Communication Commons^™

Examining Social Network Site Usage By Older Adults: A Phenomenological Approach, Betsy Baugess

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The Internet has infiltrated our daily lives in many ways. Social networking on the Internet is a great example of how the Internet has expanded interpersonal communication. Many individuals have made social networking sites, like FaceBook and Twitter, an essential part of their lives and use these platforms to communicate daily. Until recently, young people have been the primary participants in this fast-growing phenomenon, and older adults' participation in the Internet, specifically social networking sites, has lagged far behind. However, in recent years, there has been a noteworthy increase in the number of older adult participants. The increase in older …

Prediction Of Venues In Foursquare Using Flipped Topic Models, Wen Haw Chong, Bing Tian Dai, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Foursquare is a highly popular location-based social platform, where users indicate their presence at venues via check-ins and/or provide venue-related tips. On Foursquare, we explore Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic models for venue prediction: predict venues that a user is likely to visit, given his history of other visited venues. However we depart from prior works which regard the users as documents and their visited venues as terms. Instead we ‘flip’ LDA models such that we regard venues as documents that attract users, which are now the terms. Flipping is simple and requires no changes to the LDA mechanism. Yet …

Nirmal: Automatic Identification Of Software Relevant Tweets Leveraging Language Model, Abishek Sharma, Yuan Tian, David Lo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Twitter is one of the most widely used social media platforms today. It enables users to share and view short 140-character messages called 'tweets'. About 284 million active users generate close to 500 million tweets per day. Such rapid generation of user generated content in large magnitudes results in the problem of information overload. Users who are interested in information related to a particular domain have limited means to filter out irrelevant tweets and tend to get lost in the huge amount of data they encounter. A recent study by Singer et al. found that software developers use Twitter to …

Social Media And Celebrities: The Benefits Of A Social Media Presence, Kristin Wright

Journalism

This study analyzes celebrities and their social media presence and how they can benefit from using different social platforms. The rise of social media has caused people to rely on it for news, viewing content, and making connections with others. Celebrities no longer have to relay messages or content through their managers and publicists before releasing it. The way people interact through social media has allowed celebrities to engage their fans, enhance their career, and ultimately increase their stardom. This study investigates how social media impacts a celebrity’s career and what the best practices are for receiving positive benefits.

Breaking Into The Business: A Guide To Creating A Dynamic Resume Reel And Securing A Job In Today’S Television News Industry, Christina Favuzzi

Journalism

Broadcast journalists are experiencing turbulence in their field of expertise due to increasing digitalization and decreased funding. It is becoming commonplace for reporters to work as one-man-bands, or “multimedia journalists,” shooting and editing their own video in addition to writing and reporting. For people looking to begin a career in the highly competitive broadcast news industry, there is a great deal of information to understand and consider prior to beginning the job search. Creating a dynamic resume reel is central to landing a job as an on-air reporter. However, with the development of digital-first and multimedia journalism, there are certain …

The Strategies And Tactics Used To Create A Successful Personal Brand: The Implications For Career Development In Public Relations, Jane Redmond

Journalism

With the technology and access to information that is available in today’s day and age, people are learning to become more cautious in how they are presenting themselves. In a professional sense, it is important that people are aware of the image they portray and that they are doing so in a consistent manner. Professionals can do this by defining their own personal brand in order to benefit their career and demonstrate who they are as an individual in a consistent manner. This project will study how one can be effective in creating their own personal brand and what strategies …

#Handsonlearning: Lessons From Student "Takeover" Of Csb/Sju Social Media, Tiffany Clements, Kelly Berg

Forum Lectures

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, CSB and SJU communication students "took over" CSB/SJU institutional profiles on Instagram and Vine for six weeks in the spring of 2014. Students in the Communication Department's New Media Applications and Analysis course planned, prepared and shared photos and video for their assigned profile. Groups were responsible for setting goals for their takeover, creating a profile of a target audience and applying lessons learned about effective branding through visual communication.

In this presentation, Associate Professor Kelly Berg and CSB/SJU Social Media Specialist Tiffany Clements discuss learning outcomes from the collaboration and takeaways for future Communications and …

Perspectives From China: Social Media And Living Well In A Chinese Context, Sarah Mattice

UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship

The United States has a current population of approximately 313.9 million people. In 2013, more than 600 million users had active accounted on Qzone, China’s largest social media site (Millward 2013). Although discussions of social media tend to assume American or European users, social media is a worldwide phenomenon, and different locales bring different concerns to bear on social media ethics. China not only leads the world in terms of sheer numbers of users, but also has the most active environment for social media, ranging from instant chat platforms like QQ to blogs, microblogs, social networking sites, and gaming platforms. …

Review Synthesis For Micro-Review Summarization, Thanh-Son Nguyen, Hady W. Lauw, Panayiotis Tsaparas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Micro-reviews is a new type of user-generated content arising from the prevalence of mobile devices and social media in the past few years. Micro-reviews are bite-size reviews (usually under 200 characters), commonly posted on social media or check-in services, using a mobile device. They capture the immediate reaction of users, and they are rich in information, concise, and to the point. However, the abundance of micro-reviews, and their telegraphic nature make it increasingly difficult to go through them and extract the useful information, especially on a mobile device. In this paper, we address the problem of summarizing the micro-reviews of …

Use Of A High-Value Social Audience Index For Target Audience Identification On Twitter, Siaw Ling Lo, David Cornforth, Raymond. Chiong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With the large and growing user base of social media, it is not an easy feat to identify potential customers for business. This is mainly due to the challenge of extracting commercially viable contents from the vast amount of free-form conversations. In this paper, we analyse the Twitter content of an account owner and its list of followers through various text mining methods and segment the list of followers via an index. We have termed this index as the High-Value Social Audience (HVSA) index. This HVSA index enables a company or organisation to devise their marketing and engagement plan according …

Use Of Craigslist.Org To Hook Up: Age Differences In Sex Requests, Hiv Disclosure And Negotiated Safety Among Men-Seeking-Men, Kristen Clements-Nolle, Aliya Buttar, Lindsey Dermid-Gray, Tyler Peterson, Andrea Esp

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Data from 984 “men-seeking-men” Craigslist.org postings in five cities were analyzed to assess differences in sexual requests, HIV status disclosure, and negotiated safety between young (18-24 years) and older (25 years and older) men who have sex with men (MSM). Young MSM were less likely than older MSM to post their HIV status or the preferred status of a partner (p=0.04), disclose and/or request a partner who was disease and drug free (p=.01), and request use of a condom in their posting (p=0.01). Interventions aimed at changing the culture and content of postings on Craigslist.org by encouraging HIV status disclosure …

Parody Social Media Accounts: Influence And Impact On Organizations During Crisis, Sarah Wan, Regina Koh, Andrew Ong, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

With the uptake of the use of social media, the communication field has seen a rise in a new phenomenon: parody social media accounts. Through study of five such accounts, this paper shows how parody social media accounts can arise from a crisis or paracrisis, which is “a publicly visible crisis threat” that is triggered online (Coombs & Holladay, 2012, p. 409). The study also examines the behavior of these accounts and how they enforce negative perceptions and impede an organization's efforts and initiatives. Using the social-mediated crisis communication model as its theoretical lens, this study seeks to examine parody …

Mobile Technologies And The Incidence Of Cyberbullying In Seven European Countries: Findings From Net Children Go Mobile, Brian O'Neill, Thuy Dinh

Articles

The harmful effects of bullying and harassment on children have long been of concern to parents, educators, and policy makers. The online world presents a new environment in which vulnerable children can be victimized and a space where perpetrators find new ways to perform acts of harassment. While online bullying is often considered to be an extension of persistent offline behavior, according to EU Kids Online (2011), the most common form of bullying is in person, face-to-face. With the rise in use of mobile Internet technologies, this balance is changing. Increased levels of use and more time spent online accessed …

Traffickacts.Org: Turning Advocacy To Action To Combat Human Trafficking Through The Public, Sarah Gardner

MA IDS Thesis Projects

This paper discusses in depth one of the most controversial topics today in the field of development and social justice: human trafficking. Examining it from an activist perspective, this paper defines human trafficking, reviews the history of slavery as it relates to human trafficking, and examines current and emerging trends in combating this human rights violation. Various best practices are explored in the realm of anti-trafficking campaigns and programs. A primary focus of this paper is providing a model for combating trafficking through the engagement of the general public. Therefore social media advocacy is also defined and analyzed in the …

Exploring Ways Social Media Data Inform Public Issues Communication: An Analysis Of Twitter Conversation During The 2012-2013 Drought In Nebraska, Adam Wagler, Karen J. Cannon

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Social networking sites often are used to maintain close social ties, but increasingly they are used for information and news dissemination, specifically about major events and crises. In 2012, a historic drought struck the Midwest, destroying or damaging portions of major field crops in major agricultural production states. By the end of August 2012, 90% of Nebraska was declared in extreme or exceptional drought, leading to bans on irrigation, damaged crops, and record-low yields as well as damaging the state’s leading economic sector. This case study used social media monitoring and analysis to explore online Twitter conversations related to this …

Identity Crafting: Reading The Agency And Art Implicit In Selfies, Margaret Nichols

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

The aim of this article is to unravel the craftsmanship of online identities implicit in taking and sharing selfies and to measure the immediate or resulting violence by imposed definition upon the subject-photographer. This paper especially focuses on the identity building of young women on the social networking platform Instagram. Crucial to the research are Susan Sontag's work on photography philosophy relating to violence inflicted upon subjects, Gregory Ulmer's work on electracy, and Liana De Girolami Cheney's research into artistic conventions of self-portraiture dating back from the Renaissance to the present. The highly constructed nature of selfies, an emerging art …

Facebook Frets: The Role Of Social Media Use In Predicting Social And Facebook-Specific Anxiety, Lee Farquhar, Theresa Davidson

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Theory suggests that Facebook users may experience anxiety due to accessibility of their self-presentations to their entire networks. This project examines the impact of Facebook use on general social anxiety and Facebook-specific anxiety. Predictors we consider include the intensity of Facebook use, role conflict experienced during Facebook use, self-monitoring activities of the user, and religiosity of the user. Findings indicate that Facebook may, indeed, be increasing anxiety. Role conflict and religiosity can also increase Facebook-specific anxiety. Self-monitoring decreases Facebook-specific anxiety but increases general social anxiety. These findings suggest that, under certain circumstances, Facebook use may lead to heightened anxiety.

Tolerance On Facebook: Exploring Network Diversity And Social Distance, Lee Farquhar, Theresa Davidson

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This study examines Facebook usage, network composition, and desired social distance from groups often perceived as the “other”. Specifically, we examine attitudes toward Atheists, Muslims, and Gays. Findings indicate that social network composition (ie - network diversity, number of unique groups, number of Facebook friends) plays a significant role in participants’ desired social distance from said groups. Generally, these findings suggest that increasing diversity in a Facebook network may lead to a decrease in prejudice.

An Analysis Of User-Generated Comments On The Development Of Social Mobile Learning, Shenghua Zha, Wu He

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

In this study, the authors used a mixed-method approach to analyze user-generated comments on social mobile learning from three leading news sites that report the latest development in higher education. Koole’s mobile learning model was used to code comments made by the public on the three news sites. Results showed that social mobile learning has gained an increasing public engagement in the past four years. Responders’ discussion in the comments primarily focused on four themes of social mobile learning: technology adoption, effective design, faculty training, and student training. In the end, the authors discussed the implications for developers and educators …

Proud To Be Autistic: Metaphorical Construction And Salience Of Cultural And Personal Identity In #Stopcombatingme, Jessica Benham

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Like many other autistic individuals, I struggle to find language to appropriately describe my experiences. Furthermore, within the Autistic community, debates over appropriate language use are frequent, including discussions on person-first language versus identity-first language, functioning language, and medical terminology. Through this research, I examine how rhetorical constructions of Autism gain power, focused on the role of language choice with regard to personal identity and self-advocacy and conduct a discourse analysis of the #StopCombatingMe movement on Twitter. Spearheaded by ASAN, a grassroots organization which seeks to challenge public dialogue on Autism, #StopCombatingMe sought to argue against the reauthorization of the …

Bloggers And Their Impact On Contemporary Social Movements: A Phenomenological Examination Of The Role Of Blogs And Their Creators In The Lgbt Social Movements In Modern United States, Bobby K. Huen

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The Internet is a ubiquitous feature in everyday life, but its application to social movements has yet to be completely understood. This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of bloggers who focused on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement in the United States to understand the impact bloggers and their work as online activists have on existing LGBT social movement organization and operation. Data collection is gathered from semi-structured and open-ended interviews with four social movement bloggers using web-conference software over the course of three months. The results of this study indicated that internet has empowered individual activists, …

Speaking Their Language: Integrating Social Media Into Childbirth Education Practice, Deborah Weatherspoon, Christopher Weatherspoon, C. Ristau

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

With the advancement of modern technology, the internet has become a standard platform for many forms of communication and education. The majority of pregnant females fall into the cohort known as Millenials and have experienced technology since early in life. Millenials consider technology as part of their everyday life and use it for personal interaction or a source of information. The established comfort with the use of technology combined with busy lifestyles, multiple commitments, transportation costs or logistics, childcare, or a desire for privacy, support the use of perinatal online learning. This article examines options that childbirth educators may consider …

From The Desk Of The Editor

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Peers Social Structure In Healthcare Social Networking Websites, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Insu Park

Research & Publications

Although the demand for online patients to look for online health information is in high, few of them seems to demonstrate effective use of the health Social Network Sites (SNSs). Exploring the design features that can motivate individuals to actively participate in the health SNSs is crucial to develop platforms that can support sustainable online social structure. This study seeks to investigate the influence of the peers structure capacity as an important feature of health SNSs on two individuals’ behaviors, effective SNSs use and willingness to share Personal Health Information (PHI). Accordingly, our goals in this research are in twofold: …

Facebook Addiction And Impulsive Decision-Making, Daniel Delaney

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between Facebook "addiction" and impulsive decision-making. Impulsive decision-making as measured by the delay discounting task is associated with a number of addictions and other problem behaviors. We gave 152 students a paper-based packet including the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to measure problematic Facebook use and a delay discounting task to assess impulsivity. 16 Facebook "addicted" participants were matched to 16 control participants on demographic data to compare differences in impulsivity. Likewise, we explored whether a correlational relationship between Facebook addiction scores and impulsivity existed. We found that Facebook "addicts" discounted delayed rewards more quickly than …

Relax And Log On Facebook: Examining Students’ Use Of Facebook To Relieve Academic Stress Through Perceived Social Support, Tamika Tompoulidis

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

College students often times experience academic stress, whether it is due to homework, exams, GPA requirement, or even adapting to the college environment. Social support has been known to reduce stress levels and affect psychological well-being. Social support can also be prevalent on social media sites, such as Facebook. Facebook users can communicate with friends near and far and find the needed support during times of stress. While college students are active Facebook users, little research has examined whether Facebook affects academic stress levels. This study examined if college students use Facebook to gain social support for stress above and …

College Students’ Use Of Social Media To Communicate About Alcohol And Drinking Behaviors, Jenna E. Reno

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Social networking sites (SNSs) are an increasingly popular channel for communication among college students. Often students disclose more freely via social networking sites than they would in other situations. These disclosures commonly include information about engaging in risky health behaviors (e.g., binge drinking). Study 1 examined students’ impression management goals and self-presentation tactics specifically related to self-disclosures of drinking behavior on SNSs. Findings suggest that students use differing self-presentation tactics across various SNSs in order to achieve their impression management goals and to avoid consequences associated with disclosing about risky health behaviors to certain audiences. Study 2 sought to develop …

Relationship Management On Facebook: Male College Students, Kathleen M. Aikin

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Facebook as a social media technology is prominent in a variety of scenarios, including interpersonal relationship management. There have been numerous studies on how social dynamics are informed by social media, especially in regards to young adults. Within this group, female social dynamics have garnered much attention; however, there is a dearth of research, which explicitly examines how males utilize the technology. Thus, this study collected data via an online survey of college students that examined various aspects of online interpersonal relationship dynamics. The theoretical framework of this study was based on Petronio’s (1991) communication privacy management theory, Baxter and …

Social Media And Symbolic Action: Exploring Participation In The Facebook Red Equal Sign Profile Picture Campaign, Joel Penney

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

This study investigates symbolic action on popular social media platforms by empirically exploring the subjective experiences and motivations of participants in an exemplary campaign. Previous debates regarding the relationship between symbolic action and more traditional forms of political participation suggest a binary between up‐the‐ladder “civic culture” engagement and down‐the‐ladder “slacktivism.” Interviews with participants in the Facebook red equal sign profile picture campaign for marriage equality provide some evidence to support the former (particularly in terms of building an identity‐focused political movement), and comparatively little to support the latter. However, a third model suggests how sympathetic citizens who would not otherwise …

International Management: Strategic Opportunities And Cultural Challenges, Paul B. Sweeney, Dean B. Mcfarlin

Management and Marketing Faculty Publications

As the economies of many countries become more interrelated, international managers are facing huge challenges and unique opportunities associated with their roles. Now in its fifth edition, Sweeney and McFarlin's International Management embodies a balanced and integrated approach to the subject, emphasizing the strategic opportunities available to firms on a global playing field, as well as exploring the challenges of managing an international workforce.

Integrating theory and practice across all chapter topics, this book helps students to learn, grasp, and apply the underlying principles of successful international management:

• Understanding the broad context of international business, including the critical trends impacting …