Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

(Un)Successful Use Of Apologia: A Case Study Of Mayor Shubert's Resignation, Alexis Raineri

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With the growing tension in the political climate of the United States, political figures often use apologia in their attempt to repair a damaged image due to their mistakes or wrongdoings. This project reviews several scholars’ image repair typologies and strategies, applying them to the case of Craig Shubert, former mayor of Hudson, Ohio. While the specific image repair strategies employed can vary from one case to another, Shubert’s use of evasion of responsibility and reducing offensiveness proved to be ineffective and resulted in his resignation before completing his term at the end of 2023. Although it is recommended to …

The Impact Of Social Media On Mental Health Of Adolescents: A Research Proposal, Megan Porter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As social media use becomes more prevalent for teenagers and late adolescents alike, researchers continue to analyze its associations with mental health and social connectedness. Most studies in this area take a correlational, self-report approach. However, correlational, self-report research neglects to assess cause-and-effect relationships, thus rendering it difficult to ascertain whether social media use causes changes in users’ well-being or if social media users already differ on certain variables prior to their use. After analyzing previous studies, this paper discusses their limitations and proposes future research to assess the potential causal relationship of social media use with mental health. The …

The Dangers Of Free Speech In The Modern World, Katie Yoak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In our modern day individuals often feel safe being able to say whatever they want from behind a computer. The ability to say whatever we want online has both positive and negative effects. This digital form of communication can bring out both the best and worst in us. Many people in our modern age take this technology and use it to engage in aggressive behavior that may not normally occur or be seen by as many people. In this modern day of internet aggression I wish to explore how the ability to speak freely online and through social media services …

Conversation Station Digital Media Style Guide, Ciara Davis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This style guide serves as training material for online communication strategies at the Conversation Station, an afterschool nonprofit organization for students in rural Ashtabula County (Orwell). By utilizing this guide, board members of the Conversation Station will be able to understand the importance of online engagement with the community to accomplish goals, hire communication liaisons based on the skills and knowledge necessary to perform tasks in the guide, and hold the liaison accountable by the fulfillment of tasks detailed. The style guide will also insure that despite communication liaisons coming and going, the Conversation Station’s online character remains consistent. By …

Social Media Management For Non-Profits And Churches, Paige K. Purtz 6896893

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was created as a result of a need to for social media guidance and best practices for churches and nonprofits. Research was conducted on current social media trends, statistics, and strategy. Five medium-to-large nondenominational churches made their analytics available. Data was taken from their analytics to discover what kinds of posts received the most engagement. The result of the research is a reader-friendly, best practices social media guide for churches.

The Religion Of Social Media: When Islam Meets The Web, Zaina Salem

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this feature article is to identify the reasons why some social media users disclose their religious beliefs through sites such as Facebook and Twitter. According to the Pew Research Center, 20 percent of Americans share their faith online. After a series of in-depth interviews, I discovered that for some, religious-related posts serve as personal religious reminders. Others share their religious views on social media to feel a sense of community, or to eliminate stereotypes and ignorance surrounding their religion.

Social Media & Audience Participation In Regard To Television, Jean Marie Mcbride

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Jean McBride

Major: Communications: Radio/TV Broadcasting & Mass Media Production

Project Sponsor: Dr. Sylvia White

Number of Project Credits: 3

Social Media & Audience Participation in Regard to Television

The purpose of my honors project was seeing if social media had an influence on television show ratings and popularity by incorporating audience participation. Especially in regards to television shows that have been around for years, I was interested to see if television ratings went up when using Twitter compared to when they did not use Twitter to increase viewers and audience participation. I surveyed forty-nine collegiate women between the ages …

Looking Ahead: A Public Relations Plan For Servicemaster Of Hudson, Brianne Angell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project examines the effectiveness of ServiceMaster of Hudson’s communication and proposes a public relations plan to generate business revenue by boosting awareness and engagement in the local community. Research revealed that the community is largely unaware of ServiceMaster of Hudson and that the company has a low reach on social media compared to competitors. Therefore, a public relations plan was created with focus on four areas: social media engagement, development of marketing materials, hiring of new employees, and employee engagement. The project also contains an appendix of materials created for ServiceMaster of Hudson, including advertisements and a schedule of …