Digital Commons Network^™

How To Incorporate Media Literacy Into General Education Curricula, Dennis O. Frohlich, David Magolis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy scholars have long championed the inclusion of media literacy courses in all levels of education, from K-12 to collegiate levels. Universities’ general education curricula are one possible site for inclusion of a media literacy course. However, with each discipline vying for a spot in a university’s general education system, a course in media literacy can easily be overlooked or excluded. In this paper, we detail our efforts to successfully incorporate several media literacy courses into our university’s general education curriculum. This is a process we went through twice under two different general education systems. This paper will detail …

Deepfakes As Crisis Triggers: Experimental Evidence On Response Strategy Effectiveness, Responsibility Attributions, And Sharing Intentions, Alicia Mason, Mariah Laman, Tanner Glenn, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

The term deepfake refers to falsified media content created using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to manipulate audio, video, or images. Deepfake news fabrications are designed to appear highly realistic, making it difficult for audiences to distinguish them from authentic content. Responding to deepfake-induced  reputational threats therefore presents a unique challenge for organizations. Despite the growing prevalence of deepfake technology, little experimental research has examined how different crisis communication strategies perform in mitigating the reputational and relational harm posed by deepfake-induced crises. Accordingly, this study seeks to (1) examine how exposure to deepfake news relates to public perceptions and affect toward …

Bridging The Justice Gap: A Comparative Study Of Legal Aid Marketing In Canada, Australia, And The United States, Farah O. Haq

Student Theses and Dissertations

Access to justice remains a central challenge across legal systems, particularly for immigrants and refugees, Indigenous communities, and survivors of domestic violence. While legal aid organizations play a critical role in bridging this gap, their effectiveness increasingly depends on how clearly and compassionately they communicate legal information online to their target audience. This thesis conducts a comparative content analysis of nine nonprofit legal aid organizations in the United States, Canada, and Australia, three countries united by a common law tradition but divided by the communication barriers their communities face, examining 180 social media posts and nine websites through the lens …

War Photography & The Limits Of Empathy, Andrea Shi

Student Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of photography, particularly war and poverty photography, has had massive implications for the level of vividness with which Americans are able to picture suffering beyond their doors. The mass atrocities that have occurred since the advent of photography – that is to say, the last 200 years – are so relentlessly circulated that they feel, sometimes, as an inevitable byproduct of human nature. It’s not surprising, then, that a lot of media theory and analysis reduce the dilemma of atrocity photographs to a psychological level. Do they numb us, or do they incite empathy? Are they a call …

The Impact Of Universities’ Social Media Content And Digital Brand Equity On Potential Students’ Perception, Engagement And Trust: The Case Of Egyptian Private Universities, Mahy Shoukry

Theses and Dissertations

Universities are increasingly using social media platforms as tools for marketing, brand building, and student engagement as a result of the digital transformation in higher education. This study investigates how prospective students' perceptions, levels of engagement, and trust are impacted by universities' digital brand equity and social media content. This study attempts to close the knowledge gap on how visual and user-generated information influences the decision-making processes of potential students, given the competitive environment among Egyptian private institutions. Particular focus is placed on how authenticity, video content, and images influence educational institutions' online appearance and reputation. The methodology used a …

Brute Force Branding: Variations & Repetitions Of The Almighty Dollar Banknote, Rui-Long Monico

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: This paper examines the U.S. dollar as a global brand and mythic icon, revealing how its stable aesthetic asserts dominance and infiltrates daily life. Through visual analysis and global comparison, it shows how banknotes are battlegrounds where art, identity, and geopolitics collide—currency as a weapon of soft power and cultural hegemony. The dollar’s visual inertia—ritualized, repeated, reappropriated—cements its supremacy as a symbolic force, where repetition enforces authority and variation sparks both resistance and conformity. Banknotes emerge as tools of statecraft and vessels of collective memory, as reflected in the author’s bespoke creation accompanying this study.

Résumé: Cet article analyse …

Civic Grammar: Why Classical Architecture Endures In The American State, Jesse Walker

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

The dominant visual language of American federal buildings has been classical, surviving repeated ideological challenges, professional revolts, and political controversy. While this persistence has been widely observed, the mechanism behind it has not been clearly identified. This thesis isolates that mechanism. Drawing on architectural history, federal procurement policy, and primary sources from Jefferson's correspondence through the executive orders of 2020 and 2025, it argues that classicism endures not because its meaning has remained stable, but because federal architecture is governed by a persistent functional constraint: government buildings must be immediately legible to an ordinary citizen, without signage or prior knowledge, …

Artificial Intelligence Adoption Among Future Journalism And Mass Communications Professionals: A Tam-Based Approach To Students’ Generative Ai Adoption Intent, Chinwendu P. Akalonu

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries, journalism and mass communications professions are slowly adapting to these technologies. This study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and AI-TAM frameworks to examine predictors of AI adoption intent among college students preparing for careers in the field. Survey results reveal that perceived usefulness, trust in AI output quality, organizational requirement, ethical awareness, and certain sociodemographic factors such as race predict AI adoption intent. Additionally, the study highlights differences in adoption intent among students in different subfields of mass communication, including journalism, advertising, and public relations. It underscores the importance of expanding traditional TAM-based …

Performing The Digital Identity: A Media Discourse Analysis Of Online Identity Construction, Dalya Qasem

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates how news media construct narratives about TikTok and its role in shaping digital identity. While existing scholarship has examined issues such as privacy, marketing, and entertainment, less attention has been given to how identity is represented, negotiated, and understood within public discourse. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) combined with computational text analysis through Voyant Tools, this study analyzes a corpus of 111 news articles published between 2020 and 2025 that explicitly reference TikTok and identity. The analysis identifies prominent keywords, topics, and rhetorical patterns across media texts. Furthermore, the research demonstrates a critical analysis of popular understandings …

Code^Shift Newsletter Fall 2025, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Manaswini Pillai

CODE^SHIFT Research

No abstract provided.

Code^Shift Newsletter Spring 2025, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Manaswini Pillai

CODE^SHIFT Research

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Visual Brand Identity On Consumer Response In Rebranding: A Case Study Of Burger King, Andressa De Ungaro Dos Santos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study investigates consumer perceptions of rebranding through the lens of visual brand identity (VBI) and brand associations, focusing on Burger King’s recent rebranding. Using the Aaker Model as the theoretical framework, the study analyzes how brand awareness and associations influence consumer responses to visual identity changes. The research involves two focal areas in which comparative study will be applied by: (1) analyzing rebranding awareness by evaluating media coverage of Burger King’s new branding; (2) examining consumer-brand relationships through social media interactions to understand responses to the rebranding and to measure emotional and associative responses to visual elements. Through …

Vietnamese Gen Z'S Perception Of National Brand Identity Through Cộng Cà Phê Packaging Design, Ngoc Thao Chi Nguyen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study examined how Vietnamese Gen Z perceive national brand identity expressed through Cộng Cà Phê's packaging design. Through online questionnaires, 247 Gen Z respondents aged 18-27 evaluated the packaging design across four dimensions: cognition, emotion, language, and action. Results showed strong recognition of cultural design elements, particularly the color palette and retro typography that reference Vietnam's subsidy era. Emotionally, the packaging evoked national pride in Vietnamese identity among respondents. Linguistically, participants rated the design as highly authentic in conveying national character. Behaviorally, many respondents indicated they would choose Cộng Cà Phê to introduce Vietnamese coffee culture to international friends. …

The Kids Aren't Alright: "Indie Sleaze Revival" And The Commodification Of Subcultures On Social Media, Lauren Mar

Scripps Senior Theses

In 2012, the “indie sleaze” subculture is accepted to have “died” — the same year Facebook bought Instagram. Named retroactively by social media in 2021, the “indie sleaze” subculture and its “revival” online provides a rich ground for investigating how and why social media converts subculture into aesthetics. Drawing on Dick Hebdige’s 1979 theory of subculture, this project considers new understandings of the political, aesthetic, and affective relationships between digital media and subcultures. In examining the evolution of “indie sleaze” from its origins and manifestations in an escapist party scene of the aughts to its online simulations from 2021 to …

What We Owe Each Other: An Examination Of Social Exchange Theory And Public Perception Of Healthy Relationships, Sarah R. Korbich

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This study uses prior literature on social exchange theory and uses various frameworks to examine the public’s perception and comprehension of SET through examining user-generated content on TikTok. Social exchange theory is based upon the idea that when interacting with other persons, you are exchanging rewards and costs. This study was guided by two questions that explore how social exchange is generalized and understood by the public, and how well the public’s ideas of positively contributing to a healthy relationship aligns with operational measures of SET. This study’s intention is to encourage SET’s usage in application to relational contexts as …

Reply Stop To Stop, Molly A. M. Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of 8 years working in progressive political strategy, 2015–2023, I became increasingly critical of the systems, formulas and tools we were using to communicate with voters. Reply STOP to Stop is documentation of my time at graduate school, of wrestling with ideas of political design, language, communication and distribution. I analyzed my past work — all the texts, emails, social media posts, print ads, web banners, videos and other miscellaneous scripted content — and wondered if we would all be better off without it. Would elections be fairer, would there be less fake news, more community building? …

Attack On Titan Anime Memes: Possible Meanings And Interpretations By Young Adults., Yee-Lin Teo, Sze Seau Lee, Xin Jie Lim

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Memes have unpredictable and diverse interpretations because of their tendencies to be parodies, remixes, or mashups. This study aims to examine the possible meanings which memes may express and the interpretations of memes by young adults within the affinity space of Attack on Titan anime memes. The two-phase methodology involves analysing the memes using Shifman’s analytical dimensions of content, form, and stance, before conducting in-depth interviews with ten young adults who represent insiders and outsiders of the affinity space. The findings discuss how Attack on Titan memes normalise sexualisation, violence, and struggles such as suicidal intentions in young adults. The …

Book Review Reading Images: The Grammar Of Visual Design, Wim Honders

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

Media Literacy Policy In Morocco: A Strategic Milestone Missing, Abderrahim Chalfaouat, Karim Essoufi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In the digital age, diverse walks of human life have reconfigured profoundly. In the Moroccan society, digitalisation plans and the skyrocketing numbers of internet users necessitate coping literacy policies. While several community initiatives have been taken to improve the quality of media literacy, they, as bottom-up efforts, cannot suffice to meet the needs of the whole Moroccan population. Rather, the absence of a central, nationwide, cross-sectoral media literacy policy significantly challenges the effective coordination of official strategies and community initiatives in media education. This article investigates current practices in media literacy in Morocco. Using document analysis, it delves into data …

The Needs That Instagram Satisfies For People Seeking News & How This Displaces Time Spent With Traditional Media, Madeleine Dunn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines how the current climate of mainstream media is changing, and how this may affect journalistic norms and practices. There are many outlets for consumers to receive news, including traditional media, such as television news, newspapers, magazines, etc. There is also social media. The future of mainstream media outlets, like television stations, newspapers, magazines and radio stations, seems to depend on the growing use of social media sites for the use of getting news. This research will focus on Instagram as an alternative to traditional media, and why people prefer to use this outlet to get their news. …

Reputation Themes From Communication Perspective: A Qualitative Systematic Review, Omar Abu Arqoub

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

The article aimed to systematically review communication reputation-related research to shape the reputation literature from a communication perspective. After investigating several databases, a total of 366 peer-reviewed communication journal articles focusing on reputation were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. A qualitative text mining and thematic analysis approach was conducted using the NVivo program to examine the most frequently used words and major emergent themes. The results revealed that the topmost frequently repeated words in communication reputation-focused articles were “crisis,” “public,” “reputation,” “communication,” “media,” and “relations.” Also, this study discussed the six major themes that …

Wright State University Magazine, Fall 2023, Wright State Alumni Association And Wright State Foundation

Wright State University Magazine

Fifty-two page issue of the Wright State University Magazine. This magazine is published twice a year and focuses on news related to Wright State alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university.

Words Evaporate, The Images Remain: Testing Visual Warnings In The Context Of Intentions To Vape Among U.S. Adults As An Expansion Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior (Tpb), Carl Arland Ciccarelli

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model variables of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, along with the variable of fear to explain individuals’ behavioral intentions to vape. Previous studies have explored the social appeal, intrigue, and potential consequences of vaping among adolescent and college student populations. However, these past studies have largely relied upon focus groups and self-reported data conducted among samples of teen, adolescent, and college student populations. Thus, the aims and designs of these previous vaping studies may have been lacking in construct validity and a theoretical approach from which to explain behavioral …

Catholicism Online: How The Church Is Communicating In The Visual Field, Alexandra Barfield

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Given the rise and importance of social media in the last two decades, religious institutions, especially the Roman Catholic Church, have an important place online to fulfill their mission and belief of spreading the Gospel message. Communicating this message on social media and with contemporary marketing practices is an opportunity and a challenge for churches, Catholics, and apostolates alike. In this study, I analyze a variety of Catholic-related Instagram accounts and interview individuals involved in Church management and content creation. This primary research is prefaced with secondary research exploring the status of the Catholic Church in the United States, …

Improving Well-Being In The Basic Course: The Impact Of Interpersonal Communication Competence And Public Speaking Anxiety On Loneliness, Belongingness, And Flourishing, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Aayushi Hingle Collier, Henri K. Huber

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study evaluated whether interpersonal communication competence and public speaking anxiety had an impact on three indicators of student well-being (loneliness, belongingness, and flourishing) as well as evaluated whether the two most popular types of the introductory communication course (public speaking and hybrid/fundamentals) impacted interpersonal communication competence and public speaking anxiety to the same extent. Survey data was collected from 1378 students enrolled in one of these two introductory communication courses. Results showed that interpersonal communication competence was the strongest predictor of all three outcome variables, and the public speaking anxiety predicted some additional variance in loneliness and belongingness, but …

The Influence Of The Abraham Accords On The Visual Coverage Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict In Arab Media: A Comparative Analysis, Mona Alsaba

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of the official signing of the Abraham Accords on the Arab media visual coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This study operationalized visual frames in terms of the human-interest vs technical frame and peace vs war frame, and explored the use of graphic portrayal as a framing device, in order to compare between the Arab media visual framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before and after the official signing of the Abraham Accords to examine the impact of foreign policy on the coverage among news outlets of different Arab countries. A comparative analysis was conducted relying on …

Right Turn At Reality: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Right Wing Negotiations On Race And Masculinity In Online Spaces, Andrew R.J. Hart

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The effects of right wing politically charged violence are more visible now than at any other point in recent American history. The Internet, and social media more specifically, has become a crucial nexus point in the dissemination of decentralized Alt-Right propaganda. The visual nature of social media has increased the importance of images a means of communication. Through this thesis, I analyze artifacts coming out of these spaces representing a conversation between creators and audiences, and how they work dialogically to introduce and reify symbols of white masculine supremacy within this subgroup. Through this process, I find multiple recurring patterns …

การใช้สัญญะทางสายตาในเฟซบุ๊กแฟนเพจภาพล้อการเมือง, ฐิติมา วงศ์ถาวร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยเล่มนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการทำงานของสัญญะทางสายตาในการสะท้อนปัญหาทางการเมืองและสังคมไทยในภาพล้อเลียนการเมืองออนไลน์ ศึกษาจากเฟซบุ๊กแฟนเพจภาพล้อการเมืองทั้งหมด 3 เพจ ได้แก่ Uninspired by current events, ไข่แมวX และเฮ้ยนี่มันตัดต่อชัด ๆ V2 โดยเลือกภาพจากประเด็นที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการทำงานของรัฐบาล ตั้งแต่มิถุนายน พ.ศ.2564 ถึงธันวาคม พ.ศ.2565 ทั้งหมด 78 ภาพ พบว่ามีลักษณะของการวิพากษ์ปัญหาทางการเมือง และสังคม 3 ลักษณะ ได้แก่ วิพากษ์ผู้สั่งการหรือผู้รับผิดชอบ, วิพากษ์เหตุการณ์ หรือสถานการณ์ และวิพากษ์ผลจากเหตุการณ์ หรือสถานการณ์ อีกทั้งยังปรากฏสัญญะทางสายตาทั้ง 3 รูปแบบ ได้แก่ Iconic Sign หรือสัญญะที่แทนสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่ง, Plastic Sign หรือสัญญะที่แสดงลักษณะทางกายภาพของภาพที่สื่อสาร และ Linguistic sign หรือสัญญะที่แสดงออกทางภาษา โดยลักษณะการมีทั้งความหมายนัยตรง และความหมายโดยนัย และมีการนำแนวคิดเรื่องภาพพจน์มาอธิบายสัญญะทางภาพอันปรากฏ 7 รูปแบบ ได้แก่ อุปลักษณ์ (Metaphor), นามนัย (Metonymy), การประชดประชัน (Irony), การล้อเลียนจากสิ่งที่มีอยู่ (Parody), การกล่าวเกินจริง หรืออติพจน์ (Hyperbole), การปฏิทรรศน์ (Paradox) และการสร้างสถานการณ์เล่าเปรียบเทียบ (Allegory) เรียงตามลำดับ ทั้งยังพบการประกอบสร้างความหมายอันเกิดจากการเปรียบเทียบ 3 ลักษณะ ได้แก่ เปรียบเทียบระหว่างสัญญะกับสิ่งที่ถูกวิพากษ์, เปรียบเทียบระหว่างสัญญะภายในภาพ และเปรียบเทียบระหว่างสัญญะกับผลงานสร้างสรรค์ (Recontextualizing Parody) ซึ่งช่วงเวลาที่ภาพล้อปรากฏก็มีส่วนสำคัญในการประกอบสร้างความหมายเช่นกัน นอกจากนี้การศึกษาภาพล้อการเมืองจากทั้ง 3 เพจยังพบการใช้สัญญะทางสายตาสื่อสารถึงสิ่งที่ละเอียดอ่อนต่อการวิพากษ์อย่างมีชั้นเชิง

การสื่อสารประเด็นสังคมร่วมสมัยของละครไม่มีบทพูดในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพ, ปณิชา เดชโรจนัย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์เรื่อง การสื่อสารประเด็นสังคมร่วมสมัยของละครไม่มีบทพูดในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพ มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาประเด็นทางสังคมร่วมสมัยของละครไม่มีบทพูดที่ปรากฎในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพ และศึกษาวิธีการเล่าเรื่องและวิธีการสื่อสารถึงคุณลักษณะทางการแสดงของละครไม่มีบทพูดที่มีการสื่อสารประเด็นทางสังคมในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพ โดยทำการคัดเลือกละครไม่มีบทพูดที่มีการสื่อสารประเด็นทางสังคมในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพปีพ.ศ. 2566 ณ หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร (BACC) จำนวน 10 เรื่อง ประกอบด้วย ละครใบ้ ฟิสิคัลเธียเตอร์ การเต้นร่วมสมัย และการแสดงแสง เสียง และเงา ผลการวิจัยพบว่า วิธีการสื่อสารประเด็นสังคมของละครไม่มีบทพูดในเทศกาลละครกรุงเทพ สามารถบอกเล่าเรื่องราวผ่านประเด็นสังคมได้เช่นเดียวกันกับละครที่มีบทพูด แต่มีวิธีการสื่อสารการแสดงที่แตกต่างกันออกไปในแต่ละรูปแบบการแสดง ซึ่งการตีความอาจขึ้นอยู่กับประสบการณ์ของแต่ละบุคคล นับว่าเป็นจุดเด่นของละครไม่มีบทพูดที่ต้องการเปิดกว้างทางความคิดให้ผู้ชมสามารถจินตนาการและตีความเรื่องราวได้หลากหลายทิศทางอย่างไม่มีถูกหรือผิด ประเด็นสังคมที่ถูกเล่าผ่านละครไม่มีบทพูด ได้แก่ สิ่งแวดล้อม ครอบครัว ความเชื่อและความศรัทธาทางศาสนา การใช้ชีวิตและความไม่เท่าเทียมในสังคม และเศรษฐกิจ การเมือง ในขณะเดียวกันละครไม่มีบทพูดไม่ใช้วิธีการจัดวางโครงเรื่องเช่นเดียวกันกับละครที่มีบทพูด แต่ใช้วิธีการกำหนดแนวคิดหลักของเรื่องผ่านกระบวนการค้นหา การทดลอง และการสร้างงาน อีกทั้งยังนิยมสร้างสัญลักษณ์ในการแสดงเพื่อเป็นส่วนช่วยขยายเรื่องราว โดยมีคุณลักษณะเด่นในการสื่อสารประเด็นทางสังคมแตกต่างกันออกไปในแต่ละรูปแบบการแสดง ได้แก่ วิธีการสื่อสารผ่านท่วงท่าการเคลื่อนไหว การเลือกใช้อุปกรณ์ประกอบการแสดง การออกแบบเสียงประกอบการแสดง รวมถึงการจัดวางพื้นที่ให้สอดคล้องกับการแสดง

Color, Culture, And The Implications For Emotional, Cognitive, And Behavioral Reactions, Renee Lucas

LSU Master's Theses

Color plays a significant role in life, influencing how we perceive things, how symbols change in meaning, how brands, logos, and pictograms are communicated, as well as how our emotions are perceived and how our moods are affected. For designers, advertisers, and visual communicators, color is crucial because it has a big impact on how people perceive, relate to, and value an image or advertisement. There are many factors that play a role when people develop their personal color interpretations – one being culture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the links between culture, color, and individuals’ cognitive, …