Digital Commons Network^™

Motivations For Sharing News On Social Media, Lorraine (Lola) Y.C. Wong, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

Social media have become an important part of everyday communication, and a platform for sharing and ‘re-sharing’ of information. We discover news through our social networks and pass some of what we encounter along to others in those same networks. Numerous studies focus on the sharing of personal information (both online and offline) but less research examines practices related to the sharing of news—especially sharing via social media. Understanding why we choose to share news and non-personal content online is vital in a world where we increasingly turn to social media and our online social networks for news and …

A Retrospective On State Of The Art Social Media Research Methods: Ethical Decisions, Big-Small Data Rivalries And The Spectre Of The 6vs, Anabel Quan-Haase, Luke Sloan

FIMS Publications

This concluding chapter offers critical reflections on some of the key themes covered in the Handbook. Ethics emerged as a concern for many scholars, both for those engaging in quantitative and qualitative approaches. Scholars agree in that there is no overarching set of rules that can be applied to all projects blindly, rather they see ethical decisions as being grounded in the specifics of the data being collected, the social group under study, and the potential repercussions for subjects. A second central theme was the value of qualitative approaches for understanding ‘anomalies’ within larger data sets. Qualitative approaches are seen …

Are You Really Anonymous Online? Your Friends On Twitter May Give You Away, Jessica T. Su

FDLA Journal

As you browse the internet, online advertisers track nearly every site you visit, amassing a trove of information on your habits and preferences. When you visit a news site, they might see you’re a fan of basketball, opera and mystery novels, and accordingly select ads tailored to your tastes.

Advertisers use this information to create highly personalized experiences, but they typically don’t know exactly who you are. They observe only your digital trail, not your identity itself, and so you might feel that you’ve retained a degree of anonymity.

Social Media Content Analysis "Study On Brand Posts Of Electronics Companies", Zoha Rahman, Suberamanian Kumaran, Hasmah Zanuddin, Mohd Hairul Nizam Md Nasir

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Social media is considered as a first-rate open communication platform to connect directly with customers. One of the most noteworthy customs to connect with the consumers through these Social Networking Sites (SNS) is to create a Facebook fanpage with brand contents and to place different posts periodically on these fanpages. According to different posts or contents placed on the fanpages, consumer responses in different manners. Usually users click like button on particular brand fanpages and then put like, comments or keep sharing on particular posts of fanpages. These types of consumer activities in fanpages reflect brand's post interactivity and engagement. …

College Students And Yik Yak: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study, Cathlin V. Clark-Gordon, Kimberly E. Workman, Darren L. Linvill

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study, employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach, explores college students’ use of Yik Yak, a pseudo-anonymous social media platform that allows users to post short messages and engage primarily with other nearby users. Study 1 qualitatively examined student uses and perceptions of the app through 12 in-depth interviews with Yik Yak users. Study 2 conducted a content analysis of yaks (N = 3,905) from 24 colleges and universities to gain a better understanding of the content that students post and engage with inside the app. The combination of qualitative and quantitative findings offers insight into the complex phenomena of …

Persuasion In 140 Characters: Testing Issue Framing, Persuasion And Credibility Via Twitter And Online News Articles In The Gun Control Debate, Ben Wasike

Communication Faculty Publications

Using a 2 × 2 × 4 experimental design, this study examined the framing of the pro and anti-gun control arguments posited after the Sandy Hook shooting and the resultant effect on persuasion and credibility. Overall, pro-gun control frames were more persuasive and more credible than anti-gun control frames. Arguments transmitted via online news articles elicited more persuasion than those transmitted via Twitter. News article sources were deemed more credible too. I discuss the ramifications within.

Impact Of Social Media's Perceived Online Community Value On User's Responses, Zoha Rahman, Kumaran Suberamanian, Hasmah Zanuddin, Sedigheh Moghavvemi, Mohd Hairul Nizam Md Nasir

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Increasingly, consumers use social media as a vehicle for pre-purchase information gathering and post purchase experience sharing. Although existing social media research provides some valuable insights, it is relatively lacking in theory based research on the basic mechanisms through which desired brand goals are achieved. Value creation in online communities is a very crucial question that still needs further research. This study is an attempt to observe popular fan-pages' followers' activities of selected fan-pages of Malaysia and survey (n= 318) on followers of those fan-pages to show the impact of user's perceived online community value on their behavioral responses. The …

Sm Analytics: Impact Of Sm Engagement Metrics On Online Purchase Intention, Z. Rahman, S. Kumaran, H. Zanuddin, M.H.N.M. Nasir

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Online sale is now the most targeted and striking selling strategy for most of the business enterprises. SM (Social Media) now is the most attractive segment to attract consumers and to contact them directly. Many researches have been conducted on identifying the importance of SM on purchase intention. In social media, users tend to do different types of activities, (e.g., comment, like, share, view) and these users actions create SM (Social Media) engagement metrics. Users of different Facebook fanpages tend to engage with different pages in different ways. Marketers definitely now need to explore the actual impact of social media …

Motivational Strategies For Improving Healthy Eating Habits: A Thematic Analysis Of A Myplate Twitter Campaign, Md Jamal Uddin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined the #MyPlateMyWins Twitter campaign from ChooseMyPlate.gov to understand the motivational strategies used to influence people to change their eating habits. Although studies have explored healthy diet promotion in a variety of contexts, researchers have been slower to explore how Twitter is used in this regard. Applying Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory and using a thematic analysis, this paper found three major strategies used by the campaign: Starting with small changes in health behavior; being a healthy eating role model for kids; and, remaining physically active. These findings should be helpful for organizations or individuals to design effective …

U.S. Newspaper Editors’ Ratings Of Social Media As Influential News Sources, Masahiro Yamamoto, Seungahn Nah, Deborah S. Chung

Information Science Faculty Publications

Social media, as one key platform for citizen journalism, are becoming a useful news-gathering tool for journalists. Based on data from a nationwide probability sample of newspaper editors in the United States, this study investigates the extent to which newspaper editors consider social media an influential news source. Results show that variations in editors’ ratings of social media as a news source were related to multiple levels of influence, including professional journalistic experience, organization size, community structural pluralism, and citizen journalism credibility. Implications are discussed for the roles of social media in news production.

The Role Of Media-Induced Secondary Traumatic Stress On Perceptions Of Distress, Casey Comstock, Judith Platania

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The occurrence of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) is well documented among helping professionals working with trauma clients. These individuals, such as nurses, social workers, rescue workers and mental health counselors, are at risk to succumb to STS after repeatedly hearing or learning of others’ traumas. The primary risk factor for STS is exposure to others’ traumas. Empirical studies have confirmed the presence of STS in the helping professions. However, few researchers have examined whether STS can also occur in laypersons exposed to secondary trauma by media coverage. In the current study, we used a modified version of the Secondary Traumatic …

Dance Like No One Is Watching, Post Like Everyone Is: The Accessibility Of "Private" Social Media Content In Civil Litigation, Nicole A. Keefe

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

An increasing amount of information about an individual manifests in online activity, specifically through the use of the numerous social media platforms available today. Though these platforms offer users the ability to shield content behind various degrees of privacy options, even the most private information might be accessed in the course of robust legal proceedings. This Note analyzes the accessibility of private social media content in civil litigation through the vehicles of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and the Federal Rules of Evidence. The solution suggests methods for incorporating this new technological medium …

Ministry Through Media, Arianna Grelling

Whittier Scholars Program

In a technologically advanced era where face-to-face interactions have declined while electronic communication persists, it is not surprising that the percentage of adults in America who claim to believe in God has gradually fallen while the percentage of adults who do not affiliate with any part and designicular religion continues to increase. Similarly, as the Internet and digital interactions become more applicable to everyday life among adolescents and adults, it is further unsurprising that the likelihood of depression and lack of meaning among such demographics in America increases with the use of social media. It is in pluralistic societies as …

Sharenting: Children's Privacy In The Age Of Social Media, Stacey B. Steinberg

UF Law Faculty Publications

Through sharenting, or online sharing about parenting, parents now shape their children’s digital identity long before these young people open their first email. The disclosures parents make online are sure to follow their children into adulthood. Indeed, social media and blogging have dramatically changed the landscape facing today’s children as they come of age.

Children have an interest in privacy. Yet a parent’s right to control the upbringing of his or her children and a parent’s right to free speech may trump this interest. When parents share information about their children online, they do so without their children’s consent. These …

Critical Black Protectionism, Black Lives Matter, And Social Media: Building A Bridge To Social Justice, Katheryn Russell-Brown

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article provides a detailed, contemporary examination and critique of the practice of Black protectionism. The discussion focuses on how Black protectionism has evolved over the decades, and whether the changes make it a more useful tool for community empowerment than its applications in previous eras. Its latest iteration, herein labeled Critical Black Protectionism, is assessed and evaluated in light of the increasing use of social media.This Article is divided into five parts. Part I provides an overview of Black protectionism, its roots and evolution. As well, this Part examines how African Americans have used protectionism. Part II sets out …

Utilizing Student Workers At The Digital Library Of Georgia, Mandy L. Mastrovita, Donnie Summerlin

Georgia Library Quarterly

Libraries and archives have become increasingly reliant on student employees to perform duties essential to the daily work of making cultural heritage materials accessible to patrons. This article details how students are recruited, trained, managed, and mentored from the perspective of supervisors at the Digital Library of Georgia. Topics discussed include hiring procedures, training techniques, work assigned to undergraduate and graduate students, the handling of archival materials, digital imaging, metadata, and social media. The article will also examine methods for creating a rewarding and educational work environment for students that promotes the library profession.

The Black Lives Matter Movement And Why The Response Of All Lives Matter Is Misleading, Scott Loken

Ethnic Studies Review

This paper discusses the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s brief history and relevance, and the problem with the response of All Lives Matter and how it is misleading. It discusses incidents leading up to the initial Social Media hashtag and how the statement took off as a rallying cry in response to any incident which seemed to be racially motivated, especially in situations where police officers were involved resulting in the death of African American citizens. This article examines how the organization was first developed in response to the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and his acquittal of …

Using Technologies To Support The Social And Academic Engagement Of Young People With Cancer, Owen Michael Donovan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Situated in the larger questions of how to support the educational engagement and positive psychosocial development of young people with cancer, the purpose of this exploratory study was to address gaps in the literature and build understanding of how young people use digital and Internet-connected technologies in ways that support their social and academic engagement. Through a multiple case-design, I examined the school-based and everyday (outside of school) technology uses of five young people. This study found that the cancer experience changed or reframed a young person’s motivational engagement with school. Doing well academically was a sign of a normalcy …

Code Switching, Lexical Borrowing, And Polylanguaging In Valencian Spanish : An Analysis Of Data From Conversational Corpora And Twitter, Andrew Jordan Lavender

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examines lexical borrowing, code switching, and polylanguaging in Valencian Spanish to better understand how each is used differently in oral conversation in comparison with online communication on Twitter. This study compares data collected from three published corpora of oral interviews of speakers of Valencian Spanish with data collected from Twitter profiles of individuals residing in Valencia. In each of the sources Spanish is the preferred code into which Valencian material is inserted. A unique feature of data from the published corpora is the high frequency of code switching (CS) into Valencian in instances of reported speech. With regard …

Music Social Tagging As A Validation Tool For The Frbr Conceptual Model, Kabel Nathan Stanwicks

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The International Federation of Library Associations developed its Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) without performing user testing to ensure that the model would meet the needs of professionals and users. Analyzing user-generated social tags in relation to FRBR entities and attributes will help determine if the layperson describes objects in a manner that conforms to the FRBR conceptual model. Number one songs from the weekly Billboard Hot 100 charts from 1958 through 2013 were randomly sampled, tags associated with the sampled songs were pulled from the last.fm Web site, and tags were analyzed to determine their relation to FRBR …

The Effect Of Social Media On College Students' Descriptive Norms Of And Intentions To Engage In Risky Sexual Behaviors, Gabrielle Groth Hoover

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Risky sexual behavior (RSB; i.e., behavior that increases the risk of contracting an STI and/or unplanned pregnancy) is common on college campuses and poses serious health risks to students. Yet, little research has examined the factors impacting students’ engagement in RSB. The current study examined the role of gender and social media in college students’ peer norms of and intentions to engage in RSB. An experimental design was used in which participants were exposed to one of four conditions (i.e., neutral or RSB content, within and without a social media platform) and then asked to report on peer norms of …

Race And The Internet : Social Media And Multiracial Identity Development, Pilar Hailé-Damato

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand how, if at all, social media impacts racial identity development for mixed race undergraduates; and if so, whether or not that impact is unique to them or applicable to students with monoracial identities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at a large southern California public university. 11 undergraduate (3 multiracial) between the ages of 18-22 were interviewed about their social media usage, their racial identities, their process of identification, and how race is discussed online. Through the data collected in this study, we observe that social media is a digital space where notions of …

Ninth-Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Social Media Responsibility & Cyberbullying, Geoffrey A. Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

At Upstate High School (pseudonym) in South Carolina, incidences of cyberbullying are on the rise. This explanatory action research study was implemented with the purpose of raising awareness of social media responsibility among ninth-grade high school students along with determining what these students’ perceptions of social media responsibility and cyberbullying. The study was conducted during the Fall semester of 2016 with a single group of 105 9th grade students at a high school in the upstate of South Carolina. Students who participated in the study completed an 85-item questionnaire to provide such quantitative information as their demographics, social media usage, …

Gender Differences In Social Media Use And Cyberbullying In Belize, Grace Mariko Kasahara

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Intro: Cyberbullying is a global issue that usually occurs with increased social media usage. A number of studies have found significant gender differences in social media use and cyberbullying, although gender differences are not consistent across studies. Despite the increase in access to cellphones and Internet in Belize, no studies have investigated how adolescents are using these resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences involving how adolescents in Belize are using social media and if cyberbullying is a problem. Methods: A written 25 question survey was created based on previous cyberbullying and social media surveys. It …

When Teachers Go Viral: Balancing Institutional Efficacy Against The First Amendment Rights Of Public Educators In The Age Of Facebook, Watt Lesley Black Jr.

Missouri Law Review

How can public school administrators reach legally and ethically defensible decisions in cases as widely divergent as Keith Allison and Karen Fitzgibbons? How can they protect the efficacy of their school systems while still respecting the First Amendment rights of their employees? When can they take adverse employment action against educators on the basis of speech that is posted online, and under what circumstances is that speech protected? Does the Connick public concern requirement effectively remove all constitutional protection from public educators who are active on social media, irrespective of whether their speech is disruptive? This Article addresses these questions …

Online Around The World: A Geographic Encyclopedia Of The Internet, Social Media, And Mobile Apps, Rob Tench

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Book review of Online Around the World: A Geographic Encyclopedia of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Apps (2017) Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO Ref ISBN 9781610697767.

Disclosing The Truth About Instagram Endorsers: A Study Of The Effects Of The Use Of Material-Connection Disclosures On Instagram And Types Of Endorsers On Advertising Identification And Consumer Response, Lauren Francis Myers

LSU Master's Theses

This experiment studies the effects of the Federal Trade Commission’s material-connection disclosure requirement as it applies to Instagram, as well as consumer responses to the types of endorsers that advertise a product on their Instagram profiles. In this experiment, participants viewed the Instagram profiles of a social-media endorser or celebrity, followed by an Instagram posting of a product with or without a material-connection disclosure. Participants then answered a survey with questions referring to advertising identification, source credibility, message credibility, brand attitude, and purchase intentions. Results suggest that there are no significant effects of material-connection disclosures on the identification of a …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Vicarious Racism, Police Videos, And Their Impact On The Facebook Consumer, Daniel Segundo

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative exploratory study used conflictual police videos on Facebook as a marker for vicarious racial trauma on social media to investigate its correlation with trauma symptoms. The literature has yet to examine the impact of vicarious trauma experienced on social media. This study collected data from participants who completed an anonymous online questionnaire reflecting on previous experiences watching conflictual police videos. The findings suggest: a positive correlation between vicarious racial trauma experienced on Facebook with trauma symptoms; that police shooting videos had a stronger correlation to trauma symptoms compared to police arrest videos; and a moderate relationship between negative …

Social Media And Discourse: A Comparative Study Of English And Spanish Apologies, Adam Logan Majors

LSU Master's Theses

This research is based on the combination of the age-old discussion between written and oral discourse with the emergence of using multimedia to publish apologies for widespread audiences. Because social media applications like Twitter and YouTube give instant publication access to its users, the continuum between written and oral discourse is continuing to shorten not just amongst Americans, but numerous cultures. The aim of this thesis is to observe a number of tweets and videos to determine whether or not multimedia is aiding this movement, as well as whether English and Spanish speech act-making strategies (specifically for apologies) are affected. …

Chamber Ensembles And Web Presence: Best Practices For Creating And Presenting Online Content, Arisia Amalie Gilmore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study is about creating an online presence for a chamber ensemble. The study takes recommendations from notable books on music entrepreneurship, articles written for classical musicians on the importance of online content for musicians, and articles from select music industry websites. The author compares and combines these recommendations with interviews from members of seven different professional chamber ensembles, and the online presence of seventeen professional chamber ensembles that are based in the United States. The purpose of this study is to introduce to newly formed chamber ensembles how current chamber ensembles are using online media, what content is being …