Communication Commons^™

Policy Analysis Of Utah's Family Vlogging Bill: Examining The Influence Of The Mormon Church On Utah State Legislation And Its Effects On Child Performer Protections, Jayna J. Moskovitz

Honors College Theses

Following the criminal sentencing of Mormon family vlogger, Ruby Franke, of the 8Passengers YouTube channel, the state of Utah passed House Bill (H.B.) 322 in 2025 with the aim of protecting minors involved in social media content. This thesis investigates the connection between Mormonism and family vlogging to determine whether the Mormon influence in Utah’s state government impacted the effectiveness of H.B. 322’s provisions. My research asked: How does H.B. 322 protect children featured in social media content? (How) did the involvement of the Mormon Church in Utah politics and/or the high profile of the Ruby Franke case lead to …

"Am I A Man Or A Muppet": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Generative Ai’S Representation Of Gender, Jessica Boaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how generative artificial intelligence constructs and performs gender roles through a rhetorical analysis of the fully AI-generated podcast Fairytale Forensics. Drawing on theories of constitutive rhetoric, stereotyping, and McLuhan’s approach to the medium, this thesis investigates how AI-generated hosts interpret classic fairy tales while simultaneously reproducing and negotiating gender norms through the lens of prosopopoeia, metonymy and synecdoche. These performances rely on normative gender stereotypes that align with broader societal expectations, thereby potentially reinforcing existing cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity. Ultimately, it demonstrates that AI-generated discourse does not merely reflect human biases but actively participates in …

Moodify: A Mood-Based Music Recommendation System, Meghana Kagitha

Theses and Dissertations

Music has long been recognised as a powerful tool for emotional regulation, yet existing music streaming platforms often fail to align song recommendations with a user's current emotional state. Moodify is a mood-based music recommendation system designed to bridge this gap by delivering personalised playlists that reflect how a user feels in real time.

This project presents the design, development, and evaluation of Moodify, a mobile application that leverages the Circumplex Model of Emotion to capture user mood through an intuitive two-dimensional valence-arousal interface. Rather than relying on text input or manual search, users plot their emotional state directly onto …

Framing Digital Donation: Innovation And Audience Engagement In Short Video Fundraising On Douyin, Qiuyi Chen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Short video platforms are increasingly adopted by nonprofit organizations as tools for charitable communication and fundraising. However, limited research has examined how donation appeals are structured and interpreted within these environments. Existing studies focus on emotional appeal, influencer involvement, and algorithmic visibility, yet donation is often treated as a behavioral outcome rather than as a communicative process.

This study conceptualizes charitable donation as a social situation that must be framed and recognized by audiences in short video contexts. Drawing on Goffman’s frame analysis and employing the Visual–Verbal Video Analysis (VVVA) method, the study analyzes 32 publicly available videos from a …

Comment Sections As Counterpublics; Negotiating Public Discourse In Indonesia’S Digital Media Sphere, Leon Woltermann

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article examines the potential of YouTube comment sections as spaces of commoning in Indonesia’s digital media sphere. Drawing on the concept of counterpublics – that is, parallel discursive arenas where marginalized groups circulate counter discourses and voice their interests – it explores how users negotiate access to the digital public sphere and oppose dominant narratives. The article employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods into the analysis of the data, to investigate both the structural features (based on comment metadata) and the discursive content of comments. I argue that the comment sections’ dynamic, non-binding structure facilitates open …

Staging The Commons Through The “Padha Nonton” Song; Youtube, Community Engagement, And Gandrung Cultural Practice, Intan Mustika Sari

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This study examines how the Gandrung accompaniment song “Padha nonton” participates in processes of digital cultural sharing when circulated on YouTube. It employs a qualitative interpretive method within a netno‑pragmatic framework to analyse audience engagement as a culturally informed social practice. The findings show that the song’s linguistic features convey cultural scripts of invitation, togetherness, and communal spectatorship, reflecting the role of the Gandrung tradition in shaping shared social relationships and cultural values. Furthermore, the study identifies three interrelated processes: re-medialization, re-experiencing, and re-conception through which the performance extends beyond its original ritual context and becomes a shared …

Lindenwood Digest, April 29, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest, dated April 29, 2026, details several upcoming campus events including the Center’s Block Party on May 1, 2026; the Honors Cord Ceremony on May 1, 2026; the Spring Fashion Show on May 2, 2026; and Late Night Breakfast on May 4, 2026. 

Geographic Grounding: Institutional activities are scheduled at the Pavilion, the Lindenwood Theater at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, and Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall, all located at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. 

Key Honorees/Awards: High-achieving students graduating with University Honors will be recognized at the Honors Cord …

Rituals, Culture, And The Swiftie Self: An Autoethnography Of The Life Of A Showgirl Release, Karla Auria Sadang Galeon

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

This autoethnographic study investigates the meta-cognitive labor and ritualistic practices involved in constructing a contemporary digital fan identity. Drawing from detailed self-generated data (pre-release journals and real-time video reactions) surrounding the release of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, the research asks: "What are the rituals that construct, regulate, and sustain a fan identity in this media event?" This thematic analysis revealed four interconnected categories of fan rituals that underscore the active, self-monitoring nature of fandom: Rituals of Preparation and Sanctified Space (transforming consumption into a structured event), Rituals of Relational and Aesthetic Boundary Work (negotiating personal relevance …

Platform Affordances, Produsage, And The Attention Economy: From Red (Taylor’S Version) To The Life Of A Showgirl, Angela Rose Asuncion

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

Social media platforms increasingly operate as infrastructures of visibility, shaping the conditions under which cultural content is produced, circulated, and recognised (van Dijck et al.; Nieborg and Poell). This article examines Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) and The Life of a Showgirl as two distinct visibility configurations emerging from the affordances and algorithmic logics of TikTok and Instagram. Drawing on platform studies (Abidin), celebrity theory (Dyer; Marshall; Marwick), and participatory culture and produsage (Jenkins; Bruns), the study employs a QCA-inspired configurational approach (Ragin) to analyse how clusters of affective cues, aesthetic strategies, parasocial signals, and circulation patterns generate contrasting visibility …

Assessing The Relationship Between Online Information Verification, Overconfidence, And Media Literacy Learning, Tanya Notley, Sora Park, T.J. Thomson, Aimee Hourigan, Michael Dezuanni

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

To make informed decisions about a range of issues, people need to be able to determine if content they find online is trustworthy. To assess people’s ability to do this, we brought together findings from two nationally representative surveys of adult Australians. In the first survey (n = 3,852), we examined adult media use and asked respondents about their level of confidence in their ability to verify information online. The second survey then tested a subset of these participants (n = 2,115) to assess their ability to verify information online. The findings show that most adults have a …

The Intersection Of Visual Communications, User Experience, & Design Theory: A Case Study With The Dog Spaw, Jessica Miltner

Honors Projects

This project explored the intersection of visual communication, user experience, and design theory, focusing on researching design and UX principles and applying them in a real-world case study with The Dog Spaw from Celina, Ohio. The project resulted in a redesigned website that aims to influence user behavior by improving perceptions of trust, professionalism, brand consistency, and ease of use, and by examining how these perceptions, in turn, influence user action.

Empowerment Or Oppression? College Students’ Interpretations Of Sex And Relationships In The Popular Media, Nicola Mcclung, Riana Pella

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

Scholars have long emphasized the harmful effects of overtly sexist and oppressive media images on young people’s understandings of sex and relationships. Yet, this emphasis on explicit harm leaves a gap in understanding how college students interpret subtle, hidden, and ambiguous media messages. To address this gap, we asked 196 California college students at a large public university to critique a range of mainstream media content—from overtly oppressive, to affirming of nondominant gender identities, to containing mixed messages about empowerment and oppression. Responses were coded using our media literacy scoring guide for assessing students’ ability to critically analyze media messages …

Didactic Aspects Of Education Of Primary Teachers With A Focus On Strengthening Their Media Literacy And Fighting Disinformation. Experience From The Czech Republic, Kamil Kopecký, Veronika Krejčí

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The paper describes specific experiences with educational activities aimed at strengthening media literacy in the field of combating disinformation among primary and secondary school teachers, which were implemented in 2022-2023 through the Central European Digital Media Observatory. A total of 3633 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the education and evaluated the educational events. The article presents examples of specific educational activities oriented to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students through teaching in primary or secondary school.

Leveraging Critical Social Media Literacy To Safeguard Youth Against Violent Radicalization And Extremism, Muhammad Akram, Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, Muhammad Ayaz Naseem

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Social media is inundated with radical and extreme propaganda. Such information is often left unfiltered due to platform algorithms that are economically driven and socially unethical in design. It puts social media users, mostly youth, in danger of becoming radicalized and vulnerable to supporting and engaging with extremist beliefs. When young people lack sufficient critical social media literacy (CSML), radical and extremist information impacts their perspectives, affecting behavior in the real world. A PRISMA-guided systematic review of the Web of Science core collections and the Scopus database was used to find peer-reviewed articles about how CSML skills can be used …

From Consumers To Creators: Social Media Information Literacy Of University Students., Thuy Thanh Bui, Quyen Trang Mai Nguyen, Tu Thi Thanh Nguyen, Minh Cao Luu

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Social Media Information Literacy (SMIL) is increasingly important as social media platforms evolve. SMIL includes skills for navigating, evaluating, managing, creating, and engaging with social media content, aimed at effective information use and critical thinking. Using Heiss, Nanz and Matthes (2023) framework, this study surveyed 410 students via a self-assessment on a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicate students rated their SMIL as average, with the highest scores in appraisal and comprehension, and the lowest in digital creation. Female and senior students, as well as those in Education majors, rated themselves higher. Longer internet usage correlated with better SMIL, especially in …

From Y To Z: A Cross-Generational Examination Of New Media Literacy And Online Information Searching Strategy, Taibe Kulaksız, Ali Geriş, Sena Özşirin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study aims to explore the relationship between new media literacy (NML) and online information searching strategy (OISS), focusing on the comparative analysis of Generation Y and Z in terms of gender, educational level, daily internet usage and the most used social media platforms. This research was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. Using a convenience sample method, the participants were composed of Turkish adults representing Generation Y and Z. Demographic Information Form, New Media Literacy Scale, and Online Information Searching Strategy Inventory were conducted. Two-way MANOVA was utilized for analysis. The results indicate the main effects of generation on …

Teacher Reflections On Media And Information Literacy In Vietnamese K-12 Schools: Current Practices, Challenges, And Pathways For Improvement, Tinh T.T Le, Minh Tran, Anh Dương, Huong T. Pham, Vy Tran, Daniel Jackson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) education is widely recognized as essential, yet its adoption in Vietnamese K-12 schools is still at the early stages. This study examines the current state of MIL education in Vietnam from the perspective of teachers. Drawing on insights from a trial online MIL teacher training program, which includes teachers’ learning journals, lesson plans, and an open survey using SWOT forms, we explore the approaches they use, the challenges they face, and the opportunities in promoting MIL education in their school setting. Additionally, the findings highlight specific professional development needs to enhance teachers’ MIL instruction quality. …

The Creative Participation Pedagogical Approach To Media Literacy Education, Amanda Levido

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Approaches to media literacy education have developed over time in response to cultural understandings and the development of new media digital technologies. One approach that extends on current Media Arts approaches to media literacy is the Creative Participation approach. Underpinning this approach is an emphasis on how young people work together to make meaning through the process of production. The Creative Participation approach draws on the theory of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) and the concept of participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006) to support the assertion that young people, through shared practices, the generation of meaning through media artworks, and through …

Productive Disruptions: An Equityoriented Framework For Civic Media Literacy In The Digital Era, Carlos Jimenez, Lynn Schofield Clark, Johnny Ramirez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article introduces Productive Disruptions as a framework for civic media literacy that centers equity and social justice. Past scholarship has emphasized understanding media content and gaining competence in media production. To center equity as a structural concern beyond individual behaviors, we argue for media literacy interventions that support disrupting racism in content, production, and digital media distribution systems themselves. Drawing on an ethnographic case study with young people experiencing marginalization, we examine how youth productively disrupted instances of systemic racism via TikTok and Instagram. We identify three distinct modes of intervention: creating counter-narratives that disrupt racist discourses, subverting adult-led …

Don’T Tell Me How To Fact-Check; Show Me, And Let Me Try! A Media Literacy Intervention With Sixth-Graders, Thomas Nygren, Carl-Anton Werner Axelsson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examines how different educational approaches related to "Fria Ordets Dag" (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students’ attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students’ navigation …

Promoting News Literacy With Epistemological Beliefs, Ifla Checklist And Ai: Insights From A Teacher Training Program In Italy, Flavio Manganello

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examines the integration of epistemological beliefs, the IFLA checklist for evaluating news credibility, and the News Verifier, an AI tool powered by GPT-4, within a teacher training program aimed at enhancing news literacy. It explores the relationship between educators’ epistemological profiles and their ability to classify news using the IFLA checklist. The study also evaluates alignment between human classifications and those generated by the News Verifier, examining the potential of AI as a complementary resource for supporting practice and reflection in news literacy education. Results indicate that consistent application of the checklist improves alignment with AI outputs, although …

The Perceived Impact Of Gifs, Emojis, And Photo Comments On Digital Community Building, Katherine G. Hartman

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This study examines how GIFs, emojis, and photo comments influence users’ sense of belonging within digital communities. Drawing on theories of digital rhetoric and sociocultural relativism, it argues that these visual elements function as rhetorical tools that convey tone, emotion, and shared cultural knowledge. Using a qualitative, survey-based approach, data was collected from 51 participants aged 18–24 about their use, interpretation, and perception of digital texts across social media platforms. Findings indicate that recognition and shared interpretation of digital texts are strongly associated with increased feelings of inclusion, while unfamiliarity can lead to exclusion or confusion. Emojis were found to …

Lindenwood Digest, April 22, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest, published on April 22, 2026, outlines various campus activities including the Lindenwood Showcase and Pickleball with the President scheduled for April 23, 2026; Documentary Night on April 27, 2026; and Fashion Education Week occurring from April 27 through May 2, 2026. 

Geographic Grounding: Events are hosted across several venues including Harmon Hall, the Library and Academic Resource Center (LARC), the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, and the Lindenwood Theater at Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri. 

Key Honorees/Awards: Notable mentions include Phil Sayers as the new Head Women's Basketball Coach; honorees from …

The Laureate - An Undergraduate Literary Journal, Amelia Perleberg

Honors Theses

This thesis reflects on the editorial and publication process of the 24th edition of The Laureate, an undergraduate literary arts journal, during the 2025-2026 academic year. This thesis displays the role of editor-in-chief and examines the responsibilities, challenges, and personal growth that accompanied leading the journal. Through overseeing submissions, editing creative works, coordinating with the Design Center, and organizing the launch event, this thesis explores the collaborative and creative work required to produce a successful publication. The Laureate accepts a wide range of creative works, including poetry, fiction pieces, personal essays, photography, painting, scripts, etc. allowing undergraduate students to …

Lindenwood Digest, April 15, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, April 20, 2026, from 3–4:30 p.m.. 

• Geographic Grounding: J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri. 

• Key Honorees/Awards: Benita Phillips Lester was elected Vice President of Professional Development for the Missouri Academic Advising Association (MACADA); the PRIDE Fund annual award cycle opened on April 1, with applications due by May 5, 2026. 

• Institutional Context: The 2026 Lindenwood Showcase on April 23 features faculty sessions on integrating artificial intelligence into the classroom, specifically focusing on building student skills and practical teaching strategies. 

How Much Control Should We Have Over Our Social Media Feeds?: Reflections On A Lesson For High School Students, Daniel G. Krutka, Edward Henry

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This paper describes a week-long high school lesson designed to help students understand and reclaim agency over their algorithmically curated social media feeds. Drawing on Nicholas Carr's framework of media's three functions — message creation, selection, and transmission — the lesson traces how algorithms displaced human editorial judgment beginning with Facebook's 2006 News Feed. Through guided inquiry, social media diaries, and platform comparison charts, students examined how much control they have, and should have, over what they see online. The lesson aims to foster critical algorithmic awareness and more intentional social media practices among young people navigating an increasingly automated …

Hungary For More? Russian Storm-1516 Narratives And Engagement Tactics Targeting Hungary’S 2026 Parliamentary Election., Ella Murray, Darren Linvill, Patrick Warren

Media Forensics Hub Reports

This report identifies and analyzes a coordinated influence operation aligned with the Russian Storm-1516 ecosystem and targeting Hungary’s 2026 election. The campaign leverages a network of inauthentic social media accounts to disseminate fabricated narratives, amplify political attacks, and undermine trust in Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar and the TISZA party. The campaign reflects a broader evolution in Russian influence operations, combining established narrative laundering techniques with new amplification strategies. These include the use of fabricated media outlets, paid influencers, and a network of commercial marketing accounts with links to Africa. The campaign leverages likely compensated influencer accounts as well as …

Simple D&D: A Web-Based Character Creation System For Dungeons & Dragons, Brennan M. Bondio, Dalton N. Tate, Landon F. Boyd

ATU Scholars Symposium

Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast, is a widely played tabletop role-playing game that requires players to create detailed characters governed by structured rule systems. Character creation involves managing interdependent attributes, calculations, and constraints that can be difficult for new players and time-consuming even for experienced participants. These complexities create a barrier to entry and reduce efficiency during gameplay preparation.

This project addresses that challenge through the development of Simple D&D, a web-based character creation system designed to streamline and automate rule-driven character configuration. The system aims to reduce manual calculation errors and setup time while maintaining …

Lindenwood Digest, April 8, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Primary Figures: Ken Lanter (United HealthCare Medicare Solutions); Ryan Tomlinson (U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management); Dr. Jennifer Edler, Julie Ingoldsby, Julee Mitsler, and Zeke Chism. 

• Key Events: Lindenwood Giving Week including daily focus areas for campus colleges and athletics; Medicare 101 hybrid information session; Staff Celebration BBQ; Digital Symposium on AI-Augmented Learning; "How to Become a Multi-Millionaire" personal finance presentation; Lindenwood Showcase faculty and student research event. 

• Date/Location: Events scheduled between April 8, 2026, and May 31, 2026, at locations including Spellmann Center, Lindenwood Learning Academy, Pavilion, Dunseth Auditorium (Harmon Hall), and the LARC. 

• Archival Significance: …

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The Sensationalizing Of Presidential Assassinations In Mass Media Throughout American History, Lindsay E. Smith

Undergraduate Theses

This project explores how mass media has shaped the public response to presidential assassinations across American history. By examining the deaths of Abraham Lincoln (1865), James A. Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901), and John F. Kennedy (1963), we can trace how evolving media technologies – such as newspapers, yellow journalism, radio broadcasts, and live television coverage – have sensationalized violence, politicized tragedy, and transformed periods of national mourning into mass spectacles. The thesis analyzes reporting methods, narrative framing, and the news industry to show how each has influenced emotional response, political landscapes, and eventual presidential legacy. Ultimately, we find that …