions, some have called for listening to Indigenous Peoples, citing ethics of sustainability found among many Indigenous cultures. However, the cultural products of settler-colonialism are still dominant in ways that do not allow for Indigenous worldviews to …

The Loss Of An Enemy: Brooklyn Nine-Nine And The Five Stages Of Grief, Anna Drabik

Comm-entary

This essay examines how sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine explores what it means to grieve the loss of someone who wasn’t necessarily a friend or a foe through the theoretical lens of The Five Stages of Grief. It begins with a brief explanation of what the Five Stages Theory is, followed by an outline of the tumultuous history between Captain Raymond Holt and Acting Commissioner Madeline Wuntch, describing their rivalry and placing it into the larger context of the show. Then, the piece follows Holt through each of the five stages after Wuntch’s unexpected death in season 7, episode 7, titled “Ding …

Tap Taps And Fist Bumps: Embodied Movements In Skateboarding Sessions, Paige O’Neil

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Sexism, Racism, And Classism In Netflix’S Docuseries Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Grace Cushing

Comm-entary

This essay critically analyzes Netflix’s sports docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Netflix’s docuseries dramatizes Formula One, which is arguably the highest level of international motorsport. Through strategic portrayals of events in and surrounding the sport, Netflix creates an entertaining but incomplete narrative of different Formula One seasons. This analysis examines the sexism, racism, and classism that are not only present in Formula One, but which also undermine the docuseries. Formula One is known to be a male-dominated, primarily white, and economically elite sport. This essay evaluates the various features of Formula 1: Drive to Survive that perpetuate these traits …

The Power Of Action, Giavanna Fioretti

Comm-entary

This essay analyzes a constructive conversation me and my roommate Kaylee had with a friend of ours, Teddy. This conversation presented itself after Kaylee and I witnessing a form of a microaggression. It was not intended with harm, but the conversation was one that we felt we needed to discuss. This essay emphasizes the impact of action and how it can be put to very good use. It also discusses how Teddy felt after the conversation, as opposed to how Kaylee and I felt after discussing this issue with him. This conversation was handled with kindness, as well as attempting …

How Political Elite Leverage Twitter To Polarize America, Woodson Morris Hobbs V

Theses and Dissertations

While social media has changed how humans use the internet, Twitter has drastically reformed how individuals worldwide receive their news. As news outlets fail to keep up with the rapid dissemination of information online, Twitter has become a sounding board for the political elite who leverage the platform's immediacy and virality. This study, using Quantitative Ethnography's Epistemic Network Analysis, seeks to determine if the political elite, specifically members of Congress, are leveraging Twitter to spread polarizing information to strengthen their base. In this study, extensive coding of select members of the 118th Congress was completed and compared to Voteview.com's DW-Nominate …

Ban Of The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate In Ukraine: Limitation Of Religious Freedom Or The Fight Against Russian Influence, Bohdan Synchak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article reviews the activity of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine and abroad, particularly in the EU and the USA. The main problem this study deals with is the probable ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) in Ukraine, which is potential against the background of the consideration in the 2nd reading of draft law No. 8371, which refers to “impossibility of the activity of religious organizations in Ukraine, the management center (management) of which is located in the state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine.” In the course of our review, the key question is whether …

Assembling Hyperpop: Genre Formation On Wikipedia, Eliot Bates, Sophie Delphis, Romulo Moraes, Julia Santoli

Publications and Research

In this article, we analyze how a music genre is reciprocally defined online, through the crowdsourced ‘facts’ of Wikipedia. What are the traditional implicit and explicit exclusionary practices in this sort of genre formation? And how can internet-specific sociabilities create new exclusionary practices in the process of defining music? By analyzing the edit history of Wikipedia’s ‘hyperpop’ page, we locate ongoing debates, controversies, and contestations that point to shaping forces around online genre formation. These potentially have a huge impact on how hyperpop is understood both inside and outside of the music community. In locating the most active editors of …

Online Racism And Mental Health Symptomatology Among Black Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination, Stephen M. Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Online racism (i.e., racism perpetrated and embedded within media and platforms on the Internet) is increasingly becoming a public health concern. Recent empirical evidence demonstrates that over a three year period, Black adolescents reported experiencing at least one online racial discriminatory incident, including exposure to racist images or videos within digital spaces (Tynes et al., 2020). One way in which Black adolescents are exposed to online racism is through the consumption of digital news media on the coverage of racially traumatic events (e.g., murders of Black men and women by police officers, racial hate crimes committed against Black people) and …

Call For Me When You Get There: I'Ll Be Among The Crows, Jessica O. Tifase

Theses and Dissertations

I've always been intrigued by the ways in which the notion of flight has been used to describe the movement of Black people, both literally and figuratively. In many instances, flight performs as a double entendre, embodying multiple meanings: to escape or to transcend. The fluidity of its definition prompts a reflection I’ve been wrestling with as I move through the world: Are Black people in a perpetual state of flight?

In my thesis exhibition, Call for Me When You Get There, I use the precarious state of flight as a means to explore the complicated choreography necessary for navigating …

The Patient Experience Of Language Discordance And Interpreter Services In The Emergency Department, Keri L. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Clear communication is critical to the interaction of a patient and medical provider. For non-English speaking patients, language discordance, described as the lack of proficiency in a shared language, with the medical team results in a poor patient experience and poor patient outcomes. The predominant solution to language discordance is the use of interpreter services, however these services are underused in the emergency department (ED). Studies examining underuse of interpreter services have primarily focused on the clinician and little is known about the patient’s influence on the use of interpreter services.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Spanish-speaking …

Helicopter Teaching From The Student Perspective: An Application Of Rhetorical And Relational Goals Theory, Denise Victoria Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research on helicopter teaching from an instructor’s perspective has noted thatimplementing this type of teaching style comes with the potential harm to student learning and the value of education. Prior research, however, has focused on the instructor perspective of helicopter teaching. The purpose of the current study was to explore the student perspective of helicopter teaching behaviors through the lens of rhetorical and relational goals theory. Participants (N = 121) evaluated 17 helicopter teaching behaviors for frequency, negativity, clarity, caring, and positive impact on learning. Results indicated that students perceived helicopter teaching behaviors as strategies that enhanced their learning (i.e., …

Netflix As A Transverse Transnational Media In Southeast Asia: Exploring The Philippine Context, Lady Aileen Ambion Orsal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines how Netflix as a transnational Internet TV disrupted the media flow in Southeast Asia. As subscription to streaming platforms grew exponentially, the limited linear flow of contents in traditional TV was transformed into a more personalized viewing experience. Consumers binge-watching on a subscription video on demand service were given the agency to view diverse contents at a time and on a gadget they prefer while also being offered recommendations from the platform’s curated list. As Netflix expanded to over 190 countries around the world, it has employed localization strategies to provide culturally authentic contents through co-production with …

Amazing Or Awful? The Role Of Message Frames In Expectancy-Value Based Weight Management Intentions, Xuan Qian

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effective message frames in improving individuals’ weight management intentions. Focus on gain-framed and loss-framed messages, their interactions with expectancy and value were unveiled in both weight loss and weight loss maintenance conditions. A 2 (message frames: gain-framed vs. loss-framed) x 2 (weight management: weight loss vs. weight loss maintenance) online experiment (N = 249) was conducted. Participants were asked about their weight management experiences, read manipulated messages, and answered questions about perceived expectancies and values toward future behaviors. Results showed that gain-framed messages are more effective in arousing individuals’ intentions and values in both weight loss …

Journalists’ Perception Of Artificial Intelligence: The Case Of Nigerian Newsrooms, Amaka Peace Onebunne

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Technological advancements have always influenced how news is sourced, produced, and disseminated. The emergence of AI technology fundamentally repositions human journalists, requiring them to work with non-human agents. Typically, the Global North leads in adopting such technologies, resulting in unequal technological diffusion and research between the Global North and South. This research thus takes a less-traveled path within a portion of the global south to understand journalists’ views of Artificial Intelligence in Nigerian newsrooms and how geographical and cultural factors influence AI usage. Grounded in the human-machine communication framework, semi-structured interviews with 18 Nigerian journalists revealed a double-edged view of …

Effective Communication Strategy During Crisis: A Case Of The 2010 Toyota Recall Crisis, Masud Mensah

Masters Theses

Crisis communication is an integral part of public relations and organizational management at large involving the timely and strategic sharing of information during a crisis or emergency. Its primary purpose is to ensure that organizations effectively manage and minimize the negative impact of the crisis on their operations and stakeholders, which invariably helps to maintain trust, credibility and restore their reputation. Based on an interpretivist standpoint, the study utilizes qualitative approaches and takes the form of a case study. It offers a comprehensive account of the crisis, including key occurrences, media representation, and public responses, showcasing its international impact via …

American Express: Small Business Saturday, Sean Surrick

Comm-entary

This essay discusses the public relations campaign Small Business Saturday. Originating in 2010 as a response to economic downturns and aimed at spotlighting local businesses, this annual event has transcended its corporate origins to become a celebrated national holiday. This essay delves into the evolution and significance of Small Business Saturday, tracing its trajectory from inception to its current status as a cultural fixture. It also examines how American Express has teamed up with many other businesses to promote the holiday and give resources to small businesses. The event has become so well known that the United States Senate has …

Artificial Intelligence And Human Creativity: A Delicate Balance, Grace Bell

Comm-entary

This essay discusses the ways that virtues, as well as their meanings and their applications, are changing as technology develops. It also describes the debate among creatives and artists regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in creative work, and the nuances that come with defining something as broad as 'creativity'. Artificial intelligence is new and frightening to many, and artists are unsure if this technology will make creative projects more accessible, or if it will take over human-designed creative projects entirely. Using Chat GPT as a tool and a creative partner, this essay investigates the ways that AI can …

The Cause And Effect Of Contemporary Science Communication, Dina Rathke

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

The Countess Of Chester Hospital Whistle-Blower Case Study, Kaylie Efstratiou

Comm-entary

The following case examines whistle-blowing in the workplace and how it is treated in organizational culture, dealing with the varying ethical perspectives displayed when managerial staff are faced with a whistle-blower. In 2015, an alarming number of infants began to mysteriously pass away in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital. After a few staff members began to realize that one nurse, Lucy Letby, may have been a common denominator in the deaths, a report was made and brought to the attention of the unit manager. When nothing was done after several meetings, some of the staff took …

Epiphany After The Flood, Fiona Flaherty

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Evaluating ‘Professionalism’ In Modern Organizations, Ava Montalbano

Comm-entary

This case discusses organizational communication theories, such as professionalism, hegemony, disciplinary Power, and antiracism, and how they impact organizations and their members. Nadia Hernadez is a Mexican-American immigrant who experienced discrimination under the disguise of professionalism during her time working in various organizations.

How Mindfulness In Business Practices Can Enact Positive Change, Kali Couronis

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Shame In A Digital Age, Gianna Anzalone

Comm-entary

This essay dives into the nature of mediated shame, analyzing its implications in various contexts and genres of media. Beginning with an analysis of shame as a disciplinary mechanism, the essay highlights how online platforms perpetuate societal norms through the perception and judgment of others. Drawing examples from reality television, it explores how shame is commodified for entertainment, often at the expense of vulnerable participants. Using shows like "The Biggest Loser" as a case study, the essay examines how media narratives exploit and amplify shame, leading to a spoiled identity. This essay also acknowledges the role of shame as a …

Shades Of Humanity: Capturing Diversity Through Photography, Pat Hussey

Comm-entary

This essay evaluates the rhetorical devices present in Rachel Cobb’s, "At the Black Lives Matter Protests in NYC: A Photo Essay," which shows images taken during several protests in the initial wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. It shows us the diversity of those involved in supporting the fight for the rights of others. I choose to explore this further through the lens of Cobb and use several scholars to acknowledge the role that the photographer has in shaping our perception and understanding. Finally, I try to connect to larger social discourses concerning race and the access to equitable …

"So Sorry Your Grandma Died. Get That Paper In.”: Graduate Teaching Assistants' Experiences Of Student Grief In The Communication Classroom, Jessica Cherry, Carly Densmore

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are faced with managing how to respond to student disclosures of grief in the classroom but often lack grief training from their universities when these instances occur. Good and Mad grief, and Critical Grief Pedagogy (CGP) are the frameworks for which this study is positioned. Through interviews with GTAs in the United States, we explore their experiences when engaging with student grief disclosures and revealed three main themes: regulations and boundaries, transactional exchanges in institutions, and the classroom being a human space. We also discuss how GTAs use CGP to manage these interactions. We further suggest …