Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Becoming Your Brand, Blake Kuzma

Honors Theses

As many young professionals now, starting a career is a very important and scary time. We are taught more and more how important it is that you present yourself in a way that is marketable to employers not only in person, but online as well. As a survey done by Jobvite in 2015, “75% of HR departments are required to search job applicants online” and also that “75% of HR professionals have rejected candidates based on information they have found online.” (Jobvite, 2015).

But beyond the advice we receive from our parents and mentors, there is very little that is …

The Use Of A Celebrity In Advertising A Potentially Unhealthy Product: Using Psi And The Effects On Consumers’ Body Image, Oliver Taylor

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effects Of Popularity On Comment Civility: A Youtube Case Study, Isaac Smith

Honors Theses

This study will explore the connection between the civility of internet comments and their popularity- through the example of two YouTube videos. By using a combination of manual review and computer analysis, to help readers discover if video popularity has a negative effect on comment civility. Findings also examined correlations between factors that indicate civility, while also including examples of notable and intriguing comments found during this study.

Self Vs. Other Perception Of Personality Through Facebook, Marianna Williams

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Secular Sells: How Secular Lifestyle Influences Religiosity, Elyse Clark

Honors Theses

This study examines the relationship between secular behaviors and religious behaviors among youth in the United States. While there is no doubt that these two things are intrinsically linked, the nature of that relationship has been predominantly studied in the direction of religion affecting secular behavior. However, in today’s society with secularization and the prevalence of the mass media, it makes more sense to examine the relationship the opposite way and see how secular behavior affects religiosity. Using the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) dataset and change in change modeling, causality can be established showing how behaviors such …

The Marginalization And Stereotyping Of Asians In American Film, Isabel Paner

Honors Theses

Asians in Hollywood films and the industry have been subjected to unfair stereotyping and under-representation since the twentieth century and up to the present. This thesis analyzes and dissects this marginalization and stereotyping of Asians in American films through text and film analysis and critical theory. Historically, if Asians are not portrayed in a stereotypical role, then they are given no role at all, rendered invisible by Hollywood and mass audiences. Their marginalization in the film industry has damaging effects on the perception of Asians in society. This study will explain what stereotypes have endured over the course of history, …

Sports Fan Interaction: A Comparison Of Teams To Determine The Common Thread Between Fan Engagement Across Social Media, Emma L. Ishee

Honors Theses

This study focused on the utilization of social media by collegiate athletic teams and how it relates to their interaction with their fan base. The aim of this study was to determine if a particular platform or post type gained the most fan interaction. The study also examined whether the men’s or women’s teams receive more interaction from fans. A random number generator selected three collegiate athletic teams from three different school in three conferences. Data was collected in the week leading up to the opening game. Ultimately, the results were not able to prove one type of post more …

The Language Barrier In Healthcare: Quality Of Care And Health Literacy, Jacob Warren Garrett

Honors Theses

As the number of Spanish speaking immigrants coming to the United States increases, there will also be an increase in the number of LEP patients will seek medical care. In Hattiesburg, Mississippi alone there are over 7,000 people listed as Hispanic/Latino (2010 Census, U.S.gov). This research examines the experiences of LEP patients in the Hattiesburg area and focuses on three main areas: (1) if a language barrier exists for these patients when they seek care (2) if the quality of care of these patients is affected by the inability of the patient and provider to orally communicate (3) if the …

A Content Analysis Of Lgbt Representation On Broadcast And Streaming Television, Carson Cook

Honors Theses

This content analysis of nine television shows from the 2016-2017 season across broadcast and streaming platforms seeks to understand the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters. The study updates a content analysis published in 2006 by Amber Raley and Jennifer Lucas that studied the 2001 television season. This study aims to understand how the representation of LGBT characters on television has changed since 2001, how representation of bisexual and transgender characters differs from homosexual characters, and how representation on streaming platforms differs from broadcast shows. The findings suggest that representation of bisexual and transgender characters has increased since …

Intercultural Communication In The U.S. And Japan, Annelise Wilp

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare two groups: Japanese students studying or who have studied at American universities, and Americans who are studying or have studied at Japanese universities. The inclusionary criteria were American students who had studied at a Japanese university and Japanese students who had studied at an American university. Exclusionary criteria were those who did not meet the criteria above. Prospective participants were invited to participate through Facebook and email. Interviews were conducted either faceto- face at the Bernhard Center at Western Michigan University, or by telephone. Prospective participants were informed of the purpose of …

Ministry With Community: Analysis Of Public Relations Issues And Proposed Solutions, Sarah Piper

Honors Theses

Although Millennials are not yet in their primacy as nonprofit donors, forward-thinking nonprofits are changing how they conduct business to better engage millennials in anticipation of their future rise to primacy. Accommodating the desires and expectations unique to the members of this generation is challenging for many organizations because effectively engaging with millennials requires a shift in organizational communication and engagement practices. This project seeks to build a body of relevant knowledge that can be used by Ministry with Community, a local nonprofit organization, to evolve its current engagement and communication practices to better appeal to local millennials. To build …

The Role Of Social Media In Small Museums In Michigan, Kaitlin Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Social media is now firmly ingrained in the daily life of many people. In order for museums to remain relevant in society, institutions like museums need to learn how to integrate this new technology into their practices. Small museums especially may have the most to gain from utilizing this technology in their institutions. These museums usually do not have access to as many resources as their larger counterparts. The challenge for museums is knowing how to use social media effectively. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of social media in museums with a focus on small …

"I Never Expected This": Expectancy Violations And Stress In Millennials, Sarah Pogue

Honors Theses

Millennials are said to be the most stressed out age group in the United States (Coccia, & Darling, 2016). Between general life stressors and the new stress that has emerged due to the increase in technology and social communication, millennials are simply overloaded with stress from all angles. In order to communicate and make sense of this stress, most millennials find themselves discussing these stressful events with their close friends. In fact, according to Jody Koenig Kellas, Haley Kranstuber Horstman, Erin K. Willer, and Kirsten Car (2015), 95% of people tell stories about stressful events soon after they occur to …

Understanding The Political Media Of The Millennial Generation: The Validation Networks Of Liberal Millennials Through Twitter And Late-Night Television, Hannah Lampo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

“When One Door Closes: The Evolution Of Journalists’ Gatekeeping Role”, Katherine Mariae Gagliano

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Disappearing Statehouse Bureaus: The Role Of Student Journalists In The Future Of Covering Government, Sarah Gamard

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Shades Of Gray: Why Russian Propaganda Is No Longer A Black And White Issue, Karli Walleser

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Nostalgia On Brand Loyalty Following Crisis, Meagan Morvant

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Social Media And The Political Behavior Of Young Adults In The 2016 Election, Sylvia Shipman

Honors Theses

The most recent presidential election saw a great divide in Americans' political ideologies (Enli 2017) as well as an increase in social media use in relation to obtaining political news (Gottfried and Shearer 2016). Social media is a growing platform to obtain political news, and this study found that 86% of young adults surveyed saw election news on social media multiple times a day. This study examined how young adults used social media in relation to the 2016 election, including whether or not they used social media's unfriend/unfollow feature to selectively expose themselves to outlets to which they had partisan …

Why Nebraska? An Analysis Of Unl's International Student Recruitment Touchpoints And Messages As Compared To Student Outcomes, Carolyn Willis

Honors Theses

With decreasing budgets and increasing political tensions, universities in the United States are embracing broader and more creative efforts to reach prospective international students. For such universities, international students are a lucrative recruitment population because they bolster enrollment numbers and tuition revenue while diversifying student bodies. Previous studies have shown that much university marketing to international students is deficient and of little use in helping prospective students make informed decisions (Baldwin & James, 2000), yet information search is a key element of buyer decision models (Beatty & Smith, 1987) as students evaluate educational options. This study sought to see, then, …

Automated Outlier Detection In Crime Data Using Programming, Aidan Connolly

Honors Theses

After the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department began publishing their Daily Crime and Fire Log online, journalists and other members of the public have been able to view updates almost instantly. They can see what incidents have been reported so far for that day, and they can view any day back to 2005. Using an advanced search, they can also filter the data by date range, location or crime type. However, there is no way to analyze the data. There’s no way to see how crime reports have evolved over time. Other people have developed programs to look at past …

Information Disorder And The Need For News Literacy Education In The Digital Era, Lauren Brown-Hulme

Honors Theses

This paper serves as a comprehensive report on the need for and barriers to news literacy education in the United States. Current misinformation issues in the U.S. are introduced and the importance of news literacy among citizens of a democracy. Answers to these questions are sought: What are the current challenges regarding news literacy in the digital age and what are the implications? Further, can news literacy be taught? Based on measured practices, what are the best methods for news literacy education? Existing literature covers the topics of information disorder and news literacy, highlighting the importance of news literacy in …

Understanding Unconventional Methods Of Self-Disclosure In New Relationships, Brandon Lepard

Honors Theses

Previous literature on the subject of self-disclosure in new relationships has failed to go into depth about the reasons why negatively-valenced self-disclosure can draw people closer together. In this study, the impact of personality type on the relational success of unconventional methods of self-disclosure is explored. The participants of the study were eight male, caucasian college-aged students who were each individually interviewed. The results of the study show that that personality type can play a large role in the relational success of such unconventional disclosure techniques, as well as the relational trajectory. Extraverts were more likely to positively react to …

Changing The Game: The Effects Of Social Media On The Business Of Sport, Jacqueline Avola

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the way in which social media has revolutionized three major components of fan engagement. First, it illustrates how social media dramatically increases the immediacy by which fans receive sports news and information. Second, the thesis demonstrates the importance of social media to enable fans to develop intimate relationships with their favorite teams and players. Third, this thesis illustrates how social media sites considerably increase the accessibility of sporting events to fans.

Brain Drain In Mississippi: Why Some Of The State's Best And Brightest Are Leaving, Savannah G. Smith

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of stories in which I explore some of the underlying reasons that the state of Mississippi is experiencing a large outmigration of educated, millennial citizens, known as Brain Drain. This project is not an academic paper nor is it an attempt to fix the problem of young Mississippians leaving the state but rather an examination of the situation written in journalistic fashion. It attempts to shine a light on an issue that has plagued the state for years and deserves attention. It includes stories about the social climate, economic opportunities, the state legislature, and profiles …

Millennial Effects On Tourism And Branding In Rural Destinations, Tousley Anne Leake

Honors Theses

Research reveals that Millennials are becoming one of the leading markets for tourism and travel industries. Because of this, tourism destinations have been forced to examine their current marketing strategies in order to appeal to this market. The purpose of this study is to examine the most effective marketing strategies for rural tourism destinations to reach the target market of Millennials. This thesis identifies small town destinations as a facet of the tourism industry and effects of the market on branding and marketing a destination. It further analyzes the current marketing strategies used by rural destinations to remain competitive in …

Education In Mississippi: Did Integration Elicit Equality?, Baylee Mozjesik

Honors Theses

Founding father Thomas Jefferson said, Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... they are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. Preservation of liberty is not all that education has the power to impact; education provides the basis for life-long success and affords people the opportunity to alter their own future, and the futures of others. Yet, in a nation that has been plagued by racist sentiments for centuries, educational opportunities are still inequitable. This truth is strikingly so across the state of Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast, to the Capital-River region, to the Delta. …

The Importance Of Cultural Context In Engaging Multicultural Consumers, Ingrid Valbuena

Honors Theses

This research will explore the importance of cultural context in engaging multicultural audiences through communication cues strategically placed in advertising messages. Consumer response to cultural cues embedded in messages targeted to multicultural consumers will be examined to identify influences that determine its effectiveness in appealing to multicultural markets. Taking into consideration that consumer brand personality perceptions and reactions must be considered within a cultural context. (De Mooij, 2004) brands communication to multicultural consumers have to be informed within the consumer's cultural context. The current multicultural population growth, growing purchasing power, and the different ways people respond to different messages has …

Suffer The Children: A Collection Of Biographical Stories From Patients, Families, And Professionals In The World Of Pediatric Cancer, Samuel Taylor Farris

Honors Theses

One area of cancer diagnoses that has garnered much attention in recent years is pediatric oncology. Many adults, certainly not all, increase likelihood of cancer, both directly and indirectly, through usually habitual lifestyles (tobacco use, alcoholism, etc). Meanwhile, children are plagued by cancer through seemingly no fault of their own, provoking widespread curiosity. Researchers tend to analyze pediatric cancer with quantitative data, but this investigation is based on qualitative information, by compiling a list of thirty individuals who have, in some way, been affected by pediatric cancer, and examining their attitudes and reflections in various time stages, outcomes, and relations …

Fake News: What Is The Real Issue?, Hannah Hines

Honors Theses

In the 2016 election, fake news was a real, and well-publicized, story. Foreign bodies were accused of meddling in America's political system by spreading fake stories through widely used social media outlets such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, and these stories reportedly garnered a wide audience. According to Facebook itself, Russian bot-generated fake news reached 126 million users -- almost half of the U.S. population.

There was much outcry and uproar about the fake news conundrum, with advocates and activists on all sides pointing a finger one way or the other. Many pontificated on whether these stories affected the outcome …