Nonfiction Commons^™

Tinder: True Love Or A Nightmare?, Anthony Kao

Pop Culture Intersections

The computer first played matchmaker in the late 1950s. Data would have been fed into the system, and after some data crunching, it would spit out a match based on common interests. Today’s dating sites, such as eHarmony.com, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com are reminiscent of the earliest days of online dating - they rely on algorithms to pair potential matches based on shared interests. With the advent of mobile dating apps such as Tinder, of which I will examine in-depth in my paper, the ability for geo-location, which allows users to “see” other users that are nearby their location, has opened …

Green Religion: Manipulation Transcending Ideology, Miranda Wittmond

Pop Culture Intersections

As more Americans become aware of the environmental consequences of their actions and decisions, corporations have moved to profit off of rising environmental consciousness. However, instead of changing their practices to actually become environmentally conscious, many corporations often instead present a false front to make our society perceive them as green when they are not, an action commonly referred to as greenwashing. This allows them to gain advantage over their competitors, some of which might actually be sustainable, by taking advantage of consumers’ environmental consciousness. Despite legal action taken to stop this and federal laws putting restrictions on green advertising, …

Capitalism And Control: An Examination Of Capitalist Trends Against Consumers, Sravan Ramaswamy

Pop Culture Intersections

This article will be covering a number of debates over years. A number of studies have been done on the nature of privacy and its place in the modern world as we move forward in the digital age. One study called "The Privacy-Innovation Conundrum" by Ted Zarsky argues for the existence of a tradeoff that policy makers have to make between favoring innovation and hurting privacy or favoring privacy, but reducing the incentive to create new ideas[1]. This argument makes a great deal of sense if we view information as not dissimilar to money. However, it leaves open interpretation for …

Influence Of Mass Media On Medical Screening, Specifically Breast Cancer Screening, Yashvi Siddhapura

Pop Culture Intersections

Mass Media has influenced various aspects of our culture, from how we wake up to how we sleep. Over the years, popular media has expanded in our society due to the technological advancements; we are now able to access these various mass media mediums through one tap. One of the most influential topics in our culture is health and mass media has played a huge role in impacting a healthy lifestyle. Through this medium, people are also informed about medical advancements which can be very helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle if they are at a risk for a disease. …

Aggression And Driving: Separating Ourselves From The Games, Jennifer Yin

Pop Culture Intersections

In 2015 on a busy street in Los Angeles, California, two cars were driving next to each other. One decided to cut in front of the other, angering the first driver, who decided not to let the second into his lane. The frustrated second driver eventually managed to get into the other lane, when both decided to get out of their vehicles. The drivers ended up getting into a fist fight in the middle of the road, and one driver was almost struck by the passing vehicles. Unfortunately, both returned to their vehicles and were not caught by the police …

The Underlying Consequences Of Social Media, Hannah Baz

Pop Culture Intersections

Since childhood, we, as human beings, are taught to look to others for signals and indications about how to live our lives. It is an innate human desire to evaluate, assess, and improve our skills based on what everyone else leads us to perceive is right or ideal. Such comparison is a necessary facet to social order- we compare political leaders, stocks, investments, property, ect. in order to determine what choice will lead to the best outcome. However, leaping into the abyss of comparison is not always one worth taking. With the recent exponential growth of technology, social comparison is …

A Seemingly Fatal Attraction Between Sad Souls, Taylor Kay Gustafson

Pop Culture Intersections

“Even the darkness has arms,” sings the band Barr Brothers.^[1] Depression is a mental disorder defined as persistent feelings of sadness that result in decreased energy and lack of interest in activities. Depression affects about 6.7% of people in the U.S.^[2] One of the most difficult aspects of depression is figuring out how to cope with it. Therapy is one step, but what can a depressed person do when they are alone to feel better? Depression necessitates a healthy outlet that allows the individual to purge intrusive feelings. Listening to sad music can help ease the intensity of …

Twitter And Identity: Living Up To The Social Comparison, Mark Ramelb

Pop Culture Intersections

Throughout this millennial age, technology continues to develop. Every day new technology such as computers and laptops have new applications that affect our society. Humans live in the era known as the digital revolution. The digital revolution is where people are constantly using the internet, more specifically, social media applications on their computer or mobile devices. Nick Lalone, author of "Fluctuations, Technologies And Media: Social Change And Sociology Change” states “that the technological makeup sits at the foundation of computer-mediated communication has had tremendous impact on society itself the technological makeup” (Lalone 559). In other words, humans interacting …

It’S A Match: How Society’S Dependence On Efficient Technology Effects The Ways We Date, Marissa Ceraolo

Pop Culture Intersections

I want to make an established connection between our society’s growing reliance on technology use and the ways in which online dating have shaped dating culture. In a society where we all are so obsessed with instant gratifications, finding matches instantly can definitely be problematic. While many people have found matches on dating websites, I will argue that although online dating definitely does have its various benefits, that it overlooks important parts of the dating experience that can be essential for the growth of a healthy relationship. Dating profiles are made to make the single applicant appear as the best …

Identity Of Pokemon Go Players: How Social Gaming Affects Behavior, Jasmine Quinn

Pop Culture Intersections

In July of 2016 Americans have received a fun new app that produces behaviors unlike any before. It causes people to gather at places, such as parks, in large groups, or causes them to wander around neighborhoods. Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game created by the company Niantic, and is available for free on mobile phones. An article From USA Today features the parks and recreation director of Kimberly Point Park, Michael Kading who says “I have never seen anything like this” as he has trouble getting people out of the park at closing time. The app has caused …

Human Computer Interaction And Data Visualization, Olivia Hsieh

Pop Culture Intersections

In 2013, SINTEF cited that 90% of the world’s data had been created over the past two years.1 With the onset of Big Data, the ability to analyze data at a rate directly proportional to its collection becomes quite near impossible, albeit nonetheless important. In “Play With Data – An Exploration of Play Analytics and Its Effect on Player Experiences,” Ben Medler explains its pertinence: “Data can be given a different context through relating it to other data. A relation informs someone of how data can be correlated or combined with other data.”

Master Buddha & The Jolly Golly Fun Time Gang., Todd Edward Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the first two chapters of a novel. The novel parodies the capitalist and consumerist United States of the 21st Century in the tradition of Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, and Donald Barthelme.

Magic At The Crossroads: The Rise Of The Video Essay, Morganne Tinsley August

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the birth, rise in popularity, and evolution of the video essay, a subgenre of the essay found recently in online literary journals. Chapter one provides a brief history of the alphabetic essay as it expands to include photo essays, audio essays, and essay-films. The second chapter outlines the history of the online literary journal and John Bresland’s role in the introduction of the video essay as it appears in online journals. Chapter three contains an examination of the way image, text, and sound function in video essays and the tools and strategies essayists are using to create …

The Big Data Debate Today, Bridget Fahey

Pop Culture Intersections

"...Big data refers to things one can do at a large scale that cannot be done at a smaller one, to extract new insights or create new forms of value, in ways that change markets, organizations, the relationship between citizens and governments, and more."1 Today, technology is more a part of our lives than ever before. With more and more people all over the world gravitating towards social media and using sites such as Twitter and Facebook, more of our private lives is available to others than ever before. In his article "Big Data and Privacy" Tom Price explores the …

Corporate Standardized Takeover And Wasted Tax Dollars: The Misappropriation Of Technology In Public Schools And The Unfair Burden Placed On Teachers, Rachel Jepsen

Pop Culture Intersections

Throughout this article, I will be discussing the technological integration of computer programs, iPad infrastructure, and online testing into common public school state curriculums, grades kindergarten through twelfth. I will first explain how technology does not always have a negative presence, and how when used appropriately, can provide limitless new opportunities for both students and teachers. Then I will assess what the current common method of integrating technology is and explain why it isn't working in an effective way. Following my discussion of why the current system isn't working, I will discuss how the integration of technology in the public …

Finding Common Ground: Abortion, Television, And The Changing American Culture, Meghan Shain

Pop Culture Intersections

As Oscar Wilde once said, "life imitates art far more than art imitates life", but there is a reciprocal relationship between the two. The more society talks about an issue, the more we are going to see that issue present in television, which then spurs even more discussion on that topic. Today, we use the media to understand what is important and popular in our society. Conversely, the media uses society to capture polarizing topics, such as abortion, to attract viewers. Media critics often argue that television has too large of an impact on developing societies perspectives. However, the viewpoint …

Instagram: The Real Stranger Danger, Sarina Kong

Pop Culture Intersections

A stranger, in simple terms, is best defined as a person with whom one has no personal acquaintance. Society constantly warns children from a young age to not accept candy from, get in a car with, and most importantly talk to strangers. Even after growing up, adults are still warned against going places alone, meeting people online, and putting their trust in people they have never met. The underlying message is this: strangers equal danger. Despite these frequent warnings, social media has found a way to glamorize strangers and make it socially acceptable to interact with them. Disguised under the …

Online Dating Technology Effects On Interpersonal Relationships, Anabel Homnack

Pop Culture Intersections

The trend of online dating has been around since the emergence of the Internet. In the generation before the online era, people would meet face-to-face in cafes, on streets or at bars or even on airplanes. People make initial contact based on a number of cues and preferences, getting to know one another in person. Today these coincidental or so to say "meant to be" moments seem to be non-existent. Why have they become such a rarity? Is it because we know that there is an easy way out? What will it take for people to be as straightforward and …

Morality Of Pirating Media, Matthew Holbrook

Pop Culture Intersections

This paper will explore the evolution and morality of pirating media not through accusation but by giving data and facts to decide not only the future of media but whether these pirates are actually moral versions of Robin Hood. I will explore this topic through the lens of the pirate starting with a background on the beginning of piracy; explain the illegality of copyright infringement, inform the reader about what happens to caught assailants, and the psychology of why more and more of the US population are illegally downloading media. I am investigating this topic not to point a finger …

The Impact Of Social Media On Society, Jacob Amedie

Pop Culture Intersections

It is the objective of this article to present evidence from several researches that were done by many scholars in different environment that distinctly demonstrates the negative impact of social media in three main categories. First, social media fosters a false sense of online "connections" and superficial friendships leading to emotional and psychological problems. The Second harm of social media is that it can become easily addictive taking away family and personal time as well as diminish interpersonal skills, leading to antisocial behavior. Lastly, social media has become a tool for criminals, predators and terrorists enabling them to commit illegal …

“The Bedroom And The Barnyard: Zoomorphic Lust Through Territory, Procedure, And Shelter In ‘The Miller’S Tale’” & Haunchebones, Danielle N. Byington

Undergraduate Honors Theses

“The Bedroom and the Barnyard: Zoomorphic Lust Through Territory, Procedure, and Shelter in ‘The Miller’s Tale’” is an academic endeavor that takes Chaucer’s zoomorphic metaphors and similes and analyzes them in a sense that reveals the chaos of what is human and what is animal tendency. The academic work is expressed in the adjunct creative project, Haunchebones, a 10-minute drama that echoes the tale and its zoomorphic influences, while presenting the content in a stylized play influenced by Theatre of the Absurd and artwork from the medieval and early renaissance period.

Scribblescholar Was Here: Confessional Notes Of A Vandal Academic, Clay Shields

Theses and Dissertations--English

As a (former) vandal-punk in the academy, I often fear succumbing to Ivory Tower Stockholm syndrome. The identities I perform, vandal-punk and scholar, ideologically clash to the point that they often feel irreconcilable. By codemeshing the high-low discourses associated with these adopted cultures, I attempt to disrupt any hierarchal privileging of either, instead searching for a way to live with and harness both.

Foreword To 'Memoir' By Journalist And Writer Tomás Bairéad, Ian Kilroy

Books/Book Chapters

Foreword to A Memoir of Ireland’s Nascent Years, by Irish language journalist and writer Tomás Bairéad (translated and edited by Mícheál Ó hAodha). Forthcoming from The Edwin Mellen Press, New York. Tomás Bairéad (1893-1973) is well known for a number of collections of short stories in Irish. He invented a version of short-hand for the Irish language. From Moycullen, Co Galway, he was involved in the Irish War of Independence and covered the Irish Civil War as a journalist. He edited the Irish language page in the Irish Independent for a number of years.

Lawrence Welcomes Authors For Fox Cities Book Festival, Lawrence University

Press Releases

Lawrence University will host visits by three authors and a documentary film screening in conjunction with the 6th annual Fox Cities Book Festival. All events are free and open to the public. Lawrence is one of the sponsors of the book festival.

Writer and neuroscientist Lisa Genova, author of the New York Times’ bestsellers “Love Anthony,” “Still Alice” and “Left Neglected” speaks Friday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. in Harper Hall. Genova, who writes “about people living with neurological diseases and conditions that are feared, ignored, or misunderstood,” has appeared on Dr. Oz and CNN and was featured in the …

Dream On, Joe Wilkins

Faculty Publications

In this essay, Joe Wilkins describes what he believes are the essential elements of Western films.

American Myth-Busting, Joe Wilkins

Faculty Publications

In this essay, Joe Wilkins discusses the new breed of western films.

Summer 2006, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Newspaper format. "The WMPG 'Zine"

Summer 2005, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Summer 2005

Spring 2005, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Newspaper format.

Fall/Winter 2005, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Newspaper format